Just the sight of Lucas was enough to send Phoenix and Raphael into a rage, but watching him stroll up and kiss the snarky, malevolent witch pushed them completely over the edge.
Phoenix knew there was a reason for protecting that specific black wolf, but he couldn't piece it together in time.
Going back to the clearing's entrance was breaking the rules, and Ayla knew it.
She noticed the fire blazing in the boy's eyes as Lucas stood there, kissing and scheming with the witches, glancing their way with a daring look.
Knowing the witches and Lucas had just won that round, it was clear it was just a ploy to make them break their promise and target Lucas, a setup to trap them.
In the end, it was never confirmed who the cursed wolves were, though three of the wolves were female. Phoenix only admitted that he and Raphael weren't among the cursed.
Ayla maintained her cover by claiming they were in a rush to return the newly found wolves to their birth packs, which still left the witches uncertain about her.
It was obvious the witches were after them, though the group had no clue why.
Why would they want to gather werewolves?
What could they still hold against them after all this time?
Lucas came back and intentionally kissed his witch girlfriend right in front of them, achieving exactly the reaction he wanted.
He felt completely at ease, knowing he was safe under her protection.
As Phoenix and Raphael's paws struck the dirt, the girls and Alexander sprang in front to block them, bracing themselves by digging their paws into the ground for stability.
They were determined, seeing nothing but red, their snouts pulling back, foam gathering at their mouths as they growled and bared their teeth, shoving past with bodies nearly twice the size of Ayla and Rhae's.
After that, it was a series of duck-and-dive maneuvers, followed by a few bobs and weaves, until each man had two people holding them down.
Ayla, trying to sound as firm as possible, said, "You can't go after him right now. We know where he is and who he's with. Once we rescue Julius, we'll get him. Promise!"
Her words hit home, and they knew she was right, but they simply didn't want to hear it.
The men kept growling as they struggled to pull themselves together, but the only way to make things right was to run, breaking free from the prison formed by their teammates.
They ran as far and as fast as they could from the man who had nearly killed their father figure.
They ran without glancing back until their minds cleared, but not Ayla.
She locked eyes with each of them, her glare promising they'd meet again, and soon, before she turned to follow her pack.
As they pressed on, the wind ruffled their fur, stripping away the anger that had been boiling inside, while Dominic replayed the events that had just unfolded in the home office.
...
In the final moments before dawn, Dominic kept his eyes glued to the screens.
He had a rough idea of what the two people he was waiting for looked like, but he remained wary of them and of everyone who appeared on the screen that morning.
Though he carried himself confidently before the young group around him, he was realizing he didn't do so well on his own.
The near-death experience, combined with his son now missing, was really taking a heavy toll on him.
His eyes flicked to every tiny movement on each screen, the nonstop flow of surveillance almost making him seem like a man on the edge.
That's when the first figure stepped out of a nearby building and began making their way toward the front of the building.
When the young woman seemed to head straight from her front door to theirs, it instantly caught his attention.
She must have been the one Alexander chose to manage the restaurant.
As she approached, Deva looked exactly as she had been described.
Dominic thought she resembled Ayla, which piqued his curiosity about her.
Could they be connected somehow?
That was a question for another time, something he could dig into later.
For now, his plate was already full with too many tasks.
When Deva reached the front stoop, he instinctively buzzed her in, catching her off guard and leaving her impressed.
For the first time in ages, she felt truly important.
She smiled without thinking as she stepped into the building, strolling down the hallway toward the door behind which the man she was secretly meeting waited.
When Dominic opened the door, Deva's presence was like a breath of fresh air; her smile greeted him warmly.
Her warm, sweet, and friendly energy instantly put the nervous man waiting for her at ease.
When she walked in, he reached out for a handshake, but she just rolled her eyes, shook her head, and pulled him into a warm hug instead.
She held her iced coffee tightly in her left hand, careful not to spill a drop, as she hugged him a bit more firmly than he was used to.
The young woman exuded love and warmth as she cradled him gently yet firmly in her arms.
As she stepped inside, welcoming herself, she immediately got to work.
They dove straight into business right away.
"I understand you're helping Julius and Alexander while they're away on out-of-town matters, and I'm not supposed to mention their absence or your involvement to anyone. With that settled, is there anything I should know for this morning?"
Dominic was taken aback by her bluntness, yet charmed by her warm and sweet nature.
It was contradictory, yet it worked perfectly at the same time.
Deva was a total mystery, a complete enigma, yet absolutely amazing.
Charming and lively, yet professional and straightforward, she seemed like the complete opposite of Ayla, yet somehow exactly the same.
Is that why Alexander chose her to be his liaison while he was away?
After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, getting himself back to the mission that was left to him, Dominic got right back to work.
"As far as I know, it's business as usual. If there are any specials you'd like to try, you've got their okay, just keep it reasonable. They made it clear they don't want anything too wild..."
He paused, raising an eyebrow at how she reacted to his words.
Her face lit up, a sparkle dancing in her eyes.
"You mean they're letting me handle the specials while they're away?"
Dominic cleared his throat.
"Within reason is the key phrase. Do I need you to run them by me every day?"
With a giggle and a smile, "I could run them by you, or you could just trust me to keep them from getting too crazy."
He paused for a moment and said, "Why don't we chat about them like friends, and if it sounds like something I'd want to try, you can bring me one in the evening?"
"I see what you're up to, and I'm not against it. You're going to be really busy here, and I get the sense you have no intention of leaving the room while they're away. Deal!"
"Deal. Aside from that, I just need daily updates. You can bring those in the mornings, or if you come by in the evenings, I can help with them. It's up to you. On a different note, something your bosses may not have mentioned: if out-of-town customers come in, I'd like you to talk to them and let me know anything you can about them. Could you do that?"
That immediately made her suspicious.
"What do you mean? Why do you want me to do that?"
He hesitated, unsure how much he could say without alarming her.
"It's mostly for research. Knowing where they're from helps me figure out what we might add to the menu later, simple things like that."
For a moment, he thought he'd done a pretty good job coming up with a cover story for his inquisition.
"Oh, yeah, that makes sense. I can do that," she said with a shrug.
As they wrapped up, she gave him another hug before heading for the door. "It was really nice meeting you. I think I'll skip making my own special today. The guys already set one before they left, and it's supposed to run through the day anyway."
If hugs could heal someone, hers surely would.
Deva gave a little shrug, flashed him a warm smile, and turned to go.
"Well, what is the special today?"
With a big grin, she didn't hesitate to say, "Chicken teriyaki pineapple bowl. It's basically teriyaki chicken and white rice, grilled inside a pineapple. It's so good! Then we have warm pineapple sundaes with rum sauce and pink pineapple piña coladas."
None of those seemed like something Dominic was up for, and though he didn't get the chance to speak, his expression said it all as the sides of his nose crinkled.
As Deva headed out the door, she called back with a smile, "I'll bring you a pineapple bowl to try, you're going to love it!"
The door shut behind her before he could decide whether to accept or decline the offer.
Apparently, he was giving something new a shot that evening, whether he liked it or not.
Deva was going to be a handful, but if he could manage Ayla, he could manage her too, and that made him curious about just how much fun his next guest might be.
In the meantime, he went back to watching the monitors for any suspicious activity, since there wasn't much else to do.
It was a pretty uneventful morning for Dominic, except for meeting Deva, as he kept scanning the monitors, eyes peeled for any familiar face to appear.
He sensed the group's unease, and when they suddenly fell silent, it unsettled him because he knew that it was too soon.
From what he could tell, they had covered a decent distance, and he realized he wouldn't be able to sense them much longer, which only made him feel more uneasy.
He sat there, feeling useless, as the morning light slowly crept into the room, marking how much time had slipped away, and he knew his other visitor would arrive soon.
The last thing he wanted was for Rollo to come in while he was already worried about what was happening with the group he now thought of as his kids.
The urge to protect them was overwhelming, and he couldn't stop it.
He saw them for what they were, helpless orphaned wolves, and he was ready to take every one of them in and give them their best chance at survival.
They might all be his, but in the end, all he really wanted was to have his pup back again.
That was his true wish, because it felt cruel to find his son only to lose him again.
It seemed the real curse was keeping their pups away from them forever, after finding them.
Dominic picked up on the emotions that made Raphael halt the group, and it filled him with pride.
He had trained his prodigy well.
At that moment, he noticed that everyone except Phoenix had turned into humans, and when he could no longer sense them, he knew they had gone their separate ways; he just didn't know why.
He was ready to personally strangle his subordinate.
All he could do was wait for them to come back and share their story, knowing he had taught them everything he knew, and now it was up to the two of them.
Phoenix knew better than to split from the group, unless they meant to.
Lost in thoughts of the young wolves, he forgot his mission entirely as the buzzer blared.
A man stood there, and Dominic quickly pushed aside the troubles of the young wolves so he could focus on his own work.
After a few moments, he confirmed that the tall, dark, and handsome young man at the door matched the description Alexander had given him.
Looking frustrated from the wait, Rollo strolled down the hall toward the office.
This wasn't the same kind of interaction he'd had with Deva earlier this morning.
Rollo wasn't one to warm up quickly.
He was annoyed about having to head to the home office to meet someone new before his day even began.
This could be a problem since Dominic wasn't ready to face off in a dominance battle with an arrogant jerk.
But if that guy wanted to be an asshole, he'd met his match.
Noticing the man's attitude, he figured he'd wait until the guy knocked before opening the door.
No, it probably wasn't the smartest move to make with a man who was already irritated, but that's what Dominic went ahead and did.
'KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.'
Dominic paused for a moment before opening the door, clutching some paperwork to make it look like he was busy.
"You must be Rollo. Alexander mentioned you'd be stopping by daily before your shift, though he expected it to be later in the day. Sorry about that."
Rollo eyed him with suspicion, knowing full well he couldn't confirm what he'd just been told.
He was definitely a rough-looking guy, not at all what he'd expected to see, but it was obvious he had something on his mind.
"I know you, don't I? I've seen you before at the club. Why am I talking to you now? You were a bouncer for just a day, and you have a higher status than me now?"
That made Dominic struggle to hold back a smirk.
"Yeah. I came in a few times to help the guys out. Is that a problem?"
Rollo wasn't quite sure what to make of Dominic.
Was he really there to lend a hand, or was it just another day on the job?
Dominic had questions of his own, though.
Did the boys choose someone truly loyal, given that they'd shown before they had trouble trusting too easily?
Rollo spoke again before he had a chance to ask, "I'm just worried about the guys. They tend to keep everything secret to protect themselves, and I don't want anyone coming in and messing things up for them. I don't know you, but I've known them my whole life. No disrespect intended, sir."
Was it that clear he didn't trust the young man who had just walked into the office?
Was it that, or was he picking up on the vibe Dominic was giving off and changing things up to play a game with him?
Dominic was willing to play.
"Let's start over. I'll tell you a secret, and you can choose whether to trust me. Deal? Just know that if you reveal it, you'll have to answer to me."
Rollo seemed curious, yet uncertain if he really wanted to know the secret.
When Rollo hesitated and appeared to be mulling it over, Dominic offered a bit more context.
"It's my secret, and, in a way, your boss's too."
Rollo didn't hesitate to answer him.
"In that case, I'd rather not know."
Dominic hadn't seen that coming.
Rollo seemed so loyal that he turned down the chance to learn a secret simply because it involved his bosses as well.
Maybe Alexander understood loyalty after all, or perhaps there was more to this group than Dominic had ever imagined.