“All you have to do is command us to change the rules of succession, and it’s done,” one of my cousins in the front row calls out.
Gael smiles like my cousin just made this day the best day possible. “You’re right, but I’m not going to do that unless the majority in this clan agree to make the change.”
My cousin, being a man of action, calls out again, “All in favor of Phin’s mate’s proposal?”
A roar of agreement fills the building, and when it quiets down and my cousin calls for detractors, the room is silent.
Gael laughs happily. “Well then, for this day forward, the succession of the species leader of the shifters and all the clan leaders of the shifters will be chosen by the current leaders electing their successor and the community confirming or denying the proposal by vote.”
The command changes my entire world in the same way it was changed when he freed all the forced mates. A wave of relief spreads out through the crowd as Gael’s command takes hold of all the shifters. It takes us all a little time to resettle, but when we do, Gael does what he intended to do from the start.
“On the advice of my mate, I name Anja Basa my successor, and if you confirm her today, I will release my position as species leader of the shifters to her.”
My wonderful cousin hoots his agreement and then holds another verbal vote even as Anja stares up at us, wide-eyed and furious. I grimace at the look on her face and mouth an apology.
She mouths a threat back at me, but absolutely no one in the clan votes against her taking over as species leader, and in a moment, my cousin pushes her to the dais where we’re all standing.
Gael offers her his hand, which she takes with a grimace. “Why on earth would you elect me to replace you?” Though she whispers her question, the microphone picks it up, and ourpeople come to my rescue, shouting their reasons why she will make an excellent species leader.
“You already do half the job of the leader!”
“You care about everyone here!”
“You’re the one who helped when we needed the support of our leader!”
“You’ve taken care of the clan for years!”
So many people start calling out their stories of how Anja helped them, and the scene brings happy tears to my eyes as I reach out and squeeze her hand with my free one.
Eventually Gael holds up his hands to slow down the examples of why Anja is the best choice, and he leans into the microphone, looking sideways at Anja. “Your people have decided, Anja. Are you willing to accept their loyalty, trust, and faith?”
Anja takes a deep breath, stepping up beside Gael. “Yes. I am.”
“Then I pronounce you the new species leader for the shifters and clan leader for Clan Oleander,” Gael announces, and my world shifts again.
Magic forges a connection from every shifter on the planet to Anja, and it feels right like I’ve never experienced before. The connection I shared with Arden was always a burden, and with Gael it felt temporary, but with Anja it feels as if we’ve finally gotten on the right track as a species again.
The mate bond between me and Gael actually feels more secure without the weight of his authority over me as the species leader interfering. I sigh happily as the room erupts in applause, and I let myself bask in the joy all around us. This is what I’ve needed my whole life; it’s what our entire species needed all along. My heart tells me that things are going to be better from now on.
Gael leans over to Anja, covering the microphone and speaking quietly into her ear. “We’ll talk about the confirmation summit before we go. It’s about time our species stop this communication embargo, don’t you agree?”
Anja raises her brows at him, glancing at me for a brief moment before smirking at us. “You’re the pain in the ass that your people gossip about when they’re trading the latest tea, aren’t you?”
Gael laughs, completely unreserved, happy, and in full agreement with Anja’s assessment. “You’re going to be my favorite,” he announces, and my heart fills with so much love for him.
“Anja’s my favorite too,” I tell them happily.
Gael turns, pulling me down for a victory kiss. That’s the only way to describe the emotional landscape of our bond as he owns me in front of my whole clan.
Chapter 20
Present Day
Sin
The only people who know how deep Phin’s trepidation runs are Gael and me, and that’s only because of the magical mate bond that flows between us. He’s an excellent actor when he needs to be. For a man who spent most of his work day with clients watching him, he’s surprisingly uncomfortable being the center of attention.
Unfortunately, all three of us have become the fodder of unabashed stares since we entered the arena. Under the heavy gaze of thousands of people, Phin and I stand behind Gael, who sits on the left side of the raised platform stage where all the species leaders have congregated for the initiation of the new leaders. The arena is packed except for the section directly behind us, which has been cordoned off for security purposes.
