Novel & Cerita I Will Be The Matriarch

she said. " By the way, Mom asked to wake you up. Get ready fast," she said. After a perfunctory nod and a forced smile, Stuart retreated to the bathroom, the echoes of the nightmare and the complexities of his impending future swirling in his mind. In an expensive suit, he descended, greeted by his mother, the matriarch of the Gates family. "Good morning, Stuart," Mrs. Alice Gates welcomed him, her tone reflecting the weight of their family's stature.

"That's what you have to deal with? It just feels like an overwhelmingly noisy group chat to me. It's not everything they're thinking! That's so fucked up!" Celeste and Hunter chuckled, "It is," Celeste agreed, "but it's also what being Matriarch is about. I missed it when it was gone.” Sally’s hands went to Celeste and she looked so very hopeful that it made Hunter want to bottle her up. “It’s not gone anymore? It’s back? You’re Matriarch again?” “Yes,” she pulled their little mate into a hug, “thanks to you. Luna and I are joint Matriarchs now. Both of us will protect and nurture the Clan together.”

Sebastian stepped forward, coming to my side, facing me with a warning in his eyes as I drew a breath to tell her where she could shove her sense of entitlement. "May I present our Matriarch, first among our familial clan, Queen Pannera Sthol." What, was I supposed to bow or something? Yeah. Right. "I wish I could say nice to meet you," I snapped. "Not." Sebastian's eyes widened just a little bit. The vampire Queen didn't react. Instead, Piotr took his place opposite Sebastian. "Our Matriarch," he said. Didn't get to finish. Not while his Queen was laughing. So. Familiar. I knew the tone, the timber, but it was smoother, softer, more refined. Silkified. The vampire Queen gestured for him to

"Tonight, the High Finance Directorate kneels. Tomorrow, the world knows who rules." Valerie straightened her velvet jacket, her silver signet ring catching the light once more as she turned toward the grand staircase leading up to the main mansion. The Mind had dismantled the legacy of her bloodline. The Blade had secured the perimeter with iron and fire. And now, the Matriarch was ready to claim the throne that had always belonged to her.

My hand drifted protectively over the steadily swelling curve of my belly, knowing my fiery words rang with the fierce maternal devotion to protect Gabriel's progeny at any cost. "Bring me your sorceries, your worst nightmares. I shall stride through your worst nightmares and emerge unscathed on the other side...Archive in hand and poised to forge a new matriarchal legacy!" The silence that greeted my bold vows was almost deafening. From nervous, to narrowed sneers, to what looked like outright fear - every one of the elders wore a different reaction to my fearless rhetoric. Only Zara's mocking voice finally broke the funereal quiet, her full lips curled in a predatory smirk.

The woman who'd walked into a Conclave full of monsters and refused to flinch. "Yes," I said. "But we do it my way." "Which is?" I looked toward the Great Hall, where the Matriarch sat on her throne of thorns and secrets, harvesting the regrets of everyone she'd ever pretended to protect. "First, we expose her. At the Rite of Echoes. Not Morwen—her. We force her to face her own deepest regret in front of every bloodline. We make them see what she really is." "And then?"

I waited until his footsteps faded before letting my smile drop. Pathetic fool. Still mourning a woman who's been rotting in the ground for decades. I walked to the mirror and checked my appearance. Soft lavender dress. Pearls. Simple but elegant. Exactly what was expected of the Blackwood matriarch-in-waiting. Vivienne currently held that title. But she was getting older. Weaker. Soon it would be mine. And when it was, I'd make sure every trace of Maria and her bastard was erased from this family.

She stepped into the light of the searchlights, the emeralds in her tiara flashing. "Mr. D’Amici," Elara said, her voice projecting to the back of the crowd. "I am Elara Thorne, the Matriarch of this House, recognized by the Council of Five Families as of three hours ago." Cesare inclined his head slightly. "A beautiful bride. But a mother’s feelings do not override a Patriarch’s contract."

Once it cleared though, Marcus's reassuring smile gave me the strength I needed to complete the impossibly long walk. I reached the thrones, and Alpha Damarus stepped forward, holding a white cloth. He stared down at where I stood at the base of the few stone steps that led to the platforms the thrones sat on. "Alexandra, daughter of Alpha Mattias, leader of the Moonridge Pack. Today you stand before my son, Alpha Marcus, heir to the Ashclaw legacy, and swear to remain by his side through his reign and beyond it. Do you swear to follow this oath and face the consequence of breaking it."

“I didn’t know I needed permission to speak to the Luna, Alpha.” Levi’s expression didn’t change, but the room suddenly felt colder. “She hasn’t been crowned yet,” he said calmly, but with a sharp edge to every syllable. “She’s my mate. And I’d prefer you limit your interactions with her.” Sebastian chuckled lowly, but his eyes narrowed just a little. “Of course,” he said smoothly. “I understand.” Levi didn’t answer. His attention had already shifted. He spotted one of the maids from earlier standing quietly by the corner, Felicia. He called her name.