Julius had been essentially trapped in the tales coming from the man sitting on a stool across the bar from him.
Phoenix, Raphael, Alexander, and Ayla were listening for clues to tell them what in the hell was going on.
Ayla, Alexander, and Julius, more than any of them, were unaware of anything that was occurring around them.
The atmosphere was thick with the crowd, the darkness that was only illuminated by flashing lights and colored laser beams; the music seemed to be drowned out by the conversation that held their attention.
Julius had just simply stood over the other two tending drinks, hoping the guests on the other side of the bar were all none the wiser, but none of them were aware of the dangers that really lurked.
None of them could fathom just how close they were to facing another calamity.
Ayla was familiar with being in these situations, and her instincts were going haywire.
Being inside the club was throwing all of her senses off, it seemed.
She knew something was off, but she had known Dominic and his goons were at the bar.
Four more men walking in didn't shift her energy enough for her to notice it.
On the other side of the bar, however, was a different story.
Dominic, Raphael, and Phoenix weren't sure what hit them first.
After a moment, the smell ensnared their nostrils and captured their wolves.
They could feel the presence before they could smell the familiar scent that traveled their way.
It resembled an old fir tree dipped in sand, similar to them, but just a hair off.
Ayla noticed the smells and feelings, sure, but she didn't know anything about any of that.
She didn't know what was happening and was suddenly getting extremely unsettled next to Julius.
Unaware that Julius was paying that much attention to them, three men at the bar began sniffing the air around them.
All he could see was their nostrils beginning to flare slightly.
If he were paying attention to the crowd, he would have seen four other men doing the same.
It was the only thing they could do to try and isolate the smell and pinpoint which wolves were within their proximity.
Each pack had its own sort of smell, and each wolf added to it a slight variant to make themselves unique.
Julius was looking at them as if they had grown an extra pair of eyes.
None of them really paid any attention to him because their instincts were taking over.
They knew the other wolves would be doing the same thing as them.
All of them had the feeling of urgency in discovering the danger that neared them.
Seconds, they had a matter of seconds to help Julius and his friends.
It was necessary to know if they were about to face an imminent threat.
No one wanted the other to have an advantage.
After a few seconds, Dominic was able to conclude that these wolves had to be from the Deep-Fang pack.
Distance wasn't a problem for wolves normally, but these wolves had traveled to come here.
There was no doubt in his mind why they had come.
With a serious expression on his face, he looked Julius in the eyes.
"I won't follow and I won't cause any problems, but I need to know, is she here"?
Ayla's eyes got huge, and she started shaking her head.
Somehow, he knew that Dominic sensed something and that things were about to escalate.
Whether he was friend or foe wasn't the issue.
Would he survive if he didn't listen to the woman sitting next to him who just hit his leg?
He would clearly have a bruise there tomorrow.
She couldn't see what was happening on the other side of the bar, though, the serious look in Dominic's face, and concern in his eyes.
Ayla didn't see the men walk in or the men at the bar change in demeanor.
Surely, if she saw all of that, she would have a different opinion about saying anything.
Whoever was in the bar, currently other than those three men, had to be enemies of either the three men on the stools or Ayla.
Something changed within the last few minutes, and he had seconds to decide whether to trust the man at the bar or pretend like he had no clue what he was talking about.
The slight hesitation in his answer told Dominic what he needed to know: "Is he beside you now"?
Julius nodded without thinking.
Ayla hit his leg again, as he looked down at her, squeezing his lips together.
Dominic had to think quickly.
He spoke barely loud enough for her to hear him, but quiet enough that he hoped the music would conceal his voice for anyone else.
"I'm not going to hurt you or chase you. I need you to walk under the bar out the back. I'm assuming there is a back door".
Julius nodded, and Dominic continued.
"I don't know if these guys brought any friends with them, so be careful and good luck. I am sorry for chasing you for so many years. There is so much I didn't know".
As he finished, he turned in his chair to face the crowd with his drink.
Unaware of what just went down, Ayla and Alexander nearly crawled down the bar to the hallway that led to the back of the club, using the bar as a cover, just as suggested.
The couple didn't leave, though.
Why would they do what he said?
That man had been chasing her for years, but now he seemed to show concern for her safety and wanted to help her.
For the first time all day, her alarm bells were going off.
Ayla didn't know whether to take Dominic's advice or do the opposite.
How could she openly trust someone whom she had feared for so long?
He had to be setting a trap for her.
Her mind was so cloudy that she couldn't think as she slammed back against the wall in an attempt to just be able to breathe.
Alexander was right there as he embraced her and wrapped his arms around her head to try and calm her down.
"What do we do" she whispered.
Fear was trapped in her words, and the strong, independent woman was hiding deep within her, looking for help.
Alexander was so close that she knew she didn't have to be loud, even if she wanted to be.
He whispered into her ear, sending chills through her body.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. Someone came in who put those three on high alert. I was watching the camera, and four bulky men came in, and the three at the bar immediately got stiff backs. If it weren't for that, I would have stopped you from going anywhere on his suggestion".
The chills were replaced with fear again, as she spoke quietly back to him.
"That doesn't change the fact that I don't know what to do".
"Well, I don't actually have an answer for that. I do have a question, though. Are you still happy you came to the club tonight" he whispered gently into her ear.
He knew it wasn't the time or the place, but he hoped it would ease her anxiety a little.
Distract her a bit.
Maybe it would bring some of her fiery spirit out.
She attempted to smack his shoulder, but he was too close and holding her too tightly.
"Not funny. You could at least wait until we make it safely back to the apartment before teasing me about a bad idea" she frowned.
He smirked, knowing it worked, just a bit.
"Was it a bad idea" he asked.
"Actually", she thought, "No, it wasn't" she smiled.
He was confused, as his eyebrows attempted to meet each other after hearing her words.
He intended to distract her a bit while teasing her and making her feel bad about making him orgasm into submission over her disaster of a plan.
In reality, the sex had nothing to do with his decision.
It just felt really, really, really good.
Ayla being happy about what she had done was the total opposite.
Obviously, he was glad that she was happy, but not about taking them to danger.
He was not whispering gently into her ear anymore.
"How do you mean it wasn't a bad idea? Do you not see the situation we are currently facing" he asked.
He was trying his best not to completely lose his cool while waiting for her to answer.
"Of course, I see where we are and the dilemma we are in. I also see that many good things have come from this" she smiled.
He was shaking his head in disbelief.
"What would those be" he asked curiously.
She scoffed at the idea of him not seeing the direction she was taking.
"Were you paying attention at all? That man out there is faltering on his mission. Whatever the reason, it worked to our advantage tonight. I'll thank the moon for that. Plus, we know why they are after me. Some of what he said has to be true. They think I am one of the stolen children or whatever. If we believe the Dominic guy, he is looking for his son. So, if we find his son, maybe that will help us. It doesn't sound like he likes his boss anymore, SOOO, maybe he will quit hunting me".
Alexander looked at her, surprised.
"You picked all that up, did you" he said coyly.
Pride was present from head to toe as she replied.
"Yep. If I hadn't been here, then I might not have. Julius wouldn't have started the accidental conversation. Guess I'm just lucky like that. Plus, you saw the four men that came in, we know four more people looking for me know" she smirked.
He was shaking his head in disbelief again.
"Now, after all these years, you think you're lucky, do you" he smiled, "Maybe it's me that's the lucky one and I'm rubbing off on you".
She leaned in like she wanted to kiss him, as words fled her lips.
"Tell you what, let's split the difference and say we bring each other luck. How does that sound" Ayla asked as she pecked him on the cheek.
Alexander felt like he wanted more than just her lips on his cheek as he responded.
"I like it. Now, what do we do to get out of here? We have two options, really. Option one is to wait them out in hopes they don't stick around. Option two is to bail out the back as suggested, while they are all still inside, hoping they don't have anyone else outside" Alexander said, trying to give Ayla a minute to decide.
He was ready to get her home.
Alexander knew the window of opportunity they had to escape was getting smaller by the second as he waited in anticipation.
"Let's do it" she said as his heart sank.
He was waiting for the rest of her response.
"Let's take our chance and make a break for it. I've always been a runner, so why stop now? I'm assuming you are good with all the secret paths a hidden trails through the town" she asked.
Ayla knew that she could navigate this town like she designed it.
She only wondered now if he could keep up.
Unsure if he knew them all, he didn't want to say yes.
"If you don't know them, then trust in me and follow my lead. Just keep up" she teased him.
It was his turn to trust her.
Alexander knew at the waterfall that if he jumped with her, his life was going to change forever, but he had no idea that his life was going to change that much.
He felt like he was living in a real-life spy movie.
The only thing he was doing now was waiting for the other shoe to fall.
Eventually, it would.
She took his hand as they headed toward the back door.
With a calming deep breath, they made their exit, praying they didn't have any unexpected encounters as they made their way to the first hidden path along the way.
Once under the debris that hid them from sight, they were able to take in their surroundings, and the pair noticed that they didn't see anyone in their proximity.
Pleased so far, they went to look at each other, and both of them uttered the same thing at the same time.
"Your eyes" seemed to echo as they stepped back from each other.
"What about my eyes" they said again at the same time, in perfect unison.
Now that they were not looking for anything in their surroundings, the flickers of color that crept into their eyes had disappeared.
"If it was my eyes, then what was it" Ayla asked, "because I know what I saw in your eyes. They changed. Not for long, but for a moment, they were different. It isn't the first time I've thought I've seen it either".
"Well, exactly what you said. For a moment, they were different. I've seen it before, thought. Like you said. When I first met you. Out in the woods that night, it's the color I thought your eyes were until I really looked at them in the apartment the next day" he told her.
Actually, he thought that he had lost his mind while they were in the cave, but he didn't want to admit that then or in their current situation.
Now that he saw her eyes essentially glowing again, one of two things had to be occurring.
He was crazy, or she was special, but that didn't explain her seeing it in his eyes.
"My eyes have done this before, at night, though" she asked.
"Yeah. That was when I noticed it, but that doesn't mean anything" he responded.
"You still didn't answer exactly what they did" she wanted to know.
Alexander was curious too because she said his eyes did it, so he answered her.
"They looked like they turned almost a golden amber color that glowed with red splashing through them".
Ayla started nodding her head as if his eyes did too.
"You mean that's what mine did too" he asked.
She nodded again.
He didn't know what to think about what was happening, so he looked back into the vast darkness, searching again for anything he could find, as far as eyes could possibly see.
Curious to see what would happen, he looked back at Ayla, and sure enough, his eyes had switched again, and she was nodding to confirm it.
Wanting to know if the same thing was true for her, he told her to do the same thing, and she did.
Just as he thought, the results were the same.
Her eyes were amazing to him.
It was as if fire and gold were molding together around her pupils to help her see further into the night.
Neither of them was sure what was happening or why.
What they did know was that an animal was raging inside of them that wanted to rip each other's clothes off as they quickly decided to make their way to the apartment.
There was no time to spare, as they searched their surroundings vigilantly, steadily, as if stalking prey, inching closer and closer to their sex den.
Meanwhile, still inside the club, Dominic was waiting to see just what the other wolves were up to.
Julius stayed behind the bar, so he didn't make it obvious that anything had changed.
If anyone was alerted that he knew of their existence or appearance, it could cause a problem.
For now, he just kept acting like a regular bartender.
Bartending was fun for him anyway, so he didn't mind.
Actually, it helped him keep a better eye on the crowd than standing at a door or a random spot.
For once, it was paying off more than usual as the four men walked over.
"Mason, what brings you all the way to this part of the world" he could hear Dominic ask what appeared to be the largest of the four men.
It was hard for Julius to resist the urge to lift his head to be nosy.
For now, he would just have to listen while he messed with bar tab books in front of him.
Mason's voice came across deep and condescending.
"You know I can't talk about those things, especially not here".
The man was nodding his head toward Julius, but he still had his head down and didn't see it.
Realizing the bartender seemed preoccupied, the newcomer continued.
"How about you? Make any progress on the things we can't talk about".
Julius was now even more curious as he moved the books to the side and started washing cups right in front of the men, so he could sort of see them while he listened.
Dominic looked at Mason in disdain.
"Obviously, if you can't talk about it, what makes you think I will. How do I know you aren't spying for...Never mind. Since you won't talk about your work, or what brings you here. I assume they are one in the same. That doesn't leave us much to talk about, does it" Dominic said.
As he finished, he tipped his glass to Julius, just in his visual range, as if asking for another round.
Mason started shaking his head and clicked his tongue a few times before he responded.
"Always so straight to the point with you, Silver Mo..." and he was stopped with a glare from Dominic.
"Haired foxes. You know it's coming soon. Don't try to deny it. Anyway, I hear you are staying nearby. Maybe we will be, what's the word, roommates".
It was clear to Julius that this Mason guy was baiting Dominic, but he was still trying to seem like he wasn't paying attention to their conversation.
Dominic looked angry, so it appeared to be working.
"NO, that won't be happening, I already have my roommates beside me. If anything, we may be on the same floor or at the same hotel, but not roommates. I'm sorry if you got your hopes up. You won't be getting any secrets out of me this time" he chuckled.
It was a knowing sound, and Julius was able to pick up on it easily.
Mason looked offended as he responded.
"I don't know what you are talking about. I've never been able to get any secret out of you, Dom. The only thing you ever let slip was who your A..." he had a look that was cutting through him again.
He stopped talking.
Dominic was glad to step in.
"That's my point. I will never tell you anything, so don't bother trying. You will fail if that is what you're trying to do, you, on the other hand, ooze secrets without realizing it".
"What does that mean" Mason asked angrily.
Phoenix and Raphael snickered from behind Dominic.
Dominic didn't feel like playing the cat-and-mouse game.
"I know you are here for a girl. You don't know where she is or who she is. If you butter me up and play friendly, you think I might slip up, maybe say something, but you know more than I do. I assure you. What you don't know is that I'm on vacation with my two highest-ranking commanders, treating them for their hard work and dedication so they remain loyal".
Mason shook his head in disappointment.
"Again, my previous statement stands, always blunt and straight to the point. That doesn't mean, even with what you said, that we can't be friends" Mason pushed.
Dominic's eyebrows furrowed.
"It does actually, and you understand the reasons why" Dominic stated sternly.
"I do" he responded as he gestured to his men to leave with him.
Once the four men exited the club, Dominic turned back to face Julius.
Julius had only pretended to ignore them, but Dominic knew better, as he kept busy cleaning up the cups and trash around his working station.
He knew the young man had listened to every word.
Thankfully, Julius had a better sense of hearing than most people, so if he tried, he could isolate what he wanted to and listen to individual conversations at will, essentially.
For once, it came in handy.
Now, he just needed to decide whether to trust or not to trust the information enough to even pass it along to the group.
"I know you could hear everything and listened to what was said between us" he heard as his thoughts were interrupted.
Julius had an opening.
"Was any of it the truth? Wait, how do you know that I could hear you? Most people alive wouldn't have been able to hear that conversation clearly over the music" he barked back.
Dominic gave a half smile.
"Trust that I know more than what I can say here. My gut told me that you could hear every word that was said. No, to answer your question. It was not all true. I know who the girl is. The rest was true. They are here for her, and so was I. For now, I am taking a break because I need to think, partly because of you" Dominic paused.
He wasn't sure if he should continue or not.
Julius's face told him that he needed more information.
"Men will not stop coming after her. You need to know that many more are going to come. I'm not leaving yet. That being said, you will see me again soon. Keep your eyes open" and as he finished speaking, he went to stand.
Julius wasn't finished talking yet, though.
"You've been chasing that girl for years, terrifying her, and we are supposed to believe that you just quit. I'm sorry, that's just hard for me, let alone anyone to believe. There has to be an explanation. Give me a reason, just one, that makes sense that you would stop chasing her for me" he asked.
Julius realized he said 'we', but he hoped that Dominic just assumed it meant Ayla and himself.
If he picked up on the words, Dominic didn't say anything.
"You're my son" he said as he went to walk away.
"WAIT. You can't say that and walk away. That isn't fair. After everything you said tonight, SIT. You owe me a reason that you think that" he demanded.
Right away, Phoenix and Raphael sat because they couldn't just see the visual resemblance, but they saw the mannerisms now, too.
That was their leader's son, alright.