There behind it sat a little baby bear pup, with its bright green eyes looking straight at him.
“Well, fuck,” Kai whispered. He didn’t want to believe it, but he couldn’t deny what he was seeing. Elisabeth was a bear shifter.
Chapter 10
Kai was so exhausted that he had to shift back to his human form. He picked up the pup delicately in his arms and slowly started to limp back, his leg throbbing with excruciating pain. He heard Lilly shouting Elisabeth’s name as he neared the hiding place of the resistance and a second later, she emerged from between the trees.
“I found her,” Kai said, his voice stiff.
Lilly stopped instantly, her eyes falling onto the little bear in his arms. She stood there frozen, refusing to meet Kai’s eyes.
“Lilly?” he asked. “I think it’s about time that you tell me what happened.”
“You weren't supposed to find out,” she whispered. “You were never supposed to know. You were the past I left behind. You were the man I hated. How can life be so cruel as to throw you in my path once again?”
Kai didn’t reply. He cradled the pup close to his chest, waiting for Lilly to speak.
She swallowed before closing her eyes, and took deep breaths to steady herself.
“That’s your daughter, Kai,” she whispered. “For years I have kept this a secret, and now you know.”
“Why?” Kai protested. “Why did you never tell me?”
“Why did you break my heart?” Lilly whispered. “Why did you leave me? Why did you betray me?”
“I have never-” Kai started to say but Lilly cut him off.
“It was three and a half years ago,” Lilly whispered. “Almost four years, when I first met you. And within a month of dating you, I was madly in love with you. I thought you loved me back, especially considering how you kept delaying your return to stay with me. And then one night, I realized I was late for my period. The next day, I traveled to the small town nearby so I could go to the hospital and get myself tested.”
Kai’s strength eventually gave away and he sat down on the ground, the pup still in his arms. Lilly stood there for a minute before coming to sit down next to him.
"When I found out that I was pregnant, I was so nervous and yet happy. I didn’t know how you were going to react. I was scared that you would leave me and refuse to have anything to do with the baby. I almost decided not to tell you, but there was this small hope in my heart. A small part of me said, what if he accepts it? What if he decides that he wants to raise it together? What if he wants to stay with me forever?”
“I would have,” Kai said. “I would have never left you.”
“But you did,” Lilly said, turning around. “I sent you a letter through my friend. I didn’t have the courage to tell you face to face! The next morning, you were gone! No note, no goodbye, no explanation. I go to your room and they tell me you left!”
“Let me explain-” Kai said
“My father found out!” Lilly said, cutting him off. “He forced me to marry Kevin because no daughter of his was going to have a child out of wedlock! It was a taint on his family name! He told me that I either convince the man I fucked to marry me, or I accept his decision. Less than a week later I was married to Kevin and had to move to the next village!”
“I came looking for you!” Kai said, realizing why he never found her when he came to look for her.
“He beat me and abused me regularly. He was drunk and spent all our money gambling.” Lilly continued on as if she couldn’t hear him. “There was nothing I could do. If I didn’t have Elisabeth, I would have killed myself. A few months after she was born, the Rain clan attacked. My father and brother were killed, and I had to leave everything and run away with Kevin and the baby. Thankfully, I met Brian and I joined the resistance. I went from being a depressed, abused, mother to one of the best fighters.”
“Lilly,” Kai said. “I never received any letter from you. I promise you, if I knew-”
“You still left,” Lilly said. “You still left me.”
Kai couldn’t stop himself from doing what he did next. Sitting so close to her, looking deep into her beautiful eyes, he was acutely aware of her delicate floral smell. He could almost feel her body next to his, and he couldn’t deny the attraction that pulled him toward her. For days he had been feeling the strong urge to just take her, and for days he had been denying himself.
Yet, he couldn’t deny it any longer. He leaned over and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, and then he kissed her. She stiffened in his arms, her hands clenching around the collar of his shirt. Then a second later, she melted. She kissed him back with a desire and furiosity that he hadn’t expected.
The way her curves felt as he traced his hands over them excited him and ignited a throbbing ache inside him. He had never felt like this with any other woman. Lilly was the only one who truly made him feel alive.
His hand traced over the curve of her waist, traveling down to her thick hips. He squeezed her ass gently as she moaned and pressed harder against his body. He kissed her hungrily and passionately, the feeling of her soft lips causing mini explosions across his body.
A second later, she pulled away and looked him in the eyes as she panted. “Why did you leave me, Kai?” she whispered.
