LM0074 Acquaintances

Roderik stared out the limousine window, his gaze lingering on the landscape as the road twisted toward Kageoden. It had been years since he'd last set foot here, before the Great War, when he and his father had visited Gen Kagerou. Back then, he had been just a boy, far from the formidable Alpha he was now.

The memory of that visit surfaced—distant, nostalgic. Hizuki Kagerou, a child then too, had been a figure shrouded in quiet mystery. They'd shared fleeting moments—playful exchanges, a few words—but no real connection had formed. After the war, their paths diverged, and the years of silence left them strangers. Not enemies, but no longer familiar.

As the limousine neared Kageoden's gates, Roderik couldn't help but marvel at Hizuki's ability to remain elusive. The Alpha had perfected the art of being a ghost—untouched, unseen by the world. Roderik himself had played his part in that. When he'd found the only colored portrait of Hizuki in his father's collection, he'd hidden it away, realizing the new Shadow Wolf Pack Alpha's desire for anonymity. He'd even gone so far as to spread the lie that it had been lost.

People still believed Roderik had clear images of Hizuki, but in truth, they were nothing more than whispers—half-formed rumors. The mystery surrounding Hizuki Kagerou remained as unyielding as ever. Roderik found himself wondering: Did the man, the boy he once knew, still crave solitude? Or had his responsibilities reshaped him into something else, someone different?

His thoughts shifted to Rina Ookaze and her group. The signs were impossible to ignore—Alpha Ookaze had lied. Despite Rei Ookaze's apparent mental incapacity, there were no marks or blood on her exposed skin—odd, almost impossible, after a battle with rogues.

It clicked then: The incident hadn't been random. It was linked to Kageoden. Hizuki Kagerou had always been an enigma, but now, Roderik found himself wondering what role the Alpha played in this tangled web.

Roderik knew Hizuki. He was a man of action, never one to move without purpose. Hizuki was calculated, deliberate—each step measured. He trusted him far more than the unpredictable Ookaze Wind Pack. Whatever had happened, Roderik was certain the Wind Pack had done something to deserve the retaliation. The question now wasn't why Hizuki intervened, but what had triggered it.

"Alpha Langeveld, we're arriving," the chauffeur's voice broke through his thoughts as the limousine turned into a wide, paved driveway.

Roderik's eyes scanned the skyline, catching sight of the tall, modern buildings ahead. One stood out—marked unmistakably as the headquarters of Shadowlane Logistics. The limo came to a stop in front of it, and the chauffeur immediately stepped out to open the door with practiced efficiency. He waited respectfully, posture straight, as Roderik alighted.

"The Delta is inside, sir," the chauffeur added.

Normally, Roderik would have been greeted by a crowd, with the host himself standing in the forefront. But here, in the heart of the Shadow Wolf Pack, he was just another figure. His strength was respected, but within these walls, it didn't make him special. After all, the reason he was the second strongest Alpha in the world was simple: There was only one Alpha in the Shadow Wolf Pack. If Iori Kagerou were included in the ranks, Roderik would fall down the list. He knew this from experience—having sparred with Iori more than a century ago, when he last visited.

Speaking of the devil, the door of the building swung open, and Iori Kagerou stepped out to greet him. The smile on his face was a rare sight.

"Hey, Langeveld," Iori said with casual familiarity, giving Roderik a hearty pat on the back.

Though Roderik wasn't close to Hizuki, he had a bond with Iori. They were of the same age and had continued to meet occasionally after the Great War. Whenever Shadowlane Logistics had business in the Netherlands, Iori made it a point to visit. The conversations, however, rarely ventured near Hizuki.

That was deliberate. Roderik's younger sister, Astrid, had an obsession with Hizuki, but the alpha wasn't about to stoke that fire. He preferred to remain in the dark so he could truthfully claim he knew nothing about his whereabouts.

Instead of entering the building, Iori motioned for Roderik to return to the limousine.

"Where are we going?" Roderik asked, a note of confusion in his voice but then, he recognized the winding path that led to the old manor. "Is Hizuki accepting visitors now?"

"Kind of…" Iori answered vaguely, his tone unreadable. "By the way, I was surprised when you responded to that lunatic's summons. Both the Alpha and I were caught off guard that you actually showed up to their ambitious assembly."

Iori was referring to the invitation from the Wind Pack.

"You're right," Roderik replied. "Normally, I'd have ignored it—and I did, for a time. But McCann told me they had a cure for the curse, or at least control over the side effects. My stepmother, Astrid's mother, is suffering from it. So, I came. It was hard to turn down."

Iori grunted, his expression softening. "Well, they did help my daughter. I can't deny that."

Roderik glanced at him, puzzled. "How is Izumi? Is she really cured?"

Iori's face darkened. "The pain is gone, but she's not cured. She'll still die sooner than we will."

"False advertising?" Roderik's lips twisted into a wry smile. "As expected of the Wind Pack."

"At least she's not in pain anymore. That's what matters."

"True," Roderik conceded, his tone softening. Alleviating the pain caused by the power destroying the body was no small relief. "So, why did those people end up like that?"

Iori's lips curled into a sneer at the question. "Oh? Didn't they say anything?" he countered, his eyes glinting with amusement as he waited for Roderik to elaborate on what the Wind Pack had claimed.

Roderik's gaze narrowed as he deadpanned, "Well, Ookaze would like to think I'm an idiot and told me it was a rogue attack."

Iori snorted at the absurdity, and Roderik couldn't help but laugh.

"Exactly. A pathetic excuse. They really think I'll buy that?"

"I'm sure they couldn't tell anyone what really happened," Iori said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Roderik shot him a sharp look, his amusement fading. "So what happened?"

The sneer on Iori's face vanished, replaced by an icy coldness. His eyes glittered with a dangerous edge as he spoke. "Those fools wanted Rei Ookaze to be Luna of the Shadow Wolf Pack so badly, they attacked Hizuki. The Ancestor punished them for it."

Roderik's expression darkened as his mind processed the attack on Hizuki. But confusion followed quickly. "Ancestor?"