Ren had lost feeling in her legs about two hours ago.
Being stuck under a four-hundred-pound tiger was nothing like the romance novels promised. It was heavy, hot, and smelled like wet dog.
"Four hours," Ren grumbled, staring at a strange, glowing blue beetle crawling on a fern leaf above her. "I could have prepped an entire wedding banquet in four hours. I could have filed my taxes. Instead, I am a mattress for a giant cat."
[Ding! Quest Complete: 'The Alpha's Nap'.][Reward: Basic Beast Language Pack. Downloading... 10%... 30%...]
"Finally!" Ren gasped. "Hey! Mittens! Wake up! You're crushing my bladder!"
She shoved at the massive white shoulder pinning her down.
The tiger grunted. The vibration rattled Ren's teeth. He stretched, extending sharp claws that dug into the soil inches from Ren's head. Then, he rolled off her.
"Oh, sweet freedom," Ren groaned, sitting up and rubbing her numb thighs. "I'm never complaining about economy class seating again."
She reached for her frying pan, her trusty emotional support cookware, but stopped.
The air behind her changed. A strange, crackling energy, like static electricity, made the hair on her arms stand up. The tiger's heavy breathing shifted, growing lighter and more human.
[System Alert: Target is shifting. Do not panic. Or do. I'm just a screen.]
"Shifting?" Ren turned around.
Her jaw unhinged.
The massive tiger was gone. In its place, kneeling on one knee in the dirt, was a man.
And not just any man.
He was massive. He had to be at least six-foot-five, with shoulders broad enough to carry a refrigerator and a waist that tapered into a lean, muscular V-shape. His skin was a deep, sun-kissed tan, marked with faint, jagged silver scars that looked like old war wounds.
Thick, messy white hair tumbled over his forehead. Ren blinked to make sure she wasn't hallucinating when she saw a pair of fluffy, round white tiger ears twitching on his head.
"Uhh..." Ren's brain short-circuited.
He stood up slowly. The muscles in his back rippled like water under silk as he stretched and rolled his neck with a loud crack.
He turned to face her.
His face looked almost unreal, with high cheekbones, a strong, square jaw, and those same piercing golden eyes with vertical slit pupils. A long, thick white tail with black rings moved lazily behind him, smacking against his calves.
And he was naked.
Completely, gloriously, shamelessly naked.
Ren's eyes wandered where they definitely shouldn't. They moved down past his pectoral muscles, which looked like armor plates, then past his eight-pack abs, and the prominent V-line that pointed south like a sinful arrow. And then—
Ren slapped her hands over her eyes. "Oh my god! Put it away! Put the weapon away!"
[System Comment: Impressive stats. Length: 9 inches (flaccid). Girth: Above Average. Stamina: Legendary. Host is advised to do pelvic floor exercises.]
"Shut up!" Ren yelled at the voice in her head. Her face burned so hot she could probably fry an egg on her cheek.
The man-beast tilted his head, his tiger ears turning toward her screeching. He didn't look embarrassed at all. Instead, he seemed confused.
He took a step toward her. The ground seemed to shake less than when he was a tiger, but his presence was even more intimidating.
"Grr... rahh... kroo?" he rumbled.
Ren peeked through her fingers. "I don't speak Jungle Book, buddy. Do you have a towel? A leaf? A very large loincloth?"
[Download Complete: Beast Language Pack (Common Tongue) installed.]
A sharp pain spiked in Ren's temples, like an instant brain freeze. She winced, rubbing her head. When the pain faded, the sounds of the jungle seemed to sharpen.
The man spoke again. This time, the guttural growls twisted into words in her mind.
"Why..." His voice was deep. It vibrated in Ren's chest. "Why are you covering your eyes? Are you injured?"
Ren slowly lowered her hands, keeping her gaze strictly above his waist. "I am not injured. I am scandalized. You're naked."
The man looked down at his own body, then back at her. He frowned, his golden brows knitting together. "Of course I am naked. I am a Tiger. Should I wear mud?"
He took another step, closing the distance between them. Ren scrambled backward on her butt until her back hit a tree.
"Personal space!" she warned, holding up her frying pan.
The man stopped. He looked at the pan, then sniffed the air. His eyes lit up.
"The smell," he murmured, his gaze locking onto her. "The hot meat. You made it."
He didn't look at her like a person. He looked at her like she was a vending machine that had just dispensed a miracle. He dropped to his knees in front of her, invading her space completely.
He was so close she could feel the heat radiating off his skin. He smelled of musk, rain, and the lingering scent of her. "Who are you?" he demanded, leaning in. His hand, large and calloused with nails that looked dangerously like claws, reached out.
Ren flinched, expecting him to strike.
Instead, he grabbed her chin. His grip was firm but gentle as he tilted her face up. He studied her features with intense, predatory curiosity.
"No fur," he muttered, his thumb brushing her soft cheek. "Skin is thin. Breaks easily." He looked at her hair. "Fire-colored mane. Strange."
He leaned closer, burying his nose in the crook of her neck. He inhaled deeply, causing Ren to gasp.
"You smell like... milk. And sweet grass," he rumbled against her skin. "Weak. So weak. A stiff breeze would kill you."
"Hey!" Ren tried to push his massive chest away, but it was like pushing a marble statue. "I am not weak! I have a cast-iron skillet and excellent knife skills!"
He pulled back, staring into her eyes. The intensity of his gaze made Ren's breath hitch.
"You stopped the Fire in my blood," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "The madness. It stopped."
"You're welcome," Ren squeaked. "It was just bacon."
"Bacon," he tested the word. It sounded exotic on his tongue. "You will make more."
It wasn't a question. It was a command.
"Excuse me?" Ren bristled. Her chef arrogance flared up, momentarily overriding her fear of the naked tiger-man. "I am not a short-order cook. I don't take orders from nudists."
The man's eyes narrowed as he leaned in, his face just inches from hers. His lips curled into a smirk that was both arrogant and devastatingly handsome.
"You are in my territory, Little Female," he purred. "I am Kael. Alpha of the White Tiger Clan. Everything in this forest belongs to me. The trees. The prey."
He reached out, sliding his hand from her chin to her neck, his thumb stroking the sensitive skin there.
"And now," Kael said, his golden eyes darkening with possessiveness, "you belong to me, too."
[System Notification: Host has acquired 'Pet' Status. Congratulations? Rewards: 100 Survival Points.]
Ren gaped at him. "I am nobody's pet! And put some pants on before I hit you with this pan!"
Kael blinked. He looked at the pan, then at her angry, flushed face.
Suddenly, he threw his head back and laughed. It was a booming, joyous sound that startled the birds in the trees.
"Feisty," he grinned, revealing sharp, white canines. "I like it. Most females faint when I look at them."
He stood up, effortlessly scooping Ren up into his arms like she weighed nothing more than a bag of flour.
"Put me down!" Ren kicked her legs, but his grip was iron.
"Be quiet," Kael said, turning toward the deeper part of the jungle. "My tribe is close. We need to get you to the cave before nightfall."
"Why?"
Kael looked down at her, his expression turning serious.
" Because night is when the things that don't mind eating you raw come out." He squeezed her thigh, his large hand encompassing nearly the whole thing. "And I don't like sharing my food."
"Wait," Ren paused. "Are you talking about the bacon... or me?"
Kael just smirked and started running.