“What we did or didn’t do is none of your business. There was no spark between us. We may have gotten along, but there was very little common ground in our interests and likes.” Serena hesitated a moment, wondering how far to go with her political rival. “It was a mutual decision. Robert agreed that he wasn’t the right one for me and that I wasn’t the right one for him. He wanted to have a relationship where love would be a factor.”
“Even so—"
“Was I meant to try to force a man to be my mate when he didn’t want to be?”
Milly narrowed her eyes and didn’t speak.
Her silence was enough for Serena. “I am not going to ignore the union between us and our sister clan. I have been speaking with Robert’s older brother about him being my mate. Tristen has been helping us take care of the Sawyer threat and he and I…” A smile crossed her face. “We are true mates. He’s from the McCloud clan. Men fighting over the right to have a woman as his mate is outdated and sexist, anyway. Not only does it eliminate the element of choice on my part, it also values physical strength above everything else. Tristen is smart. He’s already proven to be beneficial to the clan.”
Milly drummed her fingers on the desk. “I’ll give you that. The fights are outdated.”
Serena nodded, pleased.
“It’s still a tradition, though.” Milly leaned forward. “You aren’t working with our traditions. They are there for a reason. They’re not to be just thrown away because you’re a millennial and millennials don’t care about tradition and the way things have always been done.”
Serena rolled her eyes. “I am working with the traditions. I still chose my mate from the McCloud clan.”
“And he didn’t even participate in the fights.”
“Some traditions aren’t worth keeping. If there was a tradition that the firstborn child in a family was burned alive would you think that was a tradition we should keep? I’m not throwing away our culture, I’m just critical of traditions that do more harm than good.”
Milly stood. She leaned on the desk and narrowed her eyes at Serena. “So what you’re saying is that if a shifter tradition isn’t pleasant to non-shifters, we should just erase our own culture?”
“That isn’t even close to what I said.’
“Regardless. You still ran from the clan when there was a threat to your life. The Sawyers threatened you and you took off. Like a coward. Do you really think that we’d believe that you were getting to know your mate? Especially since you apparently didn’t ‘click’ from the start? You left us, how can we trust a matriarch that does that?”
Explaining that she was taken against her will would do nothing. Serena attempted to stay calm. Had Milly started off with compliments to soften her up, catch her off guard when she followed up with these accusations?
“Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?” Milly demanded.
“I didn’t run away. I took a break so that I could concentrate on figuring out how to smoke out the Sawyer group. And as you have said yourself, it was successful. If I am as much of a coward as you’re implying, then why would I have put my life in harm’s way with that press conference?” She arched one brow, challenging Milly to twist that to fit her strawman argument.
“You don’t have a mate.”
“That is hardly relevant to the accusations you were just throwing at me.”
Milly waved her hand. “It doesn’t matter. You don’t have a mate and that is all the grounds I need. The harvest moon is coming up in three weeks and your grandmother intends to officially make you matriarch at that time. I don’t believe that you are ready. I don’t believe you’ll ever be ready. I am going to issue a formal challenge to your authority, Miss Boone. In two weeks, we will fight and decide which of us is going to be the matriarch.”
Serena stood, tired of Milly looming over her. There were still several inches difference, but it was better than sitting and feeling small. She rose her chin and narrowed her eyes at Milly. Her bear snarled.
“If you think that you can do better than I have, then I will welcome the challenge. But you have blinded yourself to reality, Milly. Every reason you’re using as an excuse to do this is just an excuse. You’re not fooling anyone, except maybe yourself.”
Milly narrowed her eyes further. She growled softly in her throat.
“If that is all, I have a lot of work to get done.”
Milly turned on her heel and stalked away without another word. Serena waited until the door had been slammed shut before she slumped into her chair again. Great. This was exactly what she didn’t need. With everything else? It was the last thing she needed, to have her authority challenged like this. But it had been challenged.
And she would meet that challenge. That was all there was to it.
Chapter Twelve
A long day, that had successfully rooted out the last of the known places where the Sawyer group were hiding, found Tristen in Serena’s house, cooking lasagna and waiting for Serena to come home. He had elected to let Marcus handle all the paperwork for their latest raid. Serena had called him earlier and explained to him what had happened with Milly. He wanted to give her a relaxing evening with just the two of them.
He’d been staying with her since they had come back from the cabin, but nothing had happened since then. Both were just so busy that they rarely had time to even talk. Well, tonight would be different. They would be able to have a good talk about what they were both looking for and hoping would come from this relationship.
As he was cutting up the romaine lettuce for the Caesar salad, Clifford came into the room. He looked tense and Tristen put down the knife and turned to him.
“Everything okay?”
“Is Serena here?”
Tristen shook his head. “No, she’s still in town. What’s up? Is there something with the—”
Clifford’s fist flew before Tristen could finish. It smashed into his nose. His whole body was thrown backward and pain flooded his face. He grunted and held his nose. Clifford cursed as he rubbed his hand. His face was twisted in exaggerated pain, and there was a flash of guilt there, too.
Tristen straightened. “What the hell? What did you do that for?”
Clifford glared at him. “You know what it’s for.”
Tristen wracked his brains, but nothing came to mind so he shook his head. “Actually, I have no clue. And you’d better tell me, or I’ll have to return the favor.”
“It’s for seducing Serena! I know that you two slept together.”
Tristen tensed. Serena had wanted to keep their relationship under wraps for a bit, until things were settled better. She wanted people to see how well he worked with the clan before it was announced that they were mates. She hadn’t even wanted to tell her family just yet. So how had Clifford found out?
“Who told you?”
“Serena. She said that she let it slip to Milly Terrance earlier today and she wanted to tell me herself before I found out second-hand.”
Tristen took a moment to center himself before he replied. “Yes. Serena and I are together. But I didn’t seduce her and I don’t like the connotations of you saying that. It was a decision we both made and she’s not a child.”
“She’s only twenty-two.”
“Twenty-three,” Tristen corrected.
“One year does not make a difference.” Clifford’s fists clenched. “You’re too old for her.”
“I’m not going to pretend like that isn’t a concern for me, too.” Tristen sighed. “Serena was very clear about what she wanted. And I wasn’t going to act on my own feelings, but we had a talk about it, and we figured it out. We did what we both wanted.”
“I always thought you’d be the kind of guy to gently turn down a girl in an inappropriate situation.” Clifford glared at him. He stepped forward and Tristen braced himself to take another blow, but his friend didn’t swing. Clifford’s shoulders sagged, looking suddenly defeated. “What are you doing? She’s too young for this.�
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Tristen ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I’m not going to lie. I have a few doubts. Not as many as I did have, but they’re still there. Part of me thinks that I’m being a selfish, disgusting old man. But I care about her, Clifford. I really do.”
“Oh, God.” Clifford turned away, his shoulders tense.
Tristen waited a moment, then cautiously approached his friend. “Look, I know it’s sudden. And I don’t want this to move too fast. If you and the rest of your family have concerns… well, I mean, you obviously have concerns…. What I’m getting at is that I will back off. I’ll make sure to take things slow with Serena from here on out. We’ll keep you all in the loop and there will be no sneaking around. And I can stay somewhere else if you don’t want me to stay with her.”
“I can just imagine how angry Serena would be if I started to dictate what her love life should look like.” Clifford turned back to him. He gave a small, pained smile and shook his head. “I know my niece. She wouldn’t be pursuing this if she wasn’t certain that it’s what she wanted. Not after refusing your brother.”
Tristen let out a sigh of relief. “I take it that means you won’t be hitting me anymore?”
“Nah, I’m done with that. It’s just… since I’ve become a proper father, I’ve realized how much I failed Serena. Now that I can look back with clear vision, I see so many things that I should have done differently.”
“Cliff, you were practically a kid yourself and only her uncle when Jackson was killed. You can’t blame yourself for not putting your life on hold for her.”
“Natasha did.”
“And that was her choice. You wouldn’t be where you are, able to give Serena the support you’re able to give her now, if you hadn’t pursued your own interests then.” Tristen gripped his shoulder. “Serena looks up to you, and your sister and mother. She was raised well. She’s a strong and stubborn young woman, and she’s so full of confidence. I don’t think fate itself would stand a chance against her if they started butting heads.”
Clifford smiled at that and nodded. The smile was quick to fade away, though. “And you love her.”
Tristen froze for a moment. He hadn’t said that. He said he cared about her. And he felt very strongly for her. Now that they had been together, he couldn’t imagine himself with anybody else. He wanted to stay by her side for the rest of his life. He’d willingly die for her and wanted to see her succeed in everything that she planned for the future. But to say the words out loud now, in this situation…
“I never thought that I’d ever want a mate,” he hedged. “For as long as I can remember, it just seemed like something that would make me less of me. But Serena makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. She makes me want to be the best man I can be and more than that, she makes me the best version of me. It’s like… I’m more of me than I ever was before. Do you understand?”
Clifford nodded. “Lori makes me feel that way. She’s the greatest thing to ever come into my life, matched only by our twins.”
“Then you know what it’s like.”
Clifford didn’t reply. He kept staring at him, waiting.
Tristen shuffled uncomfortably on the spot. “Look, I can’t say what you want me to say right now. But I care. I would die for her. She is the most wonderful, amazing woman I have ever met and I won’t ever let her get hurt.”
“Then answer the question. Do you love her?”
“I can’t say that.”
Clifford’s eyes narrowed. “And why not?”
“Because I think that Serena should be the first person to hear me say it.”
Clifford studied him through narrowed eyes for a moment. His hands flexed, as though he was deciding if he should punch him again or not. Eventually, he relented, and the remaining tension drained from the air. He rubbed his eyes and sat at the kitchen table with a sigh.
“That’s a good reason. I can’t argue with that logic.”
“Good. Because if you did we’d have to keep arguing and Serena would walk in on us fighting, and I don’t want that to be the way I first tell her. Actually, it’s kind of weird that we haven’t said it already. I mean… we both already know that we’re mates. The actual words have not been said, though… I guess I might be reluctant to say them until I know for certain that the rest of your family will be okay with it.”
“You’re a good man.” Clifford gripped his shoulder. “We’ve known each other for a long time and I’ve never seen you be anything but a complete gentleman to the women around you. If it were Natasha rather than Serena, I couldn’t have been happier. It’s just that she’s so young.”
That weight settled on his shoulders. “I know.”
Clifford drew in a deep breath and squeezed a little tighter. “You are a good man, though. And I know that this wouldn’t be happening unless Serena wanted it. And that’s the only reason I’m not going to oppose you. It’s not that I’m happy with it right now, mind you. But I trust you and Serena both to do what’s best.”
Tristen nodded, understanding what he meant. If their positions were reversed, he didn’t know if he would have been quite so understanding. He managed a grin, though. “Thanks. Now, if it’ll make you feel better, I would be happy to sit down with each of your family members and talk to them about this. I know it’s an unusual situation. I think that making sure everybody can air their discomforts is going to be necessary. I want them all to know that I want them to still counsel Serena in this matter, too. It’s not all about me.”
“Well, I already knew that.” Clifford chuckled under his breath, which quickly became a full-out laugh. “I’m glad that you offered, though. Lori’s waiting over on our side, waiting to be let loose on you.”
“Lori?” Tristen rose a brow, a bit surprised. In the past few months, he’d gotten to know Lori quite well. She was a free-spirited, fun, life-loving kind of person. Out of everybody in this household, she was the one he had been worried about least. He shrugged. “Of course. I’d be glad to talk to her.”
“You might want to wait until tomorrow.”
Tristen shook his head eager to prove that he wanted to cooperate with all of the family. “No, I’d like to talk to her now. I know that this is a matter of concern and I’d rather set her mind at ease now.”
Clifford shrugged. “If you’re sure.”
He was. Tristen stuck the lettuce back in the fridge. He’d go over, talk to Lori, reassure her and come back over here to finish up dinner. Lori would be reasonable about this. She hadn’t shared all of her past exploits with him, but she was a chill woman. The kind of person to understand how sometimes things just didn’t make sense, even when they felt like the right thing to do.
Tristen was certain it would be fine.
He was wrong. Hurricane Lori laid into him the moment he set foot in the house. He stopped still, blinking rapidly—he hadn’t even heard half of those curse words before. He opened his mouth and she screamed louder, so he shut it again. Clifford stood to one side, looking sympathetic and amused at the same time. Tristen folded his hands in front of himself. This was going to take a little longer than he had anticipated.
Chapter Thirteen
Serena could see by the look on Lori’s face that she wanted to say something, that she had been wanting to since Serena had come home that night two weeks ago to find Tristen in Clifford’s side of the house with Lori screaming at him. She had been too tired and stressed to want to listen to Lori then. She’d had to sit down with all her family and talk about her relationship with Tristen. Lori was the only one who still seemed uncertain about the whole thing.
Now, Lori and Natasha both were helping her get ready for the official ceremony where the matriarch would step down. It was also when Milly would issue her official challenge of the situation. It felt like time was just zipping by.
Natasha cupped Serena’s face in her hands. Her aunt’s eyes shone as she looked down at her. “You’re so beautiful, Serena. I want you to always know that. Yo
u’re strong and brave and smart.”
Serena nodded the best she could while Lori curled her hair. Her stomach twisted, though. There were still members of the Sawyer group out there, and there was a possibility that they were going to come after them at this ceremony. Even though she knew Tristen was out there with Marcus, she couldn’t help but wish he was by her side.
“I’ll go check to see how the preparations are going,” Natasha said. She slipped from the room, and Serena let out a pent-up breath.
“We need to talk,” Lori said as soon as she was gone.
Serena had a feeling she knew what it was going to be about. “Tristen and I—”
“Yes, Tristen and you. Look, I know from experience that sometimes these things are… intense. Older men, younger women. In my experience, it’s never a healthy thing. From what I’ve seen with you and Tristen, it looks… well, it looks better than my experiences. But I want to know, honestly, has he pressured you to do anything?”
Serena sighed. She knew Lori was just looking out for her, but she couldn’t help but feel that Lori was putting more of herself in the situation than she realized. “No. Tristen hasn’t tried to get me to do anything I wasn’t comfortable with. Well, I suppose there was the time when he and Robert took me to the cabin, but that was because he panicked over my safety.”
Lori made an angry noise in her throat. “That’s— “
“Almost exactly what Uncle Clifford did with you.”
Lori closed her mouth. She looked a bit sour, but nodded. “I’ll give you that. I’m just worried about you, Serena. I know that you’re smart and brave and very mature for your age, but you’re still young. Are you certain you want to bind yourself to a man who is twice your age.”
Serena turned around, which resulted in her hair being pulled but she didn’t really care. “Lori, I know that you’re concerned and I love you for it. I want you to tell me what warning signs to look out for.”
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