My Werewolf system Chapter 253 + 254 + 255 (Patreon)

Chapter 253

Gary had noticed that the mayor had slightly flinched once he had seen him come in. It wasn’t hard to guess what had elicited this type of reaction. Right now, the teenage boy didn’t feel like he had green hair, but a giant glowing beacon growing on the top of his head.

‘Should I have tried to just shave it off before coming here, or would it have simply grown back?’

Since the first impression was already negative, Gary decided to be on his best behaviour, and so he naturally accepted the handshake. However, for some reason, it felt as if the mayor was trying to crush his hand. The high schooler wasn’t sure if the adult man simply had a strong grip, or if this was supposed to be some sort of test.

‘What the hell is this lard doing?’ Gary thought to himself as he kept up a friendly smile, mimicking Xin’s father. Not wanting to come off as weak, the Alpha Werewolf increased his grip, though he made sure not to injure the man.

“It looks like you're quite the strong one.” Ben praised him, seemingly impressed by Gary’s strength. He then looked his body up and down as if he was inspecting him. “You know, I would often tell Xin that she should look for a boy who is at least as strong as her brother here, if she wanted to date anybody, and you’re the first guy who at least seems decent.”

The mayor patted Gary’s arm, who allowed him to do so. Ever since his body had changed, the teenager had gained the body of an athlete. Although he knew that this was something his system was responsible for, and not his own hard work, he didn’t mind taking the credit.

‘Another benefit of becoming a Werewolf, I guess.’ Gary thought to himself, while Xin turned a few shades redder at her father’s comment.

Strangely, the mayor continued to stand there opposite him. Gary looked around, and saw that the others were also still standing, so he felt it would be rude if he sat down before the patriarch of the family. Honestly, he just wanted to start with the meal, but the adult man continued to stand waiting for something. In the end, Gary just nervously laughed, which seemed to change the mood of Ben Clove in an instant, his smile disappearing from his face.

“I thought you might have known better after seeing the way you were dressed.” Ben sighed. “I'm guessing you brought no gift?”

‘What?! Was I meant to bring a gift in this type of situation? I thought this was just supposed to be dinner? But I've never gone to anyone's house before other than Tom's. I never knew that… and it's not like I ever had the money to buy a gift for someone else before. Is this something rich people do or something?’

“I'm sorry, I didn't realise… I'll be happy to buy you something next time… to make up for it.” Gary managed to stutter out in a mix of confusion and panic.

“Brave of you to assume there will be a next time.” Ben stated as he sat down in his seat. With that, everyone else sat down as well. Still, there was one girl that wasn't pleased by her father's antics at all.

“Dad, why are you hassling Gary about a gift?” Xin asked. “He’s not one of your guests, but my classmate. Why would he have to bring you a gift, especially since all of this was on such a short notice?”

“I know, I know, darling.” Ben started to laugh it off. “I was just teasing the young man. He should be able to take this much at least, don’t you think?”

There were a few chuckles around the table, and Gary nervously joined in, but he had a feeling the mayor hadn’t been joking. The teenager was also starting to rethink his choice of trying to convince the man.

Fortunately, the food was served that moment, giving Gary a much needed reprieve. As much as he wanted to dig in, he waited for Xin’s father to take the first bite. Unfortunately, that’s where his manners ended. The others couldn't help but stare at his eating etiquette, as he quickly took large bites, seemingly afraid someone might take away his food.

“Whoa, you're eating like you haven’t eaten in weeks, slow down there, buddy.” Jayden commented. “You seem to be a big eater, like me, no wonder you stole all my food back then.”

“He did WHAT??” Xin’s mother gasped in shock.

“Ah, my bad, I guess ‘stole’ is the wrong word. The first time I met Gary, I invited him back to my hotel. I told him he could take whatever he wanted, though I didn't expect him to raid my entire fridge.”

“Wait, you two already met? When was that?” Xin asked, suddenly very curious. She had never heard her brother mention Gary before.

“Ah, it was when I went to pick you up that one time. However, you texted me that you already had a lift.” Jayden explained, knowing he couldn’t reveal the full details. “Actually, it's quite the funny story. While I was ready to turn around, my light started to beam on this pale white a-“

A certain heat could be felt coming from across the table and a pair of dagger eyes were staring at him. Jayden could see that Gary was shaking his head, using his eyes to tell him not to continue that story.

“Never mind, now that I think about it, it’s more one of those things that are funnier at the moment.”

The room went silent once again. After the comment about his eating behaviour, Gary slowed down, making sure to eat at the same pace as the Altered. It was a tall task, especially since most of the food was a lot yummier than what he would usually eat. He was even tempted to ask them for some seconds to bring home, so he could share with Amy, yet he decided against it, afraid that their opinion of him might decrease further.

‘Is my brother talking about the night we were attacked by those monsters… is that the day the two of them met for the first time? Wasn't Tom looking for Gary that day as well? What was he doing in that area then?’ Xin wondered.

She wanted to ask Jayden more about that night.

Chapter 254

Eventually, everyone had finished their meal. Xin’s parents had asked Gary a few more questions in between. Fortunately, it was just normal small talk, about his family and how he was doing in school in general. The teenager was more than happy to tell them about it, especially about being one of the Rugby stars of Westbridge, something which apparently gained him a bit more favour with the mayor.

“Speaking of school, the reason I'm here is that I heard that you wanted to transfer Xin somewhere.” Gary began to address the difficult topic. “If you don't mind, Xin, I wanted to ask you if you could tell me the reason, or at least where you'll be going.”

“Don’t you think the reason for it is pretty clear?” Xin’s father raised an eyebrow. “Your school was attacked by a gang, and my daughter got kidnapped in the aftermath. We were lucky that Jayden happened to be in town, but things could have easily ended up a lot worse.

“If we allow Xin to stay in Westbridge she would just be targeted again sooner or later. I’m happy that you care for my daughter, Gary, but even as its mayor, I have to admit that Slough is not the safest place. That's why we have decided to transfer her to another school in a Tier-2 city.”

It was just as Gary had expected, so he knew it was going to be hard to convince them. Still, it was at least worth a try.

“But is a Tier-2 city really that much safer? I heard that they have even bigger gangs in the Tier-2 and Tier-1 cities. Aren’t you afraid that the same thing might happen again? At least here, she would be with her family, not to mention there’s Jayden and your guards. I can't imagine you can be in two places at once.” The teenager questioned their decision.

“Don’t worry, we have selected a special boarding academy for her. Her protection is our top priority, so trust me when I say that with how much the tuition costs, their security is top-notch. Also, although they have gangs up there, it's not the same as it’s here in Slough.

“As your mayor, I am painfully aware about my own town’s gang situation. You see, in the bigger cities, the status quo rarely changes. Developments don’t just happen suddenly, so even if something were to happen, we could always pull Xin out before chaos breaks out.

“Slough is different. How much do you know about the gang situation in our city?” Ben questioned Gary.

“I’ve heard some bits and pieces.” The high schooler answered, doing his best not to grin.

“Sigh, I suppose in this day and age it’s nothing but wishful thinking on my part to hope that you hadn’t. Anyway, you see, Slough isn’t safe these days. Even before those ingrates tried to hold your school hostage, there’s been a wide attack from the colour gangs not too long ago.

“That’s because the two big time gangs have seemingly tried to start something. What’s more, there is a new gang that has recently risen. As if the situation wasn’t bad enough already, I suspect those Howlers might make everything even more complicated and dangerous for the average citizen.”

Hearing their gang name caused Gary to start coughing. It had been the last thing he had expected to hear at this dinner. Nevertheless, for argument’s sake, he had to push further.

“But… are all gangs bad?” Gary asked.

Saying something like that had naturally earned him strange glances from the Clove family. After all, it was a very strange statement for a person to make. Everyone knew about gangs, and somebody Gary’s age usually wouldn't say such a thing… unless of course they would be delinquents that might intend to join a gang in the future.

“That's… quite the ‘interesting’ statement for you to make. Care to elaborate?” Ben Clove placed his chin on his arm.

Unfortunately, Gary hadn’t really thought things through. After hearing the Howlers’ name get mentioned, his statement had mostly been referring to his own gang. When looking around the room, it didn't seem like Xin or Jayden were going to save him from this one.

“Well, I mean…” Gary glanced at the guards that were in the room with them. “What about your guards? Aren’t they from the Rising Dragon gang? Don’t you use them to protect yourself and your family? I would say that is a good thing that they're doing.

“I used to hate gangs a lot, but the more I thought about it, the more I started to just see them like any business. In the world that we live in… they are like a necessary evil. They might have a different name, but aren’t corporations acting similar to gangs?

“They’re telling smaller companies to do their bidding, and if those don’t oblige, they get bought out or just bullied out of the market. And who's to say that this new gang that has come and taken over isn’t better than the old one? Maybe they want to change the status quo for the better?”

After saying all of that, Gary realised that he had gone on a bit of a tangent, and perhaps he had even gone one step too far. As such, he stopped there and waited for a response.

“For a child, your world view is quite peculiar.” Xin’s father finally broke the silence. “Still, I can agree with you that in a way they seem to be a ‘necessary evil’. Corporations, even political parties and campaigns do act like gangs in the ways you’ve described. I won’t deny that some things they use might be unethical.

“However, I think you're missing a key difference between the two there. Gangs kill, steal, rob, and force others to do things, in short pretty much everything they do is illegal. Take that new gang as an example. They came in, and beat another gang into submission, thereby acquiring their assets. Does that sound fair or legal to you?”

‘Damn, he’s talking about the Howlers and the Pincers, even the mayor even knows about that already. That only happened yesterday. How did the news travel so fast? Was it someone from the Rising Dragon that told him?’

For some reason, the conversation that Kai had with Gary in the car had appeared in his head.

‘There’s something Kai didn’t tell me. There’s a reason why he told me to be careful.’

Chapter 255

Ben Clove continued speaking about the topic, it seemed like he had switched to his job mode, making Gary realise that arguing with the mayor on a certain topic wasn’t the best idea. This was more a situation for someone like Tom or his sister to deal with.

“As bad as gangs might be, at least there is a certain status quo between them which the others respect.” Xin’s father continued. “No matter how noble of an intention a new gang coming in might have, their appearance makes everything worse. The whole balance of power gets shifted. I can guarantee you that soon another gang will come in and try to get a piece of the pie.

“But fine, I’ll humour you in that these Howlers actually just want the best for the common man, but then why did they choose to go about it this way? They could have joined the police force or become a judge, or a politician like me, something that can benefit our society as a whole while still adhering to its rules.”

Gary didn’t like the way the mayor had seemingly simplified things. If it was so simple, wouldn’t people have done it by now? The high schooler was sure that many had tried and many had failed in changing things the legal way. Heck, wasn’t the lawyer he had met yesterday the best example of how easy it was to play the system?

And yet this conversation allowed Gary to see his own feelings towards this topic. When exactly had he come around to the idea of gangs? At least the Howlers’ way of doing things seemed to be just…

‘Maybe I’ve been hanging around Kai too much.’ Gary smiled at this thought, which didn't go unnoticed by Ben.

“Say, Gary, you seem to know a lot about gangs for someone your age. I doubt many would know that these guards of mine are part of the Rising Dragon gang. Don't tell me you're planning to join one in the future?”

“No, no, not at all.” Gary shook his hands to deny it vehemently. “It’s just… when I was with Jayden I heard that name mentioned. Based on the tattoos your guards have on their necks, I assumed they were gang members. As for what I plan to do in the future… I honestly don't know yet. As long, it allows me to look after my family, I’ll be happy with pretty much anything, I guess.”

When saying these words, the image that appeared in Gary's head wasn't just of his mother and Amy, but also of all his friends at the Wolf’s Pool Club, as well as Tom.

The intense conversation about gangs had come to an end, just in time for dessert to be brought out. Chocolate cake. Gary looked at it with mixed feelings. He could only imagine how great it would taste, judging by the quality of food he had enjoyed so far. Ultimately, he placed the fork down, though.

“What's wrong, don't you like chocolate cake?” Xin’s mother asked.

“No… it's not that… unfortunately, I’m allergic to chocolate.” Gary answered, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Damn!” Jayden commented. “If I was allergic to chocolate… I don't even know what I would do.”

Xin started to remember the time Gary got sick. It was a very distinctive memory, since that was what had started her troubles with Tiffany. There was that piece of chocolate bar as well as Tom’s bag out on the table, which had been seemingly filled with more chocolate at the time.

‘That explains why he was sick… but why would Tom give him any? Didn’t they know he was allergic until a few weeks ago? That doesn’t make any sense.’

Fortunately, it was not much of an issue. Instead of chocolate cake, Gary’s dessert became a bowl of vanilla ice cream and afterwards, he realised that it was already pretty late.

“I was thinking, does Xin really have to go to another school?” Gary finally asked. “I mean, aren’t you afraid that moving all the time will affect her studies? I understand that you're worried about the gangs, but I don't think anything like that will happen again.

“Security has been improved, and there’s people who can look out for her like me. Also, now that the gangs know that there is someone like Jayden behind her, I doubt they would try anything. On the other hand, if something like this happens with a gang in a Tier-2 city… I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I’ve heard someone say that those gangs have their own Altered.”

It was the only thing Gary could come up with to try to make them change their mind. When saying these words, he could see Xin's face, it looked as if she was in pain. It reassured him that she didn’t want to move either.

“Ah, that’s very sweet of you, Gary. I’m very happy that my dear Xin managed to make a friend that cares so much about her.” Natalia said with her hands together. “However, we have already been over this a few times. Whatever you might say, we have already thought of everything. If you really want to see Xin, she will be able to come back on weekends, so not all will be lost.”

“Actually, Mum, I decided I won't be coming back. I’ll stay at the academy, I mean.” Xin clarified. “Gary, I was going to tell you when we were on our own, but this will probably be the last time we see each other for a while.

“I’m not just moving to any boarding school, but I’ll be joining the Altered Fighting Academy. I also want to be serious about this, so I plan to stay in their boarding programme and continue their training even on weekends. That's why I invited you over and wanted to speak to you today.”

Hearing those words from Xin rather than from her father or mother, it struck Gary that it was something Xin had actually decided on her own. After the meal had finished up, the conversation seemed to lead elsewhere and Gary didn't really know what to do or what to say.

Given the late hour, he eventually bid his goodbyes to the adults, and it was time for him to say goodbye to Xin. They stood by the door, her parents already gone and just her brother by her side.

“I'm sorry Gary, I didn't realise it would upset you so much…and sorry for giving you such a crappy first date.” Xin apologised, as she held Gary’s hand. The next second she leaned in, and before the high schooler could react, she already had pressed her soft lips on his cheek.

“This is my thank-you present for saving me.” She leant back, her face red, before she suddenly ran off.

Leaving Gary to stroke the side of his face.

“That girl, always trying to do what she wants but never being able to.” Jayden sighed. “Come on, let’s head outside. You’re not completely off the hook yet, streaker boy. It's time for our conversation.”