Shadows of Orange

Author's Note & Chapter 1

Hi all, I will be starting this book and getting it to five thousand words so that I can apply for the contract. While doing so, I will continue to work on Sins of the Father and His Darkest Secrets Exposed. Additionally, I am in the midst of editing Desert Heat and the first Prophecy book so that they can be released in physical copies. I'm also in the process of getting authorization to get Their Gemini Wolves ready for print as well. So, I have many projects going on, and I hope you can all stick with me as I try to handle them all. Thank you for your unending support, love, and loyalty.

Without further ado, here is Chapter 1 of Shadows of Orange.

Shadows of Orange

Chapter 1

While the majority of Golden Moon was off helping Blue Lake deal with the likes of Ash and his family, Ryker stayed behind to ensure the elderly and those not old enough to fight were being taken care of and kept safe. He prowled the pack territory, being attentive to the sounds and scents around him. He felt that nothing was amiss and was about to move to another portion of the pack when he heard something coming toward the territory line. He honed in on the sound and could tell immediately that it was an animal, but not a werewolf.

He shifted into his tiger form and ran toward whoever was coming his way. He saw something in the clearing; however, that wasn’t what caught his attention. What did catch his attention was that it was an orange blur running through the thicket at full speed.

It can’t be. Ryker thought to himself. He observed as the orange blur got closer and closer to the territory line, but then he heard something else. He looked beyond the other figure and the muzzle flashes of multiple weapons.

Sh*t, it’s being hunted. Ryker realized and ran toward the other animal. When he got closer, he saw that it was, in fact, another tiger. And now being in close proximity, Ryker could immediately tell that it was a female. But what caught him off guard was that she smelled heavenly. So heavenly, in fact, Ryker lost his footing and tumbled to the ground. An embarrassing moment for a weretiger of his age. He didn’t have a chance to revel in the shame he felt in that moment; he needed to protect the female tiger. He would deal with her scent after he took out the humans hunting her.

The female tiger saw Ryker just up ahead, and she was astonished to sense a male weretiger in this part of the world. But that wasn’t what got her mind whirling. His scent drove her mad, and she couldn’t help the purr that came out of her mouth, even though she was running for dear life. She slowed a bit to catch a glimpse of the male, but then he tumbled to the ground. She wanted to stop and laugh, but she didn’t have that luxury.

When she saw Ryker catch his footing and take off again, she realized that his sights were set on the hunters several yards behind her.

Is he trying to protect me? She thought to herself. Sure enough, her question was asked when Ryker ran past her at the speed of light, and let out a mighty roar that showed he wasn’t to be trifled with. The hunters heard the roar and realized that it was closer to them rather than far away. Before they realized what hit them, two of them were tackled to the ground by a giant force. They screamed in terror, but the gurgling immediately muffled their screams as they’re throats were slit open.

The others looked all around them, but because it was nightfall, they didn’t see anything. And whatever it was that they caught a glimpse of was nothing but a blur. Before the survivors knew it, they were each picked off one by one, until only one of them remained.

When the one left standing realized he was all alone, he panted in fear, sweat beading off his forehead. He heard a rustling noise behind him and a low, threatening growl. He whimpered with trepidation and slowly turned around, only to come face to face with a ginormous tiger. He knew right away it wasn’t the one they were hunting, because she was a female, and she was a lot smaller.

“Please,” the hunter begged. But before he could finish his plea, Ryker extended his retractable claws and cut the hunter’s head off. He watched as the head rolled from the body. Ryker then collected the bodies and body parts into a pile and made a mental note to let the pack members know that they needed to be burned or buried so that no evidence was left behind. They were just beyond the territory border of neutral land, so he wanted to ensure they were never found. He had no clue if they were part of a trafficking ring or if they were merely hunters looking to skin a rare tiger.

He turned his heel to make his way back to the packhouse, but heard the warning bells go off that there was an intruder. He knew right away that the female tiger had tripped an alarm, and he wanted to be sure she wasn’t killed for trespassing. He raced over and knew that he had made it in time when he saw her shift into her human form so she could speak to whoever was looming over her. When Ryker got close enough, he saw that it was Jonah, the other elder, that Richard left in charge while he went to help Chad and the others get Rylee back from the clutches of Ash and his family.

“Jonah! Stop!” Ryker said as he quickly shifted back to human form.

“Ryker, what is this meaning of this?” Jonah asked, displeased at being interrupted.

“She’s a female weretiger,” Ryker replied.

“I can see that. But that doesn’t change the fact that she is trespassing.”

“Elder Jonah, please. Female weretigers are rare, and she is one of three left in the entire world. She wasn’t trespassing. She was running for her life,” Ryker explained.

“What do you mean?” Jonah inquired.

“I sensed her running toward the pack territory from beyond the thicket, and when I went to go check it out, I saw her, and then I saw several muzzle flashes.”

“Muzzle—you mean from guns?” a pack member asked.

“Yes. They had silencers. They were hunting her,” Ryker answered.

“Why is she here?” Jonah questioned.

“I don’t know. But if you allow me to ask her, I can get you the answer.”

“Does she not speak English?” a different pack member asked in confusion.

“It depends on what country she’s from,” Ryker responded. “Not all tigers are from North America or have learned to speak the English language.”

“But you speak English just fine, Ryker,” Jonah said.

“That’s because, like you, Elder Jonah, I was once an Alpha. I had my own pack of tigers. There were only about a dozen of us, but a pack nonetheless. Unlike werewolves, we do not travel in large packs. It’s much too dangerous for us. Tigers are primarily solitary animals, but we do on occasion travel in a pack for preservation purposes,” Ryker clarified.

“Then by all means, Ryker. Ask away,” Jonah said, permitting him to question the female tiger. He was about to ask her why she was on their lands, but she replied as soon as she heard Ryker say he was an Alpha.

“You are an Alpha?” she asked with a broken accent.

“So, you do speak English,” Ryker said.

“Some. I am not fluent.”

“What language do you speak fluently?”

“Khmer.”

“So you’re from Cambodia?” Ryker asked to ensure he had the correct language and country. She nodded. “Tae anak chhmoh avei?” (What is your name?)

“Phlieng.”

“Phlieng? Rain?” Ryker asked. She nodded once more.

“Rain, meul​ khnhom​ knong​ phnek​ pel​ anak​ kampoung​ niyeay​ cheamuoy.” (Look me in the eyes when you are spoken to.) Rain lifted her eyes to give him her attention, but that’s when his heart skipped a beat. She had the most intense golden eyes, and her scent hit him like a ton of bricks. The same thing happened to Rain, and she blurted a word that no one understood. At least, no one but Ryker.

“Min.” (Mine.)