Chapter 133
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"The Night Watchers were once just a Hounds unit responsible for capturing and punishing criminals." - Mr. Boyle began to explain when the whole group moved into the office of Mrs. Stourbridge. The girls managed to put themselves in order and get dressed, while men in the meantime quickly get to know each other. When everyone gathered, the discussion continued.
"Like the Hounds, they were under the complete control of the Council." - continued councilman, looking at his audience. - "By tradition, their leader is chosen every year a certain competition or tournament. The strongest gets the title of leader. The others also receive a rank depending on the result. But forty years ago there was a case that shook the whole of our community, almost revealing our secret to people. A whole pack rebelled. Hunters killed the Alpha's Mate. It was the people who for some reason found out about us and choose to secretly hunt every shifter, they could find. Now there are not many of them left, but then there were even entire organizations of those who tracked down and killed shifters. That pack attacked the city where the hunter lived and massacred everyone, guilty or not. The Night Watchers had to act quickly, there was no time for the whole bureaucracy, and the Council entrusted the Leader to make his own decisions. There were a lot of victims, but the rebellion was subsided. They even managed to arrange everything so that humans saw it as a massacre on the basis of religious differences. But as soon as everything settled down, the leader of the Night Watch did not want to return the right to make independent decisions to the Council. Many were then shocked by the incident and were afraid of the repetition of history. As a result, the Watchers separated and became an independent organization that reports to the Council post factum and only in general terms. We do not have access to their database. The sniffers - are our guys, who at least control the total number of victims and then verify with the reports send by Watch to the Council. Many did not like this state of affairs, so about 20 years ago, the Watchers went into the shadows and turned into almost a legend. Now most shifters don't even know about their existence."
Through the whole story, Greg did not take his eyes off the man, trying to guess how much truth is in his words. Such a drastic change from the distrust to a desire to help made him very suspicious. Noticing his gaze, the shifter smiled broadly.
"Gregory, you can breathe out a little and relax, we really want to help you." - He assured, interrupting his story.
"And why is it? Do you seriously want us to believe that after this traditional fight of yours, you accepted everything just like that?" - Michael drawled, scanning Mr. Boyle intently. He silently watched what was happening up until now, but could not find any logic in the actions of the councilmen. Mr. Boyle grinned and looked at Mrs. Stormbridge as if passing the word to her. The woman noticing it frowned but decided to explain anyway.
"For an experienced fighter, it is not so difficult to understand a person's character by the way he behaves in a fight." - she explained seriously. - "Lana is not a professional fighter, so it was even easier for me to see her personality in how she fought. It is evident that she is accustomed to the situation when she is driven into a corner. She knows how to endure pain, not to panic, and to maintain calm at such moments. But apparently, she recently acquired another essential quality. She learned to counterattack, to fight to the end, despite the stalemate of the situation. Besides, she broke my jaw and almost cut my throat, although Ruslana was well aware that she could die in the process. But she went for it for the sake of her family, and such courage cannot be overlooked. Also, we have long known Ian. As soon as he became a member of the Council, he assumed the responsibility of dealing with the Watchers. Of course, we knew that sometime in the past he was a member of this organization, but officially he stopped his work there with Veronica before the birth of Brian. Many reasoned that a shifter who knows the specifics of the Watchers would be able to cope with them better."
"Wait,"- Lana interrupted the woman. "Was Mom also part of this organization?"
"Yes, Veronica was among the Watchers for some time," - Mr. Boyle confirmed, narrowing his eyes and looking at Ruslana suspiciously. - "By the way, I was also surprised that you didn't look all that shocked by the news that your father was their leader. Can you enlighten us, why?"
Ruslana frowned, she didn't want to talk about it at all, especially before Greg and his friends, but there was no particular choice. Therefore, taking a deep breath, she spoke, trying not to look toward Greg.
" After I realized that Ralph was not my Mate, I called father. He began to threaten me when I told him everything. He admitted it himself back then, his connections with the Watchers. And then Ralph verified this, trying to scare me. After all, they met there. Ralph was one of them too."
"And even Watchmans kicked him out." - Added Mr. Benne with a sad smile. The voice of an old man was tired and full of frustration. - "That's right, I also knew about it, and this was the first reason why I decided that he was not suitable for the role of Alpha of our pack. He was expelled for cruelty and unjustified losses. He was still young at that time, and then he met you, Lana. I hoped that he would calm down, be able to find his own family and happiness. But apparently, for everyone, the Moon has its own plan."
"Okay, it's not the time to sink into despair. I hope wherever he is now; Ralph will be able to reflect on his actions or at least no longer bring problems to innocent people." - The former Alfay picked himself up and changed the topic - "Now we need to decide how to get into a dungeon filled with trained shifters-killers. Suggestions?"
Everyone fell silent, gazing at each other with cautious glances.
" You said dungeon. What exactly is the Watchers base look like?" - Greg decided to clarify. The councilmen exchanged glaces, not knowing where to start.
"Unfortunately, we have no plan of this dungeon." - answered Mr. Boyle. - "It is located under the City's Cemetery. It is said that the dungeon itself was built there before the Watchers moved in, having gained their independence. It was later expanded several times. We don't even know about how many exits are there. Only the sniffers are subjects to Coucil, but they are not allowed beyond the first level. Humans are not allowed there at all. So the only way to penetrate at least the first level is among sniffers."
"But you just said that humans are not allowed in there at all?" - Pointed Paul, as usual taking out his notebook and putting on his glasses. Although in this form, he looked more like a diligent student than a lawyer.
"That's right," - Mrs. Stormbridge nodded. - "Therefore, Ruslana will have to do this part herself."
The woman shot a look at the girl. Lana fearlessly looked at her back, showing with all her appearance that she was ready.
"We will definitely send one of our people with her," - Mr. Boyle quickly added, expecting Greg to explode any minute now, but instead the guy only shrugged.
"Okay, it sounds good."
Councilmen and Ruslana looked suspiciously at Greg's calm face. Something here smelled fishy.
"Do you have something on your mind?" - Mr. Benne finally asked. Although this question sounded more like a statement. Greg smiled broadly in response.
"That is quite simple! I won't have to worry about Lana when she gets into the dungeon of the killer shifters, if at that moment nobody is there, right?"
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"The Night Watchers were once just a Hounds unit responsible for capturing and punishing criminals." - Mr. Boyle began to explain when the whole group moved into the office of Mrs. Stourbridge. The girls managed to put themselves in order and get dressed, while men in the meantime quickly get to know each other. When everyone gathered, the discussion continued.
"Like the Hounds, they were under the complete control of the Council." - continued councilman, looking at his audience. - "By tradition, their leader is chosen every year a certain competition or tournament. The strongest gets the title of leader. The others also receive a rank depending on the result. But forty years ago there was a case that shook the whole of our community, almost revealing our secret to people. A whole pack rebelled. Hunters killed the Alpha's Mate. It was the people who for some reason found out about us and choose to secretly hunt every shifter, they could find. Now there are not many of them left, but then there were even entire organizations of those who tracked down and killed shifters. That pack attacked the city where the hunter lived and massacred everyone, guilty or not. The Night Watchers had to act quickly, there was no time for the whole bureaucracy, and the Council entrusted the Leader to make his own decisions. There were a lot of victims, but the rebellion was subsided. They even managed to arrange everything so that humans saw it as a massacre on the basis of religious differences. But as soon as everything settled down, the leader of the Night Watch did not want to return the right to make independent decisions to the Council. Many were then shocked by the incident and were afraid of the repetition of history. As a result, the Watchers separated and became an independent organization that reports to the Council post factum and only in general terms. We do not have access to their database. The sniffers - are our guys, who at least control the total number of victims and then verify with the reports send by Watch to the Council. Many did not like this state of affairs, so about 20 years ago, the Watchers went into the shadows and turned into almost a legend. Now most shifters don't even know about their existence."
Through the whole story, Greg did not take his eyes off the man, trying to guess how much truth is in his words. Such a drastic change from the distrust to a desire to help made him very suspicious. Noticing his gaze, the shifter smiled broadly.
"Gregory, you can breathe out a little and relax, we really want to help you." - He assured, interrupting his story.
"And why is it? Do you seriously want us to believe that after this traditional fight of yours, you accepted everything just like that?" - Michael drawled, scanning Mr. Boyle intently. He silently watched what was happening up until now, but could not find any logic in the actions of the councilmen. Mr. Boyle grinned and looked at Mrs. Stormbridge as if passing the word to her. The woman noticing it frowned but decided to explain anyway.
"For an experienced fighter, it is not so difficult to understand a person's character by the way he behaves in a fight." - she explained seriously. - "Lana is not a professional fighter, so it was even easier for me to see her personality in how she fought. It is evident that she is accustomed to the situation when she is driven into a corner. She knows how to endure pain, not to panic, and to maintain calm at such moments. But apparently, she recently acquired another essential quality. She learned to counterattack, to fight to the end, despite the stalemate of the situation. Besides, she broke my jaw and almost cut my throat, although Ruslana was well aware that she could die in the process. But she went for it for the sake of her family, and such courage cannot be overlooked. Also, we have long known Ian. As soon as he became a member of the Council, he assumed the responsibility of dealing with the Watchers. Of course, we knew that sometime in the past he was a member of this organization, but officially he stopped his work there with Veronica before the birth of Brian. Many reasoned that a shifter who knows the specifics of the Watchers would be able to cope with them better."
"Wait,"- Lana interrupted the woman. "Was Mom also part of this organization?"
"Yes, Veronica was among the Watchers for some time," - Mr. Boyle confirmed, narrowing his eyes and looking at Ruslana suspiciously. - "By the way, I was also surprised that you didn't look all that shocked by the news that your father was their leader. Can you enlighten us, why?"
Ruslana frowned, she didn't want to talk about it at all, especially before Greg and his friends, but there was no particular choice. Therefore, taking a deep breath, she spoke, trying not to look toward Greg.
" After I realized that Ralph was not my Mate, I called father. He began to threaten me when I told him everything. He admitted it himself back then, his connections with the Watchers. And then Ralph verified this, trying to scare me. After all, they met there. Ralph was one of them too."
"And even Watchmans kicked him out." - Added Mr. Benne with a sad smile. The voice of an old man was tired and full of frustration. - "That's right, I also knew about it, and this was the first reason why I decided that he was not suitable for the role of Alpha of our pack. He was expelled for cruelty and unjustified losses. He was still young at that time, and then he met you, Lana. I hoped that he would calm down, be able to find his own family and happiness. But apparently, for everyone, the Moon has its own plan."
"Okay, it's not the time to sink into despair. I hope wherever he is now; Ralph will be able to reflect on his actions or at least no longer bring problems to innocent people." - The former Alfay picked himself up and changed the topic - "Now we need to decide how to get into a dungeon filled with trained shifters-killers. Suggestions?"
Everyone fell silent, gazing at each other with cautious glances.
" You said dungeon. What exactly is the Watchers base look like?" - Greg decided to clarify. The councilmen exchanged glaces, not knowing where to start.
"Unfortunately, we have no plan of this dungeon." - answered Mr. Boyle. - "It is located under the City's Cemetery. It is said that the dungeon itself was built there before the Watchers moved in, having gained their independence. It was later expanded several times. We don't even know about how many exits are there. Only the sniffers are subjects to Coucil, but they are not allowed beyond the first level. Humans are not allowed there at all. So the only way to penetrate at least the first level is among sniffers."
"But you just said that humans are not allowed in there at all?" - Pointed Paul, as usual taking out his notebook and putting on his glasses. Although in this form, he looked more like a diligent student than a lawyer.
"That's right," - Mrs. Stormbridge nodded. - "Therefore, Ruslana will have to do this part herself."
The woman shot a look at the girl. Lana fearlessly looked at her back, showing with all her appearance that she was ready.
"We will definitely send one of our people with her," - Mr. Boyle quickly added, expecting Greg to explode any minute now, but instead the guy only shrugged.
"Okay, it sounds good."
Councilmen and Ruslana looked suspiciously at Greg's calm face. Something here smelled fishy.
"Do you have something on your mind?" - Mr. Benne finally asked. Although this question sounded more like a statement. Greg smiled broadly in response.
"That is quite simple! I won't have to worry about Lana when she gets into the dungeon of the killer shifters, if at that moment nobody is there, right?"
"The Night Watchers were once just a Hounds unit responsible for capturing and punishing criminals." - Mr. Boyle began to explain when the whole group moved into the office of Mrs. Stourbridge. The girls managed to put themselves in order and get dressed, while men in the meantime quickly get to know each other. When everyone gathered, the discussion continued."Like the Hounds, they were under the complete control of the Council." - continued councilman, looking at his audience. - "By tradition, their leader is chosen every year a certain competition or tournament. The strongest gets the title of leader. The others also receive a rank depending on the result. But forty years ago there was a case that shook the whole of our community, almost revealing our secret to people. A whole pack rebelled. Hunters killed the Alpha's Mate. It was the people who for some reason found out about us and choose to secretly hunt every shifter, they could find. Now there are not many of them left, but then there were even entire organizations of those who tracked down and killed shifters. That pack attacked the city where the hunter lived and massacred everyone, guilty or not. The Night Watchers had to act quickly, there was no time for the whole bureaucracy, and the Council entrusted the Leader to make his own decisions. There were a lot of victims, but the rebellion was subsided. They even managed to arrange everything so that humans saw it as a massacre on the basis of religious differences. But as soon as everything settled down, the leader of the Night Watch did not want to return the right to make independent decisions to the Council. Many were then shocked by the incident and were afraid of the repetition of history. As a result, the Watchers separated and became an independent organization that reports to the Council post factum and only in general terms. We do not have access to their database. The sniffers - are our guys, who at least control the total number of victims and then verify with the reports send by Watch to the Council. Many did not like this state of affairs, so about 20 years ago, the Watchers went into the shadows and turned into almost a legend. Now most shifters don't even know about their existence." Through the whole story, Greg did not take his eyes off the man, trying to guess how much truth is in his words. Such a drastic change from the distrust to a desire to help made him very suspicious. Noticing his gaze, the shifter smiled broadly. "Gregory, you can breathe out a little and relax, we really want to help you." - He assured, interrupting his story."And why is it? Do you seriously want us to believe that after this traditional fight of yours, you accepted everything just like that?" - Michael drawled, scanning Mr. Boyle intently. He silently watched what was happening up until now, but could not find any logic in the actions of the councilmen. Mr. Boyle grinned and looked at Mrs. Stormbridge as if passing the word to her. The woman noticing it frowned but decided to explain anyway."For an experienced fighter, it is not so difficult to understand a person's character by the way he behaves in a fight." - she explained seriously. - "Lana is not a professional fighter, so it was even easier for me to see her personality in how she fought. It is evident that she is accustomed to the situation when she is driven into a corner. She knows how to endure pain, not to panic, and to maintain calm at such moments. But apparently, she recently acquired another essential quality. She learned to counterattack, to fight to the end, despite the stalemate of the situation. Besides, she broke my jaw and almost cut my throat, although Ruslana was well aware that she could die in the process. But she went for it for the sake of her family, and such courage cannot be overlooked. Also, we have long known Ian. As soon as he became a member of the Council, he assumed the responsibility of dealing with the Watchers. Of course, we knew that sometime in the past he was a member of this organization, but officially he stopped his work there with Veronica before the birth of Brian. Many reasoned that a shifter who knows the specifics of the Watchers would be able to cope with them better.""Wait,"- Lana interrupted the woman. "Was Mom also part of this organization?""Yes, Veronica was among the Watchers for some time," - Mr. Boyle confirmed, narrowing his eyes and looking at Ruslana suspiciously. - "By the way, I was also surprised that you didn't look all that shocked by the news that your father was their leader. Can you enlighten us, why?" Ruslana frowned, she didn't want to talk about it at all, especially before Greg and his friends, but there was no particular choice. Therefore, taking a deep breath, she spoke, trying not to look toward Greg." After I realized that Ralph was not my Mate, I called father. He began to threaten me when I told him everything. He admitted it himself back then, his connections with the Watchers. And then Ralph verified this, trying to scare me. After all, they met there. Ralph was one of them too.""And even Watchmans kicked him out." - Added Mr. Benne with a sad smile. The voice of an old man was tired and full of frustration. - "That's right, I also knew about it, and this was the first reason why I decided that he was not suitable for the role of Alpha of our pack. He was expelled for cruelty and unjustified losses. He was still young at that time, and then he met you, Lana. I hoped that he would calm down, be able to find his own family and happiness. But apparently, for everyone, the Moon has its own plan." "Okay, it's not the time to sink into despair. I hope wherever he is now; Ralph will be able to reflect on his actions or at least no longer bring problems to innocent people." - The former Alfay picked himself up and changed the topic - "Now we need to decide how to get into a dungeon filled with trained shifters-killers. Suggestions?"Everyone fell silent, gazing at each other with cautious glances." You said dungeon. What exactly is the Watchers base look like?" - Greg decided to clarify. The councilmen exchanged glaces, not knowing where to start."Unfortunately, we have no plan of this dungeon." - answered Mr. Boyle. - "It is located under the City's Cemetery. It is said that the dungeon itself was built there before the Watchers moved in, having gained their independence. It was later expanded several times. We don't even know about how many exits are there. Only the sniffers are subjects to Coucil, but they are not allowed beyond the first level. Humans are not allowed there at all. So the only way to penetrate at least the first level is among sniffers.""But you just said that humans are not allowed in there at all?" - Pointed Paul, as usual taking out his notebook and putting on his glasses. Although in this form, he looked more like a diligent student than a lawyer."That's right," - Mrs. Stormbridge nodded. - "Therefore, Ruslana will have to do this part herself." The woman shot a look at the girl. Lana fearlessly looked at her back, showing with all her appearance that she was ready. "We will definitely send one of our people with her," - Mr. Boyle quickly added, expecting Greg to explode any minute now, but instead the guy only shrugged."Okay, it sounds good." Councilmen and Ruslana looked suspiciously at Greg's calm face. Something here smelled fishy. "Do you have something on your mind?" - Mr. Benne finally asked. Although this question sounded more like a statement. Greg smiled broadly in response."That is quite simple! I won't have to worry about Lana when she gets into the dungeon of the killer shifters, if at that moment nobody is there, right?"
