Chapter 9: The Hunt

"You're ethereal, my little fairy," Nox said, not giving Aylin enough time to retort before claiming those lips again. One hand rested on the small of Aylin's back, gently massaging the area, while her other hand firmly held the back of the omega's neck, keeping their lips pressed together.

Aylin had her arms around Nox's neck, the feeling of her mate holding onto her tightly making a smug smirk spread on Nox's face.

Nox broke the kiss for air, instantly attacking Aylin's scent gland. A mix of a moan and a high-pitched whine tumbled out of her mouth, making Nox shudder with delight at the sounds that came from her mate.

Aylin was leaking uncontrollably, her juices flooding the countertop, pleasing Nox, but giving her Alpha more reason to avoid the area that Aylin wanted stimulation from the most.

Nox basked in her mate's sounds of pleasure as they made out there on the kitchen island, Aylin clinging to and clawing at every inch of skin she could as her mate mercilessly kissed, sucked and nipped at her neck, relishing the sounds she elicited from her omega.

"S-Scarlett... ngh!" Aylin moaned, her mind too caught up in the pleasurable sensations created by her mate to form a full sentence. Nox growled, Nier pushing through and coating her violet eyes with a myriad of gold flecks, pleased at the mess they had made of their mate.

Nox kissed Aylin sweetly, toning down the previous heat, knowing that if things escalated further, there would be nothing stopping her from claiming her mate over and over till dawn broke, marking and impregnating her omega.

Small, high-pitched whines left Aylin's lips as she cooled down, her mind too dazed to function, and melting even more because of the sweetness of the kiss.

Nox broke the kiss, chuckling at her mate's dazed state, lifting the omega and carrying her up the stairs bridal style. She took off their clothes, bathing her mate carefully and lovingly, smiling when Aylin purred happily in response, settling in the arms of her mate, basking in her Alpha's care and attentiveness to her, her eyes showing the unrestrained affection she carried for Nox.

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The week passed with Aylin undergoing brutal training, as they had to cram years of training into two weeks, so it was understandable how tough it ended up.

However, the only thing that happened was that Aylin gained the respect of the entire pack, for her crazily fast adaptability to situations. Nox had been busy as well, since although she left Duncan in charge of pack management, there was only so much he could do without her presence.

Thus, every morning , Nox and Aylin had breakfast prepared by the omega and then ventured out to tackle the day's challenges, before trooping back home, where Aylin conjured up energy from some sort of inexhaustible source, cooked dinner, and then they slept.

However, today was a special day; it was the day of the hunt. Aylin was buzzing with excitement as this was the first ever pack hunt she was participating in.

In her home pack, she was unable to participate due to her status as an omega. It was not because they suppressed omegas, it was simply because they believed that omega's were to be protected by the entire pack.

It was a nice sentiment, but it was not Aylin's style of thinking in the slightest. She longed to hunt with the pack, something that was possible now that she had found her mate.

In the Midnight pack, every wolf, regardless of status, was required to undergo warrior training, and only the elites from that training would be selected as the pack guards.

This resulted in even omegas being border guards, something that made the pack an anomaly among wolfkind. However, the pack was too powerful to offend, so most kept their criticisms to themselves, in fear of waking the sleeping dragon that was the Midnight Pack's Alpha; Scarlett Nox.

As Aylin prepared for the hunt, a proud smile graced her face once she thought of her mate's infamy. She did not know all the rumors and stories yet,but from what she had heard, most were wary of the Alpha, and for good reason. 'I wonder how she looks like while fighting,' Aruna mused, the thought on both of their minds, as Aylin agreed.

A long, loud, excited howl cut through the night, startling Aylin. It was the Beta of the pack; he was announcing the start of the hunt.

Adrenaline began to ebb and flow through Aylin's body, and she shifted into Aruna, before rushing to join the pack, her excited yips and barks mirroring the pack, as they were all excited to be hunting with their future Luna.

Aruna trotted to the border where the pack gathered, following the scent of her mate and stopping right in front of her, nuzzling and nosing at her mate's fur in greeting.

Nier huffed in amusement, licking Aruna's cheek as Aruna stood by her side, the joy in her little omega shining like glitter in her eyes. Nier spoke through the pack link.

'Groups five to eight are on border patrol duty. Not even a single rat should make it past the borders, are we clear?'

'Yes Alpha.' came the chorus.

'Good. Let the hunt begin!' Nier announced.

Instantly, one could see the palapble excitement rushing through the wolves, the yips and barks increasing at the thought of a hunt.

Nier barked loudly, proceeding to dart into the forest in a way that Aruna could follow easily. Aruna huffed in excitement, running beside her mate as they weaved and darted between the trees, searching for their next quarry.

Aruna caught a scent, yipping excitedly and tugging gently on her mate's fur, as she then darted in the direction of the scent she picked. Sensing their Luna's excitement, the pack members present barked in joy, quickly following the wolf. They darted through the forest, their movements swift but silent, all knowing that they were now in the trail of their prey, and none wanted to scare it off.

Beside Aruna, Nier ran, keeping up easily with her mate's movements, huffing in amusement at her mate, who was following the scent of a herd of deer with precise focus.

They eventually stopped just before a large plain, filled with grasses that covered the wolves easily. Keeping downwind, Aruna began to stalk forward, stopping only when the herd came to sight.

Locking her eyes on a large buck with a large white mark on his horns, she stopped, speaking to Nier though their personal link. ' I'm going for that one' she spoke,her stance ready.

'Alright, we'll chase it down, so kill at your discretion, little mate.' Nier said, her muzzle curled into a wolfish smirk. Aruna nodded as Nier informed the pack on the procedure.

At Nier's signal, some wolves broke away from the group, heading further into the plain and upwind, so that the herd would be spooked. The leader of the herd caught the scent of the wolves, quickly stirring the herd into a frenzy before taking off to the west of the plain in a bid to escape the revealed wolves.

This was the cue the pack was waiting for, and they quickly ran after the herd, isolating the young buck that Aruna picked and chasing it feverently.

As they chased the deer, Aruna leaped out from among them, opening her maw to expose two rows of teeth primed for tearing into flesh, and locking her maw on the buck's neck, shaking to sink her teeth in deeper.

She increased the pressure her maw put on the buck's neck, ignoring the buck's attempt to shake her off by digging her front claws into its back, her rear claws ripping a hole in the buck's stomach.

She bit down harder, latching onto a large artery before tearing into it, the blood spurting out of the buck's body and drenching Aruna. The buck stumbled, it's velocity forcing it to topple over, landing with a thud on the ground . Aruna watched it as it shuddered violently, not once releasing its neck until every sign of life had been snuffed out. The pack watched as Aylin stepped back, her maw and back covered in blood, a proud, wolfish grin on her face at her achievement. Nier walked up to her, lapping tenderly at the blood on her mate's fur, cleaning her for a moment before nudging Aruna to the now dead buck. It was customary for the wolf that killed the prey to get the first bite, regardless of the Alpha's presence.

Aruna dug into the carcass, Nier following suit before the whole group of wolves devoured the deer down to its bones, reveling in the thrill of the hunt, their wolves taking over and only stopping when there was nothing left to eat.

Once that was done, the wolves raced each other to the pack. Aruna yipped and barked in joy, speeding against the wolves, tousling and tumbling with them like a playful pup. Nier huffed in amusement, deciding to join in the fray after Aruna. The wolves joined their Luna, pleased that she saw it as normal to play with them, rolling around and engaging in mock little battles as they slowly made their way to the pack, bonding with their Alpha pair.

They made their way back to the borders, their playful yips and barks alerting the pack guards and those who had not participated in the hunt, which was less of a hunt and more of a test for their soon-to-be Luna, of their arrival. The border guards howled loudly, welcoming their Alpha, future Luna and the wolves from the hunt, as well as alerting the rest of the pack wolves to leave their quarters. They had already been informed of the events that transpired during the hunt, and their approval for Aylin had gained new heights, her surge in popularity unexpected.

They had erected a large podium during the short time they were gone. It was a sturdy stage that was near the border. The wolves shifted just before the borders, wearing clothes that had been placed at strategic locations all around the area. Once all the wolves were now in their human forms, they proceeded to the podium, standing below it with the other wolves of their pack. Like this, the pack members trooped out of their quarters at the pack house until every single wolf of the midnight pack was present.

Aylin, who had not expected this, glanced at Scarlett, who stood beside her with a nonchalant expression on her face, unfazed by the current events.

Nox, who sensed her mate's gaze, glanced down at her, smirking before grabbing Aylin's hand and strolling to the podium. She headed up the steps, pausing at the top to lend Aylin a hand up the steps. The gesture was more out of affection than perception of weakness, and the unmated wolves of the pack acknowledged the strength of the mate bond while witnessing this scene. After all, who could explain that the Dark Valkyrie, the creator of a million bloodbaths, the incarnation of the god of war and carrier of the Grim Reaper's scythe, was acting this sweet?

Sure, she was never that heavy handed with pack members, except in the event of betrayal, and even then it was investigated and the culprit only punished after their guilt was proven without a shadow of a doubt. Still, their stoic Alpha seemed only capable of two emotions; apathy and ire. The rest of her emotional spectrum was quite non-existent, honestly.

As they thought this, Nox stood on the podium, silently gazing out at her pack. The wolves had all shifted to human form and stood, murmuring quietly among themselves. Nox tilted her head down to whisper into Aylin's ear, though the action was only for intimacy, as the pack could hear her clearly anyway, since her voice was low but clear and audible.

"Take a good look, sweetheart. They are your new family, your pack to protect, your wolves to lead. Never forget that duty and never forget that bond you share with them. As you lead, don't forget that they are not your subjects, but individuals who can both guide you and aid you." As Nox spoke, the wolves stared at her, the pride they felt at her words of praise for them swelling in their chests.

They had no idea that his was what their Alpha felt about them and were both surprised and happy at the revelation. They stood, watching their Alpha, who had borne the burden of leading them at the forefront alone for three centuries, and some of them felt tears in their eyes at the thought that their Alpha finally had a partner to share her burden with.