Michael’s POV
The clock on the wall had just gone past nine when I finally looked away from my laptop.
My study was as quiet as ever. Apart from the occasional sound of traffic outside my apartment, the only noise came from the soft hum of the air conditioning and the steady tapping of my fingers against the keyboard.
Several reports relating to Veridian Group’s European operations remained open on the screen before me. I had been reviewing them for nearly two hours, yet I realised I had read the same paragraph three times without taking in a single word.
My mind wasn’t on work tonight. It kept returning to what had happened in Lanard University’s library earlier that afternoon.
I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my temple.
The first day I arrived here at Lanard, I had requested the complete profiles of every student who would be attending my classes. I had gone through every file myself. Some people might consider that excessive, but I didn’t.
Whether I was negotiating a billion-dollar acquisition or walking into a lecture theatre, I preferred knowing the people I would be dealing with. It was a habit that had served me well for centuries, and I had no intention of changing it simply because I was teaching at a university.
That was why I recognized the young man standing beside Emerald the moment I saw him. Elias Roth.
His file had left a favourable impression—an international academic background, outstanding grades, and excellent recommendations.
There had been nothing unusual about him. Nothing that would have made me look at his file twice.
Earlier today, I had gone to the library to collect a journal before returning to my office. As I walked between the bookshelves, I noticed Emerald standing near the business strategy section with a book in her hand.
Elias was speaking to her. Neither of them appeared to notice me. I had no reason to interrupt them, so I simply continued walking. Their conversation carried clearly through the library.
"...are you researching Professor King’s assignment too?"
I recognised Elias’ voice immediately. Instead of answering him straight away, Emerald suddenly turned her head towards my direction.
The moment she did, a strange feeling settled over me. Leave. I didn’t know why that thought crossed my mind. I hadn’t spoken or made enough noise for an ordinary human to hear me.
There was no reason for Emerald to know I had stepped into the library.
Even so, I found myself quietly stepping behind another bookshelf before leaving through a different exit. Only after I was outside did I stop to think about what I had just done.
I wasn’t in the habit of avoiding people, especially not one of my own students. Yet, at that moment, leaving had seemed like the most natural thing to do.
Even now, I couldn’t explain it. The more I thought about it, however, the more I realised my decision had very little to do with Emerald.
It was Elias Roth who occupied my thoughts.
I had noticed him during my first lecture on Monday. He listened more than he spoke. And when he did contribute to the discussion, his comments were concise and thoughtful.
He neither sought attention nor tried to impress anyone in the classroom.
If I had been asked to describe him after that lecture, I would have said he was exactly the type of student every lecturer appreciated.
Then came the library. I had watched him speak to Emerald for only a few minutes.
He had been polite and respectful. He hadn’t crossed any boundaries. In fact, there was nothing about his behaviour that deserved suspicion.
That was precisely what concerned me.
Everything I had observed matched the information contained in his file. Everything fitted together perfectly. My instinct, however, reached a different conclusion.
As a werewolf, I couldn’t smell anything unusual about him. His heartbeat was steady, his breathing remained calm and his scent was completely human.
There was nothing I could point to as evidence. Only a feeling I couldn’t dismiss.
Over the years, I had learned not to ignore that feeling. While business had taught me to trust facts, life had taught me that facts alone did not always keep a person alive.
For reasons I couldn’t explain, Elias reminded me of a conversation I had with my father when I was twelve years old.
It was only a few weeks after my older brother had been killed.
At the time, I knew very little about the circumstances surrounding his death. I only knew that my father had become far stricter with my training afterwards.
One afternoon, after we had finished sparring, he looked at me and said, "If you ever believe you’ve encountered a shapeshifter, you are to leave immediately."
I remember frowning at him and asking, "Shouldn’t I fight it?"
"No." His answer had come without hesitation. "You report it and let those who are trained deal with it."
I didn’t understand, so I asked again, "If it’s dangerous, why would I walk away?"
My father rested a hand on my shoulder and said, "Because a shapeshifter’s greatest weapon isn’t its strength. It is deception. They earn your trust before they strike."
He paused for a moment before continuing. "The one who killed your brother did exactly that."
Those words had stayed with me ever since. As I grew older, I came to understand exactly what my father had meant.
Shapeshifters were dangerous because they rarely announced themselves. They blended in, observed and waited patiently.
By the time most people realised who they truly were, it was already too late.
The memory gradually faded, and I found myself staring at the laptop on my desk once again.
Perhaps I was overthinking the situation. Perhaps Elias Roth was nothing more than an exceptionally capable MBA student.
Everything I had seen suggested exactly that. Everything except my instinct.
I closed the Veridian Group reports before opening Lanard University’s secure portal. After logging in, I entered a single name into the search bar.
Elias Roth.
His student profile appeared almost instantly. I reviewed it twice: it showed outstanding academic results, excellent recommendations, relevant work experience, and no disciplinary record.
Nothing about his profile stood out. It was as flawless as I remembered. I leaned back in my chair. Most people would find that reassuring, but I didn’t.
Years of negotiating acquisitions had taught me that perfection often deserved closer scrutiny than imperfection.
A company with obvious problems was easy to assess; the dangerous ones were those that appeared to have none.
An ironic thought crossed my mind. If someone searched for Michael King, they would find the profile of a businessman, the founder and chairman of Veridian Group, a guest speaker at international business forums and an MBA lecturer at Lanard University.
There would be financial magazines, interviews and public records documenting every achievement I had chosen to make visible.
But no one would know I had lived for centuries. No one would know that Alpha Lucien and Michael King were the same person.
The world only knew the identity I had allowed it to see. Perhaps that was why Elias’ impeccable background failed to reassure me.
I understood better than most how easily an identity could conceal another. Whether my instinct was right or wrong, there was only one sensible course of action.
Verify the facts.
I reached for my phone and dialled a familiar number. The call connected after the second ring.
"Good evening, Alpha."
"Good evening, Xero. I need you to investigate someone."
"Who?"
"Elias Roth. The MBA student at Lanard." I released a breath before adding, "I want everything. Family, education, employment, financial records and travel history. Anything that doesn’t fit."
"I understand, Sir. If there is something to find, I will find it," Xero replied calmly,
"Good."
I disconnected the line and placed my phone back on the desk before turning my attention to the city lights beyond the window.
This investigation produced two possible outcomes: either Elias Roth was indeed who he appeared to be, and Xero found no discrepancies, or there was an alternative explanation.
If the former was the case, I would gladly admit my instincts had been wrong. But if they weren’t... then Elias Roth had brought more than an MBA application with him to Lanard Business School.
And sooner or later, I intended to uncover the truth.