“It was Argus Brock,” she said. That much was true, although when he’d handed Angelina over he hadn’t looked much like the Argus Brock everyone in town was familiar with. “He’s not the most handsome boy around,” she shrugged, “but he’s no werewolf.”

“Argus Brock,” said Nurse O’Neal. “I think I saw him out in the waiting room.”

“Bring him in here,” said Mrs. Abruzzo. “I want to see this boy for myself.”

There was some commotion outside in the hall, and a few moments later people moved away from the door to let Argus enter the room.

When he did, several people gasped.

“Hello,” Argus said, with a hint of a smile on his face.

He was wearing a huge fur hat that had furry earflaps on each side that waved and waggled like ears when he walked. His face was streaked with mud and dirt and it looked as if he hadn’t shaved for days. There were also cuts on his face, and lines of dried blood crisscrossing his cheeks and jaw. The thick wool sweater he was wearing had been torn and unraveled to the point where it looked more like fur than wool. There were also pine needles and burrs embedded in the fibers, making it look as though he’d spent the night in the forest. His hands were covered with thick wool gloves that had been frayed by wear. The fingertips were almost gone, allowing the tips of his fingers to jut out like claws against the dirty brown wool. His brown pants were stained and so worn that there were as many holes in them as there were patches. And finally, there were his boots, entirely covered with thick synthetic fur that made them look like the feet of a big black bear.

“Is that him?” Mrs. Abruzzo asked her daughter. “Is that the werewolf who saved your life?”

Angelina nodded. “Yup,” she said. “That’s the one.”

Everyone in the room let out a nervous laugh.

Everyone except for Maria, Ranger Brock, and Argus.

Maria had been holding her breath since Argus had stepped into the room, and now she breathed a deep, deep sigh of relief.

The ranger and Argus simply smiled and gave each other a knowing little nod.

Their secret was safe…for now.

Maria silently vowed to do what she could to keep it that way.

Chapter 24

Argus, Tora, and Harlan, and every other Redstone Secondary School student who’d been part of the search for Angelina Abruzzo, took the day off from school to rest. The pack could have gone to school if they’d really had to, but they were all exhausted and eager to check in on Noble so they could tell him all about their adventure.

“You fought a wolf?” was the biggest question on Noble’s mind after he’d heard the whole story of Angelina’s forest rescue.