You are the Answer {boyxboy} ✓ (Dogs, Bats & Monkeys series, Book I | Riley)

Chapter 24

"I was hoping that you'd want to move here with me. That this would be our home." He waved, as if presenting the room to me. "We have the ability to recognize a mate, you see. When we see him or her, we just... It's hard to explain the feeling, but we just know we are meant to be with that person. I recognized you as my mate, Riley, that very night I saw you on the parking lot in front of our pub. I planned to court you longer and give you a chance to get used to us, but the killings pressed me on time."

"The killings? What does that have to do with us?"

"It's another wolf, Riley; that is why we are helping the police."

I sucked a breath through my teeth and my heart - which had almost gone back to its regular rhythm - jumped into my throat. Rhys raised his arms before him.

"We don't do that," he blurted. "Shifters don't kill people. I mean..."

He took a deep breath and ran a hand over his hair. It stuck up like bristled fur.

"We are sentient creatures, Riley, and just like humans we can be good or bad. This person - we think they are a rogue, a runaway from their pack - they are obviously bad news. But we don't do that, Riley." His eyes were large with need for me to believe him. "No one from the Bullets would do such a thing and that is why we offered to help Callum. When the first murder took place, we didn't know they were targeting us; we just wanted to help."

"And now you think they are here because of you?" I asked slowly.

"Too many victims have piled in our town. You see, packs respect each other's territory. When we came to Woodbury, we claimed it as ours. A sole murder by a lone wolf is hardly a proclamation of war, especially when the victim isn't one of us; it could be a one-time thing. But they kept coming back. Last time they even left us a message on the wall at the victim's house."

"What kind of message?" I whispered. The dizziness was back.

"'Are we having fun yet?'" He replied with a clenched jaw and his hands turned into fists.

"How do you know it is a message to you?"

"The way those people died - as if attacked by an animal - was a message in itself, a reference to us. This must be too."

"But you don't know that for sure. It could be to the police," I blurted out. "They are the ones handling the case..."

"Riley," he took a few steps towards me and this time I didn't stop him. Rhys crouched not far from where I was sitting. "It is to us. I don't want it to be, but it is. We don't know why they are doing this to us, we don't know who it is that is doing this to us... Maybe they are trying to expose us - it would explain their M.O. - or maybe they are trying to get to us, but they can't because we have patrols aroundthe neighbourhood and they are taking their frustration out on the humans in Woodbury. The bottom line is that it has to do with the Bullets. That was why I had to hurry and tell you. It is getting harder to send people after you when we have to protect the pack..."

"You've send people after me?"

"To protect you." He explained without guilt or regret. "I asked them to follow you on your way back from work or when you are hanging out with Winnie. I sometimes do it myself, but I have to take care of my people so I couldn't always do it."

"You sent people after me," I repeated.

"Yes, I think we've already cleared that point." His eyebrows furrowed. "I think you noticed dad once. You were at a diner with Winnie, Tim, another couple and their child."

"That was your father?" My voice rose. "I thought there was a knife-wielding psychopath on my trail!"

"I'm sorry about that, Riley; the last thing we want is to scare you. I needed to know you were safe and dad volunteered to keep an eye on you even though that put him at risk."