Chapter 33: A Change of Mind

Michael’s POV

By the time we returned to my penthouse, both of us headed straight for our separate rooms.

A hot shower was long overdue.

About twenty minutes later, I walked back into the living room wearing a fresh charcoal T-shirt and black lounge trousers.

The rich aroma of coffee greeted me almost immediately.

Alaric had kept to his part. He was already seated on the sofa with two steaming cups resting on the centre table. The moment he saw me, he picked one up and took a slow sip before letting out a satisfied breath.

"Now that’s much better."

I took the seat opposite him and reached for the remaining cup.

For a while, neither of us spoke. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. It rarely was between us.

After taking another sip, Alaric looked at me over the rim of his cup. "So..."

I already knew that tone. "What?"

"Tell me about Emerald Hugo," he said.

I glanced at him. "What about her?"

"How did you manage to get her contact?"

I calmly set my cup down. "I didn’t." His brows rose, so I added, "She got mine."

That answer was clearly not what he had expected, so I explained briefly. "Emerald is one of my MBA students. She somehow convinced someone in the administrative office to give her my personal number."

Alaric slowly nodded. "Oh..." Then the corners of his lips curved upwards. "What a perfect coincidence."

I understood his reasoning. Emerald and I had coincidentally met each other at different places. Regardless, I ignored the obvious implication behind those words.

"She only wanted to refund the money I spent for her at the supermarket."

"Hmm." He nodded again before asking, "So which one of you is interested in the other?"

"Focus on your coffee and leave gossip alone." I looked at him without expression. "My relationship with Emerald is simply that of a professor and his student. Nothing more."

The words had barely left my mouth when Draxen spoke. "Liar."

I pretended not to hear him. Alaric, however, wasn’t convinced. He leaned back comfortably against the sofa and smiled.

"Then why do I have this strange feeling that your professor-student relationship is about to graduate into something much more intimate... and completely forbidden?"

As he spoke, he raised both hands and deliberately touched the tips of his index fingers together.

I shifted my gaze to his head and felt like cracking it open with my coffee cup. "Your head is full of nonsense."

With that, I stood up, picked up my coffee and walked over to another sofa.

Alaric pulled a ridiculous face before laughing to himself. "I’ll take that as a ’maybe.’"

I chose not to dignify that with a response.

After a few more sips of coffee, his expression gradually became serious. "Did you receive the Hugo family’s wedding invitation?"

"Xero mentioned it."

"And?"

"I wasn’t planning on attending."

The invitation meant very little to me. The Hugo family possessed influence among humans, but that alone wasn’t enough to interest me.

Alaric slowly set his coffee cup down. "I think you should reconsider."

That immediately caught my attention. He rarely spoke in that tone unless something important was involved.

"Why?"

"I’ve been keeping an eye on a newly popular actress." He paused briefly. "Something about her doesn’t sit right with me."

I narrowed my eyes. "You think she’s a shapeshifter."

"I do."

"Any proof?"

"Not yet." He shook his head. "But my instincts haven’t left me alone."

I exhaled deeply. Instincts were never something to dismiss lightly. Especially ours.

Alaric continued. "I recently learned that she’s one of the guests invited to the Hugo wedding." Then he met my gaze.

"If we’re right, it gives us the perfect opportunity. One gathering. One target. No unnecessary attention."

The atmosphere in the room became noticeably heavier.

Shapeshifters had become far too active in recent years. Every encounter with them demanded caution.

Unlike ordinary enemies, they blended into human society with frightening ease. One mistake was often all they needed.

I rested my coffee cup on the table. "There’s someone here in Boston who’s been bothering me as well."

Alaric looked at me. "Who?"

"One of my students, Elias Roth."

His brows drew together slightly as he waited for me to continue.

"I’ve looked into him. His background is spotless and his records are clean. Everything about him checks out."

Alaric inquired. "So what’s the problem?"

I leaned back against the sofa. "I don’t know." I rarely admitted those words, and this was one of those occasions.

"He’s human," I admitted. "I’ve confirmed it more than once. But every time he’s nearby..." I paused briefly. "My instincts tell me something is wrong."

Alaric frowned thoughtfully. "That doesn’t make much sense."

"It doesn’t."

He remained quiet for several moments before saying, "If you can’t identify the problem, don’t force it. Have someone keep an eye on him. If there really is something unusual, it will eventually reveal itself."

I agreed at once. "I will arrange it."

He reached for his coffee again. "So... Have you changed your mind about the wedding?"

I looked towards the windows overlooking the city. After a brief silence, I answered. "Yes. The possible shapeshifter is reason enough."

I paused before adding, "And I would like to see Darius Hugo. That old man has disappeared from the public eye for years."

Alaric smiled knowingly. "Exactly."

"I would like to know why."

He chuckled. "I’ve always found him interesting."

"So have I," I acknowledged.

The conversation drifted towards other matters after that. At some point, I remembered the message that had interrupted our evening.

I reached for my phone and unlocked the screen. Emerald had already replied.

Professor King, I’m sorry. I just tried making the transfer, but it didn’t go through. I’ll try again another time.

I read the message once, then again. Without realising it, the corner of my mouth lifted ever so slightly. Right on schedule.

I locked the phone and slipped it back into my pocket.

Across from me, Alaric quietly watched my reaction. He didn’t say a word this time, unlike his usual self.

But he didn’t need to anyway. The look on his face alone was irritating enough.