Alex could tell that he wasn’t welcome there, and hearing about Matthew Pietersen had triggered the chief, making the situation far worse than before.But Alex convinced himself that he could set things right again if only he could win their trust.“I see we have started off on the wrong foot,” he said, lowering his gaze out of respect. “Allow me to apologize for my actions. I didn’t mean to offend you, chief.”Holata, however, wasn’t in any mood to tide things over.“I am not falling for your smooth words. We all know you hold daggers behind your back. Daggers meant to strike when we let our guard down!” he snapped, spitting to show his contempt. “Get out of my land before I water the grass with your blood!”“I am not going anywhere until you give me ten minutes of your time,” Alex replied adamantly. “We both could benefit from—”Holata pulled the hammer back and took a step forward. “One! Two!” he began counting, shouting the numbers louder than gunshots. “Three…four…”Alex was prep

The last time Alex had gone hunting was five years ago, during a training mission with Captain Williams.But things were completely different now. Not only was he unarmed, save for the knife strapped to his waist, but also without any backup.Streams of moonlight filtered through the fleecy gray clouds as Chayton led Alex through the corn fields and brought him to the open green pastures on the other side.The cool breeze kissing Alex’s neck felt exhilarating, as the wind carried with it the fragrance of juniper berries and the mild scent of rain-soaked earth.“A great beast roams these lands. It is a ghost that disappears during the day but emerges from the shadows at night,” Chayton spoke in a prophetic voice and pointed at the trees and thicket up ahead. “The beast lurks in the shadows and stalks its prey, waiting for the perfect chance to strike. Be wary and listen to your instincts if you want to survive.”Alex scanned the area and asked, “What kind of beast is it? A wolf?”“The

By killing the beast that had been hunting their sheep, Alex had earned the title of the monster slayer and cemented his place in the tribe as a true warrior.However, amidst all the praises and shouts of victory, Alex found his mind wandering to a darker place.The beast he had just killed wasn’t any ordinary brown bear.Alex had encountered Grizzlies in the wild before, but there was something seriously wrong with this one.For one, the bear had no reason to enter human territory and start ambushing livestock when it had plenty of food in the wild.Secondly, since it was already November, it was time for most bears to start hibernating. Yet, this lone Grizzly was actively hunting prey instead of slumbering inside a cave to escape the cold.But what bothered Alex the most was the fact that this bear’s skin looked rotten, and it had shown far more fearlessness and resilience than other predators prowling the wild.Alex was still lost in deep thought when Nashoba’s voice disrupted him

Three hours later, Alex opened his eyes to the crackling of wood and found himself staring at an open flame that blazed inches from his face.“Look who is finally awake,” a familiar voice buzzed in his ears.Alex inhaled sharply, breathing in the earthy aroma. His throat felt dry, like he had just swallowed sand, and his lips were parched and swollen.“Where am I?” he grunted in a groggy voice as he tried to get up. “What the hell is going on?”But his hands were tied behind his back, and his feet knotted together with dry vines.“Relax, Whip Cracker,” the same voice echoed again. “You have passed all your trials. And now it is time to accept your just reward.”Alex recognized Holata’s voice even though his cloudy vision barely allowed him to make out the facial features of the man standing before him.Still dizzy and reeling, Alex was barely holding himself together as he struggled to awaken from his daze.“Why…am I here?” he mumbled, his voice barely above a groggy whisper. “What…di

Alex pulled in a deep breath as the rain lashed him with its icy whip, while he stood stock-still, frozen in the middle of nowhere.It was a choice between braving the raging river or returning to the dark cave and spending the night with the dead.The God of War, who would stare death in the eye without batting an eyelid, now stood stiff, a very human fear knocking at his ribs and chilling the blood in his veins.Alex had never been too fond of swimming, ever since that day when one of his corvettes had capsized in the middle of a war zone, hit by a torpedo.That ship had gone down like a stone along with nearly all its crew.Alex had swum ashore after a grueling struggle with the ocean currents that lasted three hours, but most of his soldiers hadn’t been so fortunate.The sight of the drowning men, begging to be saved, was still fresh before his eyes, and their screams still echoed in his ears, refusing to be silenced.It had been seven years since the incident, but Alex still avoi