It was unclear what Ayla had just signed herself up for.
All she knew was that this strong, intoxicating wolf man was trying to have his way.
That she knew.
He proclaimed that cleaning her wound would be pure and innocent, but that made her feel as if the act itself was maybe not so innocent.
Yet, against her better judgment, she agreed.
Now, she just had to see what she had said yes to.
What was Titan going to be doing to her?
Just as her nerves were getting the best of her, he slid back away from her.
That wasn't what she was expecting, but it made her even more on edge.
Why would he have to move away from her to clean her wound?
More to that, didn't the waters clean it?
Then, before she realized what was occurring, he grabbed the arm that lay over her side and pulled it out of the way.
As quickly as he moved her arm out of the way, he dropped his head down to her side.
A gasp left her lips as his tongue gently started to graze each claw mark from top to bottom, over and over, mixed with kisses, and it was shockingly soothing.
It gave mixed feelings of relief and butterflies that Ayla didn't know how to handle.
That's when the other sensations started to creep their way in.
Was it innocent?
Titan knew exactly what he was doing, and she permitted him to do it.
As he continued, the arm that was the freest made its way around her back and grabbed the hip on the opposite side.
It was like he was pulling her into his embrace as he licked her wounds.
For a moment, she let herself succumb to the feeling, allowing it to take her over.
Her body in general felt amazing as he slowly started to move away from the lines that were healing even more quickly now.
They were nearly closed completely.
He hadn't been lying about cleaning the wounds, just about how it would affect both of them.
His licks were now purely soft kisses and were moving toward the center of her stomach as he gently pulled her into his grasp.
The connection between them was intense, and for the first time, she didn't seem to be fighting it.
Titan was taken over by the arousal that was now more than evident, emanating from the goddess before him.
He began to take his kisses lower and slowly moved so that he could take a hand and start running it up and down her thigh, gently and sensually.
That was when Ayla started to become too overwhelmed with the wave of desire trying to consume her, and she snapped back to the current situation.
Realizing just what his cleaning of the wound was doing to her.
Her first clear thoughts since his tongue graced her skin with its presence.
Clearing her throat first, "I think my wound is clean. Thank you."
She didn't know what else to say before she jumped up and made a beeline straight for the water.
Her body was on fire, and she just needed to cool it down as quickly as possible.
Titan just laughed.
Not a full laugh, but an amused one.
He knew full well what happened to wolves when you cleaned another wolf's wounds, but it was worth a shot.
At that point, he would try anything to penetrate her barriers.
Plus, it was fun for him to watch her squirm.
All he did after that was watch her swim for a moment, cooling herself off.
That wolf was just biding his time and exercising patience because he was slowly chipping away at her walls, all while he was learning her weaknesses and figuring her out.
He hoped to learn all the ways that her mind worked.
It was only a matter of time until the chase was a success and he had his prize.
Finally, Ayla was making her way back out of the water toward the dying fire.
Titan was patiently waiting for her.
"You smell so much better. Oddly, I can't smell you, but at least I can't smell the other wolves on you."
His words seemed to trigger something in her.
"Those are my friends you are talking about. Essentially, my pack. One more word about them, and danger or not, I will continue on my own. I'm sure that's the last thing you want."
"Fine. Fine," He said, putting his hands up in surrender, "but we should settle in and rest for a bit so you can continue forward. I know you are strong and resilient, but you need to take care of yourself. Rest and I will wake you shortly to keep going."
Ayla thought about it for a second.
If she did stay put a little longer, it would only give the group more time to catch up with her.
Honestly, a little rest would be great, and it seemed like she had someone who would watch over her while she did so.
"Okay. I will rest for a short bit, and then we can head back toward my destination. No funny business, though. The first time you try something, you pay for it, and I disappear. Understood."
"Understood."
Titan caught her words and smiled as she looked around to find the perfect spot to retire to.
The fact that she said the two of them would venture on together meant she had no plans on running from him.
Not at that moment anyway.
It didn't take long for Ayla to curl up at the base of a large tree and crash.
The day had been an exhausting one, not only for her but for everyone.
While she slept, Titan kept a watchful eye over her and the forest around them.
Her unconscious mind desperately worried about her companions.
Were they okay, or even together?
The group was in fact together, and sleeping under the same moon, just a decent trek behind the lone wolf Ayla.
Raphael and the rest of the group had rested longer than anticipated, and the moon was high in the sky, working its way to resting itself when Alexander opened his eyes.
Realizing just how long they had been sleeping, he let out a howl.
Phoenix popped his head up immediately, "Bro, never howl in the woods like that. You are only drawing attention to us. Automatic beacon to the group. Everyone, up now, we have to go."
Alexander decided to remember that for later.
Raphael jumped up, "Come on, girls, get up, move it faster. We don't want to run into the things that go bump in the night."
Alexander wasn't sure exactly what Raphael and Phoenix were so worried about, but if they were ready to high-tail it, then it was time to move.
Just what was creeping around in the night with them?
With haste, the group was up and moving, but it was evident that something was rummaging around in the woods around where they had just left.
The guys were right, as usual.
"Let's add some distance. Time to put some speed in our steps," Phoenix called out to them all.
They could all hear whatever was behind them, and they didn't hesitate to pick up the pace.
With that, Ayla came to the forefront of each of their minds.
She was out there alone, and they knew they had to get to her quickly.
As the noises faded behind them, they pushed forward toward their missing friend, hoping they were getting closer to her.
One thing sat in the back of each of the males' minds, or rather, one person other than Ayla.
Dominic.
Was he handling everything okay?
Had they done the right thing, leaving him behind to handle the businesses and keep an eye on things, or should they have brought him along with them?
There was no way to really check on him at that point, so all they could do was hope that he was fine and that he had everything under control.
Fortunately, he was doing his best to do just that.
Back in town, the club had been as busy as ever with a liveliness that Dominic had no desire to be a part of.
That much interaction would be too much for him.
People taking in drink after drink, dancing, and enjoying every ounce of the night that the club would allow with their companions.
The monitors in front of him allowed him to see inside with one camera, just above the bar, and it was a sea of faces that seemed endless.
Once Lucas made it in, he was able to see him make his way directly to Deva, and her radiating personality captivated him even more than when he could only hear her.
If anything, this would be a good test for the so-called loyal Rollo.
He had purposefully sent an out-of-town wolf to the club to see if the appointed man would say anything to him in his report back.
Now, all he had to do was wait and see what happened, because he knew that Rollo had seen him and even spoke to him.
Actually, it was a test for Rollo, Deva, and Lucas.
Would all three spies be honest about speaking with each other at the club?
Dominic watched the screens, making sure to shift over every inch of the town, but keeping an eye on the two appointed staff members and Lucas frequently.
Lucas and Deva had gone from sipping drinks with what looked like casual talks to dancing and innocent laughter.
One thing was certain: Lucas was fascinated with the young lady.
Rollo was caught checking in on Deva more than a few times, which made Dominic suspicious that he was doing so for more than just keeping an eye on out-of-town guests.
Maybe he, too, was fond of Ms. Deva, or there was a connection between them that he wasn't fully positive of but was close to putting his finger on.
Just as he sat in the office, monitoring all the activity of the night, it was getting to be the time of night when all the patrons started disappearing, and the doors would be closed and locked.
Dominic knew that meant two of them would be making their way to him.
It was like clockwork as the people started to melt away on his screens, and Deva was one of the last ones.
Lucas had walked her to the doors of her apartment building, hoping to get some indication that she liked him, but it was fruitless, as she merely hugged him and disappeared into the building without a second glance back.
As heartbroken as Lucas was, Dominic just chuckled.
'Poor wolf,' he thought to himself.
Within minutes, he had crossed the street and was at the door to let himself in for the first time.
To his surprised Dominic was true to his word and was awake when he came strolling through the door.
"She was and is so amazing. Like sunshine all bottled up in a tiny body. Perfect. She's just so perfect. I wanted to kiss her with every fiber of my being, but I didn't want to scare her off." Lucas said as he approached his roommate.
"It's probably a good thing to take it slower with that one. You will need to have a lot of patience. Show her some effort. Woo her. It won't be easy. She isn't like the other girls you are used to. Deva grew up here, seeing romance."
That made Lucas purse his lips.
"Romance, huh. I can do that. You'll see. I didn't really see anything unusual, though. I'm going to bed."
"I'll be there soon. I have some business first with Rollo."
"Oh, that guy. He's a piece of work. Came straight over when I went to the club. Asked me all kinds of questions. Curious guy. No clue he was the one answering to you."
Dominic nodded his head, "So he was at least doing what I asked. That's good to hear."
Lucas was already on his way out of the office when Rollo was spotted nearing the front of the building.
Dominic didn't want him to see the man from out of town in the hallway, so he urged him to hurry in an attempt to have him gone before Rollo managed to make it there.
Thankfully, Rollo didn't seem to be in a hurry, and Lucas was safe in the apartment as the buzzer sounded off.
Crisis averted, for the time being.
"So, Rollo, how did things go at the club this evening?"
"I would say, all in all, they went fairly well. You always have creeps hanging all over the pretty ladies, but that's to be expected. I just wish they would lay off of Deva when she comes out."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Some guy came in and was all over Deva tonight. She is like a sister to me, and it bothers me when they do that. Deva deserves to go out and have a good time without creeps trying to take her home."
"I get that. I wasn't aware you knew Deva or that you were that close with her. Did you know that guy who was messing with her tonight?"
"It was actually one of those people you had me looking out for. Someone from out of town. Didn't seem like he wanted to answer too many questions. Real short with the responses, so I didn't get much out of him. Sorry. As for Deva and me, we came from the same orphanage as Alexander and Julius. We are all really close, like a family. We are all siblings in a way. I feel like it's my responsibility to make sure she is okay."
"I'm sorry to hear that you were all orphans. That couldn't have been easy. I am glad you all found each other."
"Thanks. Here are the books for the day. I had time to finish them. See you tomorrow night since they are all done."
Dominic was curious why he was so quick to turn in the books and leave.
Then again, he had done his job and was ready to go home.
He was just different from the way he had been with him earlier that day.
Distant, and didn't want to be there.
Rollo didn't seem to want to talk to him at all.
At the same time, he had no interest in coming to see him any more than he had to either, which meant he would visit when necessary and that was it.
Tomorrow morning was not necessary.
If the books weren't done, he might not see him at night either.
Would he see Rollo tomorrow at all?
One thing was certain: he did get some answers.
They were special in some way, just like he thought.
Had they been cursed just like the others?
Was his son helping him find all the lost wolves without even realizing it?
All orphans weren't wolves, but were these two that he had just met wolves?