Alexander was still gathering his thoughts as he stood there, watching Ayla.
The joy and relief he should have felt at finding her were overshadowed by a surge of anger boiling deep in his veins.
She was still standing between Titan, the mysterious figure of a man or wolf, and the tree.
For hours, he'd been worried sick that something had happened to her, only to discover she was off in the woods with some other guy, doing who knows what.
The fire in his veins pushed his blood past the point of boiling.
While the rest of the group was simply relieved to have finally caught up to her, he sat there simmering.
He never imagined he'd experience it, but there it was, jealousy.
He was jealous.
That was, until Raphael and Phoenix realized he hadn't said anything to her yet and decided to address him.
Up until then, he had been trying to keep his cool and hold back his anger, but once all eyes were on him, he just couldn't stop himself.
"Who the fuck is he?"
Five simple words told the whole group he knew exactly who the man beside Ayla was, and he definitely wasn't fine with it.
Alexander wondered why the others didn't seem to notice or care that he was there, his scent lingering all around.
What was it about the entire situation that they seemed perfectly okay with?
Ayla had been missing, but suddenly showed up with another man, a complete stranger.
No.
That was not okay.
They weren't in a committed relationship, but that still didn't make it okay.
"Alexander, what's wrong with you? He helped me, so why are you acting like this? Are you seriously playing the jealous guy right now?" Ayla asked.
Titan tried to keep his face from revealing the pleasure that was itching to break free.
"What's wrong with me? Do you not see the problem with this? How would you feel if I disappeared for a whole night and showed up with another woman?"
Ayla wasn't in the mood to deal with this, especially with a deadline looming over them.
"It's not like that. To answer your question, if she helped you make it through the night, then that's fine with me."
"So, how is it? Hmm. His scent is everywhere, clinging all over you. Did he have to protect you because he hurt you?"
Ayla felt her frustration rising.
"Why is this even any of your business?"
"Seriously, Ayla? That's the game you want to play?"
Arguing was the last thing Ayla wanted, especially with the group watching in the middle of the woods.
"This isn't what we should be focusing on right now. We need to get to Julius, don't we? So let's get moving. Titan's coming with us, by the way. He's a strong, capable warrior who can help. Does anyone have a problem with that?"
Her question was obviously meant for Alexander, and he was well aware of it.
Titan tried to hide his smirk, but she caught it and shot him a look that warned him to watch himself.
She wasn't comfortable with either of their behavior or the possessiveness they were showing.
One thing Titan made sure to keep in mind.
Don't act like Ayla is yours, got it.
Alexander wasn't done talking.
"Ayla, you can't just decide you don't want to discuss it. What is it? Did you sleep with him, and now you're finished with me? Is that what it is?"
Ayla snapped her head around, and if looks could kill, hers would have cut straight through his skull.
"How dare you? Just because you were my friend and supported me doesn't mean you know me. You don't own me, and I'm not yours. I'm free to do what I want, when I want. We were never in a relationship. It was nice, and I cared for you, but this jealousy is not. What I do from now on is none of your business. From this point forward, we get Julius, and we go our separate ways."
Alexander looked at her like she had completely lost her mind.
"You can't just brush everything off because you're upset with me, Ayla. Please, talk to me."
Ayla smirked.
"I don't live in your cage. You disrespected me, and no one gets away with that. Now, let's go find Julius."
No one in the group could even bear to look at Alexander.
Ayla was a proud person, and it was obvious she wasn't the type to put up with what he had tried to pull.
The girls straightened up with pride and trailed closely behind Ayla.
In that moment, they couldn't have been prouder to call her their friend.
Titan glanced back at the guys before heading after the girls.
"She didn't sleep with me. She was hurt, and I just helped her, that's all. Good luck with that situation."
He conveniently left out the fact that he made multiple attempts and was the one who injured her.
With a wide grin, he joined the girls who were ready to move on and continue toward their destination.
Titan realized that now she was no longer entertaining Alexander; he might finally have a real shot.
With the whole party reunited, they were ready to get moving again.
They may not all be in high spirits after the show that was just put on, but they were present.
The trip had been tougher than any of them expected, but they were getting through it.
Hopefully, there would be no more delays, and they'd make it by nightfall with only a few quick stops.
Just as Ayla had hoped, having Titan around proved to be a real advantage.
He knew faster routes to shave off time, and they managed to steer clear of any more encounters with the dark coven that day.
It was a day of nonstop running, only a few words exchanged, with quick pauses for sips of stream water and the occasional small game that happened to cross their path.
Just as planned, they reached the edge of the pack's territory right around twilight that evening.
Once they finally reached that point, they held a pack meeting.
"I think we should camp here and wait until morning before heading for the pack," Titan said, voicing his concerns.
Alexander objected, mainly because of the person who was making the suggestion.
"He probably just wants us to stay here so they can trap us. That might be how he knew all the secret routes to get here so fast."
"That's enough," Ayla said, trying to keep a level head.
"It makes sense to stop and rest. We don't know what we're walking into. We need to eat, recharge. Why not take his advice? Maybe scout around, sneak in, or even wait until the sun comes up?"
"Agreed! We have no idea what we're walking into. Raphael and I can do a little scouting," Phoenix suggested.
After that, everyone was on board, and even Alexander admitted he was hungry and needed to rest before facing whatever lay ahead.
Plus, that would give them the whole day to search for Julius and take it all in, really getting a feel for what Moonlight Shifters was all about.
Ayla thought back to what Shaw and Orion had told her, how it was different from the packs chasing her, more free, more accepting, and she was about to find out just how true that was.
That night, the moon shone beautifully and brightly, but the atmosphere among a few members sitting in the circle felt far from warm.
Wanting to make things a bit nicer, Titan built a small fire for Ayla, remembering how much she had enjoyed the fire-roasted rabbit the night before.
Once the fire was going, he led her away to gather a few more rabbits for themselves and the others.
What he truly had up his sleeve was taking advantage of the terrain.
He knew that just northwest of their location were hidden caves filled with beautiful flowers and small, enchanting scenes illuminated by moonlight streaming through the roof.
Most of them featured small hot springs and streams that were incredibly romantic.
That area was a romantic hideaway, also home to small creatures seeking refuge from bigger predators.
He knew it was the perfect chance to whisk her away and grab some dinner.
With Titan leading the way, he hoped she wouldn't suspect a thing as she subtly guided her toward them.
Meanwhile, back at camp, Alexander was venting his frustrations while they were away.
"Why would she trust him so easily. Not even one night, and he's allowed to join us and make decisions for the group. She doesn't trust anyone, yet she trusts him. She just met him. Give me a freaking break. Really."
Stella tried to help, but it didn't work.
"It's not that easy to explain. He helped her, just like you did when she was vulnerable. Then you barged in like a big, jealous bonehead. No woman wants that. I mean, we do, but not in that way. You accused her of being a slut. Sorry, not cool."
"I didn't do that. I'd never do something like that," he shot back.
Raphael jumped in, "Yeah, you did, bro. You basically did everything except say the words. That's over now. Ayla wasn't even your girlfriend, and you went through all that without making it official first. Even I know better than that."
Rhae arched an eyebrow at him.
"So, are you saying you want to make things official with me?"
"I'd love to, but I'm concerned about what's going to happen with Moonlight Shifters. If you stay there, how would that work? I can't leave Dominic, and we'd be in two different places. Honestly, I was waiting to see how things played out there first."
Rhae paused for a moment.
"Alright, let's check that out first," she said, pointing ahead.
Sitting in Phoenix's lap, Stella gazed into his eyes.
"Same for us, then. We'll see how the visit goes and what happens, and then decide about us."
"Yes!" Phoenix exclaimed, leaning in to kiss her.
"Well, isn't that just fucking peachy. Everyone's all smoochy, smoochy, kiss, kiss, while I just lost my partner before we even had the chance to talk. She's off doing who knows what with that oaf. Whatever," Alexander muttered as he wandered over to a distant tree, collapsed into its roots, and curled up in his wolf form.
The others did their best to hold back their laughter, but it was tough when he pouted like that.
While the others chatted and sulked, Ayla was guided into a cave filled with wonder and beauty.
Though she'd followed a rabbit indoors, it was the furthest thing from her mind.
She soaked in the shimmering reflections of the fading light as the sun dipped below the horizon.
She shifted into her human form, letting her words flow as she dipped her fingers into the pool.
"This is amazing. Were you aware of it?"
The water was warm to the touch, yet perfect, as the heat seemed to flow through her body with a single touch.
"Do you want to get in?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Ayla said, "Yes."
"There are natural steps along the side over there."
He led her to the spot he'd mentioned and kept hold of her hand as she stepped down.
Just as she expected, he walked in after her.
She made her way to the far end, slipped into the water, and let it wash away all the tension she'd been carrying in her muscles.
Titan eased into the water, submerging until only his nose and eyes peeked above the surface, quietly tracking his prey.
His eyes glimmered with longing for the one thing he wanted most, yet he was content to be patient.
"Don't look at me that way, Titan."
"What way? I didn't realize I was looking at you in any specific way."
Ayla rolled her eyes.
"Of course you didn't. Don't think I don't know what you're up to," she said, backing up until she finally felt the wall behind her.
Titan slowly edged forward, closing the distance between them.
All the while making it look completely innocent.
It's not like he was intentionally moving closer to her.
He wasn't right on top of her, but he was close enough to be in her space.
"What are you up to, getting me alone in the cave just to pin me down again? You promised you wouldn't, and you've already broken that promise once."
"Yes, I have, but I only did it earlier because I thought you were in danger. It was innocent, not an attempt to pin you down the way I actually want to."
Ayla gave a soft sigh and leaned back, closing her eyes as she rested her head against the rocks.
That was a mistake.
Meanwhile, Alexander knew that it didn't take that long to hunt and bring whatever they had caught.
Deep down, he could tell something was up.
"Do you guys think Ayla is okay. Should we go after them?"
Raphael and Phoenix knew what most wolves were like.
They knew it wasn't a good idea for Alexander to go after them, especially Phoenix.
"No, I don't think you need to look for them. Ayla's probably just blowing off some steam and will be back soon. If not, Raphael and I will go find them. Okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. You're just worried about what I'll see and how I'll react if I see them together. I get it. It's fine, whatever."
Phoenix looked both concerned and impressed.
"You've always been sharp. I'm not saying they're up to anything, but sometimes it's better not to know. If you go, she'll just think you're jealous of Titan again."
"Yeah. You're probably right."
He might have said he was fine with not searching for them, but he really wasn't.
Alexander knew he just had to wait until they got distracted by the girls again, and then he could slip away to find them on his own.
What harm could there be in finding out for himself whether Ayla and Titan were really hunting or just up to something a bit less innocent?
Plus, it gave him a chance to work on his own hunting and tracking skills.