"Oh, shit, Raph, I never expected him to drop that bomb like that" Phoenix whispered to his buddy.
They were sitting next to him as Phoenix's hand slapped Raphael's shoulder.
Raphael nearly fell off he barstool as his friend's hand made contact, as he wasn't expecting it.
Raphael was so busy trying to pick his jaw up off the floor that he didn't realize that Phoenix said anything to him at first.
"Me either! I only half believed that he found him. If I knew that he was one hundred percent certain, I would have maybe...I don't know, is there anything we could have done" he whispered.
Raphael's shoulders were rising and falling as he tried to find the right words.
All they could do in that moment was keep their eyes and ears on Dominic and Julius, waiting to see what happened.
The two men were too stunned to do anything else.
That was not how they thought the night was going to turn out at all.
Though it wasn't totally better than the night of sex they had planned, it was getting up there.
Surely, they would go out for a bit and dance a little, while Dominic had a few drinks, or that's what they thought would happen.
Hopefully, they would find those women again and head back to their rooms.
Never did they imagine that their General would lose his mind like that.
Phoenix and Raphael were looking back and forth from Julius to Dominic, waiting for what was coming next.
Anticipation was building because they were sure what to expect now.
Once Dominic's mind was dulled from all the thoughts rolling around, maybe the two could still grab some girls and have a repeat of sorts from the night before.
Nope.
That was not what fate appeared to have in store for them.
One blaring question was still burning in both of their minds.
How was this sudden paternal reveal going to work if Julius wasn't aware that he was a werewolf?
Julius hadn't gone through his awakening yet.
Most werewolves feel it when they sense their wolf's presence around sixteen.
They were positive that Julius hadn't been through his awakening yet.
Somehow, Dominic was going to have to make him accept that he was both his son and a werewolf.
There was more to it, though.
Phoenix had most definitely caught the 'we' Julius dropped.
He wondered how many of them were protecting Ayla.
Dominic knew that the road before him was convoluted with muddy water, and he needed to wade through them carefully.
The thought of anyone other than Julius was blurred from the forefront of his thoughts.
That included the mysterious Ayla, who had just managed to scurry her way into the safety of the apartment with Alexander.
Thinking back to the lovely Ayla, she appeared to be safe and sound for the night.
Appearances could sometimes be deceiving, though, as Ayla had learned.
Ayla and Alexander were now passion deep, in uncontrolled lust, as they unleashed the desires they had held back while sneaking home.
They were lucky they made it to their bed.
Back at the club, things were still uncertain.
Phoenix was realizing that he was probably the only one who had actually realized Julius said 'we' and wondered about it.
The young Lieutenant waited for his leader to say something.
Dominic sat for a moment, collecting his thoughts before attempting to say anything.
Looking up at the man who stood on the other side of the bar, he realized something.
"Maybe this isn't the right place for this in any part" he finished.
All of them started looking around at the masses of people that surrounded them.
Raphael suggested the hotel, but Julius cut his eyes at him.
He knew that they were probably right about not talking there, but he didn't have a solution that didn't end with one of them in the other's living space, and that would make Julius uncomfortable.
There was no way he was leading them straight to Ayla.
Then it hit Julius.
"Follow me".
Julius guided the group to a private area that only he and Alexander were able to use.
Seeing the confusion on the three men's faces, he knew he had to say something.
"I own fifty percent of the club. There isn't but a handful of people who know, so I trust you can keep a secret. It was just a warehouse when my friend and I found it. We made it into what it is one event at a time. I promise, it's safe where we are going".
It was either time to trust each other or not.
Phoenix was smart.
His eyes squinted as he looked at Julius with curious eyes.
It didn't miss him that he told him, and a friend owns the club with him.
Earlier, Julius said 'we'.
Was it a Freudian slip?
For now, Phoenix would stay quiet and observe.
Since Julius put forward the first effort in the newly forming relationship, the three men went the rest of the way.
There was no need for him to guess what Ayla and Alexander were up to while he was dealing with this mess.
Was it Ayla's mess, though?
Yes, yes it was.
'They would have never been here if they hadn't followed her there' Julius thought to himself.
His thoughts went back to the apartment for a brief second.
He knew they were full force engaged in their fruitful sexscapades while he handled the mess they left behind.
At some point, they would be making this up to him in double, whether they liked it or not.
He shook his head to remove the unwanted thoughts.
Now that the four men were secured in his office, it was time to figure out what this Dominic character was talking about.
None of them knew exactly where to start.
That being said, the quietness made them all uncomfortable.
Julius didn't want to sit at a desk like he normally did.
He didn't want them to feel like it was a meeting of any kind or that he thought of himself as better in any way.
The other three men took a moment took look around at the windows that weren't visible from the outside.
As far as they knew, it was just a large factory building that held no windows, yet once they entered the office, it seemed like nothing but large windows on the walls.
Dominic wanted to know how he managed to make that happen because that was the coolest magic trick he had ever seen.
Unfortunately, that was not the time to ask.
Or was it?
Dominic figured it could be a nice ice breaker.
"How did you do that"?
Julius looked at him, unsure of what he was talking about.
Then realized what he meant as he looked behind him.
"Visual effect. Micro holes in a thin metal sheet that lies over the surface".
Dominic's lips made a tight curve down as his head nodded in approval.
It was smart and tactical.
He was impressed.
On top of that, the area was spacious.
There were two desks, one on each side.
A large, fluffy-looking couch sat straight in the back with a thick brown rug in front of it.
Other than that, a glass table sat in the middle that seemed inviting.
Honestly, he was impressed to say the least, he approved.
It wasn't too much, yet seemed just enough.
'People said werewolves were greedy' he thought as he smirked.
"So, can we talk now" a voice interrupted the old man's thoughts.
Instantly, he knew Julius wanted to know what he meant and was eager to know just why his friend was safe suddenly.
The story of him being this man's son was far-fetched at most, but he didn't care about that part.
"Of course" he nodded, "I know you have concerns and questions, but I've been thinking about the best way to approach this. Let me ask you some, too. Do you know your father, or who he is"?
He knew information about his son, so he could piece it together.
Dominic's son knew nothing about him, so it would be nearly impossible for him.
Julius hadn't thought about it in a long time.
It was a part of him that he figured he would never know.
He had essentially given up on finding anything out without realizing it.
"Actually, I don't know anything about him. I looked for years, but nothing ever came up. It was like I just appeared out of nowhere one day. As much as I tried, not one person could find any paperwork on me, why"?
The story Dominic was telling him earlier at the bar started running through his mind.
He remembered him saying that he was searching for all of these missing children that just vanished without a trace, his son included.
Suddenly, the last thing he said hit him.
'I won't go after the girl right now because of you' followed by, 'You're my son'.
Was it true?
Could any of it be true?
After all that time, was his father actually standing in front of him?
It was more than that thought.
If everything he heard was the truth, then that man had been searching for him from the moment he had been taken from him.
Then it hit him.
Why were he and all of these other supposed children taken?
Dominic could see the words rolling around in Julius's mind, trying to be accepted.
He was unsure what to do, so he let him work it out a few minutes longer.
"Why" Julius said.
His words startled the three men.
"What" Dominic answered, confused.
"Why was I taken, and the others" he asked.
Dominic didn't know how to answer him, but he tried.
"That's a long story, and there are other things you would have to understand first, about yourself".
"Okay, then tell me what I don't know about myself" he demanded.
"It isn't as easy as just telling you. I mean, it could be. I've never done this before, so I don't know how it goes. You're the first one I've found".
Julius suddenly became extremely nervous.
"What do you mean? Am I, like, a freak or something? Is that how you knew I could hear you so well" he asked, starting to panic.
Dominic shook his head, unsure of the words to say.
"You're not a freak. You are just like me and my men. We are special. That's all. We can hear better than usual, but that also means smelling better, seeing better, and sensing things around us better than most people" Dominic said.
He was confident and felt like he was making a good start.
Julius looked at the men, gaining confidence.
"I can do all those things, yeah. That's how I knew to give you the slip last night" he said, smirking, "Might I add, I was pretty good at it too".
"Honestly, what you did was pretty impressive. You and your friend managed to do what very few can. I'm not sure who taught her that, but they did a good job" he smiled in approval as he spoke.
Julius couldn't help but retort.
"Nobody taught her. It's her instincts from evading you for years. She is naturally better than you. Guess that rings true for me, too" he boasted in a cocky tone.
Phoenix and Raphael could hear the defiance in his tone, and it made them smile.
"Oh, he is definitely your son, sir" Phoenix giggled, unable to stop himself.
Dominic shot the same cocky smile to Phoenix and Raphael standing next to him, "You thought I was lying".
"NO, no sir" Raphael answered quickly, "We just thought that maybe you were losing it after searching for so long. We apologize sir" he finished before pulling Phoenix to take a step back with him.
Dominic shook it off.
"No need to apologize, I would have thought the same thing. Honestly, I don't think Julius believes me yet" he said.
Finishing with Rahael and Phoenix, he turned his attention to his son.
"That's fine if you don't believe my words. Take your time. I've waited this long already. I can wait for you to accept this".
Julius was stuck on one thing.
"What did you mean by we are special" he asked.
The word didn't miss his ears.
"Like I said, I have to show you. The words wouldn't do anything but make you think we are crazy" he stated.
Julius nodded his head.
He knew that the man before him wasn't going to tell him anything else.
Suddenly, Dominic's eyes began to glow bright amber, and he lunged toward Julius, bursting into his wolf form, leaving his clothes on the floor behind him.
Unsure of what to do, Julius froze in place.
There was once a man standing in his office, and now there was a majestic wolf with hair matching the same deep, dark brown head of hair Dominic had just had.
The wolf was standing at his feet, panting like he wanted a head scratch.
Julius looked at Phoenix and Raphael, "Can you do that too"?
They nodded their heads as their eyes began to glow, but before they lunged, "STOP, don't. What am I supposed to do with three wolves in my fucking office? I can't talk to you if you're a wolf" he said, rubbing his forehead.
His thoughts were racing.
"Bigger question, do you expect me to be able to do that"?
Phoenix and Raphael looked at each other, concerned because they didn't know how to answer that question.
Neither one of them wanted to step up as the person to talk.
"Now I know why he is the leader. You two might as well become wolves if you are incapable of answering a simple question. Me, wolf, change, yes, no".
Raphael felt like he owed Dominic the most, so he decided to step up.
"No, not right away. You have to go through your awakening. That might actually be what this is. It still takes time, and it takes practice. Before now, you didn't know anything about all this. What I do know is that your wolf knew and knows. It was guiding you, I'm sure of that".
His words piqued Julius's interest.
"What do you mean? How"?
"Well, you can trust your instincts, and they are strong because of your wolf. Just like your other senses. That is all due to your wolf. Finding other wolves is..."
his words stopped as his General was now growling at him.
Raphael wasn't sure what he was allowed to say.
His attention was now aimed at his General.
"He has to know. Until she is ready, she wouldn't believe him anyway. It doesn't mean that he will say anything, right" Raphael asked as he was looking back at Julius, who was confused.
"Tell who? what? I don't understand".
Phoenix couldn't just sit on the sidelines anymore.
"If you tell someone that they are a werewolf before they are ready, it can cause major problems. For some reason, your father thought you were ready. That isn't the same for your friend Ayla. At least we don't think it is. Obviously, we have not talked to her, so we don't know enough to know if she can be told. Please don't say anything to her".
Julius's words came out slowly at first, gaining speed as he continued.
"You mean you don't know if she is a wolf. If you haven't met her, how do you know if she is one? You are all running on the assumption that she is who you think she is. I haven't seen anything that made me think she was one of you" Julius stated.
The three men before him knew he had a point.
Julius knew it was important to the thought.
"As of right now, I won't say anything to her. You won't talk to her either" Julius said in protest.
"We understand how you feel about her" Phoenix said, "There will be nothing further from our end for now, you have our word. If you want, we can help you from a distance and assist you with finding out about yourself, because you will need both".
"So, I'm a werewolf then" Julius said, not realizing Dominic was changing back into his human form.
"Yes, you are. I agree with Phoenix and back his words up".
Dominic's words startled the newly awakened wolf, who was focused too much on the new developments.
Even though Ayla was unaware of it yet, she had three more people purposely protecting her it seemed.
For now.
It appeared like she was recruiting a mini army without any effort.
With enemies coming from all over, she was going to need them.
Julius started thinking about Ayla again.
He couldn't help himself.
At first, he was pissed because she had brought these men into his life.
Now, he was wondering if she was really the reason he had found his father.
That's when the thought of random men appearing around him crawled back into his mind.
"What about those guys from earlier" Julius asked.
"What's their story"?
"They will be back. This isn't the first time they have snuck into this town trying to catch that girl off her game. She needs to be careful. If she slips once, they will be on her tail. I don't want to know where she is staying, but she needs to move as little as possible until they are gone. I will try and get a fake tip circulating again to have them chasing another ghost trail" Dominic said as he and the other two started laughing with each other.
It was clear that it wasn't the first time that he had deceived other men hunting Ayla, and it wouldn't be the last.
Julius was happy with the advice and plan.
"Sounds like fake sights and ghost trails are two of the most fun parts of your mission" he said, watching the men.
Phoenix gave a naughty grin.
"Definitely. It adds a bit of fun to be able to watch trained men running after fake leads. Now, how about we go to the forest and help you work on that wolf transformation, if you're up for it" Phoenix asked excitedly.
This was an opportunity that Phoenix couldn't pass up.
Normally, within the pack, others would feel their wolf awakening and be guided by those around.
With the number of kids missing, these chances were rare, and he felt lucky to have this chance to see a first transformation.
As the four of them ventured to the woods, Ayla and Alexander were finishing up feeding their hunger that was fueled by danger and excitement.
Ayla was starting to wonder if all the excitement made her extra horny or if it was the idea of Alexander protecting her.
While the two of them lay in his bed, cuddling, her mind drifted back to the club.
The words that trickled out of her mouth were full of concern.
"Oh no, Julius isn't home yet. Do you think something happened to him after we left"?
Alexander scrunched his eyebrows.
"I'm sure he is fine. He knows how to protect himself. Plus, I didn't get any alerts from the club. That tells me that nothing happened, at least on the inside".