Claimed by Caden

by Serena Akeroyd

  The Mater took a seat on the overlarge armchair, sat back, and said, “You don’t have to sit on the edge like I’m going to jump at you. Sit back, relax. There’s no need for formality. Especially as I’ve come to understand that you know nothing of our ways, Lia?”

  The reason for that was the same reason she wasn’t fickle. Her father’s fault. And while she thought it, and knew the other woman had recognized that thought process, she didn’t state the obvious this time. In truth, she felt guilty. That adolescent rage of hers maturing and shifting with the knowledge she’d removed the glimmer of contentedness in the older woman’s eyes with her catty remark.

  It wasn’t Leah’s fault her son was a prick. It wasn’t Leah’s fault Lia’s mother had suffered the torments of being abandoned while having to raise the bastard’s kids. And it wasn’t Leah’s fault that her childhood had been spent more under the breadline than on it.

  “No. I know nothing of Pride ways.”

  Leah’s relief was evident. As was Caden’s. Both of them sank a little further into their seats at the lack of spite in her answer—something in turn which made her feel ashamed. The very knowledge she was free to say whatever she wanted, no matter how hurtful, was like locking down her tongue. Rather than liberate her, it tied her up in knots.

  Oblivious to her thoughts, they took a sip of their drinks, and she knew they were shoring themselves up for whatever she might snap at her grandmother.

  A few days ago, she’d been a nobody. Any hint of a somebody about her person had come from the reputation of her husband’s name. Now, she was at the center of this storm. A large political storm at that. Especially if her father hadn’t been a complete and utter shit, and had gotten himself killed by that group of racist fuckers, the Puristas.

  She wasn’t dumb. She’d understood the implications of the Purista movement taking place around about the same time as her father had disappeared.

  If that were the case, then Lia would have to stop cursing her father, and start mourning him. The notion made her stomach churn and only the brandy burnt the sensation away.

  “So, you know nothing of our ways, and yet, you married a Pride male. How did that come to pass?”

  Caden answered for her. He also reached for her hand and gently urged her back. She’d been the only one to remain sitting upright, but she did as he silently wished. “She is my mate, Leah. I recognized her the instant I saw her.”

  Leah’s smile was wide. “I do so enjoy the games the Fates play with us. Who would have thought that attraction would lead to this meeting today. I am most fortunate that you bucked the Pride’s laws, am I not?”

  Caden’s smile was sheepish. “I wasn’t going to walk away from her, Leah. No way.” The sheepishness disappeared and was replaced with a grin. “I’d just made partner at my law firm, and taking up with my PA would have been really frowned on. I didn’t care about that. I just had to know her. And then, when I did, I realized who she was to me. I didn’t let her go until I had a ring on her finger.” When Leah cocked a brow at that, he mumbled, “I had to follow human tradition.”

  “You’re a lawyer?”

  “Yes. Corporate law.”

  “He does a lot of pro bono work, though. Don’t you, Caden? He’s so generous with his time. He takes on more pro bono cases than the three of his partners combined.”

  “Your pride in your mate is quite clear, Lia. It is good to know that you are in safe hands.”

  Caden cocked a brow. “I’m sure you’ve studied my lineage so you know who I am.”

  Leah nodded. “Of course. Your name is an old and trusted one. Not usually good enough for someone of my family’s line, but then,” she paused when Lia huffed and sat upright in outrage, “I don’t make those rules.”

  “That’s a load of rubbish. You’re the top dog, well, cat! Of course you make the rules. It isn’t Caden who isn’t good enough for me, it’s the other way around!”

  Leah shook her head. “I meant no offense.”

  “She didn’t, Lia. It’s the truth. McKinnons rarely mate outside of Oregon, so calm down.”

  “Why Oregon?” she bit out the question.

  “This is the seat of the National Pride, and the important families within our nation reside here, too,” Leah murmured. “You would have been mated to one of them, had you known of your heritage, that is.

  “I’m glad that you met Caden, though. There are far too many political matches made under this roof. Unfortunately, my daughters have minds of their own. I tried to sway them but they wouldn’t have it. Only Archie followed his heart.” A small, nostalgic smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “Your grandsire is my mate. We share that good fortune.”

  For some reason, that floored Lia more than anything. “I have a grandsire? I mean, grandfather?” she asked, somewhat dumbly.

  Leah’s puckered brow said it all. “Of course, dear.”

  “Why did nobody mention him to me?” She turned to look at Caden, who took another sip of his drink. Another fortifying one by the looks of it.

  Before he could reply though, Leah stated, “It is the way of things. I imagine, that will be the most difficult for you to understand. Males, even sires or grandsires, just aren’t as important as their female counterparts.”

  “I don’t know how you can stand it.” Lia hissed, jumping up, then sitting back down again when brandy sloshed over onto her skirt. Christ, her emotions were volatile today. How could she go through life pretty much as calm as a trickling stream, only to turn into rapids when she met the family she didn’t know she had?

  Apparently, however, Leah understood exactly what Lia had been speaking about. “No, I have to say, it is difficult when one’s mate is treated like a lesser being.”

  “See,” Lia told Caden, who decided to take more comfort from his glass of Scotch. “She knows what I mean.”

  “Oh, I do,” Leah muttered. “Ferdie is all right now. But getting him used to me has taken about fifty years. And even then, he sticks to the old ways. It’s hard to change someone to be more comfortable around you, when they’ve had it ingrained in them that they must always be proper and correct with their females.

  “You think the females today demand a lot from their males? That’s nothing to Ferdie and my day. He’s dying to meet you. As much as I was. But he wouldn’t let himself be here, not even when I commanded it of him, for Lea’s sake.”

  “Protocol means that much to him?”

  “Not really. It’s just that was the way of things when he was raised. Caden, technically, shouldn’t be here. I’m surprised Marcia didn’t say anything.”

  “She might have done, but she was too busy disapproving of what I was wearing.”

  Leah frowned, then sighed. “You’d think I commanded such formality from my people. My daughters are the ones who demand it, not I.

  “I won’t lie to you, Lia. Your grandsire and I are probably the only ones in the family who will greet you with any warmth. My daughters are rigid, stuck in their ways. I don’t know why. Ferdie and I were never all that strict, but that’s who they are. They’re far too self-important by half.”

  “Lee, that’s not kind.”

  The reproach came from the back of the room, and Lia and Caden twisted their heads to take a look at the newcomer. He was an older version, but just like she and Leah were similar, this was like looking at Tommy. Only if he was in his fifties.

  She blinked, but smiled. “Doesn’t he look like Tommy, Caden?”

  Her mate nodded. “The likeness is incredible. For both of you. I think if your pictures were ever in the Press I’d have known just by looking at both of you that you were related to Lia and her brother.”

  “Then I wish we didn’t have to be so cautious about having our photos taken,” Leah said with a mournful sigh. “We might have had this meeting years ago.”

  Lia ignored their talk and stood watching as the man approached their sofa. Nerves were etched onto his face, and the closer he came, the more his
hands trembled. “I should have waited until your granddam called, but I couldn’t.” His smile was hesitant as he neared Lia. “It is a pleasure to know you, granddaughter.”

  It was strange. Where Leah had been as warm, Lia had stiffened up. Now, she felt herself relaxing in this man’s presence. That, in turn, made her feel guilty. Leah hadn’t deserved to be greeted with a barbed insult.

  She smiled at the man. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Ferdie’s hand was dry in her clasp, and there was the tiniest tremor. It was strange to be so revered by this couple. But that was the only way she could describe it.

  Lia took a step back, and Ferdie just stood there, watching her for a few seconds. After Caden shook his hand, her grandfather finally moved toward the armchair his mate was using, and he sat on the armrest. “She looks just like you, Leah,” he murmured, more reverence in his tone as he reached for his mate’s hand.

  “There is no doubting her line, is there?” Pride throbbed in Leah’s voice.

  Blowing out a breath, she cast about for a topic to change their current thread of discussion. Her. “Who’s the painter?” she asked, hoping to God that would do it.

  “I am,” Ferdie replied.

  “And what am I?” Leah chided.

  “Love, I hold the greatest respect for you, but you are not a painter.”

  Leah grinned. “No, but you’re not the only artist in this relationship, are you?”

  “No. You’re good with a needle, and that’s about it,” he retorted.

  “I’ll have you know I won a prize for that oil painting I created last year.”

  Ferdie snorted. “Like the local Girl Scouts wouldn’t award you a prize! You’re the Mater.”

  Leah pouted, and Lia looking on in bemusement, watched Ferdie bend down to buss the pout from her lips.

  They were flirting.

  In front of her.

  She looked at Caden, who looked as bemused as she felt.

  “It was a good rendition,” Leah insisted.

  “It looked like a tank!” Ferdie looked at Lia, and said, “She was supposed to recreate a horse. And it looked like something humans use in a war film.”

  “I’m sure it was very good,” Caden inserted quickly.

  “No. I’m afraid he’s right. It was terrible,” Leah admitted with a wink. “But I still appreciated the award.”

  “Who wouldn’t?” Caden teased. “Lia’s a crafter. Aren’t you, honey?”

  She nodded. “I’m not very good at it though.”

  “Don’t be coy. Those scrapbooks you made of our wedding were brilliant.”

  “Oh, I’d love to see one of them. If you wouldn’t mind?”

  “Of course. They’re all at home, otherwise I would have brought one of them to show you. We traveled from my hometown, not the city. But, I suppose you know that already,” Caden mumbled. It was almost amusing to see him flustered. High court judges didn’t faze him, but her grandmother did. He quickly continued, “Lia gave all the guests throwaway cameras as favors, and she collated all of the photos into different editions, didn’t you, honey?”

  Nodding, she took a sip of her drink. “I didn’t want to miss anything.”

  Caden snickered. “Impossible. You were drowning in photos when we had them printed, weren’t you?”

  This time, her smile was wide as she grinned at the memory with him. “You couldn’t sit down on the sofa all week.”

  She watched his eyes heat with memories of where he’d had to sit, and what she’d done to make up for the photos that had overtaken their apartment.

  “Getting them printed was probably more expensive than the hire of the reception rooms.”

  He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Yeah. I was too lenient with you. You’re terrible at budgeting.”

  For that, she whacked him on the arm. “Who cut coupons for six months to pay for half of that reception?”

  He snorted. “I was teasing, babe. And like I wouldn’t have paid for it all. You’re too damned proud for your own good.”

  Her jaw thrust up and out. “Just like my mate. I paid as much as I could.” That was said with a stout nod. “I wasn’t having your mother telling me I was a gold-digger, just because I wanted the reception at the yacht club.”

  He grimaced. “I wish you’d have just let me pay. It was our money, even before we were married. Plus you’d have been my wife sooner. I wouldn’t have had to wait so damned long to make you mine.”

  Her cheeks heated at that, and before she could continue, Ferdie murmured, “They’re mates.” His delight was evident. He clapped. Actually applauded them.

  Leah smiled up at him. “You can just sense it, can’t you? They exude it!”

  “It’s a relief,” Ferdie told them. “Not a one of our children waited for a mate.”

  “In fairness, we were lucky, Ferdie. I didn’t exactly get a choice to life mate with you. It was fortune on our side that we were also mates.”

  “True. But we didn’t push our girls to life mate, did we? They could have held out. Explored the world a little. God knows why they’ve become so rigid.” He shook his head, a pucker on his brow. “You’d think we’d been stern parents. Five girls, all so damned insistent on being your Lieutenants, and a son who had to run from us. And grandchildren more intent on spending the family fortune and partying than anything else.” His voice petered off, a sad twist to his lips.

  Leah patted his hand, but she looked just as unhappy. Lia wasn’t sure why, but she was touched by their discontent with their family. There was a lack of formality about Leah, something she hadn’t expected what with the way the people who’d discussed the Mater had described her. To have children so formal, then grandchildren so informal when they needed someone in the middle...it was almost like they’d wanted a freedom from their roles within their family. But that family was just a constant reminder.

  At least, that was how she could interpret the sad looks the two shared. It was because of that sadness, she murmured, “I don’t think my father ran away. Not really.”

  Ferdie turned to look at her. A question in his eyes.

  She nibbled her lip, feeling stupid for just blurting it out, but their sorrow had made her want to turn their frowns upside down.

  “When he left us, Mother was devastated, and I really mean devastated. She was like an automaton, for months afterward. She never got over it. She just endured. And she died like she’d lived that last decade and a half. Enduring the pain until she was taken in her sleep. She died when I’d just turned eighteen. It was like she had to make it until I was an adult, and when I was old enough, she could let go.

  “I–I think, from what Caden has told me, they were mates. If he left me, I’d feel like my mother did. Lost.” She reached for Caden’s hand, and squeezed. Needing his touch, even if it was only in such a small way.

  “She was a Wolf. Archie probably thought you’d have tried to keep them apart,” Caden told them gently.

  Leah sighed. “I wish I could have said we wouldn’t have tried. The eighties were a troublesome decade. We had a lot of problems within the Pride. And the other nations were suffering as well.”

  “We know about the Puristas,” Caden told her.

  She nodded. “They were just a part of the problem. At the time, we had a lot of half-breeds in our nations. It had never been a problem in the past, but then, we’d been having a war every decade or so with one of the others. Be it the Packs or the Dens or whomever. Things were changing, and we couldn’t slot the half-breeds into the army like we’d always done.”

  “What did you do?”

  “We had to create security details with them. The thing is, Lia, you’re rare. Half-breeds are usually male. Ninety out of a hundred births are males. And half-breeds are aggressive. Terribly so. They have the mixture of both races’ fury and they’re just born to fight. In fact, they’re beautiful to watch.

  “We had to do deals with the humans to put them in special units in their ow
n Forces.” She grimaced. “In a way, they became mercenaries. Not the nicest of terms, but they did a lot of good in the nineties. Surprisingly, they’re damned good keepers of the peace.

  “I wish I could say that I would have let your father have free rein. But the Puristas were gaining power. A lot of my Leonas were joining the ranks, and I had no one I could really trust. My Lieutenants were immediately against the half-breeds due to their sex, and I had to tread carefully. Work pretty much with my cabinet of aides to strike the deal with the humans. Your father mating with a wolf shifter could have tipped the balance.” She closed her eyes on a sigh. “It kills me that he was right to run, and that because of it, we never saw him again.”

  Ferdie leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I know, honey.”

  “The Enforcers are following the trail,” Caden tried to assure them, but Leah shook her head.

  “He ran away, but he retained a small amount of contact with us. Every few months after he disappeared, we’d receive a postcard. No note. Nothing. But I knew it was him. Checking in. He knew his leaving would kill us, and he tried to calm our fears. It didn’t work, of course,” she murmured on a huff of laughter. “I know you think he just abandoned your family, Lia, but, I don’t think so. I think he was killed. I wasn’t sure if he’d just died. Maybe of an illness. But if you say he just left his mate...Archie would never have done anything like that. Never. Not if he ran from his home to be with his mate. They must have taken him.”

  Ferdie reached for the still half-full tumbler in Leah’s hand and sank it back as she spoke. Tears gathered in his mate’s eyes, and Lia watched, touched, as he shuffled her to the side, and shared the armchair with her. Like they were teenagers.

  He wrapped an arm about Leah’s shoulders and held her tight. “The Enforcers will learn more now they have a lock on where he was.”

  Leah shook her head. “I fear only the Lea knows, and once she takes me, I’ll learn of his end.”

  “Don’t be morbid, love. We have another fifty years together. And our first great grandchild to enjoy.”