Zachary Vrost stared out the window of the penthouse apartment, watching as snow drifted down. The Hudson River was half-frozen, the ice glittering from the glowing lights of Manhattan’s skyline.

While he missed the views from his London flat, this was home. He knew it. Every time he came home since he’d moved away, he felt New York’s pull grow stronger. Even his inner wolf, the animal inside every one of his kind, knew it. Which was probably one of the reasons he chose to stay away. It made his wolf unhappy, but it wasn’t the one in charge of their body.

“Tell me you’ve got a solution to our little political problem across the pond,” a familiar voice said, interrupting his thoughts.

Zac folded his arms over his chest and turned around. “I know you think I’m brilliant when it comes to business, but I’m afraid even I can’t help what’s happening over there. Rest assured, we’re putting things in place for any eventuality.”

“I know you are,” Lucas Anderson, one of his oldest friends, answered. “You’re always one step ahead of everyone.” He held two whiskey glasses in his hand and offered one to Zac.

“Well, as Chief Operating Officer of Fenrir Corporation’s London office, it is my job to be one step ahead.” Zac accepted the glass. “And soon, I guess, I’ll be reporting to you?”

“Ah, he told you?” Lucas’ face was inscrutable and his strange, mismatched eyes—one blue and the other green—remained cool and distant. But that was how his friend had always been. He never showed any of his cards.

“Yes, your dad mentioned it, but everyone knows it was inevitable.”

Lucas took a sip of the amber liquid from the glass in his hand. “Speaking of which …” He motioned to the older man and woman standing in the middle of room. “I think they’re ready to make the announcement.”

Zac followed Lucas’ lead and moved closer to the vast penthouse’s living room. As Alpha of New York and CEO of a multinational corporation, Grant Anderson could certainly afford to live in such a lush place. Not that he didn’t know such luxuries himself; he grew up in the next building over in a similar apartment. Zac’s father, after all, was the New York clan’s Beta or second-in-command.

“Thank you everyone for coming here.” Grant gazed down at his wife and Lupa, Frankie, beside him. “I know you all probably still have a hangover from the holiday parties and gatherings, so I appreciate you making the time.”

This was an informal gathering for close friends and family, but still, there were over twenty people gathered tonight, including Zac’s parents, and Grant’s sister and brother-in-law, and of course, the various children who were still in town after the holidays or could make it, including two of Zac’s own siblings.

Grant continued. “As you all know, I’ve been serving as Alpha of New York and CEO of Fenrir Corp. for over three decades now. Despite all the ups and downs, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.” He smiled down at his wife and then pulled her to his side. “But, as with many things, it must come to an end. I’ll be making the formal announcement in a few days, but I wanted you all to be the first to know. I’ll be stepping down as CEO of Fenrir Corp. as well as Alpha. And I’m naming Lucas as my successor.”

Zac looked at his friend in disbelief. Grant had told him that he was stepping down as CEO, but not as Alpha. While it wasn’t impossible, it was rare for an Alpha to abdicate, as the position was for life. Lucas’ face remained impassive, though he took everyone’s cheers and congratulations in stride.

“And to add to our big news for tonight, I’ll be stepping down as Alpha of New Jersey as well,” Frankie announced. “Adrianna will be taking my place.”

Lucas’ twin sister, Adrianna’s mouth tightened into a line, though she answered the congratulations given to her graciously. When their eyes met, Adrianna sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

Zac raised his glass to her, and she rolled her eyes. Interesting. The New Jersey clan was matriarchal, and thus the title of Lupa was passed to the eldest daughter. However, since Frankie had married Grant, Adrianna and all her siblings grew up in New York.

With the Jersey clan growing, however, Frankie had to spend more time in her territory, which meant that Adrianna would most likely have to do the same, or even move there. For someone who grew up in Manhattan, moving to the burbs of Jersey was akin to a death sentence, which is probably why Adrianna didn’t look ecstatic at the thought of becoming Jersey’s Alpha.

“You look so serious, Zac. Penny for your thoughts?”

“For you, they cost nothing.” Zac smiled at the petite redhead approaching him. “Enjoying the party, Mom?”

Cady Vrost smiled at her son. Even after all these years, she still looked young for her age—her hair remained a vibrant copper red and her green eyes sparkled with vitality. “I am.”

A tall, blond man came up behind her and slipped an arm around her waist. “Well, if it isn’t the most beautiful woman in the room.” Cady laughed when he kissed her temple. “Son,” Nick Vrost said. “I’m glad to see you here. You know you can stay with us whenever you’re in town, right?”

“The hotel Fenrir puts me up in is fine,” Zac said. “Besides, it’s not like I don’t ever see you when I’m in town. We have dinner almost every other day.”

“And all the other days?” Cady inquired. “Going on dates?”

“Sowing wild oats?” Nick added.

“If I’m sowing any oats, you won’t be hearing about it,” he answered. In truth, it had been a long time since he’d dated anyone. It’s not that he didn’t like women; he’d had plenty of experience when he was younger. But now, at the grand old age of thirty-one, sleeping around felt … empty. Looking at his parents, the way they acted around each other, he couldn’t help but feel envy for what they had.

Ridiculous, of course. Nick and Cady had something few had. For one thing, they were True Mates, a rare type of relationship with their kind. They were fated to be together, and although only two Lycans could produce another Lycan child, if at all, True Mates were different. Because they were destined to be together, such a pairing produced a pure Lycan child. He and his siblings were all pure Lycan, even though Cady was human. There were other things about True Mate pairings he had learned, but since it wasn’t something on his radar, that particular lesson didn’t really stick much in his mind.

“So,” Nick said. “What do you think, son? Of Grant’s announcement?”

“All this excitement,” Cady added. “Change is coming, but I think it’ll be good.”

“So, what brought this about?” Zac asked. “Grant’s not having some kind of late life crisis, is he?” As the New York clan’s Human Relations liaison and Grant’s right-hand woman, Cady Vrost knew anything and everything that went when it came to both clan and Fenrir business.

She chuckled. “Nothing like that at all. But times have changed, you know? Sure, the existence of Lycans is still a secret from the human world, but it’s not like the Middle Ages when Lycans feared for their lives or had clan wars. We’re not even at war with the witches and warlocks. We’ve had peace for the last few decades. Grant thought it was time for new blood and to finally retire to that Italian villa he and Frankie have been dreaming about for so long.”

“I suppose if anyone deserves some rest, it’s them.” Still, this was an unprecedented move. The most powerful Alpha and Lupa in the world retiring their positions. He wondered how this would ripple through the rest of the Lycan world.

Nick looked his son straight in the eyes. “They’re not the only ones.”

His father was never one to waste words, so it was pretty clear to Zac what he was implying. “You’ve never mentioned anything about retiring.” His father loved being Beta and head of Fenrir Corp.’s security department, as well as being in charge of the elite Lycan Guard who protected the Alpha.

“Well, Grant and Frankie’s decision got us thinking,” Cady said. “It’s all in the early stages, I assure you.”

Nick gave him a meaningful look. “But since Lucas is moving up to CEO, he’s going to need someone to fill in his position as COO. Here in New York.”

Ah, there it was. He and his father rarely butted heads; that was more his youngest brother Xavier’s style. However, his decision to stay in London and become the head of the office there had rankled Nick Vrost. And he made no secret about wanting his eldest son to come home.

“This is all news to me,” Zac said. “I haven’t heard any offers.”

“Well—”

“Nick,” Grant called, waving his hand. “A moment, please.”

“I’ll be right back.” He flashed Zac a look that said, we’re not done talking about this, before walking toward the Alpha’s direction.

“You know he wants the best for you.” Cady placed a hand on his arm.

“I know.” He covered her hand with his.

“We miss you a lot.”

“I miss you too, Mom.”

“And I know you miss him.” Cady paused.

Zac squeezed his mother’s hand, as if doing so would stop the way his chest tightened. “It’s been five years.”

“Vasili was special to all of us.”

His father’s grandfather, Vasili Vrost, had raised Nick when his parents died. The old man had been a big part of their lives, and he and Zac had been particularly close. When he passed away, it felt like a part of him died as well.

“Before I married your father, I lost someone too. My father. He was the only family I had at that point.”

He had heard about his mother’s father, Luther Gray, but Cady didn’t talk much about his death. “Does it go away? The missing?”

“I’m still not sure.” She gave him a sad smile. “But you know Vasili wouldn’t have wanted you to leave because of him.”

“I didn’t,” Zac said. Well, partly, but there were other reasons too. Speaking of which …

“Zac,” Nick was dragging Lucas along. “I was just telling Lucas our good news.”

“You’ve served the New York clan as long as my dad has. Both of you.” He pulled Cady in for a hug. “I was hoping you would both be here to guide me, but I understand your reasons, and you deserve to enjoy your lives too.”

“We’re not going away right away,” Cady said. “We’ll be here for your transition.”

“But eventually you’ll need to find someone to help you. A good Beta will ensure you can focus on more important things.”

And there it was again. It was no secret that Nick had always hoped Lucas would pick Zac to be his Beta someday. It was a great honor of course, and Nick was the first of his family to be Beta. Unlike Alpha, which was a title passed from father to son, a clan’s Beta was chosen. In the olden times, it was the strongest warrior, though these days the Alpha picked the best candidate based on his or her needs.

Lucas flashed Zac a meaningful look before clearing his throat. “No one knows that better than you, Nick. I look forward to receiving advice from both you and Cady when the time comes for me to choose.”

“We’ll be here.” Nick took his wife’s arm. “Cady, love, I think Alynna and Alex wanted to discuss something about dinner plans next week. Let’s go and have a chat.”

“Of course.” Cady squeezed her son’s arm. “I’ll see you before you leave on Sunday?”

“We’ll have dinner,” Zac assured his mom. With that, Nick and Cady excused themselves and walked toward Alynna and Alex Westbrooke, who were chatting with Frankie and Adrianna by the fireplace.

“Why does this feel like a bad blind date?” Lucas asked with a raised brow.

Lucas never made jokes, so Zac was surprised to see the barely contained mirth in his friend’s eyes. “Because it kind of is. Sorry, I hope I didn’t put you on the spot.”

“Not at all,” Lucas said. “You know, if you don’t want to be Beta, I could choose someone else. You don’t even have to put your name in the hat.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to be Beta,” Zac began. “It’s just …”

“Feels like you don’t have a choice in the matter?”

Despite being one of his oldest friends, Zac had never told Lucas his reservations about the position. But perhaps that’s what made Lucas a natural leader—his ability to read those around him. “Being Beta was my father’s life. He loved it. It was the one thing he had to earn, not one given to him because of his background or money.”

“And you? You don’t think you have to earn it?”

He laughed. “I know I have to earn it. And work at it. I’m just …” What could he say? He had his reasons, but he wasn’t quite ready to voice them out yet.

“Look, I won’t choose you if you don’t want it, Zac.” Lucas’ gaze bore into him. “But I would like you to consider taking over for me as Chief Operating Officer of Fenrir Corp., here in New York.”

That was the next step in the career ladder for him, of course. “Let’s talk about it another time. For now, go and have your moment in the limelight. Enjoy it.”

Lucas frowned. “You know me better than that.”

Zac smirked. Lucas hated the limelight even more than his father. “Right. Well I—” He stopped short when he saw one of the Lycan security guys briskly walk toward his father. The burly man leaned down and whispered in Nick’s ear. His father frowned and said a few words back.

“Hold on,” he said to Lucas, then made his way across the room. He wasn’t sure why, exactly, but he felt a strange urge to find out what was wrong.

“Dad?”

Nick and Cady were speaking in hushed tones. “Yes, son?”

“Everything okay?”

His parents looked at each other. “It’s fine, Zac,” Cady said. “Clan business.”

“Someone causing trouble.” Nick’s face was drawn into a scowl.

“Someone we know?” Zac asked.

“Oh yeah, we know her.”

Cady shot her husband a warning look. “Nick. It’s not like this is a regular occurrence.” She turned to Zac. “Actually, maybe Zac would like to join us? See what it is we do?”

“Join you?” Zac asked. He knew what his mother and father did for the clan, of course, but he’d never actually been in the thick of the action.

“That’s not a bad idea. What do you say, son?”

Zac supposed there was nothing to lose. “All right.”

“Great.” Nick took the phone out of his pocket. “I’ll call Meredith. You guys tell Grant and Frankie that we’re leaving a little earlier that expected.”

“Meredith?” Zac asked. “Why does he need to call in his second-in-command? If this is dangerous—”

“Not at all,” Cady assured him. “We need her for other reasons. C’mon, Zac. We should go as soon as possible.”