After her successful hunt, Ayla felt a surge of pride as she happily pranced down the street.
On her way back to the apartments, she couldn't help but spot a dress displayed in one of the store windows.
Usually, it was only the darker tones, seamlessly blending with the night and its surroundings, that caught her eye, but not this time.
This time, the fabric was a slightly lighter shade, more vibrant and full of life, drawing her in completely.
Light enough to highlight her eyes and delicate features, but not overly so.
The thought of wearing it, maybe even dancing in it, filled her with excitement.
Ayla didn't have much in the way of money, but she had the determination to leave with the new clothing.
She knew she wanted the dress, so she walked in ready to make a deal with the owner, offering to work in exchange for it.
She stepped out in the new dress and a matching smile, and the owner had help for the next three nights.
Ayla figured it was a fair deal, as long as she got the dress, she was happy.
All in all, she figured it had been a good day, twirling in her new dress a few times as she walked, almost home now.
The only thing left was to check on Dominic and hear the men's stories about their day, since she was certain they must be home at that point.
Since Dominic told her they were clearly not at the club like she had originally thought, she was curious what they were really doing.
She had a hunch about where they were and what they were up to, but she preferred they tell her rather than accusing them of going without her.
What Ayla didn't know, but could have guessed, was that she had a bit more luck with her hunt than the men had with theirs.
Following the path they had taken home, they found the spot where Dominic had been attacked the night before, and the amount of blood was even more than they remembered.
The sight of the blood-soaked ground only fueled their rage, prompting low growls to rumble from their throats, soon joined by Julius's hunt-initiating howl, echoed in unison by the other three.
Lucas crouched cowering in the cave where he had first come across Ayla and Alexander, and the moment their howls echoed through the air, hitting his ears, he knew without a doubt that he was in trouble.
Not only had he harmed and possibly killed their General, father, and best friend, but now he was in their cave, being hunted.
It had to be their cave; it was nearby, recently used, and he'd seen them there before, so they would know how to find it.
Lucas took off without a second thought, sprinting for his life, his face betraying the raw, unfiltered emotions surging through him just before he shifted.
Lucas didn't know how far away they were, how much time he had, or where he would end up, but he was leaving, going somewhere, anywhere but there.
The pain and anger in the howl that reached him made it clear they were on the hunt, and Dominic was already dead.
Ayla's suspicion that he was presumed dead wasn't far from the truth.
As the howl echoed again and again in Lucas's mind, he briefly sensed his Alpha's presence, his thoughts unintentionally pushing forward, telling him what the crippling thought that Ayla knew would spread.
"He's dead. I killed Dominic. He's dead."
Then the link severed as he realized his alpha was in his head.
The pack would know what he'd done by the time he got there.
He could turn to the pack for safety, but would it truly keep him safe?
His alpha was signaling that it was safe to come home, that his mission was complete, but his packmates might not see it the same way.
Lucas wandered deeper into the woods, feeling completely lost and silently praying for the Goddess to show him the way.
The four men chased after him with every ounce of fury they had, letting their wolves take control as they followed the trail of blood Lucas had left soaked into the ground.
They didn't know the black wolf had slipped into the cave the night before, but it didn't matter; they just needed to run until the anger burned itself out.
As they ran, Alexander knew exactly where they were headed, so he took the lead and steered them toward the cave.
Catching his fresh scent and realizing he had just been there but had recently gone, they bolted, chasing the smell he left for them, letting out another howl to warn him to run fast.
The race was on, and the four were sprinting, each taking turns surging ahead at full speed, trying to catch the lone black wolf before he reached the safety of his pack's border.
It didn't take long for them to realize he hadn't gone back to his pack; he'd gone rogue.
They wanted him to feel their presence, to keep running without pause, never finding rest for what he had done.
Lucas glanced back toward the cave, suddenly aware of how fast the pack of wolves was closing in.
Sure, he was fast, but they were unbelievably faster.
How could that happen?
Revenge urged their wolves to run faster than usual.
Somehow, he had to figure out a way to escape them faster and reach safety.
Using every ounce of strength he had left, he pushed himself toward his destination, a spot he knew no one would ever think to search for him.
Lucas knew he had multiple wolves on his tail, and it was only a matter of time.
"A-OOOOOOOOW!"
Julius howled again, knowing they were close to the spot where they'd been told to turn back before.
Lucas needed them to believe he'd gone back to his pack, hoping that way they'd stop chasing him.
"Go ahead, coward. I know we're close enough for you to hear me," Phoenix's voice echoed in his head.
Lucas tried to shake it off as he zigzagged along the border, darting in and out of the territory and down the line.
"Consider this a promise: I'll never stop chasing you. So run, coward, and don't ever stop."
They had to decide whether to keep running and risk exposing the four-person pack or turn back and let Lucas take the lead.
The scent drifted into pack territory, and they knew it, making it risky for them to go any farther.
Alexander was likely the only one who could keep a cool head, probably because he wasn't as close to Dominic as the rest.
"Let him go for now," he thought, "When he comes out, he'll be ours," he added for the others to hear.
"Oh, it won't take him long once the others hear about what he did," Raphael said as they turned back and began running toward Scarlet Crest.
"Come on. The last thing we need is Ayla finding out about this. She'll kill us for doing this without a plan."
Julius, who had been leading as the group crossed the line, turned to join the pack now trailing behind Raphael, as if it were just another routine run, looping back toward home.
They headed back toward the town, slowing their pace and letting out a warning howl for Lucas to never return.
Still, disappointment gnawed at Julius as he imagined sinking his fangs into the fleeing wolf, dealing the same injuries, but on a much larger scale.
"You're right. We'll get him next time. Let's not blow our cover or let them spot us. They don't need to know we're working together. For now, all they have is his word," Julius thought as they ran back toward town and Dominic.
By the time they made it back to the river, their pace had slowed to almost a walk, but the hunt had treated them well.
They even managed to catch and munch on a boar during the trip back.
As they reached the edge of the woods where they had shifted, their clothes were there, exactly as they'd left them.
This time, they took them off, folded them neatly, and tucked them away, unsure of when they might return.
The four men wanted to make sure they could get dressed and walk back to the apartment, clothed for once, because attracting attention as wolves or running naked through town after what they planned to do wasn't part of the plan.
Maybe partly because they didn't want Ayla to find out they'd gone hunting without her.
Thankfully, everything appeared to be going according to plan, and the men didn't seem bothered that Lucas had run off like a coward.
They'd expected it after the way he'd behaved the night before, the way he had run off crying.
They all smiled, feeling that everything was finally okay, partly because they had avenged the injured wolf, a little at least.
Dominic needed to be okay, and Ayla was there looking after him, finally safe for once, while they took care of business.
The four of them laughed and enjoyed each other's company after an exciting evening, entering the building with Julius's thumbprint and key fob, their hearts full of accomplishment.
They rushed into the first apartment to see how Dominic and Ayla were doing.
Julius couldn't help but smile the moment he spotted Dominic lounging in bed, watching TV.
"Ayla really did a great job taking care of you, didn't she?" he said with a smirk.
That was when his eyes began darting around, but he stayed silent, and so did all the other guys.
The empty bowl and cup beside him made it obvious Ayla had ensured he'd eaten and drunk, but she hadn't cleaned up, a strange detail, since she was usually so careful about keeping his space spotless.
Soon after, the other men joined in with smiles, congratulating him on making it through and commenting on how cool his new scar looked.
Phoenix told him his scar made him look more badass, just as Ayla had predicted one of the guys would say, and she couldn't help but point it out, making Dominic smile.
Then, Alexander realized that they hadn't seen Ayla yet.
"Dominic, you're unusually quiet. Is it because Ayla left, and you knew there was nothing you could do to stop her?"
All the attention in the room turned to him as if he had lost his mind, but Dominic still remained quiet.
Julius was the first to respond to him.
"Alex, what the hell? His throat was practically a chew toy for one of his Colonels, that's why he's not talking. Not everything revolves around Ayla. She probably just ran up to the apartment for a nap. Get it together."
Dominic arched an eyebrow, glancing between the two men as he observed their reactions.
Raphael glanced at the injured man and cocked his head.
"I'm not so sure. Maybe he's ready for us to take the lead. Is there a way to review the last few hours? Can we rewind the cameras quickly?" he asked.
Dominic smirked slightly, amused, as he glanced at both men.
Julius mentioned they were just being paranoid at first, but Dominic still stayed quiet.
The old man gave the men a knowing smirk before raising his hands in surrender.
He made it clear that he was keeping out of it.
As Raphael suggested, they rewound the tape to watch her feed him and leave the building, right as she was walking through the doors in her new dress, smiling.
"Hey guys! You all seem so stressed. Should I even ask how work went? Wait, you're home way too early to have been at the club. That means you were up to something. So, where have you been?"
Alexander realized she was trying to take control of the conversation, knowing just how easily she could do it.
"No, we're not the ones being chased. You have people, lots of them, after you."
"Yet," she cut in, "Yet. You don't think anyone's after you yet. But look over there in the bed, see Dominic? Someone was sent after him. That whole 'not being chased' thing can flip real fast around me. This curse I've got hurts people. And all of you went and did something stupid. I know it."
Julius was offended by her accusation.
"No, we didn't! We went to avenge him against his attacker," he said proudly.
Before she could catch herself, the words slipped out, "STUPID! That's why you didn't tell me."
Julius and Phoenix were offended.
"No!" they exclaimed together.
She began to shake her head.
"Right, so did you avenge him, or did he get away? I don't see any blood, and I'm not feeling that sense of pride that comes from a completed mission or a successful hunt. Where is he, the one who attacked Dominic?"
All the men lowered their heads in shame.
"That doesn't matter. He's not here anymore," Phoenix interrupted.
"Why? Because he ran back to the pack to bring more people?" she asked.
None of the men spoke as Dominic sat back, quietly watching them all, observing how they handled the situation.
"It's fine that you want to avenge Dominic. I do too. But there's always a right way to handle things. We could have made a plan and pulled it off. Did Dominic ever go on a mission without one? The only upside to your reckless move is that they probably think he's dead, which works in our favor. Now, he's our secret weapon. So, I guess you didn't mess up too badly."
They were beginning to truly appreciate how her mind worked, growing more impressed each time they heard her thoughtfully evaluate things.
She was bright and quick.
Alexander was fast as well, though.
"Hold on, a new dress? Where did you go while we were out?"