HUNTED

Aila did not accept Damon's invitation to leave, and the group of werewolves, a shapeshifter, a human and a vampire were all scattered around the bar and sofas. Not long after the Beta and Gamma burst through the doors did Luther and Vinnie turn up. They were very alert at the number of enemies in the room with their king.

But Gabriel waved their concerns off with a simple comment that was both a joke and a threat. "I can still kill everyone before they even finish blinking," Gabriel chuckled, "but they are my guests. So, there is no need."

His confidence alone and the manner in which he speaks spoke volumes of how dangerous Gabriel really was. When she fought Cassius, and the time when he held her against the glass, it showed how powerful he was. It was strange to know that they were both the vampire king and the oldest being in the room and possibly the earth.

Aila was sitting on the couch, but this time she was tucked into the side of Damon. He kept his arm over the back of the sofa while he continuously stared at Gabriel, not backing down. Chase was now at the bar with Ajax while the remaining pack leaders stood behind Damon and Aila protectively. Aila wanted to tell them to relax, but it seemed to even put Finn on edge after Damon's little entrance.

"Let me just clear everything up, so these guys are up to speed.." Aila began.

"And you can trust everyone in this room? It is not just my secret but also yours.." Gabriel interrupted before Aila could continue. She faltered for a second but remembered who else he was referring to in the room.

"There is no doubt in my mind that I trust them. They are the Silver Cresent pack's leaders and our closest friends," Aila responded instantly, causing Gabriel to lean back on the sofa with a raised brow as he rested his arm across the back of the couch. "Unless you do not wish for them to know for personal reasons? If you feel uncomfortable about-"

Gabriel chuckled darkly. "I do not have feelings, Aila. Please proceed.." He gestured his tumbler for Aila to continue. She pursed her lips to his comment; she was sure he had feelings. He even told her about how the hunters captured him in the first place. But she did not say anything, he was the vampire king, and from how people feared him, she presumed it was how he wanted it.

Aila cleared her throat. "Okay.. Just to reiterate what we've been told so far before someone interrupted," She glanced at Damon jokingly, but one cold look from him silenced the amusement bubbling inside of her, and she continued, "Ahem. So, Gabriel was with my ancestor Amelia Cross who is also a vampire. But she was having an affair with Cassius, his twin brother.."

"I honestly don't understand why she would jump between twins.. it's like the same person?" Malia interrupted in her mind, causing Aila to pause for a second and roll her eyes. This made both Damon and Gabriel look at her intently. They could both probably hear her wolf speaking.

"I don't know either, now shush. It's rude to interrupt," Aila muttered back to her wolf and looked at her mate and the vampire king with an apologetic smile.

"Gabriel was with Amelia, who was having an affair with Cassius but then in the 16th century ran into her mate, Matthias my great whatever.. you said Amelia was bored and wanted the strongest children. But not vampire children.." Something was prickling at the back of her mind. "That's quite the coincidence that her mate so happened to be a werewolf.. But you said your creator brought her specifically to earth for you.." Aila looked at Gabriel, waiting for him to fill in the blanks.

Gabriel sighed, "It is not the first time I have also questioned this. But I still do not have answers. Amelia and Matthias were mates, and she had the children that she wanted. But.." He trailed off and looked at the dark liquid of whiskey in his glass while everyone in the room watched him expectantly. Aila could see everyone except Damon leaning forwards slightly as though they were listening to an intense story and did not know what to expect.

"Amelia wasn't done there. She also had an affair with a shapeshifter and had a child with him."

Aila stilled. What was up with her ancestor!? She shrunk in her seat while Gabriel watched her. How could he look at her with no shred of hate? She looked exactly like Amelia, except for the eyes. Aila glanced to the side as the image of Amelia and Matthias portrait flashed across her mind. The artist even drew how her eyes were.

They weren't brown specks but red. The paint either lost the colour over the centuries or the artist truly believed she had brown spots on her startlingly cold blue eyes.

"So, she was trying to do what the hunters want.." Finn added, "A superior being, but she did it without experimenting.."

Gabriel shook his head, "She still experimented. I told you, she was far too intelligent. More intelligent than most because of her age, and Amelia, of course, hated how little power women had in those times. But she was already a powerful vampire. There was nothing in the world she could not have or do." He looked away for a moment, and Aila could see his mind spinning with more to say.

"She created her own creatures with the help of black witches, but they all turned out wrong and were let loose to raise havoc in the world. After years of failure and the world dealing with these 'demons', she sought me out, begging for forgiveness. Amelia was wicked, but she was incredibly sad. Even her children could not bring her joy.. She still had the mindset that her only purpose in life was to be my partner.. And said she found peace for a while with Matthias but missed me terribly.." Gabriel's stoic face darkened.

Aila knew there was a lot more to come for 'storytime' about her ancestor's dark past. To think that Amelia was doing precisely what the hunters wanted now. Although, the hunters were doing it for their own purpose of destroying all of the creatures. Why did Amelia do it?

"It's simple. Amelia wanted power. She wanted the throne and to have powerful beings by her side to keep her there," Gabriel replied to her in her mind. Aila locked eyes with him and frowned; she still couldn't understand it. "That's because you are not like Amelia.. She didn't know that Cassius and I could read minds."

Gabriel continued aloud and looked out at the window to the side of the room. "Amelia was trying to find sanctuary from her mate. As a vampire, she foolishly didn't pay enough attention to how mate bonds worked. She disappeared from Matthias and had an affair with a shapeshifter.."

Aila sucked in a sharp breath. Gabriel already said Amelia had a child with a shapeshifter, but it was only now that it hit her. Matthias would know that she was unfaithful, and Alphas, or more so, Alpha King's were more feral, possessive and protective of their mate.

"Did Matthias kill her? Did Matthias kill his mate?" Aila asked, holding her breath for Gabriel to answer.