Stella used her charm and Goddess-given assets to keep Orion distracted at the celebration, knowing Alexander needed every moment he could get to devise a plan.
Things were actually going better than expected, too.
He seemed to appreciate her natural charm and the way she stood out from the other girls in the pack.
It seemed to work to her advantage that she wasn't raised as a wolf, giving her an extra layer of intrigue that the other girls just didn't have.
Meanwhile, Alexander headed toward the sleeping quarters that had been assigned to them upon their arrival at the Moonlight Shifters.
All he knew was that the others had left not long ago, and he was doing everything he could to buy them a little more time.
He tried to keep up appearances for as long as he could, just in case someone was watching.
The last thing he wanted was for someone to tell the Luna he'd lied about anything and ruin his and Stella's fresh start in their new home.
Especially since she was getting along so well with Orion at the moment.
As he walked, he kept chatting with himself, mostly in his mind.
'I need a solid plan, something that will buy the group more time to escape. All I'm doing now is just letting them get further away. Pretending to head out and get them isn't helping at all. What the hell am I thinking? No, I need a convincing story to throw them off the trail. I just need time to come up with it.'
Just then, Alexander ran out of time as he neared the quarters.
He took a deep breath, nodded to the guards as if they were old friends, and stepped inside.
"Ayla, Titan, Phoenix, Raphael, Rhae... you're late to the party. My party!"
After waiting a reasonable amount of time for them to respond, he continued walking toward the rooms.
"Are you guys asleep or... WOAH...SORRY, SO SORRY!"
Stomping as loudly as possible, he stepped back several paces.
"LOCK THE DOOR NEXT TIME, RAPHAEL. I'M NOT EVEN OPENING YOUR DOOR, TITAN. I SWEAR THIS IS A BROTHEL," he shouted.
It was the worst possible way to buy him time to think of a plan, but he lowered his voice as much as he could and did his best to impersonate Raphael.
"SORRY, LOST TRACK OF TIME, MAN. DID WE MISS THE THING?"
He shook his head, unable to believe what he was doing, before responding as himself once more.
"NO, YOU ALL JUST NEED TO GET DRESSED AND GET MOVING."
"AYLA, I'LL GRAB...FUCK WHY DID YOU HIT ME, MAN... I THOUGHT YOU WERE IN YOUR ROOM."
At that moment, he struck himself as hard as he could on the lower part of his eye and cheek.
'The things I do for friends.'
It needed to be strong enough to leave a noticeable mark if they were going to believe Titan had hit him, and then quietly moved to the back door, opening it slowly, hoping it didn't make a sound.
"I'M DONE WITH THE LOT OF YOU. GET DRESSED AND MEET ME OUTSIDE. LUNA WANTS YOU ALL THERE."
He stomped toward the front door, flung it open, and slammed it shut behind him.
He figured chatting with the guards would buy them some time to fake getting ready, and maybe a bit more on top of that.
If anything, he'd act like he was tired of waiting and head back to the party, expecting them to follow, only for the guards to find the back door open.
"All they ever want to do is eat and hook up, I swear. I honestly thought they were in his room, not hers. Honest mistake. No reason for him to punch me over it. Sure, we've had our differences, and yeah, I was jealous when he first showed up. Not anymore. Do you know who I am? I outrank him. Me, a former orphan, outranking Mr. Never-Got-Cursed. He can keep her. I'll have my pick of the pack. Better yet, all the packs."
The two guards exchanged glances as if a lunatic had just strolled between them.
In essence, one quite literally had.
One of them eventually asked, "So, who exactly are you?"
That wasn't part of the plan.
They were meant to realize he was the lost son of the Luna.
"Oh, right. You missed my celebration. I'm Alexander, brother to Orion and son of Luna Alina. Nice to meet you. Now that I think about it, he might be jealous of me since Mom doesn't need him anymore. Funny, he gets the girl, and I get the pack."
The second guard stood up, a menacing expression spreading across his face.
"I think they've had more than enough time to get dressed inside. I'm going to talk to Titan, see how he feels about all this. Seeing as he's one of my oldest friends."
That was definitely not part of the plan.
Alexander hadn't considered that Titan might have friends in the pack, but he'd spent as much time with them as he could back then.
Plus, he might have overplayed his hand without having all the facts.
"Alright, but if he takes a swing at you, too, don't say I didn't warn you. He's just a little sensitive at the moment."
The guard arched an eyebrow at him, his expression shifting to one of disdain toward the mouthy new pack member.
"I'll see for myself what he's like. Thanks."
Alexander inhaled sharply, almost forgetting to exhale as the two guards stepped through the front door.
A hush settled over them as they made their way down the hallway, checking each room to make sure it was empty.
That was, until they noticed the back door was ajar, not flung wide to make it obvious it had been left that way, but open.
"Told you he was jealous. He doesn't even seem to be able to make it to my party."
The guard who claimed to be Titan's friend was once again the only one to speak.
"This way. The runt might be right. Titan may have realized he's no longer needed and could have escaped with the prisoners."
Alexander furrowed his eyebrows, "Prisoners?"
"Yeah, since you're part of the royal family, you should know, right?"
"Of course I do. That's why I came to get them for my mother... Luna Alina, I mean."
The guard, who had been silently standing outside, still eyed Alexander with suspicion.
"Did they give you any hint about where they might be headed?"
Alexander was so caught up in distractions that he completely forgot to finish the rest of his plan.
Now he needed to think fast, hoping he didn't say what they actually did.
"He was clearly smitten with Ayla and concerned about what they had in store for her, especially regarding her safety. He kept talking about home, wondering how safe they'd be there. Do you think he might have taken her back to his pack?"
The two guards exchanged glances, trying to decide if the explanation made any sense.
"Let's go tell your family about the latest updates. They'll be pretty disappointed to learn that they got away while you were watching, especially since you were the last one to see them."
Both guards were smiling now.
"Great, lead the way."
Since Alexander was the last one in the house and had spoken to them, with the scene making it clear they'd overheard and the bruise on his face as evidence, he knew he'd end up taking the blame for letting them escape.
This was easily the worst plan he'd ever thought of.
At the very least, they had even more time to escape from the territory.
When they returned without the extra wolves, the Luna didn't look too happy.
She looked even less friendly as Alexander was made to explain, in full detail, what had happened at the assigned quarters.
He shared every minute detail, and she was even less amused.
A few times, Luna Alina wished he would just get to the point, but he kept assuring her that every detail mattered so she'd understand the guards weren't to blame.
Luna, clearly annoyed, rolled her eyes and shot an exasperated glare at the guards.
"Did you make him feel like you'd be blamed if he kept anything from me?"
One guard, who had made it clear he was close friends with Titan, spoke up.
"No ma'am, not at all. We simply mentioned that since he was the last person to see and speak with him, he might be able to provide you with the most insight. That's all."
That didn't make things any better for them.
After Alexander shared every detail he could think of, along with the trail he'd set for the guards to possibly follow, he nodded and smiled like a pleased little boy who knew he'd done well.
"Thank you, Alexander. I know you did your best. You couldn't have predicted they'd run when you went after them. I'm so sorry Titan hit you. I just don't understand what's gotten into my sweet boy."
Orion paused, a thought crossing his mind.
"I might. He did have some inside information about... You know."
He cast a pointed glance at Alexander.
His mother nodded in agreement.
"He sure did. Makes sense."
Alexander turned to the side to stifle a laugh, and that's when he spotted Stella standing there, eyes glazed and cheeks flushed, soaking it all in with a smile so wide it was impossible to hide.
Poor Stella was moments away from bursting at the seams with laughter.
Drinks with Orion had apparently gone over incredibly well, fitting perfectly with her system, since he'd never seen them affect her like that before.
Still, her laughing at the situation could completely blow the whole plan apart.
"Well, if you don't mind, Luna, I'd like to get my friend back to the quarters. She seems like she just needs to call it a night," he said, starting to walk toward her.
"Nonsense."
Alexander froze.
"I'm sorry."
His mother shook her head.
"You're not staying in the quarters anymore. You and your friend will be moving into the pack house. No son of mine will live anywhere else. Clearly, she's a special friend, so she can stay with you."
"You've got it wrong. We're just friends, we grew up together, nothing beyond that."
Unsure if she should believe him, Luna Alina simply didn't care.
"She can and should still stay in the pack house with you; we have plenty of rooms."
A smirk spread across her face.
Alexander wasn't sure what game she was playing, but he didn't mind keeping Stella close to watch over her.
"Alright, could someone please show us where we'll be staying?"
Luna Alina nodded with a smile.
"Of course! Your brother will be happy to."
As she raised a hand to guide them toward the door, Alexander felt relieved to finally be past the whole ordeal.
Now, all he had left to do was worry about Ayla and the rest.
His greatest hope was that they'd gotten far enough to avoid whatever scheme his mother was cooking up.
Ayla shared the same worry as the group dashed through the trees and shrubs as fast as they could.
They didn't have a specific destination in mind, just somewhere far away.
Phoenix and Raphael knew it was only a matter of time before the wolves came after them.
If they were headed to a specific spot, it would be easier to track them down.
While running, they decided their plan was to head in a direction completely free of any packs, including Scarlet Crest.
Considering there was no plan, that turned out to be a great one.
Running in human form was even better, helping to give off as little scent as possible during the first part of the trip.
Once they had put some distance behind them, they shifted and began running a bit faster than was wise, determined to get as far as they could.
It was smart.
After what felt like hours of running, they were all starting to feel the effects of keeping such a pace.
Their wolves were beginning to feel worn out.
They had to grab some food and get some rest.
The only issue was that they hardly had the energy to get by, let alone go hunting.
Rhae was completely drained of energy and couldn't offer any help as she nearly collapsed, forcing them to finally come to a halt.
Raphael was concerned about her, but he realized some of it was just from emotional strain.
Her wolf felt downhearted after parting ways with Stella.
Ayla was familiar with running in conditions like these, so she knew exactly what to do.
Once everyone was settled and safe in the area, she set out to search for water and food.
With any luck, both would be nearby, making it easy for her to get to the others.
She was just as tired as the rest, maybe even more, but giving up wasn't in her nature.
Ever.
It didn't take her long to discover a small spot with good water, which meant food had to be nearby.
Ayla had figured out that whenever she came across water, there were usually critters hanging around somewhere close.
To save some energy, she decided to stake out the watering hole and wait for any animal to come by to quench its thirst.
The Moonlight Shifters made a good point.
Why chase your prey when you can set a honey trap and simply wait for it to come to you?
As she crouched at the base of a large oak tree, she didn't notice the sound of footsteps quietly approaching.
Whether it was from being so focused on the water ahead or simply from exhaustion, she didn't realize what was happening until two hands gripped her throat, lifting her weary wolf body and pinning it firmly against the tree.
"Shift! NOW!"
She was so exhausted that she couldn't muster the strength to resist.
Without a second thought, she transformed into her human form and found herself face-to-face with a naked Titan.
"Why are you out here alone?"
Ayla was confused.
"What...Why does it matter?"
"We just escaped from an entire pack that's probably on your trail right now. If they catch you, we'd never even know. What are you doing out here by yourself? I left behind the pack I grew up with, friends, to run away with you. You get that, right?"
Ayla noticed the concern in his eyes, mingled with a deep, unmistakable desire.
He leaned in, pressing his nose gently against the nape of her neck.
"If they take you, I won't be able to track you. If the bond from the bite completely dissolves, you'll just be gone. I can't catch your scent. All I want is to be able to smell you."
What he said suddenly made sense when she realized she couldn't sense him like she had when she first bit him.
The effects from the bite were dissolving.
She knew the only reason he was showing that level of concern stemmed mostly from the fact that the bite was slowly fading, weakening the connection between them more and more with time, so maybe her venom was like a drug to him.
Titan softly rubbed his nose along her neck, moving it gently up and down.
A wave of chills ran through her, making her forget all about her fatigue and hunger.
She lifted her arms, wrapping them around the back of his neck, her hands resting gently on the back of his head.
As she ran her fingers through his hair, she noticed how soft it was and that it was just the right length to hold onto.
She gave a gentle tug, tilting his head back and revealing his neck.
Without a second thought, she bit him hard once more, realizing that her wolf teeth had emerged along with her venom, but he was the one who said he wanted to see what would happen when he bit her without permission.
Titan groaned softly, savoring the rush of euphoria that surged through him as she coursed through his veins once again, that time slightly stronger.
This time, he could truly enjoy it, the two of them alone in the woods, as he snapped his head back under his own control and kissed her with the fierce possessiveness of a wolf.
In that moment, she was his, and he wanted her to feel it.
His hands moved gently, tracing every curve of her skin, the lines of her breast, and the soft warmth of her abdomen.
Then he came to the throbbing center she had teased him with the night before.
Ayla went to grab his hand while she continued to kiss him back with every bit of passion he kissed her with.
He growled at her, "No. I know where you stand. I won't take it that far. You will feel some parts of me, though. Open your legs. Just my hand. I want to feel you."
Titan went back to kissing her with the same passion as before he spoke, and Ayla did as he told her.
Opening her legs for him to feel her.
As he slipped his hand between her legs, a small moan escaped as he rubbed her fingers along the outside, using his thumb to tease her clit while playing with the mounting moisture at the entrance of her pleasure center.
He was having fun teasing her after all the teasing she had done to him so far.
When she was sure that was all he was going to do, tease her, he squeezed her nipple, bit her lip, and slid two fingers inside of her at the same time.
A moan found its way out as he caught her off guard and surprised her with the sensation all at the same time.
Ayla's body didn't know where to focus with all the sensations washing over her, as he hastened his motions, until she was gripping his fingers from the inside, while her juices flowed freely down his hand.
Titan pulled away from kissing her, "I just might make you wait, even when you're begging me to fuck you."
That made Ayla pause, as he pulled back from her, kissed her forehead, and licked his fingers clean.
"You do feel and taste so amazing though."
Ayla wasn't sure what to do.
It was something completely new for her.
"Excuse me. What was that? You can't just..."
Titan looked amused as he raised an eyebrow and released her.
"I can't what? I think I can do whatever I want. You didn't say no, and I believe you made the first move. I didn't do anything I said I wouldn't. Now, let's feed the hungry wolves."
He knew exactly how she felt, having just strengthened their bond completely, and she was beyond frustrated, but not in a bad way.
"I bet this was all part of the plan. Titan's grand scheme, right? Let's go find some food, the others are hungry," she said, brushing past him, a new surge of energy and determination driving her forward.
She was ready to hunt.