Chapter 132

Meeting Professor Black at the same coffee shop where I had first encountered him felt strangely familiar yet entirely different this time.

I was grateful that Shana was actually with me this time since last time I had hid it from her.

As Shana and I walked in, I noticed that Professor Black was sat at the same table, a cup of black coffee and pastry in front of him.

It was already five in the afternoon, but I supposed he still wanted to indulge in some caffeine.

As we approached the table, Professor Black's eyes lit up with an almost unnatural excitement. It took me by surprise.

"Lucas, Shana, so good to see you both!" he exclaimed, rising from his seat to greet the two of us. His hand extended toward me for a handshake.

Maybe that caffeine was kicking in his system which is why he was so hyper...

I couldn't help but hesitate for a moment, the memory of his unsettling gaze from our previous meeting resurfacing in my mind.

He was staring at Shana the same way he had then, as if she was a rare specimen or some kind of lost treasure. My suspicions had been right all along. He viewed her as something different, and I didn't like it.

Shana wasn't just some experiment to solve.

I found myself growing increasingly protective and I slightly positioned myself in front of Shana. I was trying to make a point.

I felt Shana tug on the back of my shirt and when I turned toward her, she shot me a subtle glare for avoiding the professor's handshake.

I recognized it as her silent signal that I should put aside whatever unease or defensiveness I was feeling and be polite.

I sighed inwardly, realizing I was probably acting a bit too jealous. After all, Professor Black was only here to provide us with some clues and answers. He wasn't a threat... well, at least not that I knew of yet.

I could be civil for now.

With a slight blush of embarrassment, I shook the professor's hand.

"Good to see you again, Professor Black," I said, forcing a smile.

He nodded enthusiastically, unaware of the feelings that were very evident on my face. "Likewise, Lucas! Please, have a seat. Would either of you like some coffee? Or perhaps something to eat?"

I shook my head at the same time Shana said, "No, thank you."

Shana and I settled into the seats across from Professor Black. Right as we sat down, he leaned forward in his chair, his eyes focused intently on Shana. "I have some very fascinating information to share with you."

The tone of his voice and his staring made me uncomfortable, but I tried not to show it. Shana would only scold me further.

"What is it?" Shana leaned forward, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Is it good news?"

The professor gave a thoughtful nod. "Any discovery can be considered good news in the realm of the unknown. Initially, I admit, my research seemed rather fruitless. As you're aware, our available information is limited, and finding relevant data was quite the challenge..."

"I can imagine," I muttered. The information out there was scarce, it would be a difficult task.

"Indeed," Professor Black agreed. "But the key, you see, lies in our university's vast archives, which span hundreds, even thousands of years. While this wealth of records is more than I could've ever asked for, it also presents a daunting task of sifting through countless volumes."

Shana let out an exasperated sigh. "So, it could take years to find anything substantial?"

The professor's face lit up with a mischievous smile. "Not necessarily, my dear. Not when you have someone who knows exactly where to look."

I tensed at his word choice. My dear? Really?

I ignored it and turned to Shana to exchange glimmers of hope, eager for what the professor had to reveal to us.

"I've been digging through the university's library for the past three days," Professor Black continued to say, his excitement only seemed to be growing more and more.

"Three days?" I exclaimed, caught off guard by his dedication.

"In a row?" Shana added, clearly as surprised as I was.

"That's not important," the professor shook his head to ward off our unnecessary questions. "What is important is that I've managed to collect various cases of sudden wolfless shifts, cases that were nearly impossible to find for many years."

Shana leaned in, intrigued. "That's incredible news. What did you discover? Are you able to share it with us?"

"Of course, I can share, that's why I asked the two of you to be here." The professor's gaze didn't waver from Shana as he continued, "I've looked at over a dozen cases of wolfless... and all of them revolve around the same trend."

"Which is?" I asked, starting to grow nervous.

"First of all, all of these wolfless fell within the same age range... Thirteen to eighteen."

Shana and I remained silent as we processed this information.

"But here is the intriguing part," Professor Black continued. "After they shifted, they transformed into abnormal creatures with a tendency for destruction and evil."

My heart skipped a beat. The thought of Shana becoming anything remotely like those monstrous creatures was a frightening thought.

It didn't seem like it would ever be possible.

"That couldn't be Shana," I interjected hastily, my protective instincts flaring up. "When she shifted, she looked like a normal wolf. The only difference was her size, and the fact that she had red, glowing eyes."

"Ahh, yes. The red yes." The professor raised an eyebrow, his curiosity evident. "I almost forgot all about that. It's very peculiar, that's for certain. No other wolfless in my research have possessed such a trait."

"Red eyes?" Shana's eyes widened, her concern growing tenfold. "What do you mean, peculiar? There's no other wolfless that had red eyes?"

"That's the thing." Professor Black leaned back in his chair, his expression contemplative. "No records indicate that anyone else possessed red eyes. The only commonality was that most of them displayed aggressive behavior and a heightened need for violence. It's as though the wolfless, or whatever they became, retained some element of monstrosity within them."

A chill went through me as I took in the professor's words.

"Well, if that would be the case for Shana, why didn't she immediately try to harm me?" I questioned, not believing that this had anything to do with her.

"That is something I'm not sure of yet," Professor Black said. "There is much we don't know about Shana yet. She only just shifted, and she's only shifted once. You don't truly know what you're capable of yet."

The atmosphere in the coffee shop grew tense as we contemplated what the professor's findings could possibly mean.

I couldn't help but squeeze Shana's hand under the table. I wanted to let her know that I was there for her, no matter what happened.

Shana's voice trembled as she asked, "So, what are you suggesting we do, Professor?"

Professor Black's gaze shifted from her to me and back again. "I'm suggesting that we need to uncover the truth behind the white wolf and its connection to you, Shana. It might be the key to understanding what you could become— or what the white wolf might be in itself."