Ayla's questions echoed between them, but neither man let it show.
Julius wondered what, exactly, he'd just agreed to—and whether Alexander was as sure as he sounded.
Still, they gave Ayla the same easy answer—like taking her out was no big deal.
They both just shrugged and looked back at Ayla.
"Yeah," they said in unison.
Julius wanted to know what exactly he had signed himself up for so quickly.
His friend never put him in danger...would he?
Without a second thought, they moved on to ordering dinner.
It didn't take them long to decide that they all basically wanted to eat the same thing- pizza and wings.
Before they could get comfortable, the buzzer was sounding, and Julius was headed down to the first floor to grab the order.
Living on the tenth floor of the building had its perks and drawbacks.
"There is no way I'm letting you go for food. Last time you disappeared for over a day and came back with another roommate," he teased.
The aroma of food filled the room once Julius returned, setting everything out on the island.
Three pizzas- meat lovers, Hawaiian, and buffalo chicken found themselves lying, waiting to be consumed, along with wings in garlic parmesan, ranch dry rub, and mild.
That was the most food she had ever seen in one sitting, lying before her, ever.
She usually did okay for herself, but not like that.
Ayla felt almost royal, eating amongst friends for the first time, if it wasn't the first time, it was the first time that she could remember.
Alexander seemed pleased with himself as he looked over to her, seeing the smile easily sitting on her face as she ate and enjoyed the easy conversation.
She was happy, but it felt fleeting.
Something between them was missing, though Alexander couldn't quite figure out what.
Dark clouds seemed to cling to her, making moments like this fragile, almost sacred.
A bubble of uncertainty surrounded her, a curse, a constant fear that one wrong step would shatter everything.
Ayla was so accustomed to the trauma that was her life that she just didn't know how to let it go, and her mind didn't know how to release it, afraid she'd be caught off guard if something happened.
That had to be what it was.
Still, she told herself she was safe, right?
For some reason, she could sense that something was coming soon to disturb their peace.
She could feel it in her bones.
Alexander and Julius said they would protect her, so she did her best to hide it, brushed it off.
No one knew her, much less that she was there, and if they didn't know that part, they couldn't know she was with them.
She was safe.
All she had to do was keep repeating that to herself.
Alexander knew that she was lost in her thoughts as her head lay heavy on his chest, but he hoped that as the food soaked into her system, she would start to be able to relax a bit.
As she lay there, he realized he didn't know much about her, including when she had last eaten, but he was certain neither of them had eaten in at least a day, since they'd met at the edge of town.
When was her last meal?
How often did she actually get to eat?
The last thirty-six hours had clearly taken a toll on her, and there was no telling how the evening would unfold.
Honestly, he didn't really care how it went as long as she got what she needed.
While the three of them lay on the couch talking and eating, the guys were blissfully unaware of one glaring fact.
The third member of the group had fallen asleep a good bit ago on Alexander's chest while they were talking.
Slowly, as the conversation faded into a soft murmur in her ear, her eyelids grew heavier until she drifted off to sleep.
With her head resting comfortably on his chest, she was out like a light, unaware of his arm settling down her back and across her stomach, next to her arm.
It wasn't until he realized she hadn't joined in on the conversation in way too long that he glanced at her, watching her chest rise and fall in even rhythms.
Curled up with her knees drawn toward him, she looked peaceful.
Ayla, who was usually cocky, strong, and spirited, was anything but while she lay there.
In that moment, sleeping on his chest, she was quiet, calm, and vulnerable.
He knew she deserved the rest.
She earned it.
Thinking back to their time at the cave, a smile tugged at his lips.
"That good, huh?" Julius probed.
The man holding her could only smile at his friend, cradling the delicate but not so delicate woman in his arms.
Julius was happy for his friend, even though a trace of worry lingered.
"Since she is asleep, can you tell me her story now? She looks familiar, but I can't place her".
After Julius said Ayla looked familiar, it made Alexander think about it, and he had seen her face before, but he couldn't remember where.
For now, it would be a mystery.
What mattered was sharing what he could with Julius and what would help.
Alexander wasn't sure how much she'd want revealed, so he kept it vague, basically mentioning only the part about the men after her, so Julius would be alert.
The last thing that Alexander wanted was for his best friend to get hurt because of him or Ayla.
His friend knew enough to know why she was there and to protect himself.
He would keep her existence a secret and agreed to help keep an eye out for anything that was odd.
Alexander knew that the men would be in town soon.
They didn't seem stupid, and it wouldn't take them long to figure out what she did.
She could tell him the rest when she was ready.
For now, Julius agreed to help him keep the bad men and bounty hunters from kidnapping her.
That worked for Alexander.
The three of them had planned for a night on the town, but with Ayla sleeping, he told Julius they wouldn't be making it out.
Alexander didn't feel like leaving her behind, much less waking her up by moving.
Staying in sounded like a much better option.
She wasn't the only one who was exhausted.
He decided to fall asleep right there on the couch, with Ayla on his chest.
The riveting nightlife could wait another night.
Julius wasn't about to spend the rest of the night watching the new love birds sleep, cuddling on the couch, or cooped up in his room.
Since it was only him, he felt like it was pointless to do much, so he would head into the club where they owned and scope the scene to see what was going on.
If anything, maybe they needed an extra pair of hands for the night.
Not far from them, Dominic and his men were walking around the town, learning what they could.
They had stopped into a few stores and sampled meats, cheeses, and candies that they rather enjoyed to their surprise.
In addition to that, they were looking at the merchandise that the shops offered, which seemed pointless to them.
Why people needed so much useless stuff baffled them.
One thing that they never understood was how everyone called their kind greedy and power-hungry, when every species had the same problem.
The shops they ventured through only proved that.
Useless clothes, shoes, knick-knacks, glass figurines, and decorative cups galore.
After every store, they had a new item of interest to mock the humans about.
Raphael came out of one of the last stores on the street laughing.
"Did you see the line of useless cups? Why do you need twelve different cups with stupid pictures and sayings for a moonstone? That is just insane. A simple white or clear cup to drink from for a few rubies is fine for me," he chuckled.
Dominic looked at him, shaking his head, "We are simple men, I doubt we understand any of that".
The mocking continued as they moved along and began to turn to anger slowly under his sarcasm as they progressed.
That was, until it started to reach its brewing point in the General.
'Who needs to spend twenty-plus moonstones on a tiny ring or a small necklace? What was the point? Was it to mark a person's status as wealthier or higher than others? Greed, visible greed,' Dominic thought to himself.
Dominic just shook his head as the thoughts rumbled around.
He was having a hard time staying out of his thoughts as they got deeper into Scarlet Crest.
'They stole our children from us. In the name of OUR KIND being power-hungry and greedy, our children were stolen. Yet, why were no one else's children stolen? They are just like us, if not worse.'
To him, it was not fair.
Not one child had been found or returned yet.
It was assumed that Ayla was the first one that they had found so far.
As of now, there was no proof of that, no way to be certain, not until they actually talked to her.
The next full moon would be the wolf's moon.
Her instincts would start to take hold of her if they hadn't already.
Once she had the power of her wolf, they would know.
If it were true and she was the one, she would be unstoppable if the stories were true.
If you wanted Ayla by your side, it would have to be before she found her wolf on the upcoming wolf's moon, and all the Alpha's new it.
She was still a hell of a prize after that, but important to get her before she got her wolf.
Dominic was having a hard time focusing on Ayla when he still couldn't figure out how all the wolf pups could just disappear as they did.
Would getting her back by the full moon do anything about the surplus of children still missing?
Greed was everywhere, and it wasn't fair to him that the wolves were the only ones punished, and he was starting to spiral.
His thoughts jumped from the mission to the witches, the humans, the children, and then to the greed again.
Just as his anger was beginning to peak, his eyes were beginning to glow amber.
"Dominic, whatever has your mind trapped in thought right now needs to be released. You will blow everything we are trying to do right now if you don't," Phoenix pleaded with him.
Phoenix knew it took a lot for Domonic to lose control, so whatever took over, it was serious.
Dominic was starting to shake off the horrible feelings and thoughts when a slight hint of a specific scent wafted before him.
A citric pine, the ever-mysterious white pine that they never got to smell, was present.
It was impossible.
Right there in the middle of the human city?
No way.
Dominic's eyes started searching instantly to find the person it belonged to.
He knew the only time he had smelled it recently, and she was close by.
She wasn't anywhere to be seen, and he didn't see any other wolves that he recognized, but he could pick up the scent, just the slightest.
Dominic started to follow the shallow trail the scent left behind.
There was no clue as to where it was coming from, but he knew if he followed it, there might be a way to figure it out.
The place was slowly covered with more and more people as he attempted to get closer to the scent that he needed to follow.
What was once streets lined with shops and disappearing patrons quickly turned into streets with dimly lit lights, and too many people that only seemed to have one mission in mind.
He wasn't prepared to be mixed with such a crowd so quickly, and it was only getting more crowded as the three of them followed the faint scent.
Were his men ready?
Had they realized he had left and gone with him as he followed the path before him?
Dominic turned back briefly to see if Phoenix and Rahael were still with him, following closely.
A sigh of relief left his nostrils as his chest deflated a bit when he saw them nearly standing on his heels.
He suddenly had a great appreciation for their need to stay attached to him like glue.
Being in such new surroundings had started messing with him.
His mind started working in overdrive as he started doubting himself.
How was he supposed to follow the scent trail that was fading with all these people starting to crowd around him?
More than that.
They didn't have any boundaries at all, these humans, and they stunk like artificial scents.
Worse than that, they were blocking his way, more and more with drunken rendezvous.
Werewolves got a bad image for being horny little miscreants, but these people had no shame.
His people didn't hold a candle to what he could see all around him.
"UGH, get off of me," Dominic growled as a couple, clueless to their surroundings, backed into him.
The pair had vigorously begun kissing each other in a drunken haze and lost touch with their surroundings.
It was too much for him when the female's back found Dominic's front and hands.
Where the hell was he?
Able to muddle through, repulsed by the people littering the sitting areas all around, he was able to follow the smell a bit further.
It led him to a door that looked like it acted as a barrier for a lot of noise and people.
For once, he was nervous, and the other two were excited.
Dominic was unsure of what to do.
"Raph, what should we do? For some reason, I'm really uncomfortable. I really didn't think humans had the same instincts we did. How did we get labeled the horn dogs? I don't get it," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.
Raphael was smiling ear to ear.
"I like the name, it's interesting, Scarlett Fever. HA"!
Dominic knew there was some kind of smart-ass answer coming his way when he looked at Phoenix.
"Don't you get it? Every culture has lore, talk, and stigma about creatures that are mysterious to them. Now that I know more, I have a few ideas for myself and potential plans for this evening," he said with dancing eyebrows.
He forgot who was answering.
Raphael was an angel compared to Phoenix.
Dominic was at a loss as his friend and mission partner left his side to enter through the doors ahead of them.
Shortly behind Raphael, Phoenix bolted.
That didn't surprise Dominic at all.
He was standing all alone, facing the choice of following his comrades or turning back and losing the scent.
Finally, his choice was made, but not without a little huffing and puffing.
Walking through the doors was like opening his eyes for the first time.
The lights, the dancing, the people, the bars full of alcohol.
For a second, he almost thought that he was in heaven.
He had to pinch himself, and he understood the name, because inside was contagious, like a fever.
The allure was almost hypnotic.
His body wanted to join, and his mind wanted to escape his troubles.
All he wanted to do was join in on all the fun.
Why was he so dead set on anything other than letting go and enjoying himself?
The music moved through his body as if it were possessing him, and he liked it.
Shaking his head, he reminded himself he was on a mission.
'Honestly, do I have to find her first? It wouldn't hurt to have a little fun tonight, then find her. When will I get this chance again? Plus...' he turned his head and couldn't believe his eyes, '...and my men are on the bar dancing' he thought to himself as his face landed in his palm.
'Seriously, this is how they act when we are supposed to be blending in?'
Before he could realize what was happening, security was attempting to pull his team off the bar, and he knew it was about to get ugly.
Dashing as fast as he could, he was desperate to make it to his men before things got worse.
Dominic knew what they were capable of, but the humans were about to be in danger.
The staff inside the club had no clue what these men they were tugging on could do to them.
Upon arrival at the now large group of muscular men, the scent was in his presence again, just barely, like he was right on top of it.
It was almost different, though.
He knew it was close, but he couldn't see who it was.
His eyes started darting around, but there wasn't a face that looked familiar.
Thinking back to what it was that could be doing it, the answer finally hit him.
The uniform.
He had seen it before.
One of the uniforms had her scent.
Now, Dominic, a stern and long-time General, was at a loss.
He had no clue which of these men could have been the one holding the scent, and he didn't have to look through them all then.
What if it's the man from last night?
There was no chance of recognizing the man's face, because he only ever saw the back of his head at the waterfall.
His plan to switch tactics and come to the human town was not fruitless, but it was problematic at best.
Thinking fast was his only option.
First, he had to get his men off the bar without starting a fight.
Second, he had to figure out which of these men had been in the woods the night before.