He hadn’t slept. The black notebook remained closed on his desk, the ink of his vengeance smudged by restless fingers.

He told himself it was just curiosity. That was all.

A simple check.

He needed to know how far Leo had gone, how safe he was.

The screen blinked to life, loading results almost instantly.

Rowan leaned forward, eyes scanning every line like a man chasing ghosts.

>Leo Hua Wei, age nineteen.

Student at Tianyun University.

Residence: Beijing District 4

Family: Mother – Lilly Hua

(Deceased)Father -kim Haneul

Rowan froze.

That last name — his chest tightened.

Kim Haneul.

The man who had died that night. The man who had carried him through blood and rain to safety.

The connection felt cruelly circular.

He owed his life to the father of the boy who now haunted his thoughts.

He should’ve looked away

Rowan leaned back slowly, trying to smother the emotion curling in his chest.

Instead, he clicked onto a file - a surveillance snapshot from a café near the campus.

Leo sat across from a boy with silver piercings and an easy grin... Sky — the same one Rowan had seen holding his hand.

They looked close. Too close.

Something dark and sharp twisted inside him. He didn’t like the feeling.

Rowan pushed away from the desk, pacing the room. His mind warred between logic and impulse.

But then another voice — softer, quieter — whispered back:

His eyes flickered with a faint golden glow. He reached for his coat, slipping it over his shoulders as the night called to him again.

If the people who destroyed his family were still out there — and Leo was connected to one of them — then this wasn’t about emotion anymore.

It was survival.

It was purpose.

That’s what he told himself as he stepped out into the cold air, his boots echoing against the wet pavement.

The city lights reflected in his eyes like shards of gold as he disappeared into the crowd —

a wolf among humans once more, hunting for answers he wasn’t ready to face.

-----

The night was cold when Rowan returned to his apartment.

Blood still clung to his gloves, dark against the moonlight filtering through the window. He didn’t bother turning on the lights — he never did after a hunt. The silence was enough. The guilt, even more so.

Another name had been crossed off his list.

Another piece of vengeance complete.

But instead of satisfaction, all he felt was exhaustion.

He sank into the chair by his desk, breathing quietly. The city below buzzed faintly, oblivious to the chaos he carried inside. He stared at the black notebook again — the list that had once given him purpose.

And yet… his mind wasn’t on it tonight.

No.

It was on him.

Rowan pressed a hand to his forehead, annoyed by the persistent image. He shouldn’t care. He had work to do — enemies left to find and destroy.

But the thought of that other boy — the one always beside Leo — stirred something uneasy inside him.

“He’s too close,” 

Rowan muttered under his breath. 

“And I don’t like it.”

He stood, crossing to the window where the city lights glimmered like dying stars.

He needed a way in — a way to stay close without being noticed.

A way to watch without suspicion.

That’s when the idea came.

It was reckless, absurd… and yet somehow perfect.

He glanced toward the small mirror by the door, eyes glowing faintly gold. His reflection flickered — the faint outline of the wolf beneath his skin.

“A dog, huh?” 

he murmured, lips curving faintly.

 “Not a bad disguise.”

If he could shift into a smaller form — suppress his aura, mask his scent — he could blend in. Stay near Leo. Watch. Protect.

And maybe… understand why that boy’s presence still lingered in his thoughts like a wound that refused to close.

He opened his notebook again, flipping past the names of those who had wronged him.

This time, he turned to a blank page.

At the top, he wrote one name only:

Leo Kim.

Underneath, he scribbled a new mission:

 “Observation. Protection. No interference.”

He stared at the words for a long moment before closing the book.

Because deep down, he knew he was lying to himself.

This wasn’t just observation anymore.

It was curiosity.

Attachment.

Dangerous things for someone like him.

Rowan took a slow breath, closed his eyes, and let the shift begin.

His body glowed faintly as bones reshaped, fur replacing skin — sleek, silver-blue,. When the light faded, a wolf no bigger than a husky stood in the room, golden eyes gleaming under the moon.

He padded silently to the door, tail low, his heart steady but conflicted.

 “Just watching,” 

he told himself one last time. 

“That’s all.”

And with that, Rowan — the wolf once feared by hunters — vanished into the night again.

Not as a predator this time, but as something far stranger.

_____

The afternoon sun spilled softly through the window as Leo pushed open the front door.

The familiar scent of herbs and dinner filled the air, and the faint sound of his mother humming drifted from the kitchen.

“Mom, I’m home!” 

he called out, dropping his bag beside the shoe rack.

“Welcome back, honey!” 

Lily’s cheerful voice floated through. 

“Dinner will be ready soon. Wash up first!”

Leo smiled faintly — the same warmth he always felt walking into this house after a long day at school.

He ran a hand through his messy hair and started toward the living room… but stopped halfway.

There, curled up on a blanket near the couch, was a dog.

Its fur shimmered a deep shade of silver-black, unlike any he’d seen before. Its leg was wrapped gently in bandages, and even in sleep, it looked… regal. Strong.

But also tired.

Leo blinked. 

“Whoa… when did we get him?”

Lily appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. She followed Leo’s gaze and smiled softly.

“Oh, that poor thing,”

 she said. 

“I found him by the roadside this morning when I went to buy groceries. His leg was injured, so I brought him home.”

Leo knelt down, eyes softening as he studied the animal. 

“He looks...… scary.”

“Mm, maybe,”

 Lily said thoughtfully.

 “But he’s gentle. Didn’t even growl when I cleaned the wound.”

Leo hesitated before slowly reaching out his hand. The dog’s ear twitched, eyes blinking open.

“Hey…”

 he whispered. 

“You’re awake.”

The dog stared at him quietly, unblinking, then shifted slightly, resting its head back down as if dismissing him.

Lily chuckled.

 “Looks like he’s not in the mood to talk.”

Leo smiled faintly, his curiosity growing.

 “What are we gonna call him?”

“I haven’t decided,”

 Lily said, returning to the kitchen.

“You can name him if you like. You’re good with that sort of thing but I think maybe the owner already had a name for him.”

Leo looked back at the dog, who was pretending to sleep again. He tilted his head, thinking.

“Hmm…” 

he murmured softly. 

“You look kind of mysterious… and a little cold. Maybe… Shadow suits you.”

At that, one golden eye cracked open again.

Leo grinned. “Yeah. Shadow it is.”

He reached out, brushing his hand lightly over the animal’s fur. It was warm. Soft. Comforting.

“Welcome home, Shadow,” he whispered.

From the corner of the room, the wolf — Rowan — watched him carefully through half-lidded eyes. His injured leg ached faintly, but the boy’s voice dulled the pain in ways he didn’t want to admit.

He closed his eyes again, forcing down the strange mix of guilt and longing rising inside him.

But even as he told himself that, Rowan couldn’t ignore how easy Leo’s touch had felt — how the warmth in his voice had reached places vengeance could never touch.

Outside, the sun began to set — a new chapter quietly beginning beneath its fading light.

____

The following morning, soft sunlight streamed through the curtains, spilling across the living room floor.

Leo stirred awake on the couch, a blanket draped carelessly over his legs. He’d fallen asleep there the night before — after spending hours sitting beside Shadow.

The wolf-dog slept soundly beside him, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

Leo smiled faintly.

 “You’re still here.”

He stretched and yawned, running a hand through his messy hair.

Leo crouched down. 

“Morning, Shadow.”

The animal cracked one golden eye open before huffing softly, laying his head back down.

Leo chuckled. 

“You’re still pretending you don’t care, huh?”

He reached out, gently brushing a few strands of fur from Shadow’s face. The warmth beneath his palm made him smile. 

“You’re not so scary up close.”

Rowan watched him quietly, eyes half-lidded. The boy’s laughter, the softness of his voice — it stirred something in him he hadn’t felt in years. It was disarming. Dangerous.

He wasn’t supposed to feel. He was supposed to watch, listen, and plan.

---

Later that day, Leo returned from school carrying a small paper bag. He set it down in front of Shadow, grinning.

“I got something for you,”

 he said.

Inside the bag were treats — the kind used for training dogs, though Leo had no idea who he was really feeding.

Shadow sniffed them, then gave Leo a look that was somewhere between unimpressed and confused.

Leo burst out laughing. 

“What? You don’t like it?”

Shadow sighed — or at least it sounded like it. He reluctantly took one, biting it once before swallowing.

Leo clapped his hands, proud. 

“See? You do like it!”

Rowan internally groaned. 

But there was no denying the faint amusement curling in his chest as Leo beamed down at him.

---

That night, as the house grew quiet, Leo sat cross-legged on the floor beside Shadow.

His textbooks lay forgotten on the table, the soft hum of the night filling the silence.

“You know,” 

Leo said softly, 

“it’s weird. I feel like… I can talk to you.”

Shadow’s ear twitched.

Leo smiled faintly. 

“You probably think I’m crazy."

The words made Rowan’s breath catch for the briefest second.

Leo laughed awkwardly. “But..... I guess I just have a thing for strays.”

He leaned back, gazing at the ceiling.

 “Mom says she’ll find your owner soon… but I kind of hope she doesn’t.”

The boy’s voice softened, carrying that same kindness from years ago.

“Because, Shadow… you make the house feel less empty.”

Rowan stared at him for a long moment.

For all his promises of revenge, for all the blood on his hands — this warmth was something he’d forgotten existed.

He lowered his head on his paws, golden eyes flickering with something uncertain.

he thought.

_____

The moon hung low that night — pale, cold, and silent.

The world that was gentle hours ago had turned into Rowan’s domain again.

He stood on a rooftop overlooking the city, the glow of neon lights reflecting faintly in his golden eyes.

Gone was Shadow — the quiet, injured dog sleeping beside Leo.

This was Rowan — the predator who moved in the dark.

He adjusted his black gloves, his expression calm yet merciless.

“Third one tonight,” 

he murmured, voice low.

Down below, a man stumbled out of an old warehouse — one of the names from Rowan’s list.

The man had once worked for the company responsible for his parents’ deaths — another pawn in the chain of greed.

Rowan dropped soundlessly from the rooftop, his cloak flaring like wings.

A single flash of steel gleamed under the moonlight.

A whisper.

A gasp.

Then silence.

He didn’t linger. He never did.

---

Later that same night, Rowan’s form shimmered and bent as he ducked into a narrow alley.

Bones shifted, fur grew, and within seconds, Shadow emerged — his wolfish body blending perfectly into the shadows of the city.

He padded quietly through the backstreets, intending to return to Leo’s neighborhood before dawn.

That’s when he noticed a figure stepping out of a nearby convenience store — a familiar one.

A boy with a backpack slung lazily over one shoulder.

Leo’s friend.

Rowan froze, his golden eyes narrowing.

The boy turned — and met those eyes.

For a brief, breathless moment, the world fell still.

The boy’s pupils shrank. His heart pounded audibly.

He didn’t know why, but something primal screamed inside him — run.

Rowan’s gaze was cold, unreadable, yet undeniably wild.

He didn’t move. He didn’t growl.

He simply stared — and that was enough.

Sky stumbled backward, dropping his drink with a splash. 

“W–What the hell—!”

Then he bolted down the street, his footsteps echoing into the night.

Rowan watched him disappear.

A faint smirk tugged at his lips. 

“So that’s the friend…”

His eyes softened slightly. 

“You should stay away from him, Leo. He’s got too much fear in his eyes.”

He turned toward the direction of Leo’s home, the city lights fading behind him.

The warmth he’d felt earlier that day crept into his mind — Leo’s laughter, his voice, the way he’d said I hope Mom doesn’t find your owner.

Rowan’s chest tightened.

For the first time in years, the night didn’t feel as comforting as it used to.

“Don’t make me hesitate, Leo…”

 he muttered under his breath.

“Not when I still have blood left to spill.”

_____

The sun had barely risen when Leo’s phone buzzed beside his pillow.

He groaned, half-asleep, before squinting at the screen.

Leo smiled faintly and replied with a thumbs-up emoji before rolling out of bed. It had been a long week of school, and for once, he wanted a quiet, normal day — no homework, no noise, no strange thoughts.

By early afternoon, Leo was at Sky’s place — a cozy apartment filled with snacks, soda cans, and the faint smell of popcorn.

Sky was his usual self — teasing, cheerful, yet always sharp with his words.

“Choose the movie,” 

Sky said, tossing the remote to him.

Leo laughed.

 “You always make me choose just so you can complain later.”

“Exactly,” 

Sky smirked, lounging on the couch.

 “It’s more fun that way.”

The screen flickered with titles when Leo suddenly stood. 

“Wait—give me a sec, I need the toilet.”

“Yeah, yeah,”

 Sky said absently, scrolling through his phone.

A few minutes later, a ding echoed.

Leo’s phone, left on the coffee table, lit up with a new message.

Sky smiled faintly at the text—then froze when the wallpaper flashed across the screen.

A dog.

No—those eyes.

Golden. Piercing. Almost human.

His stomach tightened.

It was the same pair of eyes he’d seen last night in the alley—the same silent, glowing stare that had pinned him in place.

He blinked hard, shaking his head. No way. 

"That’s just… coincidence right?."

But his pulse refused to slow.

Every detail matched. The fur color. The faint scar near the ear. Even the same sharp, watchful expression.

When Leo came back, wiping his hands on his jeans, Sky was staring at the phone like it held a secret.

“Uh—what’s up?” 

Leo asked, noticing the look.

Sky hesitated.

 “That… wallpaper. The.....dog.”