Dominic felt uneasy about the mission as he settled into the office on the first floor of the building where he lived.
He had so much he could have shared with them before they left, but there just wasn't enough time.
Now it was up to them to figure things out and survive on their own, just like he had.
It didn't make the knot in the pit of his stomach any smaller as he felt them getting further and further from the building.
The first morning promised to be exciting, filled with new adventures of his own, as he was now officially a lone wolf himself, managing his son's co-owned businesses, and for the first time in his life, he felt nervous.
When it came to defense, battles, fighting, or anything like that, he was an absolute beast.
Truly, the best there was.
When it came to juggling business dynamics and the sharp minds behind multimillion-dollar corporations, he just wasn't used to it.
Still, Dominic was up for the challenge.
Getting ready for what was coming, he spread all the books across the desk and pulled up the monitors to scan the nearby streets, the restaurant, the club, the town square, and, most importantly, the entrance to the woods.
The last thing he needed was any unexpected surprises on his watch.
As far as anyone who mattered knew, he was dead.
He was determined to keep it that way.
Alexander had assigned two staff members to assist Dominic in every possible way before the group set out on their journey.
He sat there, fully alert, keeping an eye out for the lucky duo.
From the restaurant in the town square, perfectly positioned to watch everything unfold, Deva had been chosen.
She traveled between the home office and work site, keeping Dominic in the loop.
It was the same with Rollo and the club, tucked away on the far edge of town.
They had been with Alexander and Julius from the start, trusted to keep everything that was happening a secret.
Both employees had been told to keep quiet about their bosses being out of town.
That also meant keeping under wraps who they were working with in place of the mysterious CEOs, which was an even bigger secret.
If anyone asked, their bosses were working from home for a while, and they reported directly to them until further notice.
This wasn't the first time the co-CEOs had worked from home, so the two appointed managers didn't give it a second thought.
For them, loyalty was never in doubt, and Alexander had always seen it that way.
Honestly, they were completely devoted to them and never thought to question them, since the pair of orphans had always treated them well.
They'd been showered with bonuses, gifts, vacations, and the kind of dream jobs that hardly ever felt like work in the first place.
With the plan underway, it was time for Dominic to meet the loyal followers his son's best friend trusted so much, and find out just how true their loyalty really was.
He sat watching the screens closely, waiting for the two managers to arrive for their first meeting, as the newly formed pack moved steadily through the woods.
The knot in his stomach seemed to tighten even more as he felt them drift farther and farther away.
The six wolves ran with fury through the trees, the wind ruffling their fur, feeling as much freedom as purpose in their mission.
They had a mission ahead of them, sure, but their wolves were determined to enjoy the journey along the way.
It felt like they had always known this was exactly where they were meant to be.
Their tails swayed side to side as they ran with effortless grace, the wind whipping through them.
It was a breathtaking sight to see the pack racing through the forest toward the Moonlight Shifters.
It was their first true encounter as a pack, and the wolves' spirits were soaring with excitement.
Their running formation was flawless.
Ayla led the pack, slightly ahead, with Alexander's head level with her shoulders.
Just behind them, Stella and Rhae flanked each side, Phoenix trailing behind Stella, and Raphael following Rhae.
From above, they formed a perfect triangle, with Ayla at the point.
It almost seemed as if Phoenix and Raphael intentionally took the rear to shield the women.
They kept their eyes and ears sharp, always on the lookout for any sign of enemies or hidden danger as they moved ahead, taking their duty to heart.
Raphael was no longer the gentle, cuddly figure he had always been to Ayla, and she was taken aback by the strong, protective presence radiating from him.
For the first time, she understood how he came to hold the position he had with Dominic, serving as his Major.
He might have wanted to be the kind, sweet, attentive man he had shown her, but he became the beast he needed to be when the situation called for it.
It was the same with Phoenix, though he was far from a teddy bear.
His counterpart offered no jokes or laughter, and he was fierce as he kept pace with them.
They were in the zone, making great time as the wind whipped through their fur, mindful not to push too hard, saving their energy for the long run.
Moonlight Shifters was far from their reach, so they knew they had to take it slow or risk burning out.
As they ran, they came across their first clearing, not too far into the woods.
It wasn't about how far they had to go or had already gone; it was simply there.
They had been running for about an hour, and the sun was just beginning to rise.
It was a beautiful sight, with the first rays of sunlight peeking over the treetops, casting a warm glow and making the dew on the flowers, rocks, and grass sparkle like Ayla had never seen before.
Raphael began to sense that something was off, like things just weren't quite right.
He couldn't put his nose to it, but he felt something that made him want to stop.
Something told him not to howl or bark to get their attention, but he needed to get their attention.
Without a moment's pause, he sent through the mind link, "Guys, stop. Don't go into the clearing."
Phoenix and Rhae stopped, the dust swirling and drifting past them.
Not sure why he told them to stop, they still listened, but the others sensed the change, saw the dust billowing up, froze in their tracks, and turned to him.
They realized they needed to truly let each other in and listen, and they were glad they figured it out.
"What's wrong?" Ayla asked.
Caution was her default mode, so when someone else adopted it, she went along without hesitation.
Raphael couldn't quite put it into words, but Phoenix began glancing around, investigating, and listening for the cause.
"I can't explain it, but we shouldn't go into the clearing. It's just a bad idea."
At that point, Phoenix had started to break away from the pack and began sniffing around to see what spooked his partner.
As he checked the edges of the perimeter, he failed to notice the subtle extra glow radiating from the flowers.
It seemed like an ordinary bright morning, but on the side of the clearing they approached from, the morning-lit dew shimmered with an extra touch of brilliance.
None of the group members noticed the two shadowy figures lurking in the trees, watching them.
For that matter, they didn't seem to notice the dark fur the shimmer concealed along the edges either.
Before the remaining five members realized what was happening, an unknown force had guided them toward the clearing, leading them to step over the edge of the shimmer as they investigated the area.
That was the moment their bodies lurched forward, losing all control as they writhed in agony.
Being forced to shift is painful, and that's exactly what was happening to the small pack on the edge of the vast, beautiful stretch of cleared, seemingly untouched nature.
Confused, they glanced back and forth at each other, and when it was over, sweat beaded on their foreheads as they struggled to catch their breath.
Still trying to steady their breathing and clear their minds, they watched as the hooded figures gracefully descended from the trees and revealed themselves.
"So, you're werewolves then," one of them said in a soft, siren-like voice that instantly eased both Alexander and Raphael, briefly wrapping them in a false sense of security.
The low, warning growl rumbling from Rhae's throat jolted them back to reality.
Ayla stepped forward first, shielding her chest as best she could, carrying herself with calm dignity and grace.
Keeping her usual spark and charm, she asked confidently, "Who are you, and why does it matter what we are?"
After a short, mocking laugh that really got under Ayla's skin, the one who hadn't spoken yet responded, "Oh, honey, you don't want to take that tone with us, trust me. We're the reason you don't know who you are. I'm guessing none of you have figured it out yet, right? Just the one you're planning to rescue."
Ayla seized the moment to laugh right back at them, grinning.
"Wrong! Ha, you have no idea how wrong you are. You really think you know it all, huh? That's adorable. Doesn't it just drive you crazy when you're wrong?"
At that moment, the ladies pulled back their hoods to prove their seriousness, and they were absolutely stunning.
It wasn't true beauty, and Ayla knew it; it was just a glamour.
She could tell by their glow that it was just like the one in the clearing they had stumbled into.
Each person in the group saw what they believed was something beautiful staring back at them.
Those witches were sly, for none of them knew their real appearance, only the illusion the others wished to see at the time.
Ayla was really starting to get under their skin, and it was causing their glamour to glitch due to their lack of focus.
The speaker was transforming before their eyes, shifting to a woman with solid caramel skin, dark hair, and piercing green eyes.
Why she wanted to glamour herself was a mystery to Ayla, but when you have magic, you might as well use it, right?
"Witches. And they call werewolves greedy," Raphael remarked, realizing what Ayla was doing.
Ayla narrowed her eyes on the two witches and chuckled as both of them stared at him with a gaze that felt like a curse.
Then they stopped, just like that.
Their gaze turned knowing, as if they had suddenly figured out everything they needed to know.
"So, you think you know who we are, do you? I highly doubt that. Not all of you, at least. So, why are you trying to cross our clearing in wolf form?"
Raphael stepped forward.
He knew Ayla wasn't savvy enough in their knowledge to pull one over on them.
"You don't own this clearing, so think again. Witches can't settle here because of the trouble you cause, hurricanes, famine, curses, and death. All you ever do is bring misfortune. You're allowed to live in cities, but you can't claim land. And you're mistaken, we're not cursed like you. This isn't your clearing, so why are you using magic on us? It's forbidden after the last curse."
The young witches glanced at each wolf, then one another, then turned their eyes back toward the woods.
"You're mistaken, no magic was used on you by us," she said with a smirk. "If you happened to walk into it, that's on you. That being said, we have a companion whose story doesn't match yours. You claim you're not cursed, but is that really the truth? Are all of you free from it?"
Ayla fell into an uneasy silence as she glanced around, suddenly realizing Phoenix was gone, her eyes darting frantically through the woods in search of their missing friend.
"Where is our friend? What have you done with him?"
The second witch seemed unimpressed and spoke again for the first time.
"So, you're refusing to answer? Is there some reason you're afraid to tell us the truth? We don't bite as you do. Really, we just want to know who you are, beautiful," she said, her siren voice attempting to ensnare them again.
Ayla knew they were up to something by then. "Who's so eager to find out if we're cursed wolves and who we are? You two, or the one too scared to step out of the woods and face us? Coward. Show yourself."
The witch, who had done most of the talking, tapped her chin.
"You know, I don't like you. You've got an attitude, but you're clever. Hardly anything seems to slip by you. If you can find the black wolf, he's yours. But these woods are steeped in forgotten magic, and if you chase our friend, you'll never reach the one you're truly after. So, do you go after the one you call a coward, or your friends? That's two missing now, isn't it? Not looking too good for you. Tick tock."
Just as she wrapped up her ultimatum, Phoenix came back from checking the area and ran straight into the barrier.
"Damnit, uuggggghhhhh. Oww. What the hell. That is not something I ever want to do again. Guys, why am I in human form?"
Raphael gripped his shoulders and spun him around toward the witches.
"Oh, witches, perfect. Just what we needed."
He turned just enough to catch sight of the group and the witches.
"What do they want?" he asked, pointing toward them.
The chatty witch added a little extra to sweeten the deal.
"Oh, and if you go to find your friend, we'll remove our magic from the path ahead. We can't promise there won't be other magic, but ours will be gone."
Ayla raised an eyebrow.
"There's a black wolf with them that I'm pretty sure we want, and they're protecting it. They say we can give up on getting Julius back and go after the wolf, or we can just keep moving. Witches are the worst, always acting like they know everything. They even thought we were all cursed."
She tried her hardest to signal that he should keep his mouth shut, but Phoenix was just being Phoenix.
"No way. Raphael and I would never have gotten you this far if we'd been cursed, too. But why would we care about a black..."
He had no clue he'd said anything wrong, or that the group was working hard to avoid giving the woman in front of them any information, until he saw Ayla's eyes burning a hole through him.
That man couldn't help but beam with pride until he started thinking about why they would be protecting a wolf.
The witches were thrilled because they'd finally gotten what they needed.
There was no turning back now; they had to keep moving and find somewhere safe before anyone figured out who she was or where she might be.
"We're ready to get going since it's time-sensitive and we need to get these girls home. You promised to remove your magic. Will you keep your word?" Ayla asked as patiently as she could.
With a grin and a playful glint in their eyes, they said, "Oh, of course. We knew who you were; we just wanted to double-check. Safe travels," giving a sarcastic wave in perfect unison.
As they stepped into the clearing, Raphael smacked the back of Phoenix's head.
"Could you be any more of an airhead? Our whole conversation went up in smoke in seconds because of you. Seriously?"
"What did I do wrong? You could have given me a heads-up if there was something I shouldn't have said."
Phoenix just didn't understand.
Ayla didn't want to shout at him while they were still anywhere near the witches.
"It's fine, we can talk about it later. Wolves, now. Ears everywhere, literally. There's still a wolf somewhere close, remember, and the Goddess only knows how many witches."
That's when they spotted him approaching the witches from behind.
The black wolf shifted into the man Phoenix and Raphael knew as Lucas.
He strolled over and kissed the snarkier of the two.
The wolf who had almost killed Dominic was still plotting against them, and now he'd teamed up with the witches.
Why?
That was all it took for the boys to snap, and they were ready for a fight, but that broke the rules.