Chapter 16

A/N: I'm surprised to see so few of you checked the summary to Sentiments & Reason, especially since Rhys and Riley are going to be in it, albeit as supporting characters.

On the bright side, YATA is #147 in Werewolf today thanks to YOUR support! Yep, YOU made this possible <3

*****

Alec's face, illuminated by the lights mounted on the wall on both sides of the door, didn't flinch at the not so warm welcome as he walked in the room. His eyes took us in one by one. They met mine and I dropped the knife, the metal producing a thud as it collided with the wooden floor.

"Be careful when you pick it up, Riley." His voice made the hairs on my back rise without him even trying to sound intimidating. "We don't want any blood, do we?"

"You could've called." My gaze shifted to Rhys as he leaned down and picked my utensil for me. "Keri was..."

"Ah, yes. The beautiful and talented Keri." I heard the clank of Rhys' teeth as his jaw clenched tightly and I covered his balled hand with mine under the table; his fist loosened at my touch.

Alec walked further into the room, still unfazed. Perhaps he was even enjoying this. He was stepping slowly, taking his time, his pale eyes staring at Rhys in a challenge.

"Beautiful, talented and smart," the blond went on, stopping at the end of the table. "Such a shame she still doesn't have a..."

Rhys sprung from his seat and I lost my grip on him. He was caught by the wrist by his father who - once he had his son's attention - nodded to his second eldest child to sit back in his chair.

"... Boyfriend," Alec concluded, his lips turned up in satisfaction at the reaction he got. "What's the matter Uncle Rhys?" The inflection in his tone became especially sneering at the address. "Did I say something inappropriate?" He strode to a small table where extra cutlery and china was kept and took one of the daffodil plates.

I could not fathom how this boy could find it amusing to get a rise out of a man whose sturdy built was intimidating even when his breath did not come out in angry pants like it was now.

"Rhys," I held the hand that wasn't in Tom's grip. Please, I begged silently, my gaze leaving his only for a moment to glance at the chair. He conceded and took his seat.

"Why are you back, Alec?" Rhys avoided looking at the boy when he spoke. His voice was low and trembling like the hand I'd covered with mine. "If you are here to cause more trouble..."

"Trouble?" The nephew interrupted once again, placing the plate on the table and pulling a chair. "I heard you were all here and came to have a nice family dinner." He placed his jeans-clad butt on the wooden seating.

It seemed that whenever I was around this boy, I would get some type of claustrophobia. No matter where he was, I felt as if the space between us was too scarce; even with Kennedy and Carter serving as a fence, Alec was too close. His presence was unwanted.

By all accounts, not only by me; there was not a single person on this table who appeared pleased to see him. Carter looked just as scared as I was - was that why Alec had chosen to sit next to him even though there was another empty spot? - and he had slid the chair closer to Kennedy who looked almost as angry as Rhys; Lisa seemed worried, Jackie and Tom cautious and Everett tired and worried; each time his son was around he seemed to age with anxiety.

"Good," Kennedy noted, his bright gaze meeting his nephew's pale one while I tried to remember what we'd talked about. "'Cause if you try anything, I'm going to drive a spike through your heart."

"How old fashioned of you," Alec replied, amused as if the threat had a special meaning to him.

"Where have you been?" His father asked; he sounded hesitant, as if he wasn't sure he wanted to know the reply.

"On a trip," the son summed up, reaching in the pocket of his leather jacket to produce a packet of cigarettes.

"There is no smoking in my house," Jackie said coolly. I thought that Alec would ignore her and light one nevertheless, but he pointedly put the cigs back in their place.

"See?" He turned to my boyfriend. "I can be good."

The boy reached for the salad, using a large spoon to move some of it into his plate.

"Does your trip have anything to do with..." Everett looked at me, then changed his question: "Did you meet anyone we know?"

My head tilted towards the table to hide my saddened expression; the Flemings may have invited me to dinner, but they still didn't trust me. Was it ironic that this time I actually knew what was talked about?

Everett had meant to inquire whether his wayward son had gone after the creepy bounty hunter; there was no doubt about that.

"Are you sure you want us to talk in front of Riley?" The blond boy asked as an answer. "Mommy," he turned to Lisa, his voice snide, "would you pass me the mashed potatoes, please? I heard they were grandma's specialty."

"Alec..." Two warning growls - Rhys' harsher than Everett's - sounded at the same time.

Lisa attempted to smile to appease the rising tempers as she handed the bowl to Alec.

"Thank you, mommy."

Now I knew for sure he meant to stir things up.

We all waited silently for his next jibe while he slowly filled his plate. He smiled, almost friendly, at Lisa as he reached out to give her the bowl back. She took it, avoiding his gaze, and pulled but he didn't let go, forcing her to face him.

"You look good enough to bite," the boy murmured.

I jumped in my seat as three chairs were pushed back and fell to the floor when Rhys, Everett and Kennedy all shot up. The first to get to Alec and grab him by the throat was the youngest whose eyes were almost glowing. He was pushed back - with some effort; his grip on his target had been that tight - by Rhys only so that he could clutch Alec by the neck of his shirt.

The two eldest Fleming boys were both shaking with rage; I'd never seen Alec happier.

"You are scaring your guest," he commented with a smile.

Rhys abruptly let him go and turned to me. His hands rose in a gesture of surrender as he slowly - as if waiting for my permission - stepped towards me. His eyes no longer lighted in anger; they dimmed with worry and regret.

"Riley, are you okay, son?" Tom's voice was low and soothing and I twisted in my chair to look at him.

"I'm alright," I squeaked in reply, blinking rapidly to gain focus; I felt lightheaded, almost toppling off the chair.

"Riley!" Two strong hands grasped me gently by the shoulders; one of them let go to tilt my head towards Rhys' face. "Water!" He shouted. A glass was already passed towards me; Jackie had gotten up to pour it.

"Do you need to lie down?" She asked with the same calming inflection as her husband.

"No, I..." I gulped the liquid and my voice cleared even though it still shook when I went on: "I don't know what got over me."

"I know," Rhys whispered, his thumb caressing my jaw. "I'm so sorry to have frightened you. I..."

"You are quite easily overwhelmed, Riley." When I looked at him, Alec was back to his usual bored expression. "Are you sure he's the right choice, Rhys?"

Kennedy sprung forward, swinging his fist towards the blond's face. The other boy moved so fast, it was almost as if he teleported; one moment he was sitting in his chair and just a blink later he was standing, six feet away, his pose tranquil and loose. The fast motion only made me dizzier.

"And that is why you are the fun one in the family, Uncle Kennedy," Alec commented, straightening the color of his shirt. "Temper and speed; I like the combination."

"That is enough." Jackie's voice was conclusive. "Out." There was no doubt who the order was meant for.

Before the boy could move to comply or say anything to defy her - I had no idea which he'd go for - a loud knock sounded from the front door, impatiently followed by another.

"Enter!" Alec shouted as if the house was his and we heard the thumping of feet as someone walked inside.

"You." He didn't even attempt to hide the acidic tone as he glared at the blond demon.

"We were going to call you and Keri about Alec being back, Anthony," Rhys began. "We didn't get the chance yet."

"Never mind that little mite," the other man aimed his gaze at Rhys. "We got bigger problems than him. Keri is gathering the Council."

"What's wrong?" Rhys' hand let go of my chin as he stood up, but the one that was on my shoulder still held me. My eyes flew between him and the newcomer, the feral aura of the latter stronger than I'd seen during our few encounters. Anthony looked at me, hesitating for a moment before he replied:

"You'll hear it in the news anyway," he concluded. "There's been another murder."

*****

BONUS - Rhys' POV

Not tonight.

Of all the nights, not tonight.

I had dreamt of Riley meeting my parents for what seemed like an eternity; I'd told him that everything would go well even though I myself had been nervous beyond belief, enlisting all the things that could go wrong and taking precautions. I'd told Keri I'd be turning my phone off as I didn't want to be interrupted; I'd double checked who was on guard tonight, ordering them to make sure Riley didn't see them in their wolf forms; I'd warned everyone from the pack that my human mate would be here and  that they should mind their speech if they happened to see us; I'd commanded them not to speak about this so that Alec wouldn't find out about the dinner if he got back in town, but the boy had somehow gotten a wind of it nevertheless and came to sprout bile and doubt.

And now this.

Another murder.

Keri was summoning the Council and I had to go, but how could I leave my mate behind?

Riley had already been shaken due to the family's quarrel with Alec getting out of hand and Anthony managed to top it all up with the news of a fresh killing. Not that that was his fault; he was just the messenger.

"Riley," I kneeled besides his chair. His breathing was back to normal, but his complexion was still a sickening pale yellow.

"I know." He nodded, giving me permission before I'd even asked for it. "You have to go; I understand."

I planted my lips on his, breathing in his scent, cringing as it was tainted by all the negative emotions he was going through.

"Just be careful... Be safe," he muttered, his voice trembling like before.

"I will; we'll just talk," I promised and I meant to keep my word; the trail would be fresh, but I was certain Keri would go with Anthony to track the killer, leaving me here to keep an eye on our pack; after all, her brother excelled in hunting.

"Please, wait for me here; I don't want you to be alone tonight. I'll be back as soon as I can." I kissed his forehead and got up. "Take care of him for me."

Mom, dad and Kennedy nodded; they would've done that even if I hadn't asked them to. Carter was hectically typing on his phone, jumping up as it rang in his hands.

"Mel?" He sounded as if he was about to cry as he shot up and darted out of the room. "Are you okay? Did you hear..." He was too far for us to make out the rest.

I planted one more kiss on my mate's lips, not wanting to part with him. From the corner of my eye, I saw Everett doing the same to Lisa.

"Come on," I nodded for my older brother and Anthony to follow me out. "You as well," I added to Alec; I didn't want to leave my family to deal with him.

"Go away," Anthony ordered as soon as we stepped out of my home with hatred that could only be directed to the half.

"You are not going to invite me to your furry gathering?" The boy I was ashamed to call my nephew sneered. "Might be for the best; I never liked the smell of wet dogs." He kept walking, extending his hand, palm up, to feel the drizzle. Alec had always been in the habit of making fun of our wolf forms. It wasn't out of spite because he couldn't shift; he just enjoyed getting a rise out of people. Anthony was amongst his favorite targets and the boy smirked, seeing how the older guy was barely containing himself.

"Does your baby sister still forbid you to hit me unless I strike first?" He kept teasing, knowing Keri was her brother's weak spot.

"Enough!" I ordered and Anthony - being the diligent soldier he was - did his hardest to obey, clamping his mouth shut before he replied to the jesting. "And we are taking Alec with us; he can wait in another room with someone to watch over him."

I didn't want to leave the boy alone. My brother had it hard as it was; I didn't need him to worry that his son would go after a supernatural killer just for the fun of it.

"My sister won't approve," Anthony contradicted with all the respect he could muster in his irritated state. "We can't spare a babysitter for the little bat..."

"I'll talk to her," I insisted, climbing the steps of Keri's porch; the meeting was small enough to be held at her house instead of the pub.

"Before we go in," Anthony said and I paused with my hand over the handle. "There's something different about this murder. They left a message."

"A message to whom?" I asked, twisting to look at him with my eyebrows furrowed.

"Us."

*****

A/N: What do you think of Alec now? Are any of you going to come to his defense this time?

DID YOU ENJOY THE BONUS?

Any thought about the message the killer left?

Please VOTE if you enjoyed the chapter and have a great time wattpading!

PS: Consider giving the summary to Keri's story a look and maybe tell me what you think?

I'll really appreciate it (link in the comments)  :)