Lone Wolves

Part 1

A/N: This is just a first draft of an idea. Let me know what you think :) maybe I'll pick this up after I've finished my current projects.

Their eyes were glued to the images flashing across the front wall. Of course, they were. There's nothing more enticing for students than watching a video - as if they weren't staring at screens all day long anyway. At least Luc managed to catch their attention and hold it for more than a split second. Most college students didn't give a rats ass about English Literature and were severely disappointed once they realized that this class on mythical creatures wasn't about fairy tales but actual studies and encounters.

"That's fake," the blond guy that was sitting all the way back at the last table stated as if he had any intention of participating in class. Luc inwardly rolled his eyes at this intensely constructive comment and also that guy's smirk. It told Luc more about his success with the ladies than he wanted to know.

"And how would you know that, uh-" He cast a glance at the guy's nameplate. "Ken?"

Ken crossed his arms and practically sneered at him as if there was no reason in the world for a university professor to doubt whatever their post-pubescent students had to share. "Well, werewolves don't exist."

Now Luc actually rolled his eyes at him. "I agree. Werewolves don't exist. What you saw on that video is called a wolf shifter."

Ken barked out a laugh, and the blonde with her high ponytail and light blue blouse chimed in, "Isn't that the same? I mean, werewolf or shapeshifter? I've read some novels about that and literally, all of them use the term synonymously."

Luc stopped himself from congratulating her on the use of the term 'synonymously' and simply enjoyed the way Ken was ogling her with lots of hormones and a little bit of confusion.

"And what kind of novels were those, Ms Lena?" he asked instead, causing her to sit a little straighter while her cheeks reddened. She glanced around and licked her lips before her attention returned to him.

"Well, just some online romance novels, Mr Fiore."

"And romance novels tend to depict facts so accurately?"

She was already squirming in her seat and ready to admit that her infatuation with domineering primal men was the only reason these 'werewolf' novels existed in the first place when another girl felt the need to add her opinion, "But it says here on Wikipedia that a werewolf -apparently also sometimes called lycanthrope- is a human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf."

"Oh no, you got me, Wikipedia says otherwise," Luc deadpanned, causing the room to be engulfed in the silence of students who have no idea what else to say. Luc shook his head at her, then waved a hand dismissively. "Well, allow me to enlighten you. What you just saw on that video was some unfortunate guy caught on camera while shapeshifting into a wolf. Do you have any idea why I know that he's a wolf shifter and not a werewolf from watching this video?"

"Because werewolves don't exist?" Lena asked carefully, and Luc had to give her credit for having paid attention, though only mentally.

"Ok, let's say werewolves did exist - because they did so a long long time ago. What could be the difference between a werewolf and a shapeshifter?"

There was another silence, this time around the kind of students who definitely had something to say but no clue if it would be the right answer or not. Luc leaned back against his desk and entwined his fingers in front of his stomach while he waited for them to speak up. It took the better half of a minute, but patience tended to pay off.

"Well, uh, aren't there stories where werewolves only, like, turn into wolves when it's the full moon?"

And because it's always easier when someone else has made the first move, another student added, "And all these movies about werewolves I've seen, they were always really ugly, and this one just looked like a real wolf."