Chapter 135: Completely Lost

Michael’s POV

As soon as I finished relaying the new findings, Alaric stood and walked toward me.

"If these shapeshifters have started infiltrating political families, we may have underestimated how far they have already gone."

"That is exactly what concerns me." I heaved a sigh.

Alaric glanced toward my laptop. "Do you think the senator’s son is the target or the senator himself?"

"Too early to say." I shook my head.

He folded his arms. "The woman could have been meeting him for any number of reasons. And we have no idea whether she was there because of him or because she needed access to something."

"That is why I want facts before we act," I replied.

We had spent months tracing shapeshifter activity through wealthy families and influential circles.

We already knew they were not operating randomly. They were establishing access, finding useful positions, and using human influence to move through places where ordinary people would never suspect them.

Now one of those trails had reached the family of a sitting senator.

"If that man has already been possessed," I said, "we need to know before the shapeshifter has time to move deeper into his family’s circle."

Alaric’s jaw tightened. "And if he hasn’t, we need to find out why she went there. That could be even more important."

"We will wait for further report," I replied.

I intended to find out exactly how close the shapeshifters had already gotten.

---

Early Monday morning, one of my men called with the report I had been waiting for.

The senator’s son was human.

My men had monitored him through the night and into the morning, comparing his current behaviour with his established routine. Nothing suggested possession.

His work, family interactions, movements, and communications from before remained consistent after the shapeshifter appeared at his residence.

The more important discovery was that her visit had not been the first.

She had been to his residence before.

That meant she already had a relationship with him, one established long before she left Elias Roth’s company at the club and drove directly to his home.

My men had found no indication that the senator’s son knew what she really was.

I stared at the information on my laptop. This changed the way I viewed the situation.

The shapeshifter did not necessarily need to possess every human she approached. A well-connected human could be useful without ever knowing he was being used.

The senator’s son had access to political circles, private gatherings, influential families, and people who would never give a supernatural creature a second glance because they believed she was simply another person within their social circle.

I ordered my men to continue watching both of them.

They were not to interfere or expose themselves. I wanted to know where she took him, who she met through him, and what doors she was gaining access to.

Only then would we know whether he was merely an acquaintance or something far more useful to her.

During breakfast, I briefed Alaric on the latest findings.

"...He appears to have no idea what she is."

Alaric absorbed that quietly. "So, she may not be looking for hosts."

"That is what I’m thinking."

He thought for a moment before saying, "If that’s what they are doing, then politics may already be part of their network."

"Exactly." I slowly nodded.

Neither of us needed to say more.

A shapeshifter inside a human body was dangerous.

A shapeshifter with access to the right human without ever needing to take his body could be far harder to detect.

---

As soon as I pulled into the parking lot at Lanard, my thoughts naturally turned to Emerald.

I was going to see her today.

The thought brought a smile to my face before I could stop it.

I turned off the engine, gathered my things from the back seat, and left the car. I stopped by my office first, settled in for a few minutes, reviewed what I needed for the morning, and then headed to my first class.

The students greeted me as I walked in. I returned their greetings, set my things on the lectern, and let my eyes move across the room.

I found Emerald almost immediately. A small smile touched my lips.

She was deliberately avoiding my gaze.

I knew her well enough by now to recognise it. After Saturday, she probably could not bring herself to look directly at me without remembering the kiss.

I did not mind.

I began teaching.

For the first part of the lecture, everything proceeded normally. I moved through the material, explained the concepts, and took the class through the points I wanted them to understand.

Then I noticed Emerald had stopped paying attention.

Her eyes were directed toward the front, but her expression told me her thoughts were somewhere else.

Instantly, I knew what to do to get her attention back.

"Miss Hugo."

She jerked slightly and looked at me. "Yes, Professor?"

I stared at her for a second, then asked, "Based on the last point I made, what would be the primary implication in that situation?"

She started to rise.

"You can remain seated," I told her. "Just answer from there."

She stopped and looked at me. A few seconds passed, yet she said nothing.

I waited.

She looked as though she knew she should have been able to answer but had completely lost track of what I had been discussing.

My attention shifted behind her. Elias Roth was sitting there today. Then I heard the quiet movement of his chair before his voice reached my ears.

"Think about the effect on the company’s long-term position."

He whispered the answer toward Emerald.

She caught it.

I released a slow breath and turned my attention back to the rest of the class. "Exactly," I said, continuing the lecture without waiting for Emerald to repeat the answer.

I didn’t need to, because from that point on, she paid attention.

Her eyes remained on me for the rest of the class, and she followed every part of the lecture without drifting away again.