Chapter One
Serena had always thought of her grandmother as a strong woman. For as long as she could remember, she had been there. Standing tall and proud. Leading the clan as their matriarch. Serena never thought she’d actually see the day when her grandmother lay in bed, looking frail and weak. Blankets tucked up around her, a tray of uneaten food sitting next to her.
She struggled to focus on the book in her hands. It had been several months since the bomb was set off in the matriarch’s office, seriously injuring her. For a while there, it was uncertain whether she was going to recover at all. And while she had survived, she was not at her former strength. The wrinkles lining her face had deepened. There was a sadness in her eyes that made her look old. Serena had never considered her to be elderly before. Despite her grey hair, her grandmother had always been young in her mind. Young and beautiful.
Now she was no less beautiful, but her age was truly showing.
Serena stopped reading for a moment and reached for a glass of water. “How are you feeling, Grandmother?” It had never felt right calling her ‘Grandma’ or anything less formal. “You should eat something.”
“I’m fine, Serena.” The severe look she gave her granddaughter was lessened by the exhaustion in her eyes. “I might not be healing as fast as when I was younger, but that doesn’t mean this will leave any permanent damage. I’m just not as strong as I once was… If your mother was alive, I would have been retired from this position years ago.”
“You’re still strong and—”
“Hush, Serena.” Her grandmother took the book from her and closed it. “I did not ask you here for you to read to me. My eyes work just fine. You and I need to have a serious talk.”
Serena’s stomach clenched. She knew exactly what this serious talk would entail. At twenty-three years old, she was going to end up the youngest matriarch this clan ever had. It shouldn’t be like this. If her mother was alive, or if her mother had had any sisters, then it would be them taking over for her grandmother. But they were gone, and with the current matriarch in her current state…
Her hands clenched in her lap, but she refused to say anything that would make her grandmother think she wasn’t up to the task. Yes, she was young but she wasn’t alone in this. Her father’s siblings, her Aunt Natasha and Uncle Clifford, were there for her. Not to mention the matriarch’s advisors; it wasn’t like she was being thrown head-first into it without any precedents, either. Serena had been joining her grandmother in her offices ever since she was old enough to seal envelops and answer phones. The past several months she had been Acting matriarch, too.
“This year’s Shifter Pride month went very well,” Serena blurted, as though this was a debriefing, rather than a transfer of power. “We had a few threats but no incidents other than a few protestors. They lost momentum pretty quickly, though. Things are looking up. Since the incident with Dr. Alava, most of the anti-shifter groups have retreated. We are seeing a resurgence of one group, though. There is evidence that they’re building themselves on the precepts of Dwayne Sawyers and making him out to be a martyr—”
“Serena.”
She fell silent and bent her head.
“I am getting too tired for this.” Her grandmother clasped her hand. “The slowness of my healing is proof of that. It’s put a great deal of stress on me. The clan can’t have a sickly old woman as its matriarch.”
“You aren’t old or sickly, Grandmother. You were blown up. That takes time to recover from.”
Her grandmother gave her a stern look, making her fall silent again. “I am not speaking to you as your grandmother, Serena, but as your matriarch. If Annamarie hadn’t been so tragically taken from us, she would be matriarch now. It’s not good for one person to be seated in power for so long. It’s time for the younger generation to take charge of their own futures.”
Serena nodded, biting her lip. It wasn’t as though she dreaded to become matriarch. It was just a heavy responsibility, and she had hoped to be able to gain more real-world experiences before this became necessary. Even though she had graduated High School early and had been taking online university courses for economics, political science, and law, it was all book knowledge.
She hadn’t seen the world, hadn’t traveled to all the places she wanted to see. The farthest she had been from home was to visit their sister clan a few counties over. And now, was she ever going to be able to leave? A matriarch’s duty was to her clan. Her own desires didn’t even come in second. They were at the bottom of the list.
“If Annamarie was here…” The matriarch trailed off.
Serena didn’t remember much about her mother or father. Both had been killed when she was young. The few memories she did have, she wasn’t certain if they were real or borne from stories she had been told and pictures she had seen. She pulled herself up straight.
“She isn’t, Grandmother. And as much as we both wish she was, she’s not. I know you think it’s time for me to become matriarch—”
“It is—”
“But I’m not ready. I’m still young, inexperienced. I’m used to following your lead, not making choices that affect the clan myself. I’m not ready.”
“You have to be, Serena. It’s time. I am no longer fit to lead the clan, and if you won’t step up to the task, who will?”
Serena lowered her gaze again. “And that will mean taking a mate.”
That was what Serena was most dreading. Not the idea of having a mate, but having a mate so young. She had never even dated before, and it was what weighed most heavily on her. Of course, she had had crushes in her life. But she never acted on them. Didn’t even have the experience of having butterflies swarm her stomach as she held a boy’s hand.
But a matriarch couldn’t be matriarch without a mate. It was an ancient tradition. Leaders, whether they be matriarchs or alphas, had to have mates. It made them more stable and gave them a check to their power; someone who could temper their instincts.
“When Annamarie married Jackson, she broke with tradition,” the matriarch continued. “For generations, we have mated with men from our sister clan. Our ties with the McCloud clan have weakened for that action. It has taken all these years to repair that damage. I know that you wanted a mate that you could get to know and love before marriage, but it won’t happen.”
“I have to marry whatever man wins me.” Serena’s voice was hollow.
The matriarch squeezed her hand. Her expression was sympathetic, but there was no give to it. Serena knew why. This was what she balked at most, but it was necessary. Theirs was a small clan. They couldn’t afford to alienate their sister clan. Even though they had several very rich people in their clan, the support offered by the McClouds was necessary for developing an infrastructure for the future.
“I wasn’t happy when I was in your situation,” the matriarch continued. “Your grandfather was a gruff man. When I married him, I thought that I would be miserable forever. But we grew to be very close, he and I. Perhaps not the true mates that we hear so much about, but it worked out. As it did for my mother, my grandmother, and all our foremothers. When you are a matriarch—”
“The clan comes first.”
Unbidden, the image of Tristen Cade floated into her mind. Tall, with rippling muscles and hawk eyes. He was from the McCloud clan. He had been brought in by Uncle Clifford to protect his pregnant mate from a threat to her and their unborn babies. He had stuck around even after that threat was eliminated.
Even though Clifford and Tristen were best friends, Serena hadn’t had much to do with him until recently. He was a Navy Seal and had only come to the clan once in a while to see Clifford. Mostly they had spent time together when Clifford was studying to become a lawyer. What she remembered of him from growing up was a striking man who barely paid any attention to her.
And now, when they had spent so much time together? Serena realized that she had it bad for him. It was a bit embarrassing; she couldn’t control herself when she was around him and was forever trying desperately to impress him. This despite knowing that nothing would come of it. Tristen was much older than her and she knew he wasn’t interested in her that way. And even if he was? How would her family react to her dating a man that much older than herself? Clifford’s mate, Lori, had even warned her off of Tristen, claiming that men who went for women half their age were just looking for someone to control.
She knew that wouldn’t be the case with Tristen—but then again, he wasn’t interested in her. Full stop. There was no point in thinking that way.
Unless he was interested, but, because of the age difference and personal situations, didn’t act on it… Serena chewed her lip. It was possible for her to gain some experience before she had to take a mate that she barely knew…
“I will do what I must for the clan,” she said, meeting her grandmother’s eyes again. “You can count on me.”
“Good. I have already begun speaking with the McCloud clan. They are arranging the games for your mate to prove himself. After you and he have committed yourselves to each other,” here the matriarch paused and Serena nodded to show she understood what she meant. “After that, I will officially hand over the mantle of matriarch to you.”
Serena nodded again. A lump rose in her throat, but she straightened her shoulders and breathed in deeply to remove it. It was bound to happen. Whether today or in a year or more. It was going to happen. There was no point in crying over the inevitable. It wasn’t as though she would be stuck with someone cruel. Her mate would be bound to protect her. If he ended up hurting her himself? Well, then it was proof that they weren’t true mates after all and he’d be sent back to his clan in shame, and a new mate selected for her. All she had to do was say the word.
“This has been a lot to process.” The matriarch gave her hand a final squeeze and let her go. “Go take some time to think, Serena. We will have to make an announcement to the clan soon enough.”
With one more nod, Serena all but fled the room. So, this was happening. What should she do now? Just wait? Or… or perhaps she could make one last impulsive action…