As Julius attempted to shift back into his human form, he silently prayed it would go smoothly.
He just hoped he wouldn't make a fool of himself again.
Remembering how his first went, he tried his best not to replicate it, only doing it better that time.
Just a few feet away, he knew he had an audience.
Alexander was watching, mesmerized, unaware of the blunder that had occurred the night before.
His only thought was that he could be doing that, too, to know how, to be a wolf like his friend.
'What does my wolf look like? Would it look that effortless for me to shift?' He wondered.
If he were the same as Julius, he should be able to transform into a wolf as well.
Without realizing it, Alexander's body lunged forward, and suddenly a sandy-colored wolf stood in his place.
He hadn't meant to do it.
It felt like something inside him had taken control.
How could his thoughts turn him into a full-blown wolf out of nowhere?
The uncertainty of how it happened sparked a sudden fear of being stuck on four paws covered in fur.
What if the thing inside him that took control didn't want him to change back?
In that moment, he wished he had never shifted at all.
Just as quickly as he appeared covered in fur, he was standing in Julius's room on two feet.
The best of all, it was just in time to see Julius land flat on his face next to the bed.
Julius's wolf form had overshot the target, and the shift back hadn't gone as smoothly as he intended.
Mastering the transformation was something Julius hadn't quite achieved yet, but considering it was only his second time, he wasn't surprised.
He didn't think he would be able to master everything related to being a wolf in hours, but he had hoped.
Shifting into his wolf form was a work of art for the proud newcomer, something that couldn't have gone any better for him.
Turner back, however, was another story entirely, and Julius knew he needed practice.
Alexander's transitions were so quick that Julius didn't even notice he had made them at first.
As Julius lifted his head, he noticed his friend was naked too, and his head tilted in confusion.
It was great that his friend shifted too, until Ayla opened the door to find them both unclothed.
"I can explain," Alexander blurted, but Ayla wanted no part of it.
"I'm good. It's okay," she said, throwing her hands up, closing the door, and walking away.
Whatever strange ritual they had going on in there, they could keep for themselves.
She'd heard all the growling, grunting, and thumping and only wanted to make sure they were okay.
The last thing she wanted was for them to be fighting because of her.
Now that she could see that the two men were more than fine, she felt she had done her job.
She wasn't their mother, though, and there were limits to what she wanted to witness.
Just as quickly as she entered the room, she walked away to take a relaxing bath.
"Dude, what the hell?" Julius said after she left.
Alexander lifted his hands as if to signal surrender.
"I wasn't going to throw you under the bus! Honestly! I have no clue what I was going to say, but we're both naked. Plus, you clearly don't know how to land a shift back properly".
He stifled his laughter at the awkward position Julius was in, earning himself a pillow being launched at his face.
"Not the face, not the face. She likes that part just as much as this part," he said, laughing, swinging his hips around in a circle.
"Get out. Get out now," Julius demanded, as he shook his head and watched his friend gather his clothes.
"I only have one question before I go. How do you control the shift"?
"Didn't you just shift?" He asked, confused.
Clearly, Alexander had, since he was putting his clothes back on.
He had just turned into a wolf, too, so Julius didn't understand.
"Yeah, I did. If I knew how, then that would be great, especially since it will obviously have to be me to teach Ayla, seeing as how you land".
As much as he wanted to live in his moment of superiority, he felt bad for Alexander, so he told him.
"Easy, it's the same way you control your eyes. You've really got to want it to happen, fully wish for it, then boom. Now get out of my room. Good luck with her."
Alexander already knew what was coming as he finished putting on his clothes, listening to what his friend told him.
Once Julius finished getting dressed, he willingly walked out the bedroom door, smiling.
Maybe staying in for a few days wouldn't be so bad for the couple.
That would give Alexander a few days to figure out how to tell Ayla she is a werewolf like them.
If he were able to manage that, they could work on shifting while locked away in their castle.
She had somehow become the princess locked in the tower that he needed to save.
Only Ayla was no damsel in distress.
Putting her in the same category as Cinderella, Rapunzel, or Aurora was a disservice to her.
The day passed quickly, breakfast came and went, and lunch was uneventful as Ayla did her best to relax.
One thing that wasn't on their minds, that should have been, was the danger that was lurking closer than they realized.
The night before, when Julius was spotted, it wasn't just by one unsuspecting onlooker.
At the time they went running, there were a few different wolves in the woods.
A certain unknown pair was on their way back to Silver Moon as the four-man pack headed back to town.
A few watchful eyes had taken notice of the extra person in the group, eyes that could make things complicated for at least a few days.
Another pair of those eyes belonged to a recent visitor.
As Julius and the Silver Moon men were nearing the town limits, getting ready to part ways, good old Mr. Mason happened to be ending his evening run.
Nature and the woods always called to their wolves, and while it wasn't unusual for them to stretch their legs, the men were too lost in their good mood to notice him watching.
Mason found it curious to see them together.
Why were the Silver Moon pack men walking with the bartender?
Had they really planted spies in the human towns?
Why hadn't he thought of that?
The general of the Deep Fang pack remembered the man from behind the bar, someone who seemed indifferent then, yet was now in their company.
Maybe he wasn't one of them, but if not, why was he with the three?
There was no doubt that Dominic and his men were wolves, but he doubted Julius was one.
Something smelled funky, and he knew there was more to the simple bartender.
Whoever he was, he played it well.
Keeping his distance so they wouldn't sense a tail, Mason followed.
His dark skin, hair, and the amber-lit gray of his wolf's eyes made him nearly invisible in the night.
Then, unexpectedly, the group split.
His eyes went to work, scanning the streets from the Silver Moon group to the bartender and back; they were trying to decipher what was happening and who to follow.
The Deep-Fang general had to decide fast.
He already knew enough about the Silver Moon men and where they stayed, so he couldn't gain much by following them.
Seconds later, he was tailing the lone bartender, a choice that also lowered his chances of being caught.
Mason knew Dominic and his men could sense him, so following them was practically asking for trouble.
Nothing seemed odd while keeping his sights set on Julius.
The scent of the Silver Moon pack had fully rubbed off on him, but otherwise, he seemed to just walk home.
It wasn't that there was a big difference between the two packs' scents, and that might be why there was a larger rivalry between them.
Everyone saw them as the same.
Both packs sat near the ocean water, just on the opposite sides of the bay, so that both had a hint of salt mixed with their scent.
The difference was what was mixed in with the ocean salt smell.
Dominic and his men smelled faintly of Christmas trees, a scent Mason almost found gag-worthy.
His own pack's smell reminded him of crisp, woodsy air filled with fir trees mixed with the ocean, and he much preferred it.
Following Julius didn't seem to pay off until Mason saw him enter a secure building with a smile plastered across his face.
Something was off, Mason could feel it, even if he couldn't quite pinpoint what.
With a nagging sense he'd missed something, he returned to his hotel for the night.
The determination was stronger than ever to find answers.
Alpha Theo was a force, but Mason's Alpha was worse.
His days were numbered, and he'd been warned.
'Bring Ayla back by the Wolf Moon, or else.'
Unsure of just what awaited him, Mason knew one thing: time was running out.
He'd been warned often enough that he'd lose his head, so he was certain that was the fate awaiting him.
There was no use worrying about it overnight, because there was nothing that could be done about it then.
The next morning, he toyed with the idea of going to Dominic's room and telling him the truth.
In the end, there were only two ways it could all end.
After pacing so much that he felt like he had worn a small path down in the carpet, he decided to wait.
Maybe he was just letting the fear of impending doom get to him.
It wasn't impending doom, though; it was certain death.
Alpha Ulfric made it clear: if his daughter wasn't home by the Wolf Moon, there wasn't a living soul who could save him.
He could still picture the alpha standing before him, his lean, tall body that paled in comparison to his threats toward him.
His old-fashioned suit draped over his body in an attempt to hide the fact that their alpha lacked the muscle to hold the position he held, with his long, white hair pulled back in a neat ponytail.
The feeling of his icy blue eyes staring back at him gave him chills.
How was he supposed to handle his mission, or the threat that loomed over him?
Failure wasn't an option.
Weak as Ulfric might seem, he never failed to make good on a threat.
Luna Ylva stood stoically beside him, not saying a word as the order was commanded.
Her brown hair braided down her back, brown eyes matching her hair's tone, with light skin that appeared untouched by the sun.
She appeared stronger than the alpha himself in every way, a fact the pack feared but never spoke of.
They knew who really ran the pack, and Mason knew who would really have his head if he didn't come home in the next few days with Ayla.
Finally, he decided to watch and wait.
If Dominic took any kind of action, he would have a tail.
Mason was caught off guard when his phone rang.
It was Alpha Ulfric.
The Alpha ordered him to investigate a sighting that was nearly two days away, even if his wolf ran the whole way without eating or resting.
Mason wasn't buying it.
That wasn't the first time he'd been sent to chase his tail, so to speak.
Over the last few years, it was like someone was deliberately sending him any and everywhere to keep him busy.
Still, he simply replied, "Yes, Sir".
Alpha Ulfric wasn't the only Alpha making moves on Ayla, but he was making the most noise at the moment.
As soon as Mason ended the call, he came up with the beginning of a plan and headed to his men's quarters.
He'd send them instead.
Unlike Dominic, they didn't have that bond and trust between them, so he had no problem sending them to follow the lead alone, so he could follow a gut feeling.
That way, it would look like he'd followed his alpha's orders.
There were a few positives to his plan.
His Alpha would start looking for him days away from his current location if he failed, giving Mason more time to work on Dominic and figure out what was really going on.
More importantly, he could plan his own escape.
Mason had a feeling he wasn't getting his hands on Ayla by the looming deadline; he had never even laid eyes on the girl, even if he did, she wasn't making it all the way to the Deep-Fang pack by the Wolf Moon.
It was time to start looking out for his own neck.
Alpha's daughter or not, there were limits.
Lost in thought, he didn't notice the day slipping by until a loud slam jolted him.
SLAM.
The door next to him brought him out of his thoughts.
Dominic would have slipped past him, too, if not for the noise.
He nearly jumped out of his chair when he caught the sound of the three men's voices.
They were on the move, and so was he, stealthily.
Back at the apartment with Ayla, it was decided that Julius would handle Alexander's shift of watching over the club for the night.
That didn't mean that Alexander was off work completely.
They had other work tasks he would attend to from home, but he would stay in the apartment.
They'd always planned for at least one of them to be at Scarlett Fever each night to keep things running smoothly, Ayla or not.
It would just have to be Julius alone for a few nights, while Alexander handled the paperwork side.
Ayla wasn't a fan of the men who decided for her, but she understood.
She was used to being a nomad, roaming around freely, and now it felt like the walls and her enemies were closing in.
Both men thought it was cute how she pouted on the couch.
Neither thought it wise to mention it.
"Do you both have everything you need before I leave?" Julius asked, hoping they did.
Julius hated going to any stores, but he would if it meant Ayla would stay put.
They nodded, and he exhaled just a bit in relief.
Ayla caught it, though.
If she was going to have to deal with situations she didn't like, so was he.
"Well, you're out of the really good pastries.
The ones with the cream cheese. I'd love you forever if you could get me some before you go to the club," she said, attempting to bat her eyelashes.
"Fine. Anything else?" he sighed.
Alexander, catching on, added fruit and bagels to the list.
Neither wanted to push him too far on the first day, so they left it there.
Once he walked out the door, they both started laughing.
If they were going to be prisoners, they would at least be well-fed.
When he left, Alexander got on his laptop, powering through as much work as he could so he could have the evening free with Ayla.
He reviewed reports, finances on businesses, mostly boring management tasks that she didn't seem interested in, so she flipped through the channels of the TV.
It wasn't long before Julius returned with the food requested and disappeared again.
Once he was gone again, Alexander began shifting more where he sat and having a hard time maintaining eye contact.
Ayla's anxiety when she noticed how uncomfortable he seemed all of a sudden.
"What's wrong?" she asked as he put his laptop away.
He was looking at her like he wanted to say something, but couldn't, and she could tell.
"Tell me what is wrong," she demanded.
"Nothing's wrong. I just love looking at you. I really do think you are the most beautiful woman in the world".
He kissed her cheek as his words stopped.
"Then why can't you look me in the eyes?"
His eyes suddenly met hers, and the air in the room seemed to thicken.
She thought he was going to initiate sex again, but he didn't.
"Can I show you something?" he asked nervously.
"Of course. Anything".
He hesitated, then took her hands, leading her to the dark bathroom.
After a few moments, when their eyes adjusted to the darkness, both of their eyes lit up.
Even though she'd seen it the night before, she was still amazed.
"I saw this last night, but it's so beautiful," she exclaimed, cupping his face.
With their eyes illuminated, the touch between them almost felt different, like she could feel their connection.
Without a word, he opened the door, letting the light in, and he managed to keep his eyes from changing, as hers fell back to the light blueish grey they typically held.
She noticed how her eyes changed in the mirror behind him.
"But how?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.
"Can I make mine stay like yours?" she continued.
He nodded his head.
"Just think about your eyes. Know that you can change them, and want them to show as your real eyes, your true eyes," he said.
"My what"?
He grew even more nervous.
"Just want to change your eyes, wish that they looked like mine," he replied, irritation creeping into his voice.
He was trying to be kind, gentle, and sweet, but she made him feel like he was failing.
She closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on what she wanted: to change.
Then she opened her eyes again.
Nothing.
Alexander was confused.
"Do you want to change your eyes to show me?" he asked.
"Yeah, I do, but..."
"But what? You have to want it one hundred percent, or it won't work. If there is any doubt, it fails".
Ayla closed her eyes again.
She wanted to show him, but fear held her back.
Why were their eyes different?
What made them do that?
When she opened her eyes again, nothing.
"I don't want to do this," she blurted, turning to walk away.
Alexander grabbed her hand.
"Why? There's nothing wrong with it. I can do it too. It makes us special. You can trust me".
When he finished speaking, her body was back to standing in front of his, and her eyes were glowing.
"Is that on purpose?" he asked, and she nodded.
The biggest smile yet spread across his face as he threw his arms around her in an extremely tight hug.
"I show you, and now you kill me by way of a hug," she gasped.
"Sorry, sorry," he said, releasing her.
He knew he didn't want to be the one to tell her they were really wolves, because he didn't want to scare her into running.
Ayla was a runner after all.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized he was probably the only one who could tell her.
For some reason, she trusted him.
At that point, he wondered if he should go further or stop.
They had days to work through it all.
Then, Ayla spoke.
"Why do our eyes do this"?
He paused.
"Let me ask you a different question. Can you do things other people can't"?
She looked puzzled.
With a smirk tugging at one side of his mouth, he asked about her heightened senses.
Ayla couldn't deny that she was gifted; no one she knew had sharper ones.
He started thinking about when they jumped off the waterfall and how long they were underwater.
When he asked her how long it was, she couldn't remember, but she knew it was longer than she should have been able to.
"It was way longer than it should have been, though, right?" he asked.
"I suppose, but what does that have to do with our eyes?" she shot back, clearly frustrated.
"Everything."
She was looking at him like he had lost his damn mind.
He told her the same line that both he and Julius had heard before: they'd have to see it for themselves.
Words wouldn't be enough.
Then, he added, "I'll only show you when you know that you are ready for the answer. Until then, it would just scare you. Since you promised never to run away from me, I'm not showing you."
Ayla was getting mad now.
"I demand that you show me, NOW! I won't break my promise."
Alexander was getting a little excited as she started barking demands at him.
Her way of trying to control him stirred something inside of him that he liked.
"Make me," he giggled.
She walked up and started pushing him until he fell onto the couch.
As he fell, he grabbed her arm, pulling her with him, and she landed directly onto his lap.
"Show me now," she demanded again.
"Well, I can't at the moment," he replied with a grin, his arousal pressing against her.
"Then we have nothing to do until you show me," she said, climbing back up off his lap.
His smile immediately drained from his face.
In one swift motion, he leapt to his feet, throwing himself in the air, shifting along the way.
The sandy-haired wolf landed at her feet, stopping her in her tracks.
"I knew it, we're wolves," she exclaimed, grinning widely!