Chapter 85 - Another Wolf

Thursday was officially the day Rory was supposed to meet another wolf. Well, theoretically two since Angie had decided to confess to him with her little secret.

Evan and Ryan decided not to say anything to him for the time being and deal with the situation as it arises. They had good news for Rory so they hoped that things would go okay, and he wouldn't be angry that Rory's rescue team suddenly had more members.

Currently, they were at Evan's house and since his parents weren't home again, they had the perfect opportunity to meet in his living room without worrying if anyone would eavesdrop on them. That way they could say anything, and Michael didn't have to stress unnecessarily about getting in trouble.

Even that didn't stop him from reminding them that it wasn't the best idea, but since the damage had already been done and he didn't have any other close friends in the pack, he decided to be an accomplice in spite of his conscience.

Of course, Angie made sure to constantly mention to him that he was doing great.

So far everything was going according to plan, and Ryan had a message ready for Rory in which he included photos from the books they had found. All he had to do was hit send, but first, they wanted to tell him the basic information they had learned.

Evan sat next to his mate on the couch, phone in hand, waiting for Rory to start the call. Like them, he needed to find a place where he could be sure that no one would eavesdrop on him, and he also needed to make sure that none of his supernatural friends were planning to surprise him at his house.

Since they weren't going to tell him what they were, he wasn't going to tell them in return, he'd figured it out on his own a long time ago. Angie called it bad bitch behaviour, and although Evan thought it was funny, he had to agree. If anyone knew how to stand his ground, it was Rory.

"Is he going to call or what?" Michael asked after a moment. Apparently, he was tired of toying with his phone.

"Give him a second," Evan answered immediately.

"Fine." He sighed and stood up. He pocketed his phone and made his way to Evan's kitchen. Since Evan had been moving around their house like he lived there for a while now, Michael obviously figured he could do the same.

"Do you have any juice?" Angie seemed to like Michael's idea and decided to join in. But not before she found out if it was worth it.

"In the fridge," he answered, and that was enough for her to head for the kitchen.

Rory, as if sensing that his friends were finally alone, started a video call. Evan immediately pressed the green button and the relaxed look on Rory's face (something he hadn't seen much of lately) brought a smile to his face.

"Hey, guys," Rory greeted them with a smile on his face. It was clear that he enjoyed seeing them and Evan was almost proud that they had that effect on him. Rory hadn't been having the easiest time lately and Evan didn't know what he would do in his situation.

"Hey, Ro."

"Hi." Looking at Ryan, it was clear that he was excited to see him too, although Evan knew that the two of them had started texting shortly after he had introduced them. The two of them instantly hit it off and Evan was glad they were getting on. Ryan had long referred to Rory as his friend, and the other boy felt the same way.

"You look happy." Evan decided to try his luck and point out the obvious.

"I'm glad to see you," Rory replied immediately. "Ryan said you had some good news for me."

Evan glanced at his mate, unaware of this information, and he returned it with an innocent tilt of his head. It was clear that Ryan couldn't contain his joy at being able to help Rory and he had to let him know, at least somehow.

"Now I'm getting the feeling it's not such good news." Rory didn't miss their little exchange.

"It is," Evan answered immediately. "The best ones. I just didn't know you already knew about them."

"You have a golden retriever boyfriend who can't help but share the excitement," Rory remarked with a chuckle, and Evan immediately joined in.

"A golden retriever boyfriend with an obsession for cats," he added, turning to his mate with a look that fully showed his affection. Ryan rolled his eyes at his statement but didn't dispute the truth of it, instead grabbing his shoulders and pulling him closer.

"Not just for cats," he murmured, keeping his eyes on Evan to catch his reaction. Of course, his cheeks immediately turned a shade of colour.

"You make me feel more single than ever." Angie entered the room with a glass of juice.

"Is that Angie?" Rory asked, visibly confused by her presence.

"Hi, little Ro." Angie flopped down on the couch next to them at the sound of her name, and Evan turned the phone so that Rory could see her.

"It's good to see you," he said, but it was clear that he hadn't been expecting her presence and was probably under the impression that she would postpone their original conversation until later.

"You need a better poker face," Angie commented. She didn't even try to pretend she didn't notice his smile shrink when she appeared. "Just so you know, I'm an important member of your team. From now on."

"My team?"

"Weave protection program," she explained, and Evan gave her a look that clearly said what he thought of the name. "Oh yeah, I'm a werewolf too."

Rory seemed surprised at her statement. Maybe because Angie knew about his problem, maybe because of her confession. Probably both.

"Is there anyone else who's a werewolf and I don't know about it?" Rory asked, probably meaning it as a rhetorical question, but Michael decided to walk into the room just then. He let out a loud sigh and all three in the room turned to him, alerting Rory to his presence.

Michael gave them a look that questioned whether he really needed to do this, but his reaction, and just being in the room when such a subject was being discussed, told Rory his secret, even though he hadn't seen him yet.

"I was just kidding."

There was silence for a split second, but Angie immediately broke it.

"All right. Rory, meet another werewolf," she said, taking Michael's last chance to escape and so he walked over to his friends on the couch. When he was close enough, Evan turned the phone on him, and Angie continued, "Rory, this is Michael, Ryan's cousin. Michael, this is Rory, probably the smartest of our friends."

"Hey," Rory greeted and Michael, as usual, nodded in greeting.

"Okay, that's our whole team," Angie assessed.

"I thought it was a program," Evan didn't hesitate to remind her of her earlier words and she immediately shot him a look as if she couldn't believe he dared to correct her.

"Okay, I think we're getting off-topic," Ryan interjected. Not that he wasn't happy that his cousin was meeting new people, but he was aware of the importance of Rory's problem and also that they had a solution to it.

"So, the good news?" Rory was immediately interested.

"Right," Evan began, clearing his throat before continuing. "We read some books and found a ritual that can confirm if someone is your soulmate."

"Before you ask, we've tried it. It works. I've got a picture of it, and I've written some notes that should help you," Ryan added promptly.

"That's great," Rory commented, but he didn't seem a hundred percent pleased with what he was hearing. It was a small improvement on the months he'd been suffering from a lack of knowledge, so it was understandable.

Seeing his reaction, Evan decided to reveal the other thing they found out. "There's something else," he admitted.

"Is it bad?" Rory asked, seeing his friend looking a little nervous.

"We only have good news, Ro," Ryan interjected in a gentle tone.

"Right." For a moment he looked as if he had forgotten, but Ryan's words encouraged him, and his grimace disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "Then what's the deal?"

"We found something in the book. It's called Shadow Wolf. It's a way for a werewolf to protect a human. We took a picture of it just in case you'd be interested," Evan explained.

"I'll send it to you in chat," Ryan said, pressing a button on the phone he'd had at the ready all along.

"OK," Rory replied, immediately turning off the camera to indicate that he had gone to look at it right away.

"It's just a suggestion," Ryan added, assuring him of their intentions, though he had no idea what Rory's expression was like. "We thought you'd use an advantage over their magic."

"Okay, I've been quiet long enough," Angie suddenly interjected. "What the hell is Shadow Wolf?"

"In short, Shadow Wolf is a way for a werewolf to protect a human. The person gives a piece of their soul to the human, which more or less becomes a spiritual protector. If the person gets into trouble, something like a wolf spirit will materialise and protect them," Ryan took on the explanation.

"That's so freaking cool," was Angie's first reaction.

"Piece of their soul?" Michael repeated. Werewolves were used to sharing their soul with another person, so neither Evan nor Ryan were surprised that he chose to bring out this part. To give away a part of one's soul that wasn't even completely one's own sounded unthinkable to a wolf.

"But don't you two share a soul?" Rory seemed to realise it too at that moment.

"We do," Evan confirmed. "But we talked about it, and we assessed that it wouldn't change anything for us."

"Our joined souls create a romantic bond that is practically indestructible. If Evan gave you a piece of his soul, I doubt it would change anything. We'd still love each other, and you'd be safe," Ryan decided to intervene and Evan's cheeks blushed at what he said about them.

"Awwww." Of course, Angie did not miss the use of the word love.

"I'll get to the love comment later," Rory stated and continued, "Would it change anything in our relationship, though?"

"Honestly, we have no idea," Ryan admitted. "We wanted to tell you first, that there is such a possibility before I try to ask my pack if they know more about it."

"I think I'm in," Rory admitted cautiously, immediately switching the camera back on.

"You can think about it," Evan advised him. "I'm certainly not going to change my mind, you're my best friend after all, but it's a big decision."

"I thought I was your best friend," Angie interjected loudly.

"You just tried to exchange him the other day," Michael reminded her.

"Yeah, for Mama Olivia. You can't blame me." She waved her hand as if it were a matter of course.

"Who's Mama Olivia?"

"Michael's mom," Evan explained and was immediately interrupted by Angie who excitedly decided to add, "She's amazing. I'm actually thinking about becoming Michael's stepmom."

"Ew," Michael reacted promptly. "You are no longer welcome in my house."

Angie turned to him with a raised eyebrow and a confident look on her face. "Try telling that to Mama Olivia. She adores me."

Their banter quickly drew laughter from the rest of the participants.

"Maybe you should try hitting on her mum," Rory advised, clearly amused.

"No way." Angie was really troubled by his suggestion, and it showed in her expression.

"Maybe I will," Michael stated, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. He finally had a counterargument to her constant remarks about his mom.

"No, you won't," Angie dismissed it instantly. "Shut up." She shoved him on the shoulder, causing another wave of laughter from her friends.

"Will you send me the ritual too?" Rory brought them back to the original topic and Ryan immediately nodded and turned his attention to his phone.

"Thanks," Rory said, acknowledging having received the photos.

"And now for the important part," Angie decided to change the subject again. "When are we going to see you again in person?"

"Hopefully soon," Rory said, then sighed. "I'd like to come for the weekend. I'll have to ask Lola, though."

"Maybe you won't have to," Ryan said, surprising everyone except Michael, who looked like he knew where he was going with it. "If it's confirmed that you're his Weave, you'll be able to crash at our place. You'll be officially part of the supernatural world, and that's enough to get you permission to see the pack."

"Wait, seriously?" Angie replied before Rory could. "That would be amazing."

"I could see the whole pack of werewolves?" he repeated as if it were beyond belief.

"You'd have to get permission from our alpha, but it shouldn't be a problem if we vouch for you," Michael interjected, giving the last piece of information.

Evan couldn't help but be excited by this discovery. None of his human friends had ever been to his house, and he honestly thought that would never change. Showing Rory his home and another part of his world sounded like a dream come true.

"I'd love to," Rory admitted, the same smile on his face again as when he first started the call. "I won't lie, this motivates me more to try the ritual than the desire to know if the idiot is really my soulmate."

Ryan, Angie, and Evan chuckled at his statement and the corners of Michael's mouth lifted. The subject of soul mates was still a sensitive one for him, but with the support of his friends, he was able to distance himself from it.

"I miss you," Evan admitted, still in a good mood and thus being more honest than usual.

"I miss you too," Rory replied, not really dwelling on it.

"Awwwww." Angie liked sentimental things. "What about me?"

"I miss you too, Angie."