Dominic couldn't hold back when the stranger in front of him threatened his men.
He had no idea who this person was or what his accusations meant, but he was ready to harm Phoenix and Raphael because of them.
Dominic knew he hadn't wronged any generals or crossed paths with any unknown wolves recently.
His eyes lit up bright amber as he took a deep breath to steady himself, nostrils flaring.
"Which boy got under your skin, just so I know? The one who ratted you out by growling, or the quiet one who refuses to show himself as yours?" Ralph teased.
His words made it clear that whether the victim was human or wolf, it didn't matter; he wouldn't be denied.
Dominic was beyond angry at that point, and he knew Phoenix was right there with him.
Sometimes he valued his fury, and sometimes he didn't.
This was one of those times he needed him to keep a cooler head.
How could he shake these two off without exposing Rahael or Julius?
"Look, just tell me what you want. I'm not looking for trouble. There's no reason to drag anyone else into this. Who are you? Who's your father, and who's this general you think I took from you? If you mess with them, you'll only wreck everything I've been planning."
The men looked intrigued.
"Plans. I thought you were taking personal time," Shaw said, not surprised.
Dominic knew he had to speak up.
"Do you tell people your plans when you're on a mission? I don't think so. I'm just trying to understand how humans operate, to figure out why I keep missing the girl."
They weren't buying it.
"She's here, and we know it. No need to lie. Plenty of people saw you and our general walking with her tonight. My father's going to love hearing that General Mason was strolling with her instead of chasing her," Ralph laughed.
It suddenly made sense to Dominic.
"Alpha Ulfric is your father," he said, pointing at Ralph. Then, turning to Shaw, he added, "and your father's a lieutenant from the other Fang pack. That's why he lets you scout."
Smiles spread across Shaw and Ralph's faces as he finally recognized them.
"Good. Now that you know who we are, you can drop the act. My father wants the girl. She's important, and time's running out. Where is she?"
Dominic shook his head, clearly entertained by the situation.
"Beats me. She saw you two, said to come get her, quite passionately, might I add, and then vanished. With her skills, who knows where she's gone. I'm guessing she thought you heard her."
The old man's smug smile didn't escape notice, and Ralph wasn't pleased with his reply.
"She doesn't know who she is or what she is, which means she can't recognize us. You're lying."
Dominic chuckled and shook his head at the arrogant man in front of him.
"No, I'm not. She actually shouted, 'Come and get me,' and then took off. She could sense me. Good luck with that one, she's managed to evade me for years."
As Dominic finished, he rose and melted back into the shadows, disappearing from view.
Shaw and Ralph were stunned by the old man's audacity and the bold way he had addressed the next Alpha of the Deep Fang pack.
They had thought they had the General cornered, but he slipped away as if they'd never had a hold on him at all.
Were they mistaken?
Did he truly have no clue where Mason or the girl was?
"You, bartender, what's your name?" Shaw asked.
Raphael wasn't sure if they knew the names of Dominic's men.
They were aware that Phoenix was one of his wolves hiding within the humans and their inside man, but not about him, not yet.
"Raph, sir," he replied, keeping his head down.
Shaw shook his head in irritation.
"No, I already know his name is Ralph. What's your name? It's like he doesn't understand English; maybe he really doesn't. How much do we even know about this town?"
"Raph, sir," he repeated, a mix of humor and irritation flickering across his face as he bit his lip to hold it back, still keeping his head facing down.
Shaw was over the whole club at that point.
"Forget it. We're not getting anything out of him. Useless humans."
Ralph glanced at Shaw, a hint of an idea in his eyes.
"Well, if she's gone, maybe we can pick up her scent or track her down."
They sniffed the air around them, catching only the scent of Silver Moon men, and decided to leave to search for her somewhere else.
Raphael shook his head.
"Those two are ridiculously dense. They're the ones taking over the hierarchy of the Deep Fang and Sharp Fang packs. Ha, Ralph actually thinks Ayla is his sister or something, ha."
He was laughing as he wrapped up, as Phoenix cut in, breaking his laughter.
"I didn't get the sense he was searching for a sister. It felt more like he was just following orders to find his assigned match. Something tells me this isn't over."
Julius overheard and jumped into the conversation.
"Does he seriously think Ayla would ever be interested in him? He's awful. The guy has no personality or brains; he's arrogant, completely lacking in skills, and his physique leaves a lot to be desired. She wouldn't give him a second glance."
He couldn't stop himself as his feelings for her clouded his judgment at Phoenix's remark.
Like typical guys, they glanced at themselves, then at each other, after hearing his words.
Phoenix burst out laughing, "I've got a better shot than that dweeb."
It felt strange for them to see Ayla as anyone but Alexander's, yet for a fleeting moment, they did.
Julius thought, for just an instant, that Alexander was lucky to have found her first, because that's the only reason she was with him.
He quickly brushed the thought aside.
"What does it mean that Alpha Ulfric's son came for her himself?"
Since Dominic wasn't there to respond, Phoenix stepped in.
"Probably nothing. Most likely, those two are just really close. What I'm more curious about is what he'll report, and how quickly whatever he does report will make its way back to Alpha Theo."
Julius sighed.
"We've really made a mess, haven't we? So much for a great first night. Maybe this is just the new normal, wolves barging in here every night for who knows what reason."
"I think it was a great first night," Raphael said, ever the optimist.
He glanced across the bar and spotted the same two ladies he and Phoenix had hung out with a few times before.
Phoenix and Raphael exchanged a knowing grin.
When they realized they lived in a tightly secured building, their smiles faded.
"You can take them home. It's not your first time with them, after all. Just be sure to watch your surroundings on the way. It seems like we're being watched. And keep an eye on them once you're inside the building, too."
Julius was sharp and observant, so he saw the excitement when the couples found each other.
There was no way he'd tell them they couldn't bring their lady friends over; it just wouldn't be fair.
Phoenix and Raphael smiled once more.
"Thanks for everything! You're truly a good person. Only one other has ever been this kind to us... Your father. He's a good man, and so are you."
Julius could tell they were sincere.
"Yeah, yeah, sweet-talk me all you want. You still have to finish your shift," he said with a smile.
Now that he thought about it, he realized he hadn't seen Mason return for his shift.
Dominic had slipped back into the background like he was supposed to, but was Mason still around?
He told the guys he had to check on a few things, asked them to handle the bar and keep a good eye out, before telling them he'd be back.
To his surprise, Dominic was nowhere to be seen on the club floor.
That was his job, to be invisible, but not that invisible.
At some point, he should have run into him.
This made him wonder if Dominic had gone to check on Ayla, Alexander, and Mason.
Clearly, they had cameras, so they were aware of what was going on at the bar.
Still, they must have known the guys had left.
So why hadn't they come back to the dance floor?
Something felt off as Julius headed down the hall.
His wolf stirred within him in a way he didn't recognize.
The first thing he saw was their office door standing open, the observation screens still in plain view.
That was definitely not something Alexander would have done, not with the door open.
They always made sure to set those in place, keeping them as a secret form of protection.
He stepped inside and glanced around.
There was no sign of any struggle.
What had happened?
Where was everyone?
He tapped the top of the screen, and it slid down.
Julius began to wonder if the two bouncers had taken Alexander and Ayla back to the apartment.
With wolves appearing everywhere, maybe they figured it was safer to head home.
Since Ayla finally got to enjoy herself for a change, it seemed reasonable.
But would both of them really need to escort the couple back to the apartment?
They'd already shown they could get there on their own a few times.
If Ayla had been concerned, the two would have slipped out by themselves quietly.
Something didn't sit right in the pit of Julius's stomach.
That's when he spotted it, the rug's corner was slightly turned up.
More than that, a faint scent of blood lingered in the air, it was the first time he had ever noticed it.
A faint, dirty metallic scent tickled his nostrils, and his wolf instantly recognized it.
Whose could it be?
Julius was scrambling to figure out his next move.
Someone was hurt in his office, and four people had gone missing.
To make matters worse, it was all his fault.
Ayla had warned not to trust everyone, and because of him, something might have happened to her.
On top of that, Alexander was missing as well.
Ayla teased, "Come and get me," as if daring him.
But he was already on a mission to find his missing friends, so while he was indeed coming for her, she wasn't the only one he had in mind.
Julius knew he had to find them.
He was going to go and get them.
Whether it was Dominic, Mason, or someone else, he knew someone would be giving him Ayla back.
Before he realized it, he was sprinting out the back door, oblivious to everything happening around him.
Only one thought consumed his mind.
It was his first real mission.
The faint scent of blood in his nostrils made him try his best to avoid imagining the worst.
Alexander and Ayla were missing, and deep down, he knew it was probably his fault.
Deep down, he could almost hear Ayla saying she'd been right all along, hoping for the chance to tell him to his face.
What made it worse was that he was supposed to protect her, and now she was missing.
They had promised to keep her safe, yet it took less than a day for them to fail as a team.
Maybe that's why Orion wasn't with Shaw.
Were they only a distraction?
Had she been right the whole time?
Did the men he brought in plan everything just to trap her?
Ayla had evaded them for years, yet in such a short time with him, she was caught.
How long had it truly been?
As he ran, it struck him that she had only been in their home a short time.
It felt like she had always been there, and he struggled to recall exactly how long it had really been.
He was certain that it was the scent of blood, but whose was it?
What if they'd seriously hurt her or Alexander?
The thought spurred him to run faster.
Julius didn't want to dwell on which of the men had betrayed them.
Honestly, he barely even knew who any of them were.
Dominic probably wasn't even his father, just using the orphan story as a way to get close to them and take her away.
He felt used, betrayed, and foolish.
Trying to stay composed, he rushed to their apartment, hoping they might be there.
Maybe he was mistaken, and they had simply gone home after hearing there was trouble at the club again.