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

Chapter 24

"It did?" My voice was back to normal.

Rhys nodded.

"With that werewolf on the loose, it is dangerous for a Bullet to be out on their own during the night. That is why I usually followed you myself; I didn't want anyone else to take the risk. But as I said, I couldn't always be there so some friends volunteered to help out."

My lips parted and I stared at him with wide eyes as the gravity of his words hit me.

Rhys had risked his life for me. Not only that, but people I probably didn't even know had risked their lives for me.

Tears rolled down my cheeks again, but this time not from fear. I felt special, I felt loved and I couldn't help the sniffs as I reached out to touch his hand. The gesture surprised him and he wasn't sure how to respond, other than to stare at me. Finally, he intertwined his fingers with mine and smiled for the first time today.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Does this mean," he gulped, "that you will stay with me?"

I didn't trust my voice so I nodded. His body slumped in relief and he let out a loud sigh.

"I thought I'd lost you." His eyes moistened again. "I thought I'd only look at you from afar until this matter with the rogue is resolved and that then I'd have to stay away from you for good."

"I'll need some time to get used to all this," I noted. "I have so many questions."

"Ask! Ask me anything," he urged, squeezing my hand. "As long as it is not an Alpha-Beta-only issue, I'll reply."

"Alpha and Beta... How about we start with that?"

"Well," he moved forward, but paused halfway. "Is it okay if I come closer?"

"Yes."

He sat right in front of me, his legs crossed Turkish style.

"You already know about this; we've just used other terms around you. Keri is our Alpha - our leader, and I'm her Beta - her second in command. When an Alpha dies or steps down, a new one is chosen by participating in the Evaluations. These are tests of strength, agility, speed, perceptivity... The ones that present themselves the best are then evaluated by the Council for virtues that don't show up in the tests - things like devotion to the pack, kindness and so on. That is how they picked Keri - her willingness to put the wellbeing of the pack before her own is her greatest strength..."

"... Along with compassion. That is why the Council chose her over her cousin Jasper who did better at the physical tests."

Rhys' forehead wrinkled.

"Kennedy already told me about this." I waited for the outcome of my words. Would Rhys be angry with his younger brother for telling me this?

His expression didn't change and I relaxed; Kennedy was not going to get in trouble.

"Then what else do you want to know?" Rhys asked.

"Why the Silver Bullets?" I inquired after what I'd been wondering about for a long time. "Aren't they deadly to werewolves?"

"Silver being deadly to werewolves is just a legend," he waved as if to swat a fly. "We shift, we are stronger than humans and we heal faster, but the truth is that you can kill us with any kind of bullet if it is aimed properly. A long time ago, when there were conflicts between humans and shifters, a new order arose - the one of the Hunters... Actually, you've met a Hunter - the man in white who came to the Milk & Cream..."

I shivered at the memory of that guy and his twisted, false smile.

"They spread the word that all shifters were dangerous and they could only be killed by specially trained people with specially designed weapons. It was a lie, of course, but that way people would pay the Hunters to kill shifters instead of going after them themselves. That's where the legend of the silver bullet came from. My ancestors chose the name as a protest against those superstitions. It also served to prove to the Hunters that we weren't scared of them."

"So any hunter can come and take your life at any time?" My fingers wrapped tighter around his.

"No. We have rules and laws now. And the Sentinels; they are the enforcers of those rules."

"The Sentinels?" Was that yet another order? "Tell me more about them."

"Are you sure you want to know now? You learned a lot tonight, Riley. Maybe we should take a break?" He suggested. "I could take you back to your apartment or we can go to my parents' house..."

"I want to know more," I cut him off. "Come on, Rhys, tell me!"

"Alright. The Sentinels."

*****

A/N: Not really sure where I'm taking YATA from here; I've only planned the chapters until now and the last chapter. What else do you want to read about?

More of the werewolves and their world?

More couple-y things?

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