"Close your eyes."

"Why?"

Alec smiled. "Just trust me."

Aria complied, closing her arms as Alec moved to be behind her. "Now listen to everything around you."

Aria listened, picking up on the faintest of sounds. She could hear the quiet steady breathing of Alec, the worms digging in the soil under their feet, and the sound of something moving along the forest floor. It walked on all fours, but it was careful with its movements, as if it was stalking. There was more than one by the sound of it, perhaps a herd of deer yet Aria knew that couldn't be. She knew deer well, seeing how her grandfather and father would take her hunting every fall when hunting season began. She leaned closer, Alec's arm slid around her waist keeping her from falling over and close to him. 

The wind changed direction, bringing the familiar scent of musk and fur. She knew that scent well. Sam, Seth, Leah, and all the other shifters had the same scent when they were in the wolfish forms. 

Aria's eyes snapped open. "Wolves," Aria whispered, the ache in her throat igniting once more.

Alec released his hold on his girlfriend. "Let's hunt."

Aria took a hesitant step forward, looking back at Alec. 

"I'm right behind you, Honeybee."

She gave no second thought, simply taking off like a rocket at the speed of light. Alec was true to his word he stayed behind her only struggling to keep up with her speed. Aria, on the other hand, wanted to push her limits, to see how truly fast she could go. She leaned forward, extending her stride, nearly bouncing from foot to foot. She quickly came across a small river, its waters black under the canopy of tree leaves. She leapt with ease, feeling practically weightless before she landed on the other side of the river.

She turned hard right, running towards the last place she heard the wolves. She came to an abrupt stop, letting Alec finally catch up with her. Aria held a finger to her lips before moving between the trees slowly, keeping her scent off the wind. She hid behind a fallen log, using it as her camouflage since she was definitely under prepared for a hunting expedition.

The pack of wolves had occupied themselves with the carcass of a fallen deer. Aria watched as they ate and bickered amongst themselves for shares of the kill as Alec perched himself beside her. 

Aria took notice of a smaller wolf, one that had been chased off to the edge of the clearing to gnaw on a bone it managed to get away from a packmate. She turned to Alec to see him nodding already.

Aria rose to all fours, climbing her way over the log until she was on top of it, staring down at the wolf. It might have been her imagination but she could've sworn her heightened senses dulled, honing in on the singular being in front of her. She crouched, ready to spring at any given notice, when the wind changed direction again.

The wolves stopped, sniffing the air before turning their attention to where a new comer approached. In a second Alec was by his mates side. "We need to go."

Aria shook her head, her eyes fixated on the bear coming into the clearing. "I can take 'um."

"I know you can, but this isn't the time to test your strength."

"Oh, yes it is." Aria chuckled and leapt into the space and in the way of the bear.

The wolves had fled the area, knowing the deer was not something worth fighting over or even dying for. They were the smart ones. Alec watched as Aria and the bear sized each other up. Under normal circumstances, Alec might have laughed, even taughtened the much smaller of the dueling two but no, not when his mate is the one wanting to take on the bear. 

The bear reared back onto its hind legs and bellowed a terrible roar, one that Aria matched with one of her own. She charged at the beast, letting her speed and impenetrable skin be the most valuable tools in her weapon arsenal at the moment. The bear swiped at her with a  massive paw only for her to dodge and sink a blow of her own.

"Yer not so tough!" She laughed dodging a charge, "I can see why Emmett likes huntin' y'all!"

The bear charged once more only for Aria to miscalculate her footing and have the beast smack right into her. She went skidding across the dirt. She had just enough time to spit out a leaf she managed to get in her mouth as the bear swooped in clawing and slashing at her. Aria could feel the animals claws yet it did nothing to her skin, only ruining her once beautiful lavender dress.

She grew tired of the game, using a swift influx of pain to get the bear to stop. The bear released its hold on her, whimpering at the feelings Aria continued to throw in waves. Happiness, fear, guilt, hunger, but most of all pain.

The bear crumpled to the ground, cowering in debilitating pain as Aria moved in for the final blow. She kneeled, yanking the bears head up with enough force to snap its neck. She eased its pain, focusing more on the rush of calm before falling asleep before she sank those razor sharp teeth of hers into its neck. She made sure to keep the bear at ease as she drank until she couldn't feel anything from it.

Alec came into the clearing, his eyes not straying once from his girlfriend as she finally pulled back from the bears neck. Blood dribbled down her chin and her tongue darted out to lick it up. She rose calmly, fixing her hair and what little remains of her dress before noticing Alec.

"Can we go home now?" She asked, circling her arms around his waist.

Alec looked back and forth between the dead animal and his smiling mate. "Yeah," he answered, "that we can."

Both walked back in silence. Aria skipped ahead of her boyfriend and Alec too preoccupied with the events he just witnessed. He looked at the back of Aria's head. 

 She dared not to kill a human, but when it came to an animal she didn't even hesitate. She even through in the move he had seen Jane do for a thousand years, using pain as a weapon.

How could she be so ruthless like Jane and go right back to being herself after she just took a life?