Sebastian's Point of View
"Alpha, we're ready to go."
I heard my beta's voice and nodded briefly. Before turning away, I looked at my reflection in the mirror one last time.
"Does appearance matter," the wolf inside me sneered, "when all you're going to do is kill or trap that stranger in the basement?"
I rolled my eyes.
What did a wolf like him know? He never needed to look neat. He could walk around naked in this world without a shred of shame.
"I'm going as the founder of the university," I replied coldly, "not as a killer Alpha on the hunt. Remember that."
I shook my head slowly, then put on my sunglasses before leaving the room.
To be honest, I myself didn't know what I would do with this werewolf, or more accurately, this criminal. A wolf living among humans was no trivial matter. If she had managed to survive long enough in the human world, there must be a strong reason behind it.
But one thing was undeniable. She broke the law.
Just living alongside humans was enough to make her deserve a lesson today.
What surprised me most was the fact that, even though our patrol group regularly visited this university, none of them were able to identify her scent. No one was aware of her presence.
How is that possible?
Werewolves can only hide their scent in three ways.
First, by working with a witch and being helped by scent-concealing magic. Second, by being born as a lantern, a werewolf that cannot transform. Third, by possessing a perfume pendant that can completely hide the smell.
Since a council member himself had given me a clue about the existence of a werewolf living among humans, I immediately ruled out the third possibility. Such pendants were under the authority of the council and could not be misused carelessly.
To me, the second possibility made much more sense than the first.
Perhaps she was born human. Perhaps she rejected the world of werewolves and chose to live among ordinary humans.
But whatever her reasons and methods, one thing was certain. She wasn't going anywhere today.
"Alpha, we're here."
Blake's voice snapped me out of my reverie.
"Okay," I replied briefly.
I got out of the car and looked at the university building that I had founded myself, named after my father and mother. It had been a long time since I had last set foot in this place.
I looked back to make sure my trusted people were following me.
Besides Blake and me, there were Luke, Jason, Alex, and Peter.
"Let's go," I said briefly.
We entered the main hall, where the university president was most likely waiting.
And sure enough.
He was standing there with a large bouquet of flowers and a big smile on his face. At least someone seemed genuinely happy about our sudden visit.
But my mind was already elsewhere.
I was much more interested in imagining the werewolf's expression when she finally came face to face with me.
"Mr. Sinclair," the rector greeted me respectfully, "what brings you here on such short notice?"
"Nothing special," I replied calmly. "I just want to see how the university is doing. It's been three years since my last visit, right? Besides that, I want to visit the biotechnology department. I want to make sure the equipment is being used properly. That field has always been my favorite."
I thought of my mother, how she loved research, plants, and everything related to life sciences.
"Of course," the rector replied quickly. "How about we discuss the university's progress first, then tour all the departments, starting with biotechnology?"
I nodded.
But without wasting any time, I immediately headed for the biotechnology department. I didn't come here to make small talk.
I came here to hunt.
As the strongest Alpha, my senses were far sharper than those of an ordinary Alpha. Even the slightest change in scent was enough for me to identify someone's species.
It was a natural gift.
Magic, pendants, or whatever abilities the werewolf used, I wanted to see if any of that would be enough to save her from me.
As we walked down the corridor toward the biotechnology department, my steps suddenly stopped.
I smelled something.
An unusual scent. A mixture of roses and lavender.
But behind that...
There was the smell of a werewolf.
A thin smile almost appeared on the corner of my lips.
So fast.
It seemed like my prey was walking closer, unaware that I was here to catch her.
"Alpha, what's wrong?" Jason asked softly when he saw me stop.
"I think I've found the werewolf in disguise," I replied softly.
They all immediately became alert and followed behind me as I tracked the scent.
One more turn.
I stopped suddenly.
I opened my previously closed eyes so my sense of smell could work optimally and stared straight ahead.
What I saw was completely unexpected.
In front of me stood the silhouette of a woman.
And not just any woman.
Even from a distance, I could tell she was probably the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.
From the panic clearly visible in her eyes, I knew one thing for sure, she was the werewolf we were looking for.
So, the werewolf who had managed to hide right under our noses for months... was a beautiful wolf?
My jaw tightened.
Are my men so incompetent that they can't even catch a female wolf living among humans?
Even though she is so beautiful, I can't help the disgust that slowly creeps into my mind.
"Damn... she's beautiful."
The wolf inside me voiced my thoughts before I could deny them.
I ignored it and refocused. The girl in front of me was the werewolf we had been searching for, living among humans, breaking the law, and hiding right under our noses.
I was considering what punishment she deserved when she started walking towards us.
Her steps were steady. The panic I had seen in her eyes earlier had disappeared. Either she had managed to calm herself down, or she was pretending to be strong. Either way, she was too calm for someone who should have been scared.
"Your stares say it all," she said flatly. "You must know who I am. You were sent by Alpha to pick me up, right?"
I frowned.
Every creature like us could sense auras, recognize the strength and position of other wolves. It was a basic instinct. Even lanterns should be able to sense it.
Then why doesn't she recognize me?
"That-" Blake began to speak.
But I quickly stopped him.
"Don't," I said briefly.
I wanted to know one thing, did this girl really not recognize me, or was she just pretending?
"Yes," I finally replied. "And who are you?"
She sighed, clearly impatient.
"Isn't it obvious?" she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm a werewolf. One who can't change. A lantern, if that helps."
Her tone was flippant. There was no fear. No submissiveness.
"You're a lantern," I said, confirming.
"That's right," she replied quickly. "And before you guys arrest me or whatever, I want to introduce myself. After that, I have to get back to class."
She glanced at the clock on his phone.
"If I skip class today, I'll get a hundred demerit points. That means I won't graduate this year."
I was silent.
Interesting.
She was more afraid of failing college than being in front of a group of armed werewolves.
"Call me Blake," I said suddenly. "I'm the beta of this group."
The real Blake coughed immediately, while the others stared at me in disbelief. I ignored them. I needed a cover.
The girl looked at me, then narrowed her eyes.
"I was just about to introduce myself," she said. "Or do you all have such low QL that you need to be directed one by one?"
The wolf inside me laughed loudly. I held myself back.
Insolent. But... for some reason, it wasn't annoying.
I took a deep breath.
Calm down, Sebastian. You're here to solve the case. Not to kill.
As I was about to answer, she raised her hand.
"Wait."
She looked at her phone screen, read the caller's name, then smiled slightly.
"I have to take this."
She stepped away a few paces.
"Alpha," Luke whispered sharply, "why did you let her talk like that?"
"Because she's not ordinary," I replied softly.
Luke turned to me. "What do you mean?"
"The caller was Mark Michaelson," I explained. "The chairman's son."
They all fell silent immediately.
"And she wore a perfume pendant," I continued. "More than that, she didn't show the slightest sign of submission. No lantern could do that without reason."
Or without protection.
I became increasingly convinced that this girl was not just an ordinary lawbreaker.
Soon after, she returned.
"Okay," she said. "Let's continue."
She looked me straight in the eye.
"My name is Alexis. I'm a lantern. I've been hiding in this university for a year."
She paused for a moment, then continued in a flat tone.
"My group left me. My parents too. I live alone."
For the first time that day, I was completely silent.
A year.
Alone.
And for some reason, at that moment, my conviction to punish her immediately began to crack.
