Hunger beneath the moon.

The One He Could Not Read.

The next day felt… almost normal, almost. Kael moved through university with his usual composure, slipping easily into the role of lecturer, and this was second nature to him. Lectures, conversations, passing greetings—everything unfolded as expected. Predictable, controlled, safe and easy, until it wasn’t.

The introduction happened just before midday. Faculty gathered briefly, forming a small circle in the staff meeting room. Kael stood among them, half-listening. The lecturers were all polite, but today, they were a bit curious as the agenda promised new blood. The head of department wasted no time in welcoming a new lecturer to the university.

“…and we’re pleased to welcome Dr. .......... to the department.”

The name barely registered. He was not really listening, but he felt, or rather he didn't. He didn’t. Usually he could read people, read their body posture, glimpse deep down in their soul; just by looking in their eyes, he could smell them, but this one he could.

Their eyes met, and something… clicked. It was not loud, not violent, but it was as if the universe rearranged itself. You do know how you're trying to open a safe: you turn the knob, left, right, clockwise and anti-clockwise, and after much turning, there is this click, and you kind of want to say, finally, at long last. Kael felt like that.

The meeting went on for a while; he was lost; he didn't register much. People started moving away, but he stood there. The new lecturer was moving to shake hands with those that left. He felt awkward; he could not walk away. He stood there and waited his turn.

The new lecturer smiled—easy, composed—and stepped forward.

“Professor Kael, I’ve read some of your work,” he said, extending a hand. “Impressive.” He knew who he was, but he had not even caught his name. Kael shook his hand, no hesitation.

“Thank you,” he replied smoothly. Internally, nothing made sense. He had shaken his hand; he should have been able to read him; the handshake should have opened a door for him to read this person standing in front of him, but nothing surfaced. There were no thoughts brushing against his awareness, no faint echo of intention, nothing.

Every human mind had something, even the most guarded. A flicker, a trace, a presence. Kael didn’t need to try to read them; it simply happened. A constant background awareness he had learned to filter, to ignore. But right now, silence! Silence like that only meant one thing: the new lecturer was not human.

The conversation continued easily, almost too easily. They spoke of psychology, of research, of shared academic interests. Their words flowed naturally, as if they had known each other far longer than a few minutes. There was an immediate connection, effortless, engaging, almost… perfect. To Kael, that made it worse, because he could not see beneath it, he could not measure it, he could not understand it.

Who are you? His mind wandered. The question lingered unspoken as the introduction ended, and the small remaining group began to disperse. Kael gave a final nod, stepping away, forcing himself back into routine. He wanted this environment to be like before, one he was in control of, but his mind did not follow.

He spoke, he taught, he engaged—but part of him remained elsewhere, circling the same thought again and again: a supernatural, here, now, after everything. It didn’t make sense.

After the war, their kind, what remained of it, had learned one rule above all. They had learned that survival depended on distance, on silence, on staying separate, on no territory overlap, on no unnecessary contact. They had abided by this unwritten rule, so why was he here?

Kael returned to his office later than usual. The hallway was quiet, the day beginning to wind down. He reached for the door, and stopped. Someone was inside; he opened it slowly. The new lecturer sat in the chair opposite his desk, waiting, looking as if he was relaxed in another man's space. As though he had always been there. Kael stepped in, closing the door behind him with measured calm, though his mind was already racing.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. They simply looked at each other. Up close, it was even clearer that he was cruelly not human.

Kael was territorial; he was a wolf after all, and this creature was definitely trespassing. He made up his mind that they both needed to protect their identity and understood the need to do so. Kael’s voice, when it came, was controlled.

“Can I help you?” The man smiled slightly, not threateningly, but Kael did not take it as a sign of friendship.

“I was hoping we could talk,” he said. Kael remained standing. He was on alert, every instinct and sense sharpened.

He knew that his being at work was no coincidence.

“You’ve been waiting,” Kael observed, "uninvited, in my office," he said.

“I have.”

Both men remained quiet, searching, unsure of each other. Kael saw the stranger as arrogant and confident; he would not be here if he wasn't. Kael studied him carefully, searching for anything—any clue, any hint of what he was dealing with, but there was nothing obvious. He had no scent, no energy he could easily name; he was just a presence in his room. He realized that the stranger was hiding his true nature, controlling himself; he was contained.

“What are you?” Kael asked finally. They had tiptoed around each other for a long time. If he was not ready to start explaining, he would interrogate him then. He was not polite, and he was not pretending. There must be a reason why he was here, and he wanted to know why.

The man’s smile deepened slightly. “I could ask you the same thing.” The words landed softly. He recognized that Kael meant busy and saw him as an intruder. His words landed precisely and sharply, and Kael read the meaning behind them. It meant they both recognized the predator in each other.

Kael didn’t react outwardly. He didn’t move, didn’t give anything away. He changed his questions. It was no longer what are you?

But, why are you here? Who sent you? How come you called me by my name earlier? The man leaned back slightly, completely at ease. “I didn’t come here to cause problems,” he continued calmly. “If that’s what you’re thinking.” Kael’s gaze didn’t soften.

“Then why are you here?” They both paused, just long enough to matter.

The man’s eyes held his, steady, unreadable. “ I am here because you’re not as alone as you think.” The words cut deeper than anything else he could have said. Kael was not ready to read meaning into anything right now. He wanted the man to speak clearly. Kael’s jaw tightened slightly. What does this stranger know about him to claim that he was not alone?