THE WEREWOLF DETECTIVE

HIS EYES

CALEB

I unconsciously touched my face, “What is with my eyes? It’s already back to normal, right?” It’s not the first time Miguel has seen my ‘wolf’ eyes, so why was he staring at me like my eyes fell out of my socket?

He pointed at me like he had seen an alien, “Not those eyes, dummy, your wolf eyes. It changed color. It was yellow earlier.” He finally revealed. I felt my eyebrows almost knit in pure confusion. I couldn’t change my eyes at will, so I couldn’t confirm Miguel’s claim.

“Are you sure?” I asked again. Miguel had been dead scared earlier, which could explain his confusion.

Miguel nodded, “I’m certain of what I saw. Your eyes were almost golden.” He confirmed it, but I’m still doubtful. My eyes can’t change in a matter of seconds; they’ve been blue all along.

“I need to know more about her,” I uttered, referring to our client. Whatever I felt earlier, I’m a hundred percent sure she was the reason. I must understand what that’s about—it could be my only clue to my origin.

Miguel looked at me like I had just lost my mind. “You said you lost control because of her. We should be sending her back instead. Unless you want to reveal your secret to the whole world.” He argued while keeping his voice down and cautiously looking at the door. I simply shook my head in opposition and didn’t mind Miguel’s frantic request.

I could hear her heartbeat, and I couldn’t feel any ill intention towards us. She was just... very worried.

“No, I should get to know her. That woman might be the key to my past.” Miguel scratched his head in frustration, “Caleb, are you hearing yourself? That woman is here because she needed our help. What could she be of any help to you when we’re the investigators here, and we still haven’t found any clues about your true identity?”

“Just... let me talk to her.”

He looked at me with a defeated expression, “Then you should at least clean yourself up and change.” I looked at my current state and silently agreed. It was all from my effort to stop myself earlier. Fortunately, my mind cleared up already.

“Yeah, I should do that.”

--

ZEKE

“Sorry for what happened earlier.” The man earlier profusely apologized, then gave a small smile. I suddenly felt my heart skip a beat. It was a relief that he seemed fine already, but I didn’t even notice how good-looking he was because he kept hiding his face earlier.

What was I thinking earlier? How could this man be someone scary when he looked like that? He looked like he came out straight from a novel.

I reluctantly held out my hand to accept his handshake. I’m really sleep-deprived to be thinking of wild stuff earlier.

“I’m Caleb Walkers, and that is my assistant. Miguel Behriger.” I awkwardly reciprocated the smile and shook his hand. There was an odd feeling when our hands touched. It was strange, but it didn’t feel wrong at all. I rarely look at people’s eyes, but I’ve been wanting to see his eyes since earlier.

Our eyes finally met, and I had to scold myself for all the unnecessary thoughts swimming around in my head. I internally tapped my cheeks to wake me back to reality.

I cleared my throat and finally withdrew my hand.

“I’m Alyanna Zeke Montero, but I prefer to be called Zeke. Please don’t call me Alyanna. Anyway, I’m here because I want you to find my brother.” I pulled out a folder from my bag. It contains all the organized information about my brother’s disappearance. It was what I gathered from the police and from the investigators I hired in the past.

Caleb accepted the folder and scanned the contents. He looked surprised and confused at the same time.

“Is there something wrong? Any more details do you need that was lacking?” I asked, just in case I’d missed something.

He put down the folder and smiled, “No, this was pretty organized, actually. You know, most of our clients come in with only a picture of the person they’re looking for and some basic information. It’s my first time encountering a client with all this information I could ask for.” I averted his gaze. There was an unusual feeling whenever our eyes met, making me uncomfortable. Wait, it’s not uncomfortable, but I can’t explain it.

“You’re not the first private investigator I asked for help. You’re the fourth one, actually.” I had to clear my throat once again, “All of them eventually gave up.” I can’t help but feel devastated whenever I remember. Everyone seems to have moved on already, but I am not. I would never stop until I found my brother dead or alive.

He gave a slight nod. His expression tells me that he was determined to solve this case. It was different from all their reactions when I told them what happened.

“I know you’ve been asked this question so many times, and I apologize for that, but I’ve got to know. When was the last time you saw your brother?”

I pursed my lips for a moment. Caleb was right. I am already tired of going over and over with this.

“It was four months ago. Liam is a high school history teacher. The last time I saw him was when he left the house. He was very excited that day. He said that his class would have a field trip and they would visit a museum. But they didn’t even reach their destination when he disappeared. The bus stopped for a bathroom break, but he never came back. His co-teacher and everyone else tried to find him, but he was nowhere to be found. It’s like he disappeared into thin air.” I feel upset every single time I try to remember that day. I know what I saw. There was no way that he would suddenly leave because he had no other reason to at all.

I looked up and saw his eyes again. I don’t see pity, but there was something else that I couldn’t figure out what. Nonetheless, it was a comforting feeling. It was very odd. It’s tough for me to warm up with people around me, yet I feel so comfortable with Caleb’s presence. I almost forgot what happened earlier.

“I promise that I will find him.” I was surprised by his words. No one was this determined to help her before. Not even the people around me gave me this much support and hope.

I can’t help but smile, “Thank you. You don’t know how much that meant for me.” He smiled back, which made me flustered again.

“T-the inhaler that I lent you was my brother’s. He has terrible asthma, but he always forgets his inhaler, so I always bring a spare for him. I don’t know. Maybe that information could be helpful somehow. The past investigators eventually gave up because they couldn’t find any leads. They said the same thing that it’s a dead end.” I hate it every time I hear it, but I understand them. They always end up at a dead end, and the investigators are only stating the truth.

“We’ll do what we can do, and then we’ll give you an update on what we will find.” I have been observing Caleb since earlier. The second and third investigators I’d hired already looked hopeless when I approached them. But all I saw in Caleb’s eyes was hope. It gave me more confidence than ever since my brother was gone.