“Haila!” Jalai ordered, saying the ancient word.
The fight started as Jake instantly ran on all fours towards his opponent. Zao stood up as Jake reached him, roaring as Zoa swung his arms towards him. Jake dodged, shifting sideways and attacking Zao from the right.
Years of experience meant that Zao saw his attack coming and at the last minute jumped away. Jake ran towards Zao and the two met in the middle. They tried to claw each other, narrowly missing. Jake lunged to the right before bringing his claw down. His claws penetrated Zao’s flesh, tearing open a gash in his stomach.
Zao growled, jumping away. The wound was too superficial to cause any serious harm, and he ran towards Jake. The two met once again as their claws clashed, trying to slash each other. Jake dodged the furious clawing and slipped to the side, trying to lunge at Zao.
Yet, Zao had been expecting the move. He turned at the last minute and his claws entered Jake’s body, digging deep into his muscles.
Jake roared in pain and agony before wrenching himself away. He turned towards Zao, feeling fury run through his veins. He jumped at Zao with a speed that was twice that of a normal bear, a skill that he was born with as the alpha.
Zao tried to twist away but Jake managed to sink his teeth into his shoulder. Jake bit, tearing the flesh away as Zao thrashed and roared in pain.
The fight continued for five hours, with both the great bears landing serious injuries to another, but neither managing to get the upper hand. Jake knew that the fight had gone on too long. The clan would already be questioning him as the leader. He needed to finish this fight and he had to do it quickly.
He lunged towards Zao, who lunged back. The two bears clawed at each other and this time, Zao managed to dig his claws into Jake’s chest.
Jake roared in pure agony as Zao narrowly missed his heart. He knew that he barely had any time left. One more blow like that and he would be gone.
Jake twisted, with Zao’s claw still in his chest and concentrated the power of his bear. He had always loathed using the secret power of his bear because it always causes unbelievable pain to the one he inflicted on. But right now, Jake had no other choice.
He thrust the power of his bear out, letting it penetrate Zao’s body. The pure force of his bear was so strong that it crushed every single bone Zao’s body. The look of terror and agony that came on Zao’s face almost froze Jake. He felt the guilt flood his heart and soul as he watched the general crumble.
The general lay on the floor, his eyes wide, his body made useless by Jake’s attack.
“Kill me,” Zao said.
Jake shook his head. Even though Zao was unable to move, Jake knew that after a few days in the healing chamber, he would recover. It would be a long and painful recovery, but Zao would live.
“Do not humiliate me by leaving me alive,” Zao growled. “Kill me!”
“Enough!” Jake said. “I don’t kill. I have proved myself as a leader. If anyone has any objections, state them now!” He roared the last part, and every bear stood there in silence.
He turned around and walked away. The second he reached his room, he collapsed and blacked out.
Chapter 5
Jazz
It had been five days since anyone had tried to interrogate Jazz. A girl showed up three times a day with food and water, which she left on the floor and then left. Other than that, Jazz had no contact with anyone.
This suited her just fine, though, because she had been spending almost all her time trying to find a way out. The walls of the dungeon were made of the metal of Alor, one of the strongest metals. It meant that she couldn’t bend it or claw her way through it. There were no windows and nothing that she could use as a weapon. The door itself was manned by two bears, who wore the spiked armor and wore special amulets of power.
Even if Jazz could defeat the guards, the Akai mansion itself was surrounded by over a hundred guards. She knew her chances of fighting so many guards and winning were next to zero, so for now, she stayed put. The main problem, though, was getting the door open. The door could only be opened from the outside. If Jazz could get it open, she knew she had a chance to outrun the guards.
She heard footsteps outside and frowned to herself. It wasn’t dinner time, so it didn’t make sense for anyone to be coming over. She heard the guards speaking and a second later the door opened. Jake walked in through the door and the guards followed him in.
“Leave us alone,” he said, and the guards turned around and left. She noticed that they had left the door open, obviously so Jake could leave when he wanted without having to ask anyone on the outside to open the door. Jazz smirked as she realized that he must be very confident to think that she wasn't going to run away.
Jazz ran her eyes over the man standing in front of her. The emotions she had felt the first time she saw him rushed through her body. She felt a strong urge of attraction as her eyes ran over his body. She noticed his sculpted body and his bulging muscles. The shirt was tight around his chest and it rippled as he moved. Jazz’s bear growled deep in her, prowling as the desire ran through her body.
“Why are you?” Jazz asked, tilting her head as she tried to suppress her feelings. “Have I done something wrong? There must be a special reason for the leader himself to visit me.”
“I am here for answers,” he said, his voice deep and somber. It sent shivers down Jazz’s spine and she shuddered.
“I don’t have any answers,” Jazz said. “Your pals couldn’t get shit out of me, and you won’t either.”
“Is that so?” Jake said, walking over to her. He stopped when he was only a centimeter away from her and looked deep in her eyes. Jazz took a sharp breath as she smelled his strong, musky scent. “You seem to doubt my power.”
