The soft, golden light of early November filtered through the crisp air in Paris, the streets bathed in a quiet elegance that only the City of Light could offer. Near the Eiffel Tower, the cobblestone streets were lined with cafés, their outdoor tables dusted with fallen leaves. The sound of faint chatter mixed with the clink of coffee cups, and the aroma of freshly baked croissants lingered in the air, inviting passersby to pause and enjoy the fleeting warmth of the day. The tower, towering and majestic, stood as a timeless symbol of romance, its iron frame shimmering faintly against the muted sky.
In one such café, with its quaint Parisian charm, Hizuki Kagerou sat alone, a solitary figure in a sea of busy patrons. He sipped from a small, dark espresso, the bitterness of the drink matching the heaviness he felt inside. He had never liked coffee, but today, it seemed fitting—a small, silent form of punishment for the weariness that clung to him. His thoughts were a tangle of obligations, emotions, and shadows that had followed him across the miles from Kyoto.
A waiter approached, setting down a fresh croissant with a polite smile. "Monsieur, anything else?"
Hizuki shook his head, murmuring a quiet "Merci." The waiter nodded and moved on, leaving Hizuki to his thoughts. He glanced at the flaky pastry but made no move to touch it.
It had been three days since his long flight from Japan—a twelve-hour journey that left him with little more than fatigue and a growing sense of disconnect. His purpose here was simple, and professional, at least on the surface. He had come to deliver a rare and valuable parcel to a prestigious auction house, Sotheby's Paris, where it would be included in an upcoming auction of rare antiquities. The item, an ancient jade pendant with intricate carvings, was a symbol of the power and mystery he had carried with him all his life. He had no interest in the auction, nor in the value of the object. It was simply a task—one he had completed, but the weight of it lingered.
The crisp Parisian air felt cold against Hizuki's skin as he sat at the small café table, staring absently at the Eiffel Tower in the distance. He had come to Paris for business, but his real goal, the one that gnawed at him day and night, was far more personal. The dream he'd shared with Jushin—the nightmare that had shaken him to his core—had drawn him here. He had dreamt of her, his mate, though her face remained blurred, elusive. In the dream, they had met in this very city, but before he could even speak to her, she was gone—lost to him in the span of a heartbeat.
Fragments of the dream came back to him in flashes—her silhouette against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, the sound of her laughter like a melody that teased his memory, the sharp pain in his chest as he saw her crumple to the ground in a dark alley. The visions were disjointed yet vivid, leaving an ache that refused to fade.
The sense of urgency had driven him to search the streets, his steps following the path he remembered from the dream, weaving through the bustling crowds near the Champs-Élysées. He had combed the alleys, every corner, every crevice of the city where his instincts told him she might be. He had even found himself at the alley where he had seen her stabbed in his dream, but she was nowhere to be found. The streets offered no answers, only emptiness. The despair, like a cold weight on his chest, surged within him, and his hand tightened around the delicate espresso cup.
"Hey, easy. You'll break the cup. That would be bad," a voice echoed in his head, rough and soothing all at once. It was his wolf, Kagerou.
Hizuki's lips twitched into a faint, humorless smile. Usually, he was the voice of reason between the two of them, tempering the wolf's impulses. But now, as his own weariness deepened, the wolf had taken on a new role. Kagerou was the one who calmed him, who soothed the swirling emotions that threatened to overtake him.
Kagerou, the Shadow Wolf, was more than just a companion to Hizuki; he was an embodiment of their bloodline's past, a piece of a legacy that spanned millennia. In the ancient times before the curse that ravaged their kind, the clan was known for producing formidable heirs, with their strength inherited from the Lycan Kings themselves—their ancestors, who had ruled with an iron fist and the blessing of the moon. Among these great rulers was the first Lycan King, the Child of the Moon, whose strength was said to be unmatched by any creature in history. His wolf, the original Kagerou, was a beast of legend, a force of nature that became synonymous with the clan's dominance.
But that was long before the curse. A curse that struck on the night of Hizuki's birth, tearing apart the power of the Lycans, dimming their once-bright future. The prophecy foretold that the curse would sap their strength, leaving future generations weaker than their predecessors. His father, Alpha Gen, known as the strongest Alpha in a millennia, was a symbol of what was once possible. Yet, even Gen could not escape the curse's effects.
Hizuki, however, was different. Born under the shadow of the curse, he should have been no more than a fraction of his father's power, an heir to a dying legacy. But fate had other plans. While others anticipated a mediocre wolf to accompany him, Hizuki's connection to the ancient bloodline proved to be more than mere myth. The day he turned eighteen, something extraordinary happened—the curse did not break him. Instead, it revealed to him Kagerou, the very wolf of the first Lycan King, the original Shadow Wolf, bound to him by blood and fate.
Kagerou's presence was not just a testament to Hizuki's heritage; it was a mystery. No one, save for Hizuki's adoptive mother, knew the true origin of Kagerou. To others, the name seemed like a mere tribute to their ancestor's wolf, as though Hizuki's wolf were simply a shadow of the legendary creature. But in truth, Kagerou was the Kagerou—the wolf who had once stood at the side of the first King, a creature so powerful that Hizuki's very existence seemed to defy the curse that had crippled their kind. The power Kagerou brought was not just raw strength; it was an ancient force, deep and primal, a connection that bound Hizuki not just to his ancestors, but to the goddess herself—the goddess who had cursed his bloodline.
The discovery of Kagerou was both a blessing and a burden. Hizuki had expected to meet a mere shadow of his father's wolf, something weak, something that could be easily controlled. Instead, he found a creature that was untamed, a beast that carried with it not only the strength of the Lycans at their peak but also the weight of the curse that had broken them. And though Hizuki now stood as a force greater than his father, the origins of his wolf—the shadow that followed him through the centuries—remained a secret, hidden from all but the closest of his kin.
For Hizuki, Kagerou was not just a wolf; he was a living reminder of the past, of a history that refused to fade, even in the face of ruin. He was the legacy of a time before the curse, a bond forged in the fires of war, loss, and power. As much as Hizuki would try to forget the past, Kagerou would always remind him—through the whispers in the quiet of the night, through the soothing presence when he needed strength, and through the occasional, haunting growl that reminded him of the true weight of their bloodline.
A sudden laugh from a nearby table drew Hizuki's attention. A couple leaned close, their hands brushing as they shared a quiet moment of happiness. Hizuki turned away, his gaze drifting back to the Eiffel Tower, its towering form symbolizing both his frustration and his determination.
"Thanks, Kagerou," he spoke quietly, his thoughts grateful. The wolf had been the steady presence he needed, even when the world seemed to fall apart. As the wind rustled the leaves, Hizuki took a deep breath, grounding himself in the present. The search wasn't over, and he wouldn't give up—not now, not ever.