Curious, Gary searched for Cardenez Electronics on the internet, yet all he ended up finding was the company’s products, which did little to help jog his memory. The teenager let out a sigh and decided to head over to his friends and enjoy the rest of the evening. Tomorrow, there would still be more than enough time for him to worry about how to help the Howlers.
As he walked down the hallway, he thought back to the last time he had seen all of them together. It had been at the Wolf’s Pool Club, and Gary had come there straight after school because Kai had informed him that there would be an important meeting with everyone.
The Werewolf still remembered the lack of reaction when he had told the Howlers about his decision to give up school, followed by them telling him that they had decided that it would be for the best for him to leave the gang, albeit temporarily.
Fortunately, the misunderstanding hadn’t lasted long, and after agreeing to try out for the AFA, he had made sure to leave the gang at its strongest by granting Kai a Unique Class. Of course, the most memorable moment had been when Gary came clean about what he was…
—-
“Guys!” Gary exclaimed, and everyone in the room turned to look at him. “There’s something important I need to tell you all. I’m aware that all of you already know my secret… and I’m thankful that none of you have asked me about it. Before I go, I want to set the record straight. I’m not an Altered… I’m actually a Werewolf…”
The room that had been filled with the laughter and jokes of the Howlers went silent at this sudden declaration. The green haired teenager had been so focused on his words, and how to phrase it, that he had forgotten that White was also in the room. Although the pool club was currently closed, as the barmaid who practically lived there.
On top of that, there was Tyler. The Howlers driver, that had been coming here more often lately and Miss Degrace, Marie’s mother. In the end, both of these people were important and the future of the howlers. So to shy them away from the truth was rude as well.
Everyone in the room is silent after hearing what Gary had said. In fact, Tyler’s legs were shaking. He took Gary’s words seriously and although no one knew about it, he had also watched the fight with the Werewolf and Kirk many times.
Innu soon started to break the silence with his laughter.
“A Werewolf? Do you mean like those creatures from the movies? I don’t understand, Gary, we already figured out that you’re an Altered, so what’s the point of lying to us about something so crazy?” Innu asked, but judging by their gang leader’s reaction, this wasn’t a joke of any sort.
“I know that it’s hard to believe, but I swear I’m not an Altered.” Gary insisted. “I wanted to tell you all earlier, but I was afraid… afraid that if I did, you might all be scared to be around me.”
“Why would we be afraid of you?” Mai asked, still not fully comfortable with the unexpected revelation.
“Because of what happens when I lose control. It already happened once… at the park…” ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ꜰʀ ᴡʙoᴠʟ. .
The first one to understand what Gary meant was surprisingly Innu. With all the puzzle pieces in place, how could he not realise it? It was not like he could forget what had transpired in the park, when they all had nearly died due to two Wolf-type Altered…
Talking to Kai, Innu had somewhat figured this out, but at the same time confirming their thoughts, was another thing altogether.
They could all see he was down, and that’s when Austin decided to stand up.
“Altered, Werewolf, what’s the difference.” The large teenager shrugged it off. Innu gave him a meaningful stare, yet he refrained from arguing that he hadn’t been there.
“You’re you, and you were the one who has helped out this gang so much. I only have one question. When we first met on the rooftop, were you already a Werewolf? The way you say it, I assume you weren’t a Werewolf since birth, so how and when exactly did it happen?”
“Yeah, and if you are a Werewolf are you one from birth? Does that mean your sister is one as well!” Innu asked.
Gary wasn’t expecting this type of reaction, he had been prepared for all his friends to scream and run, perhaps call him a monster and leave the place, but if anything, they were simply curious about his condition.
“You’re right, I haven’t been a Werewolf for long, and to answer your questions, you’ve only met me after I became one. And no, my Sister isn’t a Werewolf, and truth be told she knows nothing about this and I would like to keep it that way. I hope you understand.” Austin showed him a wide grin after hearing the answer. Gary wasn’t a mindreader, but he knew his friend well enough to understand why he did that.
“You all seem to have a lot of questions, and since I’ve already told you this much, let me start at the beginning.”
Gary went on to explain to the group what had occurred that night as a Transporter. After that, he went into the details of the park that day, where most of them were present. They now also knew about the full moon and the problems that plagued him during that day.
The only thing he didn’t tell them about was the existence of the Werewolf System. Its existence was a pure enigma, and he didn’t feel like it would help anyone knowing about it. This was something that Olvia nor Kai had even though they were Werewolves as well.
When he was finally done with his story, the teenager sat down at the bar, and finally rested. He let out a big sigh, feeling like a big weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
“Gary…thank you.” Mai finally spoke, waiting for the right time. “You know, I feel like I never got to thank you for that day. When I was trapped in that container because of the twins. I know you went through some bad things, and all of this is scary…it is for me as well.
“But if you didn’t have this power, I wouldn’t be alive today.”
“She’s right.” Innu agreed, despite being the most shocked out of everyone. If he was, to tell the truth he was scared, and hearing what had occurred to Billy, how he had been turned by accident frightened him even more, but Marie had made him consider the positives.
“Not just Marie, but you pretty much saved Slough. It’s on video! If it wasn’t for you, a lot more people would have died, and it’s because of you that us Howlers are the top gang now. We can really make a change in this town!”
From behind the bar, Miss Degrace pulled out a drink and left it on the table.
“I’m a mother, and believe me there are not many I would trust with my daughter, but you are one of them.”
“And I still want to be your driver!” Tyler shouted with passion. Which made all the others laugh.
Honestly, all the positive support brought a tear to the Werewolf’s eye. After losing connection with his mother, there weren’t many he could share this burden with, in fact, he couldn’t even share it with her, and hiding it from these guys every day was hurting him each time.
He had always been scared of how the Howlers would react, but seeing it now, he actually felt a bit stupid for hiding it for this long.
“Speaking off.” Kai interrupted, clapping his hands. “I hate to interrupt this moment, but there are a few things I should tell you. Not only will Gary attend the trial to get into the AFA, I know I brought it up to all of you earlier, but it has been confirmed. So we should have a big leaving party.
“It also means there are quite a few things we need to set up. A place for his sister, those to keep an eye on his mother and of course, all the Howler’s duties. While he is away, we will do our best to keep this gang growing and when he returns, we will be the ones to shock him with some news.”
All the gang members smiled at this fact, and that included White. The truth was, that day when Gary had fought against Olivia, she had seen a lot of it, but she too had decided to keep it to herself, as she was enjoying her life right now.
“Oh, and since we’re on the topic of sharing secrets, Olivia and I are Werewolves as well, and we need to start preparing for the next full moon, and for that, we’re going to need your help.”
****
My Werewolf System Webtoon is out! You can now read it on the BILI BILI COMICS APP. Weekly Webtoon chapters. Check it out, help it grow, and there might be news of an official My Vampire System webtoon someday.