Regally Bitten (Blood Alliance Book 3)

by Lexi C. Foss

  It was time to play alpha.

  I released Luna with another brush of my mouth against hers, then grabbed Silas and captured his lips with my own.

  Shock rippled through his body like it had the last time I kissed him, as if he couldn’t believe I was showing him affection in front of everyone. We would be discussing that later because if he thought I meant to hide this, he had another think coming. I wanted them both, and fuck anyone who thought ill of me for it.

  “Guard Luna,” I told him.

  “With my life,” he vowed.

  I let go of him and found my grandfather’s gaze across the yard. There was a wistfulness to it that I didn’t understand, but pride lurked in its depths. “I’ll help out here while you tend to Lilith,” he said, the words traveling across the space with ease, thanks to my wolf hearing.

  I nodded. “Thank you.”

  “Just doing my job,” he replied, grinning. “Take Logan with you. He’ll represent Ernest Clan.”

  I frowned and looked around. “Where is he?” I hadn’t seen him at all, not even during the fight.

  My grandfather nodded his chin toward one of the cabins. Logan stood beside it with his arm around a badly beaten Cora. Luna followed the line of sight with a gasp and took off toward her mother, with Silas hot on her tail.

  Fucking Niko.

  If he were still alive, I’d kill him again. Because those blemishes on the alpha female’s form had the dead alpha’s mark all over them.

  Logan released her to Luna, one of his eyes badly bruised and screwed shut—likely from his father’s fist. Had he tried to join the fight to help Clemente Clan? And his father stopped him?

  No, it had to be something worse for Cora to be given such a beating.

  “We stood up to Walter when he tried to take Luna,” Logan explained, sensing my confusion.

  My eyebrows rose. “Walter what?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Luna said, her arm around Cora’s waist. “He’s dead. They are all dead. Go to the council; we’ll be here when you get back.” Alpha female underlined those words, causing my lips to twitch. Luna wore her dominance with pride, and I very much approved.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I replied, winking at her.

  Silas snorted. “So you’ll bow to her command, but not to mine.”

  “She’s an alpha. You’re just an omega.” It was more of a taunt than the truth.

  Another snort. “An omega who fought by your side in a death ring. For which you’re welcome, by the way.”

  I clasped his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Yeah, you’re right. You’ll make a fine enforcer.” Logan’s brows lifted in surprise. He knew what that term meant, as did everyone standing close enough to hear. “Keep everyone in line while I’m gone.”

  I didn’t wait for him to reply to my orders and instead led the way toward the main lodge with Logan at my side. We stopped by one of the cabins so I could grab a pair of jeans—they were a bit tight, but worked—and continued on in silence.

  Everyone was waiting for us when we arrived, Lilith’s expression holding a touch of impatience that I ignored as I settled into a position against the wall.

  I knew there were a lot of alphas and royals in attendance tonight, but there hadn’t been a chance for me to take stock of who was actually here. Most were among the usual crowd.

  Claude, Lajos, Cormac, Jace—all vampires with a penchant for playing with lycans.

  Kylan was the only uncommon attendee. His arrival last month had surprised me. All the royals were invited to these events, but only a handful usually appeared, and Kylan was notorious for keeping to himself. Now that I knew about his connection to Silas—whatever that was—his appearance made sense.

  The ballsy vamp stood in Silvano’s place with his arms crossed. Something about him struck me as not right. Power lurked beneath his skin—a power he seemed to be hiding. When he caught me staring, he arched a dark brow in challenge.

  Yeah, I didn’t want to fuck with him. He struck me as much harder and harsher than Silvano. Like he was used to handling wolves in addition to vampires.

  No, thanks.

  As for the lycan portion of the council, we had all our neighbors on this side of the globe, as well as a few from the areas surrounding Ernest Clan. All wolves enjoyed a good ascension, as it was part of our pack nature.

  Luka from Majestic Clan.

  Brandt from Calgary Clan.

  Vlad from Vladik Clan.

  Miko from Maykel Clan.

  Dimka from Kostenka Clan.

  All varying ages of leadership, but averaging around two hundred years or so. Which meant the majority were long-standing friends of my father, something that would likely hurt me after my ascension.

  Oh well.

  Those who opposed could kiss my fluffy ass.

  “Now that we’re all here, we can begin,” Lilith announced, her focus on me—a subtle chastisement for making her wait. As if I would apologize for organizing my clan before attending a political meeting. My wolves would always come first.

  Lilith launched into a diatribe about her disappointment in the council for not acting sooner, how only one of them had bothered to call for her, and how fortunate it was that she was already en route when she received that call.

  A bunch of stately bullshit. What would she have done? Clapped her freshly manicured hands together and screeched for everyone to halt?

  Yeah, that would have been a lovely sight.

  She asked for an explanation of how it all began, which Vlad provided as an observing party. When he reached the part about accusations of Silvano and Walter orchestrating the battle, all eyes fell to the ballsy vamp.

  “What do you have to say about this, Ryder?” Lilith demanded.

  He lifted a shoulder. “Sounds like classic Silvano to me. That asshole only ever thought of himself.” He paused before adding, “May he rest in peace.”

  Lilith clearly did not appreciate that response. Her eyes narrowed. “That’s all you have to say?”

  “You act as though I knew what was happening,” he replied. “A bunch of vampires passed through my lands on their way to the border, and I followed because it piqued my curiosity. I didn’t even play in the mess. I’m only standing here as a result of my age and birthright. From what I observed, Silvano orchestrated one hell of an attack with the expectation of taking over Clemente Clan afterward. Best guess, he agreed to Walter’s terms with the intention of double-crossing the alpha. Didn’t work in either of their favors, though.”

  For once, the esteemed Goddess appeared speechless.

  Okay, I might like this Ryder guy.

  “But if I were you, I’d seek out Catalina,” he added, his tone as bored as his stance. “She ran off after shooting the Clemente Clan’s newest addition with silver. I guessed she didn’t want to face the consequences of that with the new alpha since he was her original target.”

  Kylan smirked. “Good thing Jace knocked her out and tied her up in one of the lodges.”

  “Seemed strange she was in such a hurry to flee when her brethren were all so eager to fight,” Jace put in conversationally.

  “Indeed,” Kylan agreed. “Shall we fetch her for you, my lady?”

  “As if I trust you not to kill her without a trial,” Lilith seethed.

  Kylan’s brows rose. “I wasn’t aware I required a trial under such situations. Would you have preferred we allowed them to continue fighting like animals?” He cocked his head to the side. “Or do we need to discuss the requirements dictated by our bloodlines? Because last I checked, I’m the oldest of vampire kind, and I would say that affords me a semblance of responsibility. But maybe I’m wrong. Perhaps I need a larger title to assert such power.”

  Several members of the council shared glances at the very clear challenge issued by Kylan. Everyone knew his birthright superseded Lilith’s, but he never laid claim to her position. Likely because he didn’t desire the headache that came from being in charge and preferred maintaini
ng his own territory.

  But his actions of late seemed to be pushing some of her boundaries.

  Testing the waters.

  Subtle provocations to her place at the top of the hierarchy.

  “I want to talk to Catalina,” she replied, her head held high, her gaze on Kylan alone. “All of you”—she glanced around quickly before focusing on the royal again—“will remain here while I investigate this mess and determine a proper recourse.”

  “You want us to stay in the Clemente Clan lands?” That came from Brandt. “For how long?”

  “For as long as it takes me to make a decision,” she snapped.

  “I’m not some dog you can command, vampire queen,” Dimka drawled. “We have responsibilities back home.”

  She narrowed her gaze at the ash-blond alpha. “You will stay until I give you permission to leave. Unless you’d prefer we relocate to Lilith City?”

  Several of the alphas bristled at the threat. None of us wanted to go to the heart of vampire territory. Especially not her territory.

  “Five days,” Luka suggested. “We’ll agree to remain here for five days while you investigate. That should be more than enough time, and it’s a blink of an eye for most of us.”

  “Most of ye evidence will be washed away with’na week,” Cormac agreed, his voice heavily accented. Scottish, I thought, if my geography of the old lands was right. “I cannae agree to longer, lass.”

  Several concurred with nods and words of assent, leaving Lilith no choice but to cave to their demands. “Fine. I will begin immediately.”

  I nearly scoffed. As if she would have waited a few hours.

  “Jace, come with me. And, Edon? Make appropriate accommodations,” she demanded. “Oh, and congratulations on your ascension.” The latter was nearly a sneer, but she tacked on a polite smile before exiting the room with a flourish.

  “I’ll stay at Walter’s,” Jace said as he passed me. “Your mother and I are old acquaintances.”

  It was on the tip of my tongue to argue, but he left before I could comment.

  And then everyone else in the room started adding their own accommodation requirements at once.

  Shit. It’s going to be a long damn week.

  “Welcome to leadership, kid,” Kylan said, clapping me on the shoulder.

  Yeah. A great fucking welcome.

  36

  Luna

  “You went to university together?” My eyes widened. “Wow. What are the odds?”

  Silas and Rae shared a look. “Not great,” they both replied at the same time.

  I nodded, pretending to understand. These two clearly had a history together, one that left me feeling a little miffed because I wanted to be the one Silas shared glances like that with. But we were nowhere near that level despite our time together, and I had no way of knowing if we would ever reach that place.

  If Kylan shared my jealousy, he didn’t show it. He lounged beside Rae on Edon’s couch, his arm stretched out along the back and his fingertips idly brushing the woman’s shoulder. Silas sat catty-corner in a chair, while I relaxed on the ottoman next to him.

  My mother and Logan were making up one of the guest rooms for themselves. Apparently, Rae and Kylan would be taking the area I’d originally claimed for myself, leaving me firmly in Edon’s quarters until these new living arrangements were over.

  Not that I minded.

  I just hoped Silas would join us, too.

  I cleared my throat. “When did you say Edon would be back?” I asked Kylan.

  From what I understood, Edon was busy finding sleeping arrangements for all of our apparent guests. Most of the royals and alphas had only intended to attend the ceremony and return to their jets, but the Goddess demanded everyone stay until she sorted through the mess Edon’s father had created.

  “I didn’t,” Kylan replied. “He seemed hell-bent on removing Jace and Darius from Walter’s home, a fight I really don’t think he’ll win. So it may be a while.”

  “Why would he care?” Silas asked.

  “Because Jace has a penchant for seducing wolves, and there’s a broken one living in that home who means a great deal to young Edon,” Kylan explained, his lips curling. “Little does he realize, the two share quite a history.”

  “He won’t hurt her,” my mother said softly as she entered the room, her gaze downcast.

  So utterly submissive for an alpha female. But at least she wasn’t near catatonic like Edon’s mom. No, mine actually stood up for herself on occasion. Like tonight.

  And now she would never have to fend for herself again, unless my brother bargained her to another alpha. She was still young and pretty enough for others to show interest, at least in making her a concubine. However, I didn’t see Logan ever agreeing to a deal, not if his protective stance beside her was anything to go by.

  “I never said he would, Cora,” Kylan replied. “I merely stated his penchant and their history.”

  My mother’s lips twitched. “History is something Jace has with many.”

  I narrowed my gaze, but Edon stalked inside before I could question her. He took one look at the living area and growled.

  “Hi to you, too,” Silas greeted, grinning.

  “It’s been a long fucking night.” Edon went straight to the kitchen and came back with a beer that he rolled across his forehead. “I don’t recall inviting you over, Kylan.”

  “That’s all right, young alpha. I took it upon myself to do that for you,” he replied.

  Edon grunted. “I’m too exhausted to argue.”

  Kylan grinned. “No, I imagine the others put you through the wringer well enough.” He stood and held out a hand to Rae. “Shall we retire and allow his triad to soothe him?”

  Triad. Silas and I had asked Jolene to explain what that meant earlier tonight while we were cleaning up the courtyard. He’d answered vaguely about it being a rare relationship between three lycans, before being called away to help reset the shoulder of a recovering wolf. We didn’t see him again after that.

  “Why does everyone keep talking about triads?” Logan asked, his brow furrowing.

  “Because your sister is in the heart of a blossoming one,” Kylan replied as he pulled Rae up beside him. “Current society frowns upon them because it’s an unbreakable bond that supersedes any and all other relationships within a pack, but denying fate is like trying to challenge a royal vampire—a very bad idea.” He brushed his lips against Rae’s mouth and smiled. “Unless you’re Raelyn. Then you can challenge a royal vampire all you like.”

  She narrowed her gaze. “You’re just trying to seduce me.”

  “Is it working?”

  “Maybe.” She nipped at his jaw, some unspoken message passing between their gazes—one that had Kylan grinning and tugging her out of the room on a whisper of sound.

  “He’s changed,” my mother said, her brow furrowing as she studied the empty hallway in their wake.

  Logan ignored her, his blue irises flitting from me to Silas to Edon and back to me again. “Wait… The three of you are…?” His eyes narrowed at Edon. “You’re sharing my sister with him?”

  Edon caught my brother’s fist before it came near his face and shoved him backward. “I’ve had a really long fucking night, Logan. We’ll do this tomorrow.”

  Silas jumped off the chair and intercepted Logan as he went for Edon again. “Back off.”

  “It’s fine,” I interjected, standing up and joining Silas. “I’m fine.”

  Logan blinked. “This is messed up.” He ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a breath. “Fuck, this entire night is fucking messed up.”

  “No shit,” Edon muttered. “And the week isn’t going to be any better.”

  Logan shook his head and turned away from us without a word, leaving us for the bedroom down the hall.

  “I’ll talk to him,” my mother whispered, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “Once he realizes Claudette’s history in her own triad with Jolene, he’ll come ar
ound.”

  “What?” I gaped at her. “What history with Claudette?”

  She frowned. “You mean he hasn’t mentioned it?”

  “No,” all three of us said in unison.

  “Explain,” Edon added in his alpha tone.

  “Oh, I don’t think it’s my place,” my mother said, taking a step back. “Maybe you should talk to your grandfather about it. I didn’t realize… I just thought…” Another step away from us. “Ask Jolene.”

  She fled on those words, causing my forehead to crinkle.

  Edon muttered a curse and cracked open his beer. “Fuck it. Fuck it all. I’m done trying to solve puzzles tonight. I just want to escape for, like, an hour and not fucking think.”

  Silas glanced down at me before turning to face Edon. “We can help with that.”

  I smiled, rotating as well. “Yeah. We can totally help with that.” Silas and I had showered together earlier while everyone else was cleaning off and changing.

  But Edon was still filthy.

  Bloody.

  And wearing a pair of jeans that clearly didn’t fit.

  I tugged on the button, loosening the waistline. “Come with us, Alpha.”

  Silas took the beer from Edon, saying, “Yeah, come with us, Alpha,” and led the way.

  “I earned that,” Edon grumbled, his cheeks flushing.

  “And you’ll be drinking it,” Silas replied with a glance over his shoulder. “You said you didn’t want to think. So let us do it for you.” He held open the door to the master bedroom. “Trust us.”

  I moved past Edon and Silas and tugged my shirt over my head, letting it flutter to the floor. Then batted my eyes back at them. “I’ll be in the shower while you two work this out.”

  Their growls followed me into the bathroom, where I lost my jeans and turned on the water.

  Silas and I hadn’t spoken much during our shower earlier, just helped each other wash off and kissed a few times before joining the others in the living area. It hadn’t felt right without Edon. Like we were missing a piece of ourselves. It was one of those mutually understood things that didn’t require words. A feeling I noted in Silas’s gaze likely as easily as he did in mine.