Chapter 196 Hes Acting Weirdly (1/2)

Dominique was acting strange.

Hayden could see it as clear as day.

While he didn't talk much most of the time, he was never relegated to the background, and his opinion was always taken into account by the group, as well as his boss.

It was refreshing in ways that he never expected it to be.

Outside of their little group, he was usually overlooked, but that didn't bother him as much as it once did.

So, yes, Hayden was usually in the 'background' so to speak, but that was only because he liked being there. More than talking, he preferred to listen and watch.

But whenever he spoke up, he was heard and listened to.

Which was why it was so strange. The little connections that he had with his team remained, except for Dominique's strange reactions. It was like their connection, unspoken though it may be, had disappeared overnight.

The first thing that tipped him off was that Dominique's scent had changed.

Before that, Dominique and Lukas had taken to disappearing together as they worked out whatever pent up aggression they had against each other.

It was subtle at first, and anyone who knew Dominique less might have just brushed it off, but Hayden immediately informed boss of the change within their party's grumpy member.

Everything from his scent to his actions.

But boss didn't do anything. He just stared at Dominique for a while before looking away. Boss gave him the slightest of nods, and something in his expression told him to keep his thoughts to himself.

Of course. The person that Dominique was closest to was boss, who would definitely have noticed that something was off.

Hayden wouldn't pretend that he understood what was going on in his boss' mind half of the time, but he did know one thing. Their boss cared. Perhaps even too much at times.

Despite seeming like a gentle and genial personality, he knew that the boss was anything but. Yet, for some strange reason, it seemed almost as if only the Spectres knew about the other side of his boss.

In fact, he was certain that part of the Spectres didn't know at all, only seeing the pleasant and gentle exterior, despite their harsh training.

So, if boss said that they should leave Dominique to his own devices for a little despite everything in him screaming that he shouldn't, Hayden was willing to wait… for a while.

He could feel that there was a bigger plan in motion regarding Dominique, but he didn't know what.

Anyway, Dominique was acting strangely. His scent was off, almost like he'd been possessed.

Hayden's eyes flashed a little. If that was true, then everything made a lot more sense.

Both little and big things that everyone who knew Dominique noticed.

Little things, like Dominique's abject lack of bloodlust lately, leaving Lukas feeling a little off balance when he hadn't received or returned a glare from the man for a good few days.

Then, there were the big things. The huge things that everyone couldn't help but take notice.

Dominique, who always looked at their boss with slightly fanatical eyes, had actually stopped doing it.

Not only that, he'd actually stopped following boss around like a loyal golden retriever!

It was unconceivable, and frankly, about as subtle as a slap in the face.

The alien had probably taken over or influenced Dominique's decisions lately.

Even the group that had barely seen Dominique knew that something was wrong, from the way they shot him strange looks, to the way they gave him a wide berth.

Hayden was waiting for it all to come to a head. Any day now.

He was not as prone to bloodlust or violence as the rest of his team, but that didn't mean he didn't feel it at all.

His blood was boiling for battle. How dare the alien take their teammate away?

Hayden bared his teeth, causing Rosabel and Yuki to back away slightly, alarmed at the change in their party member's expression and mood.

-