Blissfully unaware of any problems they might be facing, Ayla and Alexander thoroughly enjoyed their night.
Their hands were constantly on one another, as they ravished each other thoroughly.
They were not aware that they had been overheard by anyone the night before, so they were able to maintain that ignorant level of euphoria.
Maybe that was a good thing for Ayla.
She couldn't handle anything else on her plate at the moment.
That being said, one lonely black wolf was hard to identify; there were several sightings of wolves rumored, mostly one nicknamed Midnight by the locals.
There were hundreds of them, but how many had been in their area that night?
It couldn't be more than a handful.
Morning light came creeping through the cave entrance too quickly.
Granted, the two lying at the bottom of the cave managed more sleep than usual.
Maybe they were meant to live outside like that.
The cave kind of felt like home to them.
Not sleeping while in the city should have been a sign.
Nonetheless, the moon was gone, and the sun was up.
Both Ayla and Alexander knew that it was time to face whatever waited outside the cave.
Quickly coming to the same realization, they paused.
They wouldn't be walking out on two feet.
That posed another issue.
How would they get into the town limits or the apartment without being seen as wolves or naked?
"Maybe we can just stay in the cave forever" Ayla said, sighing.
In some ways, she was being serious.
"We both know that you are infamous for sneaking. Are you telling me that you can't get us into the apartment unseen after all that bragging" he smirked.
She knew what he was doing, but this was risky.
Ayla wasn't just moving herself around the town.
Alexander would be at her heels, and both of them would be animals or naked.
That would draw attention.
He could tell that she was hesitating.
"Oh, come on, how is this any riskier than the last few years of your life" he asked, like he was reading her mind.
A sense of determination sprang across her face as she decided it was time to show him a thing or two about being stealthy in the town they lived in.
"Let's go" she nearly yelled.
"We really need to work on our communication skills" he laughed.
"Right" she said, raising her eyebrows sarcastically, "I'll jump right on that".
Her shift was flawless as her body propelled forward and pushed out her majestic wolf.
He wondered if he was nearly as graceful as she was, but he doubted it.
Ayla watched him as he transformed with almost the same grace.
She was like a goddess, so it was hard to match her.
Once they were ready, he followed her lead as she bolted through the woods.
He knew she was fast, but not that fast.
Alexander could barely keep up with her.
Wanting to ask her to slow down crossed his mind, but he didn't want to appear weak.
Somehow, when he thought about it, she seemed to naturally ease her pace down just a hair.
He hadn't realized that she heard his thoughts, and she was going to keep it her little secret, for now at least.
Finally, they were on the outskirts of town.
With the pair out of the cave, it was now quiet and explorable.
Unknown to them, the black wolf had lingered.
Now that he had a chance, he made his way to the empty cave and sniffed around.
It was odd.
There were no remnants of any wolf scents.
There were other scents, but not their wolf scents.
No evidence of a pack or familial ties.
Unsure of what to think, he noticed that it couldn't have been the first time they were there.
They had a bed that wasn't new.
Had he stumbled upon where the elusive wolf was living with her mate?
Maybe there was more than just the two.
Then he remembered the conversation he had heard and knew there were at least three.
How many wolves had she assembled under their noses?
He was definitely going to get a promotion after this.
For once, he felt like he bested the great General Mace.
Back at the outskirts of town, the couple had to narrow down where to enter.
Ayla knew roughly where the apartment was, so she took them in that direction.
Her favorite part was finding the perfect paths to follow so she wasn't detected.
Before, she didn't realize she was using her wolf to look for safe paths.
Now that she did, she enjoyed it a little more.
Turning her head left and right as they reached certain places, she finally had it.
Ayla knew how they would proceed.
It felt odd at first when she did it, but she sort of threw her head in one direction to guide them.
As a human, it was normal.
In wolf form, it looked like she was potentially having a spasm.
She made a note not to do that again.
It didn't matter, as Alexander was following her lead without signals anyway.
There were semi-covered paths that she managed to find that led right up to the building they were staying in.
Once they made it there, they had to decide who was darting to the building to let them in.
After that, would it be wolf or naked?
That's when he realized, no matter what, it had to be him.
Sitting there, not sure how to talk about their dilemma, two things occurred.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed an animal patrol truck slowly rolling by.
Second, she could hear Alexander, responding when she yelled, "Oh shit" in her head.
"What happened, crap, I can't tell what she saw. Oh, this is it. Why did we come back"?
He was a wreck in his head.
Alexander wasn't responding.
He was panicking.
Ayla hadn't realized what a nervous person he was until she stopped and listened to him.
"Hey, it's fine. Just stop for a minute and calm down. One of us needs to shift and open the door" she thought.
He could hear her, and she knew it.
His head cocked to look at her knowingly.
"You can hear my thoughts".
He sounded worried.
Immediately, "No", jumped into his mind, and it wasn't his voice.
She knew that she only reaffirmed his worries, so she added to what she thought.
"Not all the time anyway. I really wished I could talk to you. We needed to figure a plan out. I wished I could hear you, and there you were".
She knew she wasn't entirely honest because she had heard him early about slowing down, but he didn't need to know that.
"We need to figure this out more later" he thought.
Before anything else happened, he was standing before Ayla naked.
Ayla quite enjoyed watching him run for the door with all his glory showing.
It might have been the highlight of her day.
Then it dawned on her, she would have to do the same thing.
She wouldn't.
There was no way in hell she was running that stretch naked.
Something told her that he knew that, too.
Alexander briefly disappeared before returning in shorts and holding a large t-shirt.
If she could smile in her wolf form, it would be on her face.
Instead, her teeth seemed to all be present.
Waiting until he was a few steps away from her, she started to think about changing.
Suddenly, she stopped.
Something told her to wait.
Backing up just slightly from where she was, making sure she was out of sight, she watched.
Mason came walking around the corner.
He was unaware of who Alexander was, as far as they knew.
At that point, they didn't know who knew what.
Their question became, what was he doing over there?
Mason had no reason to be by the apartment building.
Alexander pretended like he was tending to some old items while over in the area.
It gave him a reason to be standing around while trying not to reveal Ayla.
They were both shocked when he buzzed their apartment and went into the building.
"What the hell" Alexander blurted.
Whatever happened while they were gone was not right.
Alexander knew he couldn't talk to her while they were in two different forms, so one of them had to shift.
Ayla was aware of it, too.
Nervous to be caught, she did her best to keep herself in place, as she essentially slid into her female body before his eyes.
She looked confused, staring up at him, naked, sitting on her feet, her knees on the ground, with her hands flatly bracing the gravel, appearing to hold her.
It was like it took no effort at all.
He handed her the t-shirt, pretending not to look.
Ayla knew he was looking, but she appreciated the fake modesty.
She didn't know what to do now.
Going to the apartment seemed like a bad idea.
There was no telling who was inside.
Was it safe to assume he actually went to their apartment?
Alexander had an idea, but he couldn't have been there for anyone else.
He looked at her with honest eyes.
"Do you trust me"?
"I don't know if you want me to answer that" she replied.
"Fine. Will you follow me and trust my plan" he corrected his words.
Ayla thought about it, and she didn't have many options.
"Sure, what do I have to lose"?
He knew this was all a struggle for Ayla.
This was a big step for her, and he was proud of her.
Even if it didn't last, baby steps.
Ayla actually followed him willingly into the building.
Again.
Not knowing who was in it.
She didn't feel safe, yet at the same time, she did.
She didn't know if she was being set up.
All she knew was that Alexander asked her to trust his plan.
Trust him.
For once, she wanted to put all her trust in him.
Even if it was a mistake, she would do just that.
She wasn't going to admit it, but she trusted Alexander.
Once they were inside the building, she wasn't sure what to expect.
Instead of turning straight to the elevator, per usual, they headed down the hallway, passing a few doors she hadn't paid attention to before.
She was sure they were just sneaking up to the apartment some other way, but that was not his plan.
A surveillance room wasn't on the list of her expectations, but maybe it should have been.
The last apartment on the left was empty.
It was smaller.
Only having one bedroom, it appeared to be used only for surveillance.
Ayla was surprised to say the least, and impressed.
"Does nobody own this apartment"?
"Someone owns it. They just turned it into this security center" he smiled.
Her spidey senses were tingling.
"I feel like there are a lot of things about yourself you haven't told me".
Alexander smiled, "Like what"?
Ayla gave him a curious glare before speaking,
"Don't think that I'm a love-struck fool. I have a brain. I'm going to ask you two questions, and you can't lie. No, three".
"Okay".
"Who owns this apartment we are standing in"?
"Me".
He rolled his eyes jokingly, "Well, Julius too, next" he replied.
"Where did the clothes come from, the ones you just brought out"?
His eyes darted toward the first apartment by the door.
"The apartment that is across from the elevators when you first come in. Next" he smiled.
"Who owns that apartment, the one by the door"?
"My answer is the same, me. Obviously, everything I own is at fifty percent, though" he chuckled.
"Do you own the whole building"?
"Oh, Ayla, you said three questions" he laughed as he went back to the computer screens.
It was like he already knew how her mind worked.
Her questions were lined up, ready to go, and he knew it.
He knew only the best ones would come too late.
"Yes" he muttered a few moments later.
It was out of place, so she was confused.
They had been quiet for a few minutes, looking at the cameras.
Ayla clearly didn't have anything on her mind other than trying to figure out who all had entered the apartment.
The sudden, yes, caught her off guard.
"Yes, what"?
Alexander started laughing.
"The answer to your last question is yes".
Ayla rolled her eyes and shook her head.
Why couldn't he have just said that when she asked?
He was such a man-child, she thought as her hand raised to meet her face.
She pressed her thumb next to her eye on her temple and her forefinger just at the bridge of her nose.
It was a form of stress release for her, as it seemed to hit pressure points and send a sense of calm through her.
After what seemed like forever of searching through video footage, they had their answer.
It seemed like the whole team of wolves that were in town was in their apartment.
What was Julius thinking?
They saw Dominic, Phoenix, Raphael, and Mason walk in the door.
Now that Ayla thought about it, why didn't they ask the other two, who just showed up on the tail end of the pop-ups, to join the team?
They could just have a whole party in her absence.
Then, as far as she knew, all the werewolves in town would be in one place.
Their apartment.
Ayla was fuming at the possibility of Julius betraying them.
Not her, they hadn't known each other that long.
How could he betray his best friend like that?
Was finding his dad that important to him?
"I have an idea" Alexander said, trying to stop her murderous look.
"It isn't a great one, but it will get us information".
The murderous intent was dissipating slightly, as she was willing to listen.
"Let me go and see what they are discussing. You can stay here, listen from nearby, or, knowing you, go. I really hope you don't pick option three, though. I know you said it's your fight, but I really don't want to fight right now" he said, almost whining at the last line.
He hoped to cheer her up just a little bit as he gave her puppy dog eyes and a pouty lip.
He couldn't say it didn't work at all, as she rolled her eyes at him and smirked.
"I won't go in with you" she said.
Alexander knew she had something planned, as her words were chosen carefully.
"I'm glad you don't plan on going WITH me" he said.
She just smiled knowingly.
Ayla was particular with her words, every time, so he knew this was no different.
At least he knew he had a few minutes to assess the situation before she busted in.
"Thank you for the head start" he chuckled.
The murderous intent was now creeping back.
"I'm sorry, I was joking. Can I have a kiss before I throw myself to the wolves" he said, making his eyebrows dance.
"Man-child, I swear" she said, trying to contain the small smile wanting to come out as she pecked his lips.
Alexander was disappointed with the peck, but he accepted it graciously as he made his way to the apartment.
He had to appear confident as he trekked forward.
Unsure of what Ayla was planning, he knew he had to be quick and efficient.
Ayla was watching the screen intently until Alexander was out of sight.
Although he knew that several people inhabited his home currently, he had to pretend he was unaware.
Opening the door, he was surprised to see there was no one in his living room.
His stomach began to sink.
Looking around, he realized, they weren't anywhere visible in the apartment.
That left one place they could be.
How long had they been there?
What had they seen?
Coming up with a plan, he quickly grabbed a drink, a sandwich, and a snack, heading for the elevator.
It would look like he was planning on snacking while enjoying some sun.
That would be a normal occurrence for him.
How good could he fake a shock face?
He was about to find out.
The elevator door opened, and his face showed pure shock.
There was no faking needed.
No people were in front of him.
Confusion clouded his mind as he walked over to the side of the roof to look at the city.
A feeling of defeat started taking over him because he couldn't figure out what was going on.
Realizing, maybe he didn't have such a bad plan, him grabbing food.
Come to think of it, he was starving.
He started eating the sandwich and chips as he watched the people running around below.
Lost in his own world, he was completely oblivious to the five men standing behind him.
They wondered how long it would take for him to notice them, but it seemed he wouldn't.
Julius knew it was a risk to bring them there, so he was scared to say anything.
Now that he was done with his food, he planned to go and sit in the hammock for a bit.
He was waiting for Ayla to make her way to him.
It was only a matter of time before she followed him.
Turning to make his way, he nearly jumped off the roof.
"What the hell..." he yelled.
There was no faking that face.
It was all natural.
"What are you thinking, Julius? Why are they here" he asked honestly.
Eyes peeked from the onlookers, intrigued at the fact that he seemed to know who they were without a second glance.
Julius didn't pay it any attention while he addressed his friend.
"I know that you have concerns. You disappeared, again. I started thinking that maybe you were kidnapped. It got me thinking. We alone can't protect Ayla. These are seasoned, professional werewolves after her. We've known for what, a second, what we are".
Alexander couldn't believe what his best friend had done.
"That's not your call to make. It's hers. It's her fight".
"Clearly, you found her" Dominic smiled.
Alexander was looking at this stranger in front of him.
"You don't know her. What makes you say that"?
He smirked, curious if she had told him anything.
"Those are her words. She said those to me just yesterday" he smiled.
He couldn't help but claw at him a little; it was in his nature.
Mason had been just listening up to that point.
"So, you both protect her, as baby werewolves. You" he said, pointing to Dominic, "recently managed to talk to her. Yet nobody is really saying anything. Why am I here"?
Alexander raised an eyebrow at his friend as if he was asking him the same damn question.
Julius stepped into the middle of everyone.
"It's clear to me that you all don't intend on chasing her anymore. For whatever reason, you don't think it's right. I agree, but I'm biased. I propose that if the four of you are up for it, you join the team that helps protect her. I think you'll enjoy the life of saving her far more than the one you've had of chasing her".
Ayla came flying over the ledge at his words.
"What are you thinking. Do you really think that you can trust these men to protect me? Why would you not ask me first? They have spent the last three years dead set on taking me to whoever ordered them to. 'Their Alpha' right" she said in air quotes mockingly, "and you expect me just to let them pretend to protect me".
All of the men were still wondering where she came from as they started walking to her spot of entrance.
Peering over the ledge, they could see that there were no steps, doors, or visible way for her to have gotten up from there.
Mason was amazed.
"How did you"?
A look of irritation crept on her face.
"Is that important" she asked, dropping her head into a side tilt, cutting her eyes at him.
"Kind of. That was incredible. I've never seen anything like it" Mason exclaimed.
He was looking at her in an all-new light.
"Does she even need our protection. She seems to be the team" Mason said.
Alexander chimed in, "She might not need us, but unfortunately, scum like you keep being thrown at her, and she's a bit hard-headed. You're more than welcome to leave now".
Ayla was getting more than irritated now, and it was showing.
It piqued all the men's interest.
"No, I think I like the sound of change" Mason said, eyeing Ayla.