“Do you think she would go out with me?” Kai quipped, unable to stop the grin that was spreading across his face.
“Nah,” Lilly said, smirking. “I don’t think you are really her type. She prefers stronger, muscular, and more handsome men.”
Kai got up and took a step closer to her. He looked down on her luscious lips and resisted an urge to kiss them. He had never felt so strongly attracted to a woman before.
“What about you?” he asked. “Will you go out with me?”
“I heard you were leaving tomorrow?” Lilly asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I have completed my mission. There is no reason for me to hurry back. I think I could use a few days of vacation,” Kai said, looking deep into her eyes.
“Well, in that case,” she whispered, “I am free for lunch.”
“I will meet you here,” Kai said.
“Guess you will,” she said, giving him a wink before walking away.
Kai collapsed back in his chair, his heart beating fast and a smile on his face.
Chapter 1
Kai dashed through the forest, his bear senses instantly picking up the track of the hunter. He jumped down into the clearing, his eyes flicking between the trees as he tried to find where the hunter went. He closed his eyes and concentrated his bear deep within him and then let out the power as a powerful wave. A second later, his mind picked up the location of his victim and he darted in that direction.
All bears shifters had this special power of sensing but Kai had enhanced this quality to another level after years of focus and meditation.
Within a few minutes, he spotted the hunter who was running through the trees just ahead of him. He jumped, roaring as he did. He landed right on top of the hunter, who screamed at Kai’s sudden appearance. Kai dodged as the hunter pulled out the knife of fire and tried to stab Kai.
Kai lunged toward his target once again, and the hunter swung the knife. It narrowly missed hitting Kai, who managed to overpower his victim. He growled as he grabbed his victim's leg between his powerful jaw and twisted his head. The leg broke and the hunter screamed in pain.
Kai did the same to the other leg before throwing the chains of Alor around his victim. With his target captured, Kai shifted back into a human and started to drag the hunter through the forest. Almost an hour later, he stood in front of Panther who was the leader of the Rain clan.
“Here is your hunter,” Kai said, throwing the man towards Panther’s feet. The man fell down on the ground as he continued to struggle against the chains that held him.
“Well, I must say when I was told that Akai clan has the best tracker amongst all the bears, I didn’t believe it,” Panther said. “I will have to personally thank Jake for sending you to help us.”
“He wanted to return the favor you did for his father,” Kai said.
The Rain clan was known for being vicious and cruel and Jake wanted nothing to do with them. He only agreed to loan Kai to catch the hunter because his father had once asked a favor from Panther. It was a debt that had been repaid, and now Jake had no intention of contacting the Rain clan again.
“Well, I hope I will be lucky enough to meet him soon,” Panther said. “I hear that he is very different from his father. Perhaps he will understand my ambitions and plans, and would even consider joining me.”
“I don’t think that will be possible,” Kai said through clenched teeth. “He has his own view on things.”
“Well, give him my regards,” Panther said. “And, tell him how grateful I am. This hunter has been killing my soldiers for months now.”
Kai bowed before turning around to leave. He didn’t want to stay there longer than he had to. He walked out of the ancient building that Panther called his headquarters and headed toward the pub.
As Kai walked the familiar route, his heartbeat started to increase. He didn’t know why he was feeling this rush of emotions. He already knew what awaited him, yet he couldn’t stop himself from hoping. He reached the door and stood there frozen, trying to muster the courage to go inside.
What would he do if he finally found what he was looking for? Would he be with disappointment once again? Why couldn’t he just forget what had happened and move on?
He entered the establishment and looked around. The once-thriving pub had clearly suffered the blow of the economic recession. The village itself was suffering as years of bad harvests finally caught on. Many villagers had left, trying to find better jobs and earnings elsewhere.
The pub was empty except for a drunken man that sat at the corner. He walked towards the bar and saw the owner wiping some glasses.
“We ain't got nothing,” the owner said as a way of greeting. “We are closing down in two days. You best find somewhere else if you want food and drink.”
“Are you here alone?” Kai asked, his heart racing as his blood filled with a mix of emotions.
