STRANGE MEN

Aylin paced the tiny living room with her arms wrapped around herself, trying to forget the feel of his mouth and the heat that had raced through her. 

She had never felt anything like it in her life. 

Her parents had spent their whole lives warning her to stay away from other shifters because of how dangerous they were, and for a few seconds in his arms she had forgotten every word.

A soft noise pulled her away from her spiraling thoughts. She turned to see Zuri standing in front of the bedroom door with Tabby crushed against her chest. 

She rushed to her and pulled her into a tight hug. More for her comfort than Zuri's.

"It's going to be okay, Zuzu," Aylin whispered, pressing a kiss into her hair.

"Lin," Zuri mumbled against her chest. “Something's buzzing.”

Aylin released her and went to pick up Kyros’s phone from where she had kept it on the table. 

The screen was lit up with a single name: Raff.

"Hello?" Aylin answered, her heart pounding.

"Who is this?" a man's voice demanded sharply. "Why do you have Kyros’ phone?"

Aylin flinched. "My name is Aylin, and Kyros is with me," she said quickly, glancing at the couch where he lay unconscious. "He got shot helping us. He's currently unconscious but healing."

"Got shot? What the hell,” Raff said, astonished. “Are you safe?”

“I think so,” she replied.

“Where are you guys?" 

Aylin gave him her address, forcing her voice to stay steady even though panic was bubbling up in her chest.

"That's about twenty minutes from me. Lock your door and stay put. I'm on my way," Raff ordered, and the line went dead.

Zuri wandered up to the couch Kyros was lying on. 

"He's so big," she whispered in awe, her eyes fixed on him. "He's going to break our couch."

Aylin smiled despite herself. Now and then, his face tightened, and he muttered in his sleep, as if he was still fighting even in his dreams.

She tensed when Zuri climbed onto the coffee table and gently brushed her fingers over his frowning brow. 

"Zuri, let him rest," Aylin said gently, thinking about the way his wolf had taken over earlier. “Don’t startle him.”

"He’s so nice, Lin," Zuri said, pouting at her. "He saved us. I like him."

Aylin stared at her in surprise. Ever since the accident, Zuri had barely let a stranger look at her, let alone touch one, and now she was patting this man's head like he was one of her dolls.

"How about we clean up a little and make some noodles while we wait?" Aylin suggested, holding out her hand.

After they’d cleaned themselves and the floor as best they could, Aylin quickly took a small pill bottle out of her nightstand and swallowed her dose with a glass of water. 

She had taken this medicine every twelve hours for as long as she could remember, and tonight she was twenty minutes late for the first time in years.

Her parents had always said it was to keep her safe, and she had never once questioned them. The same way she had never questioned why, even though they were shifters, her parents had kept them away from their kind. Even going as far as moving if a shifter moved into their area.

They ate in silence.

A loud knock made both of them jump.

Aylin peered through the peephole to see a tall, broad-shouldered man with short black hair and warm brown eyes standing outside, glancing up and down the street.

"It's Raff," the man called through the door, keeping his voice low.

Aylin opened the door a crack. "Raff?" 

He nodded. “Kyros Beta.”

She opened the door wider, and he slipped inside. His eyes swept the whole apartment in a second before they landed on the couch. 

"He was shot in the chest because of me," she said softly. “Sorry.”

Raff's jaw tightened. He quickly went to him and checked underneath the bandage.

When he was done, he straightened and touched the small earpiece in his ear and went very still, listening. 

"Copy that," he muttered after a while, his expression darkening. He turned to her. "We need to leave right now."

"Wait, what?" Aylin blurted out, staring at him. "Leave? I can't just leave. This is my home, and I don't even know you!"

"I know it's a lot to take in, but we don't have time to argue," Raff said firmly. "My people just reported that there are suspicious-looking shifters creeping around the area. I don't know what's going on yet, but whoever they are, I sincerely doubt that they are here to bring you flowers." 

His gaze dropped to Zuri, who was clinging to Aylin's leg, and his voice gentled. "Think of your child. Let's get you both somewhere safe first, and then we can figure out what's happening."

Aylin opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again as the image of Zuri in that cage and Kyros coughing up blood flashed through her mind. 

“But…” she said finally. “I don’t think he’s up for movement. He lost a lot—”

"I'm fine," a rough voice cut in.

Aylin spun around. Kyros was sitting up, one hand pressed to his bandaged chest and his face tight with pain.

"You shouldn't be moving!" Aylin protested, taking a step toward him.

"I've rested enough," Kyros said, pushing himself to his feet with a wince. 

His blue eyes met hers, steady and serious. "Raff's right. We need to go, Aylin."

Aylin looked down at Zuri's frightened face, and her stomach churned. She nodded, stuffed a few clothes and a bag filled with 20 more pill bottles into a bag, and followed them out.

Raff helped Kyros into the passenger seat of a heavily tinted SUV parked at the curb, and Aylin and Zuri climbed in the back. 

As they drove, Aylin's eyes darted to every pair of headlights behind them, and Zuri clung to her with Tabby squashed between them.

"Relax, they won't be looking for this car," Raff said calmly, catching her eye in the rearview mirror. "And even if they are, this thing is bulletproof."

What kind of people drive around in bulletproof cars? She wondered, but she kept the question to herself.

She caught Kyros watching her in the mirror with a strange, searching look on his face. But the second their eyes met, he quickly looked away.

She wondered if he remembered what he had done. Instead of asking, she watched the city lights blur past.

They pulled up in front of an expensive hotel, and Raff led them straight up to the penthouse, brushing past the staff that tried to help. 

"You two take that bedroom,” Raff said, pointing to a door off the main room. “Get some rest, and we'll talk in the morning.”

Aylin tucked Zuri into the enormous bed with Tabby under her arm.

"Will the bad men find us here?" Zuri asked softly, her eyes already drooping.

"No, baby," Aylin whispered, kissing her forehead. "The strong men outside won't let anyone hurt us."

Once Zuri was asleep, Aylin curled up on the sofa by the window and drifted off with a hundred questions still spinning in her head.

—----

In the main room, Raff crossed his arms, watching Kyros lower himself carefully into a chair.

"So how exactly did going out for a drink turn into this?" he asked, smirking.

"I'll tell you everything later," Kyros said, waving him off. "Right now, I need to know our next move."

Raff's phone buzzed. His smirk vanished as he answered and put it on speaker. "Talk to me, Aaron.”

"We found the warehouse where the boss's phone was last tracked, sir," Aaron reported, tight and shaken. "It wasn't empty when our scouts got there. There was a group of shifters inside. They caught the scent of another alpha."

The room went cold.

"Another alpha?" Kyros repeated, his voice sharp and low.

"Yes, sir," Aaron answered. "Before we could get more info, the scouts were attacked out of nowhere. Those guys were ruthless."

Raff straightened. "Is everybody okay?"

There was a pause on the other end. "Unfortunately, we lost one," Aaron said heavily. "The other managed to run back just in time, but he's going to need a while to heal."

"Fuck," Raff swore, dragging a hand down his face. "Who the hell are these people?"

"I don't know, sir," Aaron admitted.

Kyros said nothing for a long moment. He stared at the closed bedroom door, his fingers drumming slowly against the arm of the chair.

"Fall back," he ordered finally, leaning toward the phone. "See if you can find anything about the packs in this city. Report back the moment you know anything. We leave by 10 am tomorrow."

Raff ended the call and turned to Kyros. “Tomorrow? How about them?”

"They’ll have to come with us," Kyros replied, his jaw set. "It's the only way to keep them safe until we figure out what's going on."