It was clear that Ayla and Alexander were having an amazing night, after all the tension that had built up to that night.
The same couldn't be said for Phoenix and Raphael.
They very well could have spent the night in their apartment, relieving tension themselves with Rhae and Stella, but something was telling their wolves that the girls were different.
The first thing they thought to do was take them straight to Dominic.
After the last night, hell, the last few days, they weren't taking any chances.
All they needed was to get twisted up with some witches, or fairies, or Moon Goddess knows what, and make things even worse.
They knew they weren't wolves, so they needed to find out what they were, fast, because now, they suspected they weren't human either.
"KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK" Raphael hit on the door again.
Dominic had managed to doze off, and after all he had endured, it was acceptable.
The four young wolves knocking on his door didn't register with him at first.
What woke him up was sensing the moment of fear that Phoenix and Raphael suddenly felt outside his door.
Without realizing what he was doing, he jumped out of bed and darted to the panel he had known to be next to the door.
If his apartment had one, that one surely did.
Like magic, the wall shifted with his push, and the camera screens were sitting before him.
Dominic's head fell in relief as he let out a slight chuckle.
Those two protecting those women told him several things, but they had to figure it out for themselves.
Then, his attention to what had driven them to act the way that they had gave him satisfaction in knowing that Alexander was finally back home.
He instantly knew what the young man had done.
The protective instinct was strong in Alexander, which meant he truly did have a strong wolf.
There was no way he was going to let Ayla go to that boutique and work off the price of that dress.
That being said, he knew what was in those bags, too.
His respect was growing for the hopeless romantic, hopeless being the key word.
The fact that it was Ayla he was pursuing only meant that he had a long road in front of him.
Dominic decided to give them their time to let things play out before making his presence known.
After he saw Alexander enter the elevator, he decided he would open the door.
Phoenix was the first one to talk, which wasn't unusual.
Apparently, he didn't want it to be weird for Raphael.
At the same time, he wanted to let Dominic know what was going on, the best he could.
"Hey, good to see you feeling a little better. Are you up for company"?
Dominic was looking at them with scrunched eyebrows.
"I guess. I've never been one to turn beautiful ladies away".
He was still trying to get a read on the situation.
Phoenix smiled.
"Great! They decided they would be okay with meeting our dad, so I'm glad you decided you agreed. I would like you to meet the one and only Ms. Stella Lycaon, and Raphael's partner would be the lovely Rhae Moon" he said, as they walked in to sit.
Dominic was officially confused as he followed them and scratched his temple.
'Something is off' Dominic heard Phoenix think.
Dominic looked at the four of them sitting on the couch and nodded with a smile.
"Tea, snack, anything"?
That was all he said as they all just shook their heads.
'Off how' he thought openly.
Raphael started to think, 'Well, they seem to be a lot like us, but if we keep thinking to ourselves and not talking, they will leave'.
Raphael decided to speak up.
"So, he isn't talking too much because, well, he is just getting over a major injury".
The girls both looked at his neck and looked with intrigue.
Stella asked, "What happened? That looked serious".
Phoenix answered for him.
"Well, a wild wolf attacked him. He was lucky to survive".
Dominic spoke up.
"Don't scare the girls. They will think wolves just run around the town everywhere".
Stella and Rhae looked at each other and then back to the group before Rhae hesitantly spoke.
"Don't they, though. I've seen a few lately. Randomly over the years, I've seen them, yeah. Lately, though, it seems like they have been here a lot more. Don't get me wrong. I love wolves. Some of them just don't belong here".
Phoenix was concerned now.
Her words didn't sit right with him, seeing as he was one of the 'wolves'.
"What does that mean" Phoenix said before he could stop himself.
Rhae looked worried, like she said something she shouldn't have.
"I mean...We live right by the forest...thousands of wolves live in the forest right"?
Stella jumped in.
"That's all she meant. Wolves live in the forest. Sometimes they come roaming through town. Looks like your dad ran into one somewhere. Sorry that he did. You know, we forgot we have somewhere that we have to be. Can we catch you guys another time"?
Stella's sudden desire to depart from the party was curious.
Both girls started to get up, and all three men sniffed the air, hard.
"You were right" Dominic said, even though he wasn't sure.
He had a theory after thinking about chasing Ayla for so long, and he needed to scare them.
Rhae and Stella were suddenly scared, and their scent was obvious.
Not a full scent, but a sort of baby scent.
Now that it was detectable, Raphael and Phoenix looked at each other and back at Dominic.
Phoenix had one question for his former General.
"How did you know that would work"?
"Working theory that seems to be gaining more traction. Those who were taken seem to be hidden, but it doesn't work so well when their emotions are too heightened. Any emotion, I would assume. Do you know their story"?
Phoenix couldn't help but make his typical statement, "Is that why she smells so delicious when I have her at the height of arousal"?
Dominic just shot him a look to shut up.
Stella was listening intently, and she didn't like what was going on.
"Tell me what the hell is going on now"!
Phoenix looked at her as he attempted to grab her hands, but she snatched them away.
"Please, give me a few minutes, and we will explain everything. It will all make sense. You have to trust me, though. Please".
"Trust you. I don't know you or anything about you. Why would I trust you"?
She had a point.
How could he prove she could trust him?
"Ayla, we need Ayla down here. Now" Phoenix said beginning to panic.
Dominic shook his head.
"NO. After everything that just happened. Leave her out of this. If you can't get that girl to trust you on your own, then you don't deserve her. You will not ruin Alexander's night because you can't figure out how to talk to this girl".
Phoenix looked to Stella and then to Raphael, as they nodded to each other, and they both looked back to the woman with them.
'Together' they both thought at the same time.
'Together' they thought back to each other.
Suddenly, they closed their eyes and reopened them, allowing their bright, amber wolf eyes to show.
They expected the girl to jump and run.
Both of them sat for a second, looked to each other as if scared as to whether to trust the men who were all standing before.
Looking at each other as if looking for the answer in each other's eyes, one word rang through both of their minds.
'Together'?
'Together'.
Stella and Rhae both looked back at the men who held their hands on the way down to the current apartment, and without closing their eyes, without blinking, their vibrant, amber eyes started glowing.
"I knew it" Raphael said, smiling as if he had just won the lottery.
Phoenix was confused.
"So, you both know, but did you know about us"?
They looked guilty.
Stella looked at Rhae, who had her head down.
"We picked up on all of you, yes. That's why we stayed distant. We weren't sure if you could tell anything about us".
Phoenix's eyes were opened wide.
"You knew about us and didn't say anything! No, we had no clue about you until the comment about sensing each other in the apartment upstairs. Then, it was only a hunch. How can you be like us and live completely under the radar? So many of you. It isn't fair".
Rhae looked at him like he was clueless.
"Really. You grew up with a pack. A family. We grew up with no one. We had an orphanage. No documentation. No family. There is nothing on us. We found each other as toddlers. That is how we are sisters. Other than that, I would have nothing. It was by chance that we found out we were wolves at all. We saw some running a few weeks ago and wished we could do it too, and suddenly we were. Do you realize how scary yet freeing that was at the same time"?
Phoenix realized his comment was stupid.
"I just meant...I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. Just so you know. Growing up in a pack isn't all that you think it is. There are struggles with that too".
He put his head down when he finished speaking.
Stella laughed.
"You have your dad standing at your side. Plus, you had someone to teach you who you were, and what you are".
Raphael interrupted her.
"About that, we kind of lied. He isn't our dad. We just wish he were because he took us in. Mine died fighting for an alpha he hated and feared when I was a baby, for a war he didn't believe in. His dad bailed when he was four because he didn't want to follow the alpha anymore. Having a toddler holding him down was an inconvenience, so he left him behind. Pack life still seems so glamorous, right"?
Both girls realized that neither of them really had a better life, with the exception that the boys had Dominic to help them.
It was time to change the mood.
Rhae decided to try.
"So, we see you three running with three of the other orphans. How did that happen"?
Dominic was curious about what she meant.
"What do you mean"?
Stella looked at him as if he already knew.
"You did know the girl, and the two men that she just recently started running with are orphans, too, right. I mean, there are multiple Orphanages around the local towns, but they were in them. The orphans, or most of them, know who each other are, or of each other, for the most part. That being said, Ayla was never a part of the networking part of being an orphan".
Phoenix looked at her with questions.
"So, you know her"?
Stella shook her head, pulling the side of her lip up as she did before she answered.
"Ayla, no. I know of her. I would also see her as she snuck around town and ran from you three. I was curious when I saw the four of you come together with the two other men. It wasn't my business, though".
Dominic looked at her interestedly.
"You would see all that and not say anything? Why? That happened for years. You know what, actually, that is all water under the bridge. Did you see her run off earlier today, or at all today"?
The girls looked at each other, unsure whether they should say anything or not.
Raphael knew that he had to say something to let them know it was okay to say anything, that they were on Ayla's side.
"We are trying to help Ayla, and now you, too. We want you two to stay with us as long as you want to. If staying with us doesn't work, we can try to get you your own apartment here. Wolves are pack animals. You can be part of our pack while we help you search for your family. We will tell you everything. Promise. She met with two men today, and we are curious if they went anywhere afterward. Apparently, the orphan network is a pretty concrete one in this town. Who knew"?
Rhae looked at him while she processed what he said.
She looked to Stella for a moment, and then, after getting a nod, she looked back at the three men.
"I'll agree to tell you everything under one condition".