The Hunt (Shifter Origins)

by Harper A. Brooks

  Kael sighed, knowing he couldn’t escape now.

  She hurried over to him, the train of her red and gold dress flowing behind her. For the first time in a long time, a broad grin pulled her thin lips.

  “Mother,” he began as she beckoned him to bend down so that she could place a kiss on both of his cheeks. “What is this all about?”

  “Kael, I’m glad you’re finally here.” She ignored his question and patted his shoulder with a bony hand. “There’s so much to do. Here, come with me. I have some people I want you to meet.”

  He didn’t have time, nor did he want to indulge in meaningless conversation with his mother’s guests. He had to ask her about Salus’s relation to teralau and the panther, Hani, and then go to the end of the river.

  “Mother,” Kael started, “I need to speak with you about something. Alone.”

  Jaleh snaked her arm through his and tugged him forward. As she led him into the center of the room, every pair of eyes followed them, and a surge of whispers drowned out all other noise. Anxiety prodded at Kael with every step. He ignored the wave of bows they got as they moved toward the fountain. The way these women watched him, with her stretched smiles, predatory stares, and overly made-up faces, caused the desire to flee to crawl over his skin.

  “Mother,” he tried again, a little firmer this time. “I need to speak with you.”

  Jaleh whirled around, the grin replaced by her familiar scowl. A threatening glimmer flashed in her eyes. “This isn’t the time or place, Kael.”

  “Can we go somewhere less…” He scanned the room. Every gaze was still pinned on them. “Less prying to talk? It’s about Father.”

  “Don’t say a word, Kael. It can wait. Tomorrow is your ascension ceremony, and you need a regis. And since you’ve showed no interest in finding one yourself—”

  “What?” Anger coursed through him. This party was for him to pick a mate? Was he allowed to make any decision on his own? His mind jumped to Cara. The idea of not being with her and having to mate with a stranger only infuriated him more. His mother had gone too far this time.

  “I warned you,” she hissed. “You need a regis.”

  Kael’s body shook with climbing rage. What did Jaleh expect him to do? Line up every woman in the room and pick one, like he was choosing a weapon from the armory or a trinket to buy from the marketplace? “I will not pick a mate like this. It’s insanity. I don’t know any of these women.”

  “Enough, Kael,” she hushed him. “There are many beautiful girls here. Any one of them would make a fine regis. Here—” Jaleh held out her hand and beckoned toward the cluster of ladies she had come from. One came forward and walked to her side.

  “My regis,” the woman said with a bow. “Prince Kael.” Her bright green eyes locked onto his, and a smirk lifted her pink lips when she stood again. The golden-brown of her hair and the dusting of freckles across her nose and high cheekbones revealed her cheetah lineage, while the black lining of her eyelids and matching robes told Kael that she was from the Demeri family—the most wealthy family in Sajra besides the tigers. His parents had held many dinners with Demeri and his wife because of it. He had never met any of their heirs before, though.

  The way this woman stood, with her hand on her hip and her long leg exposed through the slit of her dress, said that she was fully aware of her beauty and enjoyed Kael looking her over. When their eyes met again, he glanced away.

  “This is Nasha,” Regis Jaleh said, the cheerful tone returning to her voice, “the eldest daughter of the Demeri family.” She glimpsed at Kael while pronouncing Nasha’s family name. “You two should talk. Get to know each other.”

  Nasha lifted her chin and smiled. “I would love to.”

  Kael clenched his jaw to control his temper. He knew what his mother was implying, and he wanted no part of her scheme. Who knew what promises she’d made the family if he conceded and they ran together. He wasn’t going to waste a second more on Nasha or this ridiculous game to find a mate. If Jaleh wouldn’t talk to him in private about Salus, then he had no other choice to the get the answers he needed.

  “What do you know about Father and the poison, teralau, Mother? And the panther, Hani?” He didn’t care how loud his voice was, or who heard.

  The foyer fell silent. Even the music halted. Every ear pricked, waiting.

  Jaleh clamped her mouth shut and pressed her lips together in a hard line. She didn’t move for a few breaths, but a thin purplish vein appeared through the skin above her brow.

  “Well, Mother?” he chided. “Will you speak to me now?”

  She shook her head, clearing her face of any concern, and pasted on her sunny hostess facade again. Turning to Nasha, she muttered, “Will you excuse us, my dear? Only for a moment.”

  Nasha hesitated, glancing from him to Jaleh, and then bowed. “Of course, my regis.”

  In the next second, his mother hooked her arm with his, and she pulled him through the group of women and past the throne room doors. Kael glanced at the three chairs on the far side of the high-ceilinged room. Before the memory of his first encounter with Cara could surface, he focused on Jaleh, who was tugging at the handles of the massive doors, struggling to move their weight.

  The moment the doors closed, sealing off the party and any snooping guest, she whirled around. Fury pinched her pointed features. “How dare you bring such things up in front of all those people!” she screeched. “Your father? Teralau? A panther! Have you lost your mind?”

  Kael drew in a breath, hoping it would extinguish the fire sparking inside. “I told you I needed to speak with you. That it was important.”

  “How could you even say that name in the palace?”

  “Hani?” he repeated. “So you do know of him?”

  The muscles at her temples twitched, and deep wrinkles appeared at the corners of her mouth. “Of course I know of the panther who killed Noble Vallius.”

  “Yesterday, you said a panther almost cost us the throne. What did you mean by that?”

  She said nothing for a long moment, just stared at him with narrow eyes. Then in a careful tone, she answered, “I meant exactly what I said.”

  “Mother, this isn’t the time for secrets,” he snapped. “There’s a chance the assassin knew something about Father and Hani. I need to know the truth if I am to find who it is.”

  “Kael, you know your father was a brave and just man. He was the ruler Sajra always needed.”

  The caution attached to her words raised more suspicion and worry.

  “Did Salus discover a poison in the forest and want the Majasha men to use it?” he asked.

  “Where did you come up with these questions?” She huffed. “Was it that panther girl? I knew I should’ve had her taken care of.”

  Every nerve inside him jumped. “You will not touch her,” he growled. He felt his tiger rearing up as his anger spiked. “Now, answer the question.”

  Jaleh sighed and wiped the glistening sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. “He did find the poison,” she started then added quickly, “but you need to understand, Kael, your father did everything he could to help Vallius rule Sajra. The lion was old. He was slowly losing his mind in his age. He even appointed a panther as his adviser—”

  “A Majasha man died because of teralau.”

  “It was an unfortunate accident.” She brushed off the man’s death. “But something had to be done to control Sajra’s people. Salus was just trying to keep the power where it belonged.”

  Kael couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His father wanted to control the people with poison. No wonder Vallius didn’t trust him.

  Then he remembered something else Cara had told him. His hand dove into his trouser pocket, and he pulled out the three tiger coins. Salus’s currency. It had created poverty and hierarchy. “Control the people?” His tiger roared internally. “Like he did with these coins?” He threw them onto the floor in disgust. They clinked against the marble by her feet. “And I th
ought he’d done it to save Sajra, not cripple it.”

  “Everything Salus did was to help his family advance and live comfortably.”

  “While others starved?”

  “Kael, he wanted things to be easy for you when you became rei.”

  He didn’t want to think that all Salus’s deceit and cruelty had been done for him. Cara was right. His father was a monster. “Did Salus kill Vallius?” he demanded. “Did he kill a Noble and blame an innocent man? Is it true?”

  Jaleh’s shoulders slumped, defeated. There was a long pause. “I…don’t know.” Her voice wavered, and she frowned. “I honestly don’t know. I had my suspicions, but he never told me.”

  Kael believed that. Jaleh was the ideal regis for Salus—always obedient and supportive. If he didn’t want to tell his wife something, she accepted it and moved on. It was as if she was only half of a person, unable to function without someone else’s influence.

  Those were not the traits he wanted in a regis.

  “But really, Kael, what does it matter?” she blurted. “It was decades ago. So much has changed since then.” She glanced down at the coins and then back up at him. A brief smile turned her tightly pressed mouth. “Maybe it was wrong of me to surprise you like this with a party and expect you to choose a mate. But you do need a regis, and Nasha is a lovely girl. She’d make a wonderful mate for you. She’s respectful, attentive, and obviously beautiful. And we know her family so well.”

  Kael stared at her. So many thoughts and emotions flowed through him at her words. How could she brush off what Salus had done so quickly? Did she realize how many lives his decisions had affected?

  It was foolish of him to expect his mother to change her ways now. She wouldn’t see it because she didn’t want to. It was who she was. Jaleh was ignorant, and Kael pitied her for it.

  Despite her blindness, his mother had a point. He did need to pick a regis and announce it at his ascension ceremony. There was only a day left. He was out of time.

  Kael touched the headscarf tied around his belt, and his thoughts flew to Cara. He shouldn’t have yelled at her the way he did in the nuna tree, but he didn’t want to believe Salus was capable of such deception. In a way, he was like Jaleh—oblivious to the truth when it came to his family—but he wouldn’t let it happen again. Kael promised himself he’d be different from this point on and see things for how they truly were.

  His chest tightened as he ran his fingers across the scarf’s silky fabric. If he was going to be honest with himself, he had to admit he didn’t want to be with anyone else but Cara. It didn’t matter that she was a panther or that her family lived in poverty. Her kiss had captivated him. He was envious of her passion and strength. She was everything he wanted. Her compassion and honesty was what Sajra needed in a regis and what he needed in a mate.

  And he loved her.

  The moment the words surfaced in his mind, a sense of peace overcame him.

  He loved her. It became obvious the more he said it to himself. He, the tiger prince, was in love with Cara, a panther.

  Kael couldn’t help the grin curling the corners of his mouth. Why had it taken him so long to admit it? He knew exactly who he wanted his regis to be. Cara.

  But would she accept him?

  “You don’t love me, Kael. You can’t love me,” she had said.

  Kael did love her, but could he convince the rest of Sajra to love her, too? With so much hatred built up against the panthers, it would be difficult, but as the next rei, it was up to him to fix his father’s mistakes. He had to restore Sajra to the golden era and make Cara his forever. Whatever it took. He was willing to risk everything.

  After a long silence, Kael looked at Jaleh, who was watching him intently. He pulled his shoulders back, confident in the choice he’d made. “Mother, you’re right. I do need a regis.”

  His heart fluttered with excitement at the thought of what was to come. He had a lot to do before that time. To make sure it was a surprise to everyone, including Cara, he would visit the marketplace and start preparing instead of visiting her today.

  “I’ve made my decision,” he said. “I will announce my mate at the ascension ceremony.”

  Jaleh clapped her hands together and gasped. “Really, Kael? Who is it? Nasha?”

  Everyone would be at the marketplace for his ceremony, around the stage in front of the statue of Sajra. Even the panthers. He’d confess his love for Cara then, in front of the city. Once he announced it as rei, no one could tell him otherwise. No one.

  He let out a short laugh. “You’ll see on that day. All of Sajra will see,” he said before opening the throne room doors and pushing through the throng of party guests.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “You know, everyone in the village is talking about you and Rafé being promised to each other,” Ryna said as she pulled a quilt from the basket of clean wash and tossed it over the drying line.

  A sour, twisting feeling stirred in Cara’s gut.

  Ever since she had revealed her decision to run with Rafé to her grandmother, Ryna’s excitement seemed to spill into every conversation they shared. Cara had put up with her questions through the night and her planning of their future together, full of children and laughter. Yesterday, she’d been so confident in saying yes to Rafé, but thinking about it today brought nothing but regret and worry.

  Although they stood in the shade of the nearby Bilha Forest behind the hut, the day’s heat pressed against Cara’s shoulders. Sweat rolled down the back of her neck. She sighed, trying to focus on hanging the scraps of wet clothing and bedding on the rope.

  Ryna shot her a sideways glance. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepened as she smiled. “What made you finally decide to run, dear? Rafé’s been following your tail forever. I remember when you were younger and used to play together on the riverbank with all the other children. He was always watching you, making sure the other little ones didn’t get too rough.”

  Cara remembered those times. She had hated how he’d always shadowed her and made it hard to play with other kids her age.

  She needed to give her grandmother some kind of answer. She did it for Ryna, for her sister, for Kael—and, if she could finally admit it, she did it for herself, something she’d never tell a soul out of pure shame. She chose Rafé because she knew, deep down, Kael could never accept her, a panther, by his side.

  How could her grandmother ever understand? She wanted Cara to have happiness, to think about her life and what she wanted, but it wasn’t as easy as Ryna made it sound.

  She was better off lying.

  She could say how thrilled she was to finally have a mate, how she knew it was Rafé since they were young, and that she was so in love with him. She could blush. Or cry. But when she attempted to actually do those things, she couldn’t even muster up a convincing smile.

  Reaching over, she spread out the quilt her grandmother had just thrown over the rope, bunched up and crooked. Not knowing what to say, Cara shrugged. “I don’t know. I just felt like this was the right time for me.” At least it was partly true.

  “Hmm…” Ryna tapped her chin with a finger. Her gray curved brow lifted. “And what of the tiger prince?”

  Cara’s hands froze in midair. “P-Prince Kael?” she stuttered.

  “He did release you. He cared for your wound. And he sent his guard with coins for you without asking for a thing in return. I just thought, maybe, he might…” She paused. “…admire you in some way.”

  Cara snorted, but inside, her belly somersaulted. “Ryna! Do you hear what you’re saying? The tiger prince?” She laughed, hoping to disguise her discomfort, but it sounded too high-pitched and false.

  Suspicion flashed across her grandmother’s eyes. “He is a very handsome man. Have you heard anything more from him?”

  “No, of course not.” Cara glanced over her shoulder at the moss-covered tree where first Rafé, then Kael, had each stolen a kiss from her. Her head fogged with the memories of Ka
el’s lips on hers, hungry and demanding, the way his touch scorched her skin when he cupped her breasts, and his body, naked and powerful, gliding over her with each thrust. Then came the anger, the yelling, the rejection after she’d told him about Hani and Salus’s conniving plots.

  Kael chose whom to believe, and it wasn’t her. Just remember that. Forget him and move on.

  All the sweet gestures and words had been a ruse. From the start, she hadn’t understood what his intention had been with her—for the sex, for information, or to play with her heart for sport. If only she’d followed her instincts, then she could have avoided all this. Better yet, if she had listened to Rafé and not gone to the marketplace that day, then she never would have been suspected of the rei’s murder, or met Kael at all.

  It was in the past, she reminded herself. There was nothing she could do about it now. It was done and over with. Time to look forward.

  Cara picked up another piece of wash, one of her grandmother’s hand-stitched shawls, and hung it on the line.

  “We must all go to the marketplace tomorrow for his ascension ceremony,” Ryna replied. “I wonder who the prince will pick for his new regis.”

  She gritted her teeth. “Someone beautiful and wealthy, no doubt.” She had almost completely forgotten about Kael’s rei ceremony before the Hunt. She could picture it now—Kael standing on the dais, like the first moment she’d seen him, but this time, he’d have a woman at his side. In front of all of Sajra, he’d announce her as his regis. She would be wearing his family’s color of red, adorned with gold and sparkling jewelry.

  No place for Cara. She would be standing beside Rafé and the rest of the panthers at the edge of the marketplace, away from all other patrons. Like it was supposed to be.

  She could try to stay back and not go to the ceremony, but the royal guards would be sweeping Sajra for stragglers. Attendance was mandatory. Was hiding from Kael and avoiding his happiness worth being carried off to the prison if she was caught?