A/N: A shout-out goes to @Sylverstyle, @IAmCandiBaby and @TTgotswaqq who - with their idea that the white wolf could've been an ordinary wolf - inspired a part of this chapter.
PS: The facebook group I'm creating for you, my AWESOME readers, and where I'll be posting sneak peeks, what inspired me and ways you can win some prizes will be up next week. Who wants to join in?
*****
About two months ago, I'd tried to get into the Silver Bullets Pub; now I couldn't wait to get out of it.
The premises was filled to the brim with shifters; even without the patrols who had yet to come back from their search, there must've been about a hundred werewolves. All stools and chairs were occupied by adults with one or even two children seated on their lap; there were plenty of people standing between the tables - a few toddlers were perched on top on the wooden surfaces - or on the stairs and the second floor landing. The rooms that were the owner's residential area were opened so they could accommodate the rest of the pack.
Noise was everywhere around me, people whispering animatedly and breathing heavily in the stuffed dwelling; the open windows did nothing to disperse the heat coming out of our bodies.
"It won't be long before we branch out," Ivan - the boy Rhys had praised during the morning workout and also the pub owner's son - squeezed in between other members to lean on the railing next to me, his eyes set on the people on the first floor. Like all the other teens and children, he would not be going to school today. Rhys had insisted that I'd call the Milk & Cream and ask for someone to take my shift; with all that had happened, I couldn't say no to him and took the day off.
"What do you mean by 'branch out'?" I asked, happy to change the topic. I'd spent the last hour - although it seemed longer - retelling what I'd seen, first to Keri, then to other adult members of the pack; Kennedy had not missed the opportunity to question me either.
"There are too many of us now and the more we are, the more attention we gain from outsiders," he stretched and put his elbows on the railing. "It won't be long before a group of us - perhaps even from my generation - would leave in search of new territories. They'll form their own pack and come up with their own rules. Some adults will go with them, of course; there's no way we'd leave our young to fend for themselves around other packs and humans. No offense," he added, "but humans aren't exactly jumping for joy to have us around."
"None taken." I nodded just as the front door opened.
The crowd downstairs split up, forming a narrow path for the newcomers to walk on. The six were in their human form and I recognized them as some of the patrols Keri and Rhys had sent out; amongst them was Everett. He climbed the stairs along with two other shifters, but they didn't need to reach us for us to know that their mission to find the white wolf had failed; it was written on their cheerless faces.
"Not even a clue?" Keri asked when they joined us.
"Nothing." Everett shook his head. "We tracked them until the river and then we lost the trail. They must've shifted into human form when they got out of the water."
"Then track their human form," Ivan butted in.
"Son." His father put his left hand over the boy's shoulder and placed his right index finger in front of his lips. "Let the adults talk."
"I'm nineteen; I'm not a child anymore..."
Keri raised her hand and the boy fell silent.
"Why couldn't you track them in their human form?" The Alpha asked what I'd been wondering as well.
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You are the Answer {boyxboy} ✓ (Dogs, Bats & Monkeys series, Book I | Riley)
General Fiction• Winner of a #wattpad4 contest • Riley's life had not been easy since he came out. His parents kicked him out of the house, his brother turned his back on him and a sadistic potential boyfriend held his arm over the lit fire, laughing as Riley scre...
