Raine

I watch Mako freeze, her entire body tense as I repeat, "I'm not River. I'm Raine, I'm your mate, Mako."

"How?" She asks, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I saw them take you."

"Will you look at me?" I ask her. "Please."

Slowly she stands up but doesn't look at me, "my mate is taken. Stolen."

I step towards her, putting my hand lightly on her back, "I am right here. I promise you, Mako. I am right here." I run my hand along her back to her arm and gently turn her so that she's looking at me, "I am right here."

Her eyes meet mine, "how do I know this isn't a trick?"

"Come here," I order gently. "Kiss me. Feel me."

"Wait," a soft male voice from the doorway says. "There's two of them?"

"Shut up!" Comes a female voice.

I don't acknowledge them as Mako kisses me, her lips hesitant on mine until I deepen the kiss. I can feel the moment she realizes that it's truly me, and I wrap my arms around her neck as her go around my waist and hold me tightly.

She breaks the kiss and buries her face in my neck, breathing deeply. "How?" She whispers again.

"River and I switched places this morning," I tell her as we cling to each other. "I wasn't feeling well and I knew how important today was and so did River, so we switched. We used to do it a lot when we were kids and in the breeding den. Nobody ever noticed and we got really good at being each other. So good that even our mates didn't notice," I say with a sad smile. "So I went to River's cave and she went to the ceremony with you. She was supposed to meet me back here and we'd switch places again before the evening ceremony. But when she didn't show up, I went looking. I saw.. Khol take her. I should have stopped him.. but when I saw him.. I got scared and I hid. I came back here and I stayed here while he took my sister."

"You were right to hide," she tells me. "To protect yourself and our little one."

"It got my sister taken," I argue with her as I finally pull away. "It should have been me. It still can be me.. he.. owns me. You know that. You saw what happened. And when River gives birth to an orc baby he'll know he was tricked and he'll be back."

"We will get her back before that happens," Mako says as she releases me and turns back to get her armor from the trunk.

"You- you'd go get her?" I ask her in surprise.

"Of course," she answers immediately. "She is your sister and part of the Icebear Clan."

The voice from the doorway speaks again, "so does this mean we are still going to battle?"

I finally turn to our guests and I'm surprised to see a dark green orc and a pale.. elf?

The she elf notices my look and gives me her own curious look, "your sister reacted to me the same way."

"It is uncanny," the orc whispers to her.

Behind me Mako asks, "how did your sister trick me? She... said things only you would know to say."

"I'm curious about that as well," the elf says.

"My sister and I, we've switched places our entire lives and to do it as often as we do, or used to, we had to tell each other everything. We have no secrets between us," I explain. "Our mother used to say that when we were born she mixed us up, so growing up we didn't even truly know which of us was which. Her name is as much mine as mine is hers."

Mako leans down and smells my hair, "but your scent was the same. How?"

"She wore my clothes and we use the same soaps to wash with. We weren't even sure if it would work," I admit. "We've never had to fool anyone other than human before."

There's a hint of hurt in her voice as she asks, "why did you trick us? Being sick is nothing to be ashamed of. We could have moved the ceremonies to later."

"I didn't want you to have to," I tell her gently. "Today was important and if we had moved it because of me.. I feel as if that would have told the clans that I wasn't actually serious about you. And I am," I tell her earnestly. "I am serious about you and being your mate and even being a.. princess with you, as strange as that sounds."

"Not that you'll have to worry about that last part," the orc mutters.

"Brunk!"

I turn to the woman, "what do you mean?"

"Uh well.. certain, sacrifices, were made in order to fund this rescue mission," she says slowly.

"Mako?" I ask as I look back to her. "What is she talking about?"

Mako sighs, "I am no longer the heir to the Icebear Clan. I.. have no clan now."

Her words crash over me and for a moment I forget how to breathe. "What?" I gasp as I try and make sense of what she said. "You.. gave up your clan for me? Why?"

Her hand cups my face, "because you are my mate and I would follow you to the ends of the earth and fight an army of dragons if it kept me by your side. I never wanted to be heir in the first place. I was never raised to rule, it was thrust upon me after my brothers died."

"But Mako, this is your home, your family."

"You are my family," she tells me. "You and our little one." She drops her hand from my face and buckles the last of her armor on, "and your sister."

"Yes let's go get her!"

I turn to the orc and elf again, "I'm sorry but who are you?"

"Oh!" The elf says excitedly. "I forgot! I'm Calla and this is my mate Brunk. He's the lord of the Swamplands and we are very excited to go fuck up some scummy humans."

"But why?" I ask curiously. "Why help us?"

Calla grins, "because we just can't resist a good fight."

"Yes!" Brunk agrees. "Now, let's go fuck up some humans."