A/N: Man, I had to come up with a whole bunch of new characters for this chapter (some didn't even make it into the chapter) and they aren't even important in this book. I couldn't help but come up with some back stories for them though so I'll probably end up writing about some of them branching out and forming a pack of their own at some point...

Anyway, since there are about twenty people here, I included some pictures to help you understand who is related or mated to whom. Some of these relationships have been mentioned before, but I figured I'd refresh your memory ;)

*****

I rushed upstairs and right into the bathroom. My t-shirt flew in the laundry basket as I turned on the sink to wash my face and under my armpits. I was in need of a proper shower, but I had no time for that luxury. The towel I used to dry myself was thrown next to my t-shirt.

"What's going on, son?" My mom ambushed me in the hallway.

"Anthony was here looking for you, but we told him you and Kennedy were out for a run," dad added.

"I can't talk right now." I kissed mom on the forehead and patted dad once on the back when I passed by him. "I need to get to Keri's."

"It's not another murder, is there?"

I paused at my mother's worried words long enough to reassure her - 'Nothing of that kind' - before jogging downstairs and out the door.

"Don't follow."

I heard Kennedy groan from behind me, but he did as I'd ordered and stayed on the porch.

Nothing of that kind, but if I'm right, it has to do with the murderer, I thought as I neared my Alpha's home.

I didn't bother knocking – I could hear people talking inside – and let myself into Keri's house. Six out of the seven other Council members were already here along with about a dozen young pack members - most of them teenagers and couple of twenty-year-olds.

"Where's our Alpha?" I asked Olivia – Keri's aunt and previous Beta of the Silver Bullets.

"Talking to Kelly on the phone," she replied, darting an anxious glance towards the teenagers who had gathered in a tight circle and talked amongst themselves. "I'm afraid our favorite police woman won't be able to take her place in the Council tonight."

"I see."

I watched as Conrad approached his son Ivan and the rest of the teens. I nodded towards the group.

"They still thinking that we should go after the killer ourselves?"

"Indeed. That is why it would've been better if Kelly was here," Galen – a man in his sixties and the eldest Council member joined our conversation. "Did you enjoy your run?"

I was surprised by the sudden change of topic, but nodded nevertheless.

"Good." A smile poked underneath his thick, grizzled beard. This mix of white and grey with just a dash of brown made for a very interesting coat when he was in an animal form. He was one of the few Silver Bullets to have white fur. White in their fur was more accurate as we didn't have a single purely white wolf.

"Well," Keri walked in, "looks like we are all here."

"My sister isn't here," Jasper contradicted.

"And she won't be coming as she's on shift tonight," Keri replied, to her credit – calmly. I knew how much she wanted to snap at her eldest cousin every time he spoke.

"She should be here," Jasper insisted. "We will be talking about the murder she's investigating and..."

"You know Kelly can't just up and leave the precinct whenever she wants to, bro." Jared – the younger and more sensible sibling reminded, wrapping his arm around his mate Mabel. His older brother huffed, but before he could speak, Keri invited us all to sit down.

It wasn't until the crowd of teens dispersed to place their butts on the sofas and extra seats provided for the meeting, that I realized Carter was in the room.

"I was surprised to see him here myself." Everett spoke quietly as he sat on a chair next to me. "I guess she must have brought him." He nodded towards Mel.

"Probably." I shook my head.

Of course Carter's mate would want them to be a part of whatever was going on!

"So." Keri leaned back in a sofa, her gaze taking all of the youngsters in, one by one. "You want to go after the serial killer."

She wasn't asking, but she got a few positive replies – some mumbled and some loud and firm.

"And why is that?" This time she questioned.

"Because the way things are now, we might never catch them," Damon replied.

I shook my head and bit my tongue.
Keri is the Alpha, she should handle this.

"Okay." She leaned forward in her seat with elbows over her knees, the tips of her right hand touching those of her left and forming a triangle. "And how do you propose to do that?"

Damon opened his mouth only to shut it without a word. He looked at his older brother and then at his younger sister Serenity; neither of them spoke. The triplets seemed not to have a plan which surprised me as Peter was a thoughtful boy and it was odd that he would come without even a basic layout. Perhaps he was here to keep an eye on his two much more impulsive siblings.

"We don't have a plan, but maybe we can all think of one together." Ivan suggested.

"Son..." His father began, but the boy cut him off:

"I'm not a child and I want to help out, dad. We all want to help. We've trained since we were kids; we can take care of ourselves."

"Then you would have no objections if I send Belle after the perp?" Keri asked him and the boy immediately went white at the thought of his beloved mate hunting for that despicable person.

"Didn't think so." Keri's lips twitched, but she managed to suppress her victorious grin. "Just like I don't see Jared being okay with me sending Mabel or Peter with me sending Linda," the eldest triplet snuggled his mate closer to him, "or Carter with..."

"Why should the boys decide for us?" Serenity raised her voice, long black hair falling around her face as she inclined forward in her seat. "You are a female, but you are our Alpha and get to make decisions. Why should the male in the couple decide for the female?"

"It was just an example," Keri calmly replied to the teen. "Apart from you, Serenity, it's the males who appear more eager to take on whoever is responsible for those horrid deeds. I was simply showing them that no one wants to put their loved ones in danger."

"Kelly is out there, searching for that psycho." The female triplet wasn't giving up.

"Kelly is a police officer," Keri pointed out and the other girl snorted.

"Oh, come on! How different can their training be from what we've gone through?" She looked about the room, her gaze landing on Carter and Mel.

"What some of us have gone through," she corrected herself, her eyes on my younger brother's bleached blond mate with her perfectly shaped nails which wouldn't be able to survive a rougher workout.

"Just because some of you have had more combat training, it doesn't mean you should blindly get into a fight with an enemy you know nothing of," Anthony put in.

"My brother is right," Keri went on. "There's no telling what they are capable of. We don't even know if they work alone."

"And whose fault is that?" Jasper screeched. "If the investigation wasn't led by that incompetent tool Detective Callum and my even more incompetent sister..."

"There's nothing incompetent about either of them." Keri voiced firmly and I knew she didn't say it just to cut off her cousin. As much as the Detective got on my best friend's nerves, she recognized how skillful he was at his job.

"Well! What would you call a team who has gotten nowhere for so long?" Jasper kept spitting poison and I once again wondered why had Keri let him in on her Council. Had it been an attempt to bury the hatchet after she got the position he craved so much?

Whatever the reason, I knew she regretted having him here. But perhaps it was the practical thing to do; she could keep an eye on him this way and whenever he complained that something wasn't working right in the pack, she could 'politely' remind him that as a Council member he was one of the people held responsible when things went wrong. That usually shut him up.

"Even the Sentinels who have more experience with cases like this agree that this is a particularly elusive perp," Keri spoke again. "Or do you have something to say of their adequacy as well?"

"I don't know who is to blame, but someone obviously should be."

Jasper gloated as a few of the non-Council members murmured their agreement.

"So you'd rather place blame than try to find a solution?" I asked.

"It's not like your solutions are cutting it." It was a miracle that it had taken Melanie so long to butt in with her opinion.

"That's why we want in on what you are doing," Ivan added and Mel actually frowned first at Carter for not being the one to support her and then at Ivan for stepping in too soon and preventing Carter from speaking.

And this girl will one day be my sister-in-law.

I felt a vein throb on my forehead.

"And if we don't let you join us, you are going to do what? Go after the perpetrator by yourselves?" Keri questioned.

Only Serenity and Damon did not flinch at that option. Even Ivan who was determined to prove himself as strong and independent knew that choice would end in disaster.

Keri sighed. When she spoke again, her voice came out soft and comforting:

"If you have any proposals on how to catch the murderer, I'll listen. But..." Her tone changed to one of indisputable authority. "None of you are allowed under any circumstances to try to pursue the killer on their own."

"I want to talk to Kelly." Serenity announced and Damon nodded in agreement.

"She'll tell you the same. Not that it would make a difference if she didn't. I'm the Alpha, you are members of my pack and you will obey me."

"We still want to talk to her." Damon insisted. "We have the right to be heard by all of the Council. Kelly isn't here so we are asking for another meeting."

"You want to go through all this again?" Conrad couldn't believe the siblings.

"It is our right," Damon pointed out, straightening in his seat and I couldn't help but admit to myself that a teenager or not, he was one imposing boy with a muscled body and an air of confidence. If his generation was to branch out, he could be chosen as the Alpha of the new pack. I'd personally vote for Peter, if I had any say in it; the younger sibling was too hot-headed to lead.

"That it is." Keri agreed, getting up. "We will have another meeting over the weekend and this time Kelly will be present. I must warn you though: I'm adamant in my decision not to let you go after that criminal. However, if you prove you deserve to know as much as the adults, I'll give you more details on the case. We'll discuss that during the next meeting. And now, goodnight! Or perhaps good morning," she amended after looking at her phone, "as it is almost 3 a.m."

*****

A/N: Don't worry, you won't have to sit through another long meeting. I'll just have Rhys remember in a few sentences how it went either on his way to Riley or while the two of them talk. So, yeah, next chapter will have Riley in it :)

What did you think of this chapter?

Would you prefer less pack-related chapters or do you like to read those?

Do you agree that the youngsters should be included in the investigation and if so, to what extent: just give them more info or have them chase after the criminal?

And what do you think about the new characters?

I couldn't give all of them much screen time (well, page time), but if I write about some of the Silver Bullets branching out, the triplets and Ivan will probably be a part of the new pack. What do you think about them and would you like to read a book about a new pack forming?

Please support this chapter with a VOTE if you enjoyed it!

PS: Can you see all three pictures that are posted in the chapter?

PPS: There are two Lisas in the series – one is Everett's wife, the other is Anthony's.