Chapter 16

Ady's POV

     Brian had decided that since we're all going to Italy, it was time for him to move. We helped him pack the pictures in boxes and took pillows and blankets and dusted them off. Apparently, we would need them because it wouldn't be easy to find the wolves in Italy.

     "You can't just go there and they'll be in the woods like 'Howdy, ya'll!'" he said.

     I swear, that man is strange!

     He had already bought a house and there were rooms for all of us, and he told us he knew exactly where the Viscosoes met up. Dominic scoffed and said, "Yeah. Me too." 

     I felt pretty bad when he told everyone the story of how Marissa went missing. I found it so cute that he would do anything to go find her. Except for the almost killing Amaris part; that was tough. 

     "How come we never heard of the wolves who turn other wolves?" Cqari asked.

     "Maybe that was something that only happened in Europe?"

     "Hell, I never knew werewolves existed," Dominic muttered. 

     "If your girlfriend is a werewolf, would you hate her?" Aaron looked at him.

     Dominic looked at him, and his eyes became soft as he thought about her. "Of course not," he said softly. "I could never hate her."

     Aaron grinned and slapped his back. "My man. That's some real love right there." Dominic seemed to grin back, happy that he got praised.

     I rolled my eyes but grinned anyways because I have to admit that that was cute. 

~~~

     We eventually reached the house that Brian bought, and we all helped rearrange his things. It was the least we could do. I'm glad we got out of the town we were in as well. It was time to move around and not mope in the city. It almost seemed like a normal life when we were all unpacking his things and setting them where he wanted. 

     Dominic was the only person who was anxious and couldn't sit still. He kept pacing back and forth in front of the window. It was making me dizzy just watching him.

     Aaron went to talk to him before I did. "What's up, man?"

     "I'm just...I'm ready to go find them." He crossed his arms. 

     Aaron nodded. "When did all of this happen?"

     Dominic ran his hand through his hair. "A year ago."

     Everybody stopped what they were doing and looked at him. He noticed and frowned. "What?"

     "This happened a year ago? And you've been looking for her ever since?"

     He closed his eyes briefly as if he was reminiscing. When he opened them back up, he sighed. "Of course. She's the love of my life. I'm not giving up."

     "Hey," I smiled softly as I looked at Dominic. "What's she like?" I figured he would like to talk about her. I was right when a grin stretched out across his face.

     "She's amazing. She's pretty short, but I like it. Her hair is brown and long, and I've always liked it long. I used to hate it when she got it cut, so she let it grow out for me. Her eyes are blue, but she said she's always hated them. Hell, I think they're gorgeous.  If anything, I hated the color of my eyes, but she said she's always liked grey eyes." He chuckled. 

     "She was shy when I first met her, but I got her to open up. She's so funny and so caring. She's an adventurer, too. She's always wanted to travel, but nobody gave her the motivation to just do it. I did, and I traveled with her. You guys ever seen that movie Enchanted? She's like Giselle. Happy all the time and always positive. God, she's amazing..." he trailed off. 

     "Man," Brad crossed his arms. "Almost sounds like you two are mated."

     "I swear, I was just thinking that," Loren chuckled.

     Dominic chuckled a little and picked up a box. Kenney cleared his throat. "What if she's..." he paused. "You know, gone?" 

     Dominic looked up quickly. "Don't say that. I know she's alive and here. I can feel it." He started to take pictures out and set them up on the shelves.

     "You sure you're not a wolf or something? You're acting like it." Aaron laughed.

     Dominic furrowed his eyebrows, the picture of Carnell and Adeline in his hand. "I would know, wouldn't I?"

     "Hey! I didn't know," I replied.

     Everyone looked at me and began laughing.

~~~~~

Third-Person POV

     It was 2 in the damn morning when Dominic went around waking everyone up, except for Brian. 

     Of course everyone bitched and moaned, but Dominic was dead serious. He was going to find Marissa. He would have went alone if Aaron had not woken up and seen him getting his weapons.

     "You're not going alone, are you?" Aaron had asked.

     Dominic put his blade in his boot. "Well...if you guys weren't here, I would have."

     Aaron got up and started looking for his clothes. "Well, we're here. So wake everyone up and let's go." 

     Dominic had smiled thankfully and began to wake everyone up. 

     When everyone was up and ready, Dominic looked at the girls. "I hate to say this, but you'll have to stay back." As soon as they began to argue, Dominic held up his hand. "It's for your safety. And frankly, I don't want to be the one to blame if something happens." He chuckled.

     "He's right," Loren looked at Ady just as she started to pout. "We're not saying you can't take care of yourselves, but we don't want it to come down to that."

     Cqari was pouting as well. "But... we've come all this way with you."

     Amaris wrapped his arm around her. "This is just until we've sized them up. If we feel like you'll be safe with us, then we'll bring you next time." He looked at Dominic. "If there is a next time."

     And what do you know? Mel was pouting, too. "Well, come back to us in one piece, okay?"

     Everyone gave their mates kisses while Brad, Aaron, and Dominic waited by the door. "Man, I want that so bad," Brad sighed.

     Aaron nudged him. "Maybe you'll find an Italian." He grinned. Brad laughed while Dominic chuckled. 

     "Alright, let's go."

~~

      As they stealth ran to the woods where Dominic remembered, the others were surprised. Dominic was fast. He had true fighting moves, they could tell. Brian must have really trained him.  

     "Alright guys. It's going to be dark as shit. It'll be misty for no fucking reason, which is why they probably picked the woods. And you won't see them coming." Dominic took out one of his blades. "And, um, thanks for coming with me."

     "Hey, we're not dying. Sounds like you're saying goodbye. None of that, alright?" Loren reassured him. "Besides, we'll all get our asses kicked by our females if we came back all broken."

     "True that," Amaris chuckled.

     It was dark and mist was everywhere. Dominic wasn't lying when he warned them that they wouldn't be able to see shit.

     Suddenly there was a twig snap and everyone became alert. They stood still, searching for any movement beyond the trees and the mist. Before they knew it, a figure attacked out of nowhere.

     The one that went for Brad tackled him in the dirt and they rolled on the ground, struggling, fighting. Everyone ran over to help him until someone tackled Aaron as well.

     Aaron growled and snapped at the predator's neck viciously. They, too, rolled in the dirt. Aaron took his knife out and tried to slice the figure-

     And what do ya know? He felt a slice on his face!

     That motherfucker also had a knife and had the nerve to hit him in his most precious spot: his face!

     "Alright, that did it," Aaron growled and flipped them over and straddled the fucker. "You scarred my face."

     Aaron got his knife out and raised it high. He wasn't going to kill him, he was just going to stab him where he would most likely pass out from the pain.

     The mist was starting to clear up and that gave Aaron a clear view of where he was going to hit. He was going to strike in the shoulder blade. Guys' shoulder blades were packed with muscle, but sticking a knife through there should definitely hurt enough to make them pass out.

     The guy struggled beneath him and Aaron forced all his weight down on him. Aaron saw the shoulder blade and smirked. Well, there was hardly any muscle, but that would make him pass out more. Good.

     The mist cleared up and Aaron was able to see the guys face. The first thing he saw was long blond hair.....and not the manly kind.

     Aaron's grip on the knife faltered, and his eyes traveled along that long blond hair to a heart-shaped face with full pink lips. He saw long eyelashes and behind those eyelashes were hazel brown eyes that glared at him like daggers.

     Aaron was looking at a girl.

     It wasn't Marissa.

     Something in Aaron's body became alive. His blood pumped through his veins, and his heart was jumping like he was running a 5K. His wolf wanted out.

     What the hell was happening right now?

     The girl beneath him stopped struggling and looked at him in shock, almost as if she was feeling the same thing.

     Holy shit. Was he having a connection right now? Is this his mate?

     This wasn't good. At all. And the look on her face said the same thing. How the hell was he supposed to hurt her?

     God, those eyes-

     Hell no! Snap out of it! He shook his head and aimed again. But it was too late.

     She slipped out from underneath him and pinned him down under her. She did it too fast for the human eye. Well, shit. Wasn't that a turn on.

     Except she kicked Aaron's knife from his hand and raised her own knife.

     Okay so maybe she didn't feel the sparks, and he was going to die.

     But she hesitated. Aaron was pretty sure she would have done it quickly and gotten it over with. That made him smirk a little.

     She suddenly look up like she was being called. She looked back at Aaron and growled before getting off of him and running.

     What the hell just happened?