Regally Bitten (Blood Alliance Book 3)
Page 1
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Regally Bitten
Copyright © 2019 Lexi C. Foss
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book may not be redistributed to others for commercial or noncommercial purposes.
Editing by: Outthink Editing, LLC
Proofreading by: Allison Irwin, Jean Bachen, Joy Giachino & Katie Schmahl
Cover Design: Covers by Julie
Published by: Ninja Newt Publishing, LLC
Digital Edition
ISBN: 978-1-950694-13-6
To Katie, for loving this trio of lycans as much as I do and for your amazing friendship and incredible support. I appreciate you more than you know!
To Matt, for your love, patience, and companionship and for your willingness to go on adventures all over the world with me and my laptop.
And to the readers, for giving me a chance to try new things. I really hope you enjoy the lycans. They bite.
Contents
Author Note
Welcome to the Future
The Blood Alliance
Prologue
1. Luna
2. Edon
3. Silas
4. Luna
5. Edon
6. Luna
7. Silas
8. Edon
9. Silas
10. Luna
11. Edon
12. Silas
13. Edon
14. Luna
15. Silas
16. Luna
17. Edon
18. Silas
19. Edon
20. Luna
21. Silas
22. Luna
23. Edon
24. Luna
25. Silas
26. Luna
27. Edon
28. Luna
29. Silas
30. Luna
31. Edon
32. Luna
33. Edon
34. Silas
35. Edon
36. Luna
37. Silas
38. Edon
39. Luna
40. Edon
41. Luna
Epilogue
Up Next: Rebel Bitten
Music Playlist
Acknowledgments
About Lexi C. Foss
Also by Lexi C. Foss
Author Note
Dear Reader,
My writing style is very “prolific,” meaning I tend to have the next three to six books planned in a series while writing a current one. This was definitely the case with Regally Bitten. I had my hero and heroine lined up, the “bad guy” picked out, and an initial outline in my head.
But a strange thing happened during Royally Bitten.
That “bad guy” I’d selected for Regally Bitten? Yeah, he started talking to me. And I couldn’t stop listening.
So I really hope you enjoy Edon’s book, as he well and truly took over.
This is a ménage romance between lycans.
There are harsh moments.
It’s riddled with dystopian darkness.
And a hell of a lot of orgasms.
Enjoy,
Lexi
Once upon a time, humankind ruled the world while lycans and vampires lived in secret.
This is no longer that time.
Luna
An arranged marriage? F*ck. This.
I'm an alpha female. I choose my future. Not society. Not my father. And certainly not him.
Silas
I didn't survive just to be cast aside as a low level lycan. I'm more powerful than they realize. More determined. More intelligent. And far more worthy of her than anyone else.
Edon
Duty—a word I loathe.
I'm the future Clemente Clan Alpha. There are rules. There are responsibilities. There can be no love. No free will.
But the heart wants what the heart wants, and right now, I desire them both.
Welcome to the Clemente Clan.
Be careful. We Bite.
Once upon a time, humankind ruled the world while lycans and vampires lived in secret.
This is no longer that time.
Welcome to the future where the superior bloodlines make the rules.
Proceed at your own risk.
The Blood Alliance
International law supersedes all national governance and will be maintained by the Blood Alliance—a global council of equal parts lycan and vampire.
All resources are to be distributed evenly between lycan and vampire, including territory and blood. Societal standing and wealth, however, will be at the discretion of the individual packs and houses.
To kill, harm, or provoke a superior being is punishable by immediate death. All disputes must be presented to the Blood Alliance for final judgment.
Sexual relationships between lycans and vampires are strictly prohibited. However, business partnerships, where fruitful and appropriate, are permitted.
Humans are hereby classified as property and do not carry any legal rights. Each will be tagged through a sorting system based on merit, intelligence, bloodline, ability, and beauty. Prioritization to be established at birth and finalized on Blood Day.
Twelve mortals per year will be selected to compete for immortal blood status at the discretion of the Blood Alliance. From this twelve, two will be bitten by immortality. The others will die. To create a lycan or vampire outside of this process is unlawful and punishable by immediate death.
All other laws are at the discretion of the packs and royals but must not defy the Blood Alliance.
Twenty-two years of promises wrapped up in lies.
Win the Immortal Cup, they’d said. And join us in immortality. The images that had followed were ones of wealth, excitement, and a life of indulgence.
Those images depicted the worst kind of deception.
As I writhed on the ground, growling in pain through my “welcome” to immortality, I couldn’t help but wish I’d died instead.
Because what lay ahead was a fate worse than death.
Edon—my torturer—crouched before me, his expression bored. “It’ll pass.” The crowd around us chuckled.
His father, Alpha Walter, snorted. “This year’s crop was shit.”
“Clearly,” Edon agreed, standing. “Can we finish this now?”
It’s not done yet? Fuck.
“Part of the fun is seeing how long the new ones last in limbo,” the alpha replied, his tone filled with disgust. “But clearly he’s not long for this world.”
“An omega,” someone else jeered.
I wanted to snarl at the word, prove him wrong, but the pain had me groaning instead. Too many weeks without food, battling for my life, had weakened me to this degraded state where I could hardly move.
But I’d won.
And for what?
Torture.
Edon sighed. “He had a lot of promise.” He ran his fingers through my matted hair, down my jaw, the touch surprisingly intimate from a male. “Shall I end him or finish it?”
“Up to you, son. These are the decisions an alpha must make for the clan.” He whistled, the sound piercing my skull and shooting stars off behind my eyes. And then he howled. Others joined in, including Edon, and energy shimmered through the
air.
Shifting.
I felt the magic crawl over my skin, enticing me to follow suit, but something blocked my ability, causing me to growl low and feral.
Edon’s brows rose. “Well, well.” He tilted his head, still in human form as his clan circled and sniffed, their muzzles terrifyingly large. “Perhaps there’s hope for you yet, Silas.”
My lips curled, a defensive instinct shuddering down my spine.
Edon’s palm circled my throat, his obsidian pupils ringed with inky embers. “Challenging the son of an alpha is a dangerous move. And ballsy as fuck.” He squeezed, but I didn’t give an inch.
If he wanted to kill me, fine. I’d been through hell and back, only to find out I’d fought for a life that didn’t exist. Not here. Not with the Clemente Clan.
The excitement rose in the crowd, the decision of my life weighing in the palm of their future alpha.
And then he struck.
His fangs sank deep into my neck, the power rippling over my skin and connecting to his earlier bite.
My moan turned into something deeper, starker, more animalistic, as my bones shifted into something other.
Edon watched, his palm shifting to my nape, his gaze cold and merciless.
I hated him.
Feared him.
Wanted to be him.
All in the span of seconds as my body transitioned into its new form.
More howls.
My own joining the fray.
My instincts heightened.
Scents and sights I never knew existed.
And then strong human fingers ran through my stark white fur, Edon’s forehead pressing to mine. “Welcome to Clemente Clan, Silas.”
Several Weeks Later…
Be useful, they told me. Guard the perimeter.
In other words, they didn’t want me to disturb the precious mating ceremony between my sire—the alpha heir—and his intended from Ernest Clan.
Fine.
I’d prowl around out here, memorize the scents, listen to the secrets from afar, and plan. Because I couldn’t continue on as the pariah in the Clemente Clan. The only turned wolf in over two decades. A half-blood to them all.
No.
I didn’t survive all this bullshit just to be exiled.
Nothing in this world was what they promised us. Nothing.
I hated it here. Loathed my new life as a lycan. And while I respected that it could be a hell of a lot worse, it could also be better. There had to be something else out there, some other way for us all to live in harmony.
A low growl had my ears twitching toward the woods that bordered the party, my eyes finding a tall female with elfin features standing near the forest edge.
Her clenched fists displayed her discomfort, her focus on a male towering over her.
“You will behave,” the alpha wolf snarled. “Yield to him, Luna. Or else.”
With those tender words, he entered the festivities, leaving her snarling in his wake.
The alpha’s intended, I realized. Her stature depicted her strength and defiance, marking her as distinctly different from all the other females I’d seen around her. I also recognized her name as the one whispered amongst the Clemente Clan, their curiosity at what she would look like a hot topic among the males.
Beautiful, I thought. Beautiful and pissed.
It intrigued me. I clearly wasn’t the only one dissatisfied with my circumstances.
Her focus shifted to me, sensing my presence in the woods. I held her gaze, my instincts refusing to bow to another.
She snorted in reply, the sound carrying along the breeze.
Rather than come after me as most alpha wolves would be inclined to do, she flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder and returned to the party, deigning me as insignificant.
Just like everyone else.
My fur ruffled in irritation.
Someday these wolves would take me seriously.
I just had to figure out my place in this new world. Because one thing I knew for certain—I didn’t belong at the bottom.
1
Luna
Fuck. This. Shit.
I couldn’t decide whom I wanted to punch more—my father or the Clemente Clan Alpha, Walter.
Probably both.
My mother squeezed my hand. Again. A polite reminder to keep my mouth shut and accept my fate. Just like she did all those years ago. And wasn’t she a happy pup?
I almost snorted. All of this was complete and utter bullshit. I wanted to pick my future mate, not have one assigned to me. Especially not a prick like Edon. He looked just like his father, with those sinfully dark eyes, nearly black hair, and arrogant smirk.
Walter had quite a reputation for fucking his harem to death. His poor mate was usually forced to watch or participate. And she appeared just as broken as many of the females in this clan.
My future, I growled to myself. Not fucking happening. I’d break Edon’s dick before he touched me with it. And I let him see that with a glance.
His eyebrow arched, intrigue flashing in his pupils.
Of course he wanted to play.
All males did.
But I had a plan, one that guaranteed he’d deny me tonight. Then I’d be on my way back to Ernest Clan. Oh, my father would be pissed. He’d probably try to sell me off to the highest bidder. I would deal with that when the time came, just as I planned to handle tonight’s little ritual.
Alphas were possessive.
And I intended to use that to my advantage.
My father introduced me to some royal vampire and his new toy. I barely listened. The politics in this world sucked. It was all most people knew, but my mentor growing up spoke of an old time, one where females had more rights. Where we chose our own mates. Where we hid from vampires and humans.
What I wouldn’t give to have been born in that century.
Alas, no. I was stuck here with these assholes who expected me to bow, curtsy, and maintain polite conversation, as if I weren’t an alpha female. Forcing me to deny all my instincts, to accept my place as beneath the males of the pack even though I could easily slaughter most of them.
It churned my stomach.
Conversation flowed around me. Formalities shoved down my throat. Until, finally, the ceremony began.
I couldn’t wait to get this over with.
And from the looks of it, neither could my intended mate. Only, he was looking forward to something very different from what I had in mind, something that would not be happening once he realized my secret.
Hums of approval haunted the air, the wolves eager for the show to start. Only a handful of royal vampires remained, mostly the ones intrigued by the lycan rituals. I wasn’t surprised to see Jace among them. He was notorious for taking wolves to bed. A dangerous proposition for a bloodsucker, but he struck me as someone who could handle himself.
He stood with two other royals, their eyes glittering in the night.
I ignored them in preference for the surrounding alphas, their expressions hungry and expectant as they formed a crescent near the altar beneath the full moon.
Next month when this happened, it would be to complete the mating bond.
But I wouldn’t be here to see it. Because I had no intention of seeing this through.
Edon stepped to the front, his black button-down shirt undone at the collar. Unlike me, he was permitted to wear clothing for this event. I would be expected to approach him naked, to show him everything I had to offer.
Because all alpha males cared about was fucking.
And he would want to make sure I met his physical needs.
My lips curled. Oh, won’t you be shocked.
Chants began, my parents taking their position on either side of the aisle. Wolves and vampires alike dotted the audience, everyone in human form.
I stood at the end, allowing my mother to remove my dress and heels.
No undergarments—not because of any requirements, but because I preferred it tha
t way. Easier to shift when I wore minimal clothes.
I rolled my shoulders, confident in my appearance. Our clan undressed in front of each other all the time; some didn’t even bother with clothes. But it was a little weird to walk down along the path between foreign lycans.
Clemente Clan had a different vibe. The air here was different, too, the texture resembling a sultry kiss against my pale skin. I rather preferred the icy planes back home. Former-day Russia, my advisor once called it. Clemente Clan was in the southern United States. All foreign terms in this new world, but I knew all about the old one. Something that would infuriate my parents if they knew, which was why it’d been my little secret with Claudette and my brother, Logan.