Page 9 of Orange Tundra
I glanced over at Brynn and Coone, who were still staring at us with a mixture of awe and disbelief. I knew they had a lot to process, a lot to come to terms with. But in that moment, all that mattered was Sim and I, finally mated for the first time.
4
BRYNN
Later,we lay tangled together watching the moons set, my body deliciously relaxed. Coone’s tail wrapped protectively around my waist while Nim and Sim bracketed me on either side. Nim and Sim have some explaining to do. What just happened back there?
“Sleep, you are thinking too loud,” Coone whispered and complained against my hair. Zirc said Coone was a spy. He would know about Nim and Sim. Then I yawned.
I nodded, already drifting off to sleep, feeling safe and cherished despite Zirc not with us.
The peace was shattered by an urgent pounding at the door. Roqs barged in.
“They’ve found us,” Roqs growled. “We need to move. Now.”
I sat up, my body protesting, my mind still foggy from sleep. I looked around, my eyes adjusting to the dim light.
Coone was already up, his body tense, his eyes scanning the room. Nim moved to the window, his gaze fixed on the horizon, his body poised for action.
“Who’s found us?” I asked, my voice a soft whisper.
Sim turned to me, his eyes filled with a mix of fear and determination. “The Purple Tribe,” he said, his voice a low growl. “They’ve come for us.”
Fear coursed through me, cold and sharp. Roqs had become a fugitive, Sim and Nim will be taken away from me if they are found. I thought we were safe, hidden away in this sanctuary by the sea. But it seemed our sanctuary had become our trap, and our time was running out.
We had to move, and we had to move fast. Our lives, and the life of my unborn child, depended on it. Coone looked to where I was touching my lower stomach and then grind his jaw.
The guards with us, headed by Clitasoxdfwe’h, urged us to board the same vehicle we’ve been using since we escaped from Purple Tribe. My mind must had been so frazzled because in less than no time at all, I found myself walking into another hideout. I missed what they have called this, leaving me alone while they discussed and growled out our escape options.
Our new hideout was beautiful,eerie, and utterly alien. The walls were rough-hewn stone, veined with luminous crystals that pulsed with a soft, ethereal light. Miners back home would have a field day, even I wanted to pluck what looked like a straight line of diamonds near the doorway. But the wind howled outside, a mournful cry that penetrated the thick stone, a constant reminder that we were fugitives, hunted by Nim and Sim’s own tribe.
I stood in the center of the cavernous space, trying to ground myself, trying to absorb the sheer strangeness of it all.The others were scattered around the room, each a point of focus in my ever-shifting world. Roqs and Coone were in a corner,perched on opposite seats, their eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin prickle. They were silent, watchful, muscles coiled as if an enemy is about to attack. Near the entrance, a guard stood rigid, his presence both reassuring and a stark reminder of the constant danger that clung to us like a shroud. He was one of three, loyal only to Nim and Sim, and his very posture screamed of the secrets they held. Nim and Sim looked relaxed, confident that this new hideout is known only to them and the few males they trusted.
Ishouldbe worried about Zirc, the baby growing inside me, the very real threat of capture. But my traitorous mind was still replaying the memory of our last sexcapade.
I settled onto the cushions in the dimly lit sanctuary, wincing as my muscles protested. The past hours were intense as we tried to evade the elite Red Guards of the Purple Tribe.
“So,,” I began, looking at Nim beside me. “I need to understand what happened back then. Like…isn’t Simrod your twin?” Yes, my mind was still stuck on that particular scene.
Nim exchanged a look with Simrod, a silent conversation passing between them that I couldn’t decipher. Finally, Nim sighed, his broad shoulders slumping slightly. “It’s a long story, Brynn. I’ve been hesitant to share this, as it’s a delicate matter for our tribe, and for Sim.” His voice was low, laced with an undercurrent of something I couldn’t quite place – perhaps guilt, or maybe something more complex.
“I’m tired of hiding,” Simrod interjected, his usual playful grin replaced by a fierce, raw intensity. “I want Brynn to know the truth, even if it means facing the consequences. I’ve always felt like an impostor, living in Nimrod’s shadow.” His voice was thick with a pain that resonated within me.
Nim stared at Simrod, his eyes softening. “Wrong, Sim, mate of my heart.” The declaration caused me to gasp, the words hanging heavy in the air. I noticed Roqs and Coone exchangingsurprised glances, their brows furrowed in confusion. “I’ve always lived in your shadow ever since I met you. You are the rightful heir and next alpha of the Purple Tribe. It’s only my blood that ties me to our fathers. But in all the ways, it was always you who held our tribe and steered the young ones from the political machinations of our fathers.”
“Wait,” I held up my hand, trying to piece together the puzzle. “Are you saying Simrod isn’t actually your twin? But you look identical!” The sheer audacity of it made my head spin.
“Genetic modification,” Nim explained, his voice soft but steady. “Simrod was created to be my spare, engineered to match my appearance exactly. The tribe needed to ensure there would be an heir, no matter what happened to me.” I didn’t know the news shocked me so much I was pulling away from them. Nim reached out and pulled me closer to him on the long lounge sofa, his touch surprisingly gentle, but with an undercurrent of possessiveness.
I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. “Like a backup cloud drive,” I muttered, earning confused looks from my alien mates. “Never mind, Earth reference. But...why? Why go to such lengths?” The sheer desperation of their society, the lengths they’d go to for power and control, I’m starting to wonder if I need to get off this planet and go back to Earth to raise my child.How can they do this to a child when there are so few of them?
Coone, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke, his voice low and smooth. “The Purple Tribe was desperate for heirs. The current Alphas struggled to produce offspring, and with the prophecy looming…” He trailed off, his tail twitching nervously. Yeah, being a spy, he would be privy to almost everything.
“The prophecy that seems to be causing all this chaos?” I asked, remembering the whispered fragments I’d heardbefore. The sense of impending doom, the weight of ancient expectations, it was starting to feel suffocating.
“The same,” Nim confirmed. “When it became clear that I might be the only heir, the tribe took…precautions. Simrod was their redundancy policy.”
“Redundancy policy?” Simrod’s laugh was bitter, a raw, wounded sound that made my heart ache. “More like a convenient puppet. Do you know what it’s like to spend your entire life pretending to be someone else? To know that your entire existence is just a backup plan?” He looked at me, his eyes pleading for understanding, and I saw a reflection of my own loneliness in his pain.
