The Hunt (Shifter Origins)

by Harper A. Brooks

  Ryna’s voice lowered, and her gaze lingered on the flickering flames. “Hani was very close to Noble Vallius. Good friends even, and Vallius trusted him with almost everything. He’d even made him the head of the Majasha.”

  “Our grandfather was part of Rafé’s Majasha men?” Alina chimed in to ask.

  “No, the Nobles’ Majasha,” Cara answered. “The first and actual Majasha. Rafé named his group after them.”

  Ryna nodded at Alina, her eyes somber. “When the Nobles’ numbers began to dwindle, one of the Majasha men wanted a new way to keep order and to discipline criminals. He found a poison, teralau, which grew wild in the Bilha Forest. But Hani saw the cruel effects of the plant.” She pointed to the wound on Cara’s arm. “Even a small amount of it can kill. When one of the Majasha died handling it, Hani told Vallius that it was too dangerous to use. He suggested it be stripped from Sajra. But this young Majasha man insisted, claiming the city and the Nobles were growing too weak. You see, this man was in line for the throne.”

  Cara’s heart skipped a beat. “You mean…Salus?” Could it be that Kael’s father and her grandfather shared a past?

  “Yes, Rei Salus,” Ryna muttered. “He started as a Majasha. As the oldest tiger male, he was next in line to rule over the city. Vallius trusted Hani with so much, even his life and the choice of his successor.”

  Cara couldn’t believe what she was hearing. A panther—her grandfather—in such a high position to the Nobles? Now, they were being treated like vermin. And Rei Salus was the one to discover teralau and bring it into Sajra? It was the very poison used to kill him. The assassin must have known of Salus’s past, or was part of it.

  “My Hani knew Salus was corrupt. The tiger wanted to create currency instead of using trade to make competition and hierarchy amongst the people. Vallius saw it, too, but he got sick much too quickly. Many people thought he would live forever, so when he died so suddenly, there was talk about murder.”

  “No,” Cara whispered, realization hitting her. She had heard this story before, about a panther killing a Noble almost five decades ago. “It can’t be. Hani?”

  Ryna shook her head. “The stories aren’t true. Hani wouldn’t kill anyone. From what he told me, no one else knew of Vallius’s hesitation to make Salus the next ruler. So when the Noble passed, Salus convinced the guards it was Hani who had Vallius’s death planned all along, and he’d used teralau to do it.

  “Salus was so convincing. He was a great Majasha man, ruthless and cunning. They took his word over Hani’s.” She paused, her voice fading and her eyes glittering with tears. “After Salus’s ascension ceremony, where he named himself rei, Hani…he was arrested for the murder of a Noble.”

  A tear rolled down her cheek, catching in one of her wrinkles. “Not long after, I was given word that Hani died in the tigers’ prison.”

  Cara scooted closer to her grandmother and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Despite the suffocating heat in the hut, Ryna trembled. Cara’s heart clenched for her. She never knew how deep Salus’s treachery went. Anger gnawed at her, and for a moment, Cara was glad he was dead. She wondered if Kael knew of his father’s limitless brutality. She hoped he didn’t. She wanted to believe he couldn’t be that cruel.

  “Then the prejudice started against our people.” Ryna hastily wiped away the tears from her eyes and stood on shaky legs. “Salus made it so no one would ever trust a panther again. I’m convinced he did it—he killed Vallius in his greedy quest for the throne.

  “The tale has become so twisted since then. Many of those who know the truth have passed, and the ones who are still here do not speak of it. Salus never tolerated a difference in opinion.” She filled Cara’s bowl with more tea. Handing it back, Ryna then took the small glass jar again and scooped some of the magic cooling gel onto her fingers. She smeared it on Cara’s wound.

  “Why didn’t you tell me, Ryna?” Cara asked.

  Clearing her throat as she worked, her grandmother said, “It wouldn’t have helped. If anything, it would have put you in danger. Who knows what the tigers would have done if they knew your grandfather almost cost them the throne. We are lucky no one else has revealed it. I like to think our neighbors believe Hani was innocent, too.”

  She was right. If she had known it was her grandfather who’d been wrongly accused all those years ago, Cara wouldn’t have been able to keep quiet about it in front of the prince. And calling Rei Salus a Noble-killer and a lying snake might not be something he wanted to hear.

  But telling Kael the truth might help him find the assassin in some way. Whoever it was, he knew of Salus’s connection to teralau. Maybe Kael could question past Majasha men…

  No, the risk was too great. Knowing of her grandfather’s involvement could make Cara look guilty, point to her and the assassin working together as an act of vengeance on Salus. It would give Kael a reason to shut her up in the prison cell again and throw the key into the river.

  Finding Rei Salus’s killer was Kael’s mission, not hers. He would figure it out on his own. Better to not get involved. She had to keep this one to herself.

  “Drink more tea.” Ryna’s lips pinched at the corners in a forced smile. Cara knew that look all too well. She’d worn it many times herself, whenever she wanted to seem strong but was crumbling inside.

  “Thank you, Ryna. Really…”

  She sniffed. “I’m just so glad it didn’t claim you, too.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Me, too,” Alina added with a broad grin. Her hair was back in its long braid. “Can I have some tea, too, Ry?”

  “Of course, dear.” She took another bowl from the shelf, poured only half a ladle of tea into it, and passed it to Alina. “Be careful. It’s a strong one. And a little too hot for you. Blow before you drink.”

  Alina puckered her lips, but when she blew over the tea, sprinkles of spit flew, too.

  Ryna shook her head, a true grin appearing. The crinkles at the corners of her eyes deepened. Cara gulped down her own tea, savoring the swirl of icy heat and clashing flavors, along with the tingling sensation crawling over her skin. She could barely feel pain in her arm anymore, and her insides buzzed with energy. Whether it was from Ryna’s magical brew or not, she didn’t know, but she felt like she could sprint up Sajra’s river and back without losing her breath. The power of the shift pulled at her muscles.

  Cara finished her tea, placed the bowl down, and stood. She strolled over to the door.

  “Where are you going?” Ryna asked.

  She glanced over her shoulder. “To gather and split some wood. Maybe take the clothes down and fold them.”

  “I told you that batch of tea was strong,” Ryna replied with a light laugh. “Besides, that’s all been done. Rafé’s finished it all. You know, he’s been a big help in the time you were gone.”

  Cara’s stomach flipped, and she spun around in her spot. “Rafé did it all?”

  “He even brought us stag.”

  “I told her!” Alina added.

  “It was massive.”

  “Bigger than my head,” Alina repeated.

  “We have most of it left over. Oh, you must be starving. I’m sure they didn’t feed you in the prison.” Ryna shuffled across the room. “I’ll get it fixed up for you right away. Poor dear.”

  Rafé had done even more than she’d expected—the clothes, the food, the wood. All of it. Was he doing all of this because of her request or because he wanted her to accept his offer to be his mate? She hoped he hadn’t discussed it with Ryna. If so, she would never hear the end of it from her grandmother. Especially if she knew Cara still struggled with her answer.

  But look at all the things he’s done for your family.

  She glanced around the room. Alina kicked her legs as she sipped her tea. Even though her face was dirty, her belly was full, and she looked well rested and happy. Ryna pulled a chunk of the stag from the drying rack and a skillet from under the bed. The meat, even just a part of it, was bigge
r than any bundle Cara had traded for in the marketplace. She caught a glimpse of more salted and strung up to dry. It could last them weeks if she could portion it out and pair it with the other berries and nuts they’d gathered from the forest. She didn’t have to worry about their next meal, or the next. Or the next.

  She should have been relieved, but there was a thickness growing in her chest.

  “Rafé is a great man. Any woman would be happy to claim him as hers,” Ryna began, placing the pan over the fire, right next to the pot of tea. The tall flames reached up and crackled. “I think he has his eye fixed on you, Cara.”

  Oh yes, he did. Cara opened her mouth to comment, but Ryna interjected, “Before you say a word, I know you’ll do anything for this family. It’s a trait you inherited from your father. But I don’t want your responsibility to blind you.”

  A shiver ran down her spine at the familiar words. She had heard them before—last year when she had turned Rafé’s first offer down, and again from Kael in her dream.

  “I know you feel guilty. You’ve done everything you can to care for us, but your mother and father wouldn’t want this life for you. They would want you mated and happy with a man who would be the one to care for you for a change. Maybe with children of your own. If Rafé asks you to run in the Hunt again, Cara, I think you should think about yourself. What do you want? Don’t worry about us. Alina and I know you’ll never leave us.”

  What did Cara want? That was a question she was contemplating herself.

  Rafé’s gestures were kind. They were examples of what he’d promised her—to care for Alina and Cara—but even after everything, it still didn’t feel like enough. She wanted more.

  She longed for love, and that wouldn’t be the case if she mated with Rafé. Maybe she could grow to love him over time?

  Cara nodded to Ryna, silently telling herself that it was time for her to start thinking about her own desires, even if only for a moment. And, when she considered it, what she wanted—above everything else—was for her family to be safe and by her side forever.

  If that meant being Rafé’s mate, so be it.

  That was it. Decision made. She would tell him yes.

  “Excuse me? Hello?” a male’s voice came from the other side of the curtain.

  Expecting a neighbor, Cara pulled it back. Instead, a young cheetah, about her height, in royal guard uniform stood in front of her. She had seen him before. He was the guard who had bound her wrists and struck her with a spear after she’d been arrested.

  Her pulse sped up in worry. Why was he here? To take her back? Had Kael gone back on his word? Or was he here to take another of them away—Alina or Ryna?

  Before he could utter another sound, she stepped out of the hut, making sure the curtain fell behind her. She didn’t want her sister or grandmother to see him and panic. Cara glanced around, expecting more guards, but the cheetah seemed to have come alone. That was strange. He didn’t have a spear on him, either. That was even stranger. His weapons must be concealed. Anxiety high, Cara’s skin itched.

  “Why are you here?” she asked him in a harsh whisper.

  “The prince sent me,” he replied. He held out a bag made of shimmering green silk to her. “He instructed me to give this to you.”

  Cara noticed the crystal beads on the fabric and gasped. “My mother’s Hunt headdress…” She reached out, and the cheetah dropped it in her hand. It was heavy, and something clinked together inside. Cara peeled back the scarf’s corner to reveal a pile of shiny gold coins, each with a tiger frozen mid-roar imprinted on both sides.

  Her throat tightened. It couldn’t be. “The prince…gave me this. Are you sure?”

  He nodded, but his dazed expression told Cara that he was just as confused as she was. “I had strict orders.”

  And here she thought he’d sent his guard to arrest her again. “Did he say anything more?”

  “Just that it belongs to you and needed to be returned. Good day.” He gave her a stiff bow, turned on his heel, and walked away.

  Cara slid back into the hut, her eyes not leaving the coins lying in her mother’s scarf. Never in her life had she seen so much money. Her vision hazed, and for a moment, she thought she might be in another dream.

  “Cara, who was that?” Ryna called to her.

  She faced them and held out her hand, words sticking to her tongue.

  Ryna hurried over, leaving the meat cooking on the fire, and let out a shrill cry of joy. “Is that? No, it can’t be!”

  “What? What?” Alina came to their side, pulling at the scarf. Cara lowered her hands for her to see. “Coins!”

  “A whole mess of them!” Ryna gasped. “Was it Rafé? How did he—”

  “It wasn’t Rafé,” Cara said, finding her voice again. Her hand trembled, causing the coins to jingle. “It was…the prince.”

  “The prince?” Bewilderment captured her grandmother’s expression. “Are you sure?”

  Cara swallowed. “It was his guard at the door. He gave me this.”

  “Maybe he wanted to thank you for saving his life, or to apologize for mistaking you for the assassin,” Ryna suggested. “But that doesn’t sound like Rei Salus’s son at all.”

  Despite Ryna’s words, and her own doubts, a grin spread across Cara’s lips. The strange vibrating feeling returned, starting in the center of her chest and traveling through her body in quick, pulsing waves. Kael had saved her life, and now he had given her and her family money, asking for nothing, and returned her mother’s headdress for a second time. How was it that he kept surprising her? Did he insist on proving her view on tigers wrong? Because he was doing just that.

  Kael cared about her in some way. She could see that now. There was no questioning it anymore.

  But the sensible side of her said Rafé was dependable, handsome, and resourceful. Everything a woman looked for in a mate. He had gone far beyond what she’d asked of him. Ryna approved of the match. Alina didn’t mind Rafé, either. He liked Cara enough to do all this and ask her again to join him in the Hunt.

  Besides, there was no future between her and the tiger prince.

  Cara pressed the bundle of coins against her chest. Her lungs squeezed. She could never love Rafé, no matter how much time passed. But Kael…the sizzling of his touch, the heated look in his eyes, the way her legs trembled and her heart pounded at the memory of her dream…

  Maybe she hadn’t made her decision yet.

  Chapter Ten

  Walking away from the last hut in the village, Cara clutched the remaining three coins in her hand. She had spent the rest of the morning visiting every neighboring family and handing over one shiny token to each. She was sure Kael hadn’t meant for her to share the money he’d given her, but it seemed unfair to keep it all when there were so many living just feet away with mouths to feed.

  Only three coins left in her mother’s Hunt headdress—not enough to make a second round but more than she could ever ask for. Cara had already planned to store them away, continue to gather nuts, berries, and, when the stag meat ran out, whatever she could get her hands on for food. The coins would only be used in a case of desperation. Wrapping them up in the sage scarf, Cara hoped she and her family never reached that point again.

  She strode around her family’s hut. The drying line that hung between two ironwood trees was clear of wash, and a tall pile of split wood sat in the middle, waiting to be brought inside and used. Ryna’s melodic humming drifted through the cracked walls. It was a soft, unknown tune she sang often when she washed the cookware or cleaned out the burned wood from the fire pit. Dark clouds billowed out of the hole in the slanted roof, perfuming the air with the thick smell of ash and smoked meat. All such familiar things—things Cara thought she’d never see again while in the tigers’ prison. The palace’s grand rooms with their high ceilings and marble floors and columns were no place for her. This village was where she grew up, where her family was.

  Cara walked to a nearby tree and leaned her
back against the moss-covered bark. She looked down at the bundled headdress in her hand and sighed. The Hunt was days away. Soon she would be wearing Rafé’s family color of blue, a shade similar to the velvet hue that hung around the moon on clear nights.

  Could she really stand at the forest’s edge that day with Rafé, a man she didn’t love, and a navy scarf pinned in her hair? If she didn’t say yes now, she doubted he would ever ask her again. She just needed to brave up and do it, accept his offer.

  Just do it, Cara. Stop making it bigger than it is. It’s for the best, for your family.

  Cara needed to tell Rafé she accepted and be done with it. It didn’t have to be as difficult as she was making it.

  The image of Kael taking her side before the Hunt’s run slipped into her mind, and she couldn’t help the smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. No longer caring that her other form was a panther, he would love her, completely. And she would be the picture of royalty, decorated in red, rich fabrics and gold jewelry. Her grandfather, Hani, would be absolved of his crimes, and Alina and Ryna would have everything they could ever need.

  A panther as the new regis of Sajra.

  Cara glanced down at her dress with its torn and muddy hem. Her? Royalty? She laughed. She had a better chance of sprouting wings.

  But still, the thought of her and Kael mated sent a vibrating hum through her.

  Damn her grandmother’s tea. Ever since she drank the suspicious brew, her insides seemed to buzz. If only it had given her an upset stomach like the others.

  Cara shook her head to rid it of Kael’s face. With most of her chores done for the day, she didn’t know what else to do. She could go for a swim, like Rafé had earlier. A humid fog clung to the air, suffocating, and the river water would cool her down. After, she could come back and wait for Rafé to return, and tell him her decision.

  Just as she was about to push herself off the tree, crunching footsteps snapped her attention left. Rafé emerged from the shadows. Sweat glossed his naked chest and forehead instead of water, and he was alone. No Majasha men were behind him this time.