Shadows of Orange

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“Ryker was frozen in his place when he heard what Rain called him. He never expected to find a mate, let alone this late in life, but here she was.

“Rain, what did you say?” Ryker asked to make sure that he heard her correctly.

“Min.” (Mine.)

“Ryker, what is going on?” Elder Jonah asked.

“She—She’s my mate,” Ryker answered just above a whisper, but loud enough for most of the pack to hear. There were gasps of surprise, delight, and even sorrow. Many of the unmated females were hoping Ryker would take them as a chosen mate, but alas, it was all wishful thinking on their part.

“I wasn’t aware that weretigers had fated mates,” Elder Jonah replied.

“Nor did I. Weretigers are rare these days; those of us that are remaining try to reproduce with whomever we can, tiger or not. We just want to keep our species alive, but with the number of poachers and traffickers of the supernatural in the world, it’s proving to be quite difficult.”

“Perhaps this is your god or goddess’ way of helping you?” Jonah said in a suggestive tone.

“Perhaps,” Ryker responded.

“Rain, how did you end up here?” Ryker asked. Rain furrowed her brows at him, not fully understanding the question. “You,” Ryker pointed at her, and Rain nodded. “Here,” Ryker then pointed to the ground and the area surrounding them, and Rain nodded again. “How?” Ryker asked as he lifted his hands and shrugged his shoulders, as if he were confused.

“Ryker, why not just ask her in Khmer?” a pack member asked out of curiosity.

“I understand it more than I can speak it. As long as I get through to her in simple English, she can respond in Khmer,” Ryker explained. Pack members nodded in understanding.

“Khnhom trauv ban chuonhdaur daoy anak bramanh teangnoh del anak ban samleab. Khnhom ban rtkech khluon knongamlongpel phter. Khnhom ban rt haey banhchob now tinih.” (I was traded by those hunters you killed. I escaped during the transfer. I ran and ended up here.) Ryker nodded, understanding that it was the same as Lanie and Lexi when they escaped to the Blue Lake pack. He translated what she had said to the pack, and instantly, they all felt horrible for her.

“Rain, do you understand any English at all?”

“Little.”

“Would you like me to teach you?” Rain nodded, at least understanding the particular question Ryker asked. She was happy to find her mate, but she didn’t miss the fact that Ryker wasn’t as excited.

“Ryker!” Jonah shouted.

“What is it?”

“Something is happening at Blue Lake—something about Wyatt’s father being in danger. Richard is asking for your assistance.”

“But I can’t just leave her here,” Ryker replied as he pointed to Rain.

“Take her with you. I’m sure she will feel better being close to you as well,” Jonah suggested.

“Who’s going to protect the pack?” Ryker asked with concern.

“The real trouble is at Blue Lake, and Richard has also asked me to look into something for him, and meet him there. I will catch up with you.” Ryker nodded and signaled for Rain to follow him. She nodded and followed his lead. When she saw him shift into his tiger, she turned into hers as well, and she followed him. They ran as fast as they could following the route to Blue Lake. The entire time, Ryker wasn’t sure how he felt about Rain being his mate.

Sure, Ryker was excited to be able to procreate more weretigers, but with only a single female? Not knowing if there are any other males out in the world to procreate with. How is the weretiger population supposed to blossom if only one male and one female are reproducing? Although i*cest wasn’t necessarily out of the ordinary for tigers in the wild, for weretigers, it was frowned upon, because just like werewolves and other were-creatures, tigers also followed basic human instinct, and that i*cest was abhorrent and should never be practiced. Because just like in mortals, the shared DNA, no matter how low, would result in many health concerns and congenital disabilities.

He had to put that subject in the back of his mind. He needed to guide Rain to where they were going, and what they would be doing when they got there, if the wolves required their assistance. When they made it over a mountain pass that led into the Blue Lake Territory, Ryker could see in the distance a pack of wolves running at full speed, and a petite blonde on the back of the wolf at the point of the triangle. He saw a silver wolf and a caramel colored wolf running behind each other, and he realized that the petite blonde in front was Lanie.

Ryker let out a massive roar when he saw them stop at the top of another mountain, and he could see that Lanie noticed him and Rain. When they had finally caught up, Lanie scolded him for leaving the pack, but since he was still in tiger form, Ryker couldn’t respond. But when he heard her ask about Rain, and who she was, he didn’t expect Rain to nuzzle up to him, and purr the way she had. Ryker was caught off guard by the sudden public display of affection. He reciprocated because he felt as if he had to, but was very unsure.

Unfortunately, for him, Lanie missed his expression and started to gush about everything. But then she made sure to let him know that they were needed at Blue Lake for something more important and that he would have to explain everything when all was said and done.

Luckily, the battle at Blue Lake didn’t last long, but it didn’t end without the loss of lives, especially one that was very important to the Blue Lake pack. Rain was confused at first, but it didn’t take her long to realize what had happened and why tensions were running high. After the dust had settled, Rain saw two blondes running toward her and Ryker, and she was instantly jealous, but that’s when she noticed they were marked. She backed down right away.

“Ryker, who do you have there with you?” Rylee, the Luna of Blue Lake, coyly asked.

“I’d like for everyone to meet my mate, Rain,” Ryker introduced and smirked. Though he was uncertain about having a single mate, it didn’t mean Ryker didn’t appreciate this amazing gift he had been given.

Rain explained the best she could on how she ended up at Golden Moon and how she and Ryker met. Everyone teased Ryker for his heroics, while Rain looked at him lovingly. Although she understood humor, she wasn’t certain everything they were saying to Ryker, but she saw him smile or laugh as well, so she couldn’t help looking at him with love and admiration.

After Chad, the Alpha of Golden Moon, and the other Golden Moon pack members who assisted said their goodbyes, Chad and the other ranked members of Golden Moon, along with Ryker and Rain, led their pack members back to Golden Moon. It took them a couple of hours to get there since they were traveling with a large number of people, but Ryker didn’t mind the run. He needed the exercise. And though Rain was exhausted from her adventures earlier, she didn’t want to complain about how tired she was to anyone. She waited until they returned to the pack territory. But before she could shift back into her human form, Rain suddenly collapsed.

“Oh, sh*t!” Ryker said as he caught her before her body hit the ground.

“Oh, no, what happened to her?” Lanie asked.

“I think all of the adrenaline has worn off,” Ryker answered.

“Ryker, quick, let’s get her to the pack hospital,” Maverick, the Gamma of Golden Moon, advised. Ryker nodded, hoisted Rain into his arms wedding style, and rushed her to the pack hospital.

“Is she going to be okay?” Lexi asked.

“We’ll have to wait and find out.”