Regally Bitten (Blood Alliance Book 3)

by Lexi C. Foss

  You can create alpha lines from humans? Silas asked.

  Yeah. I suspect you have traces of it, I admitted. It’s all about dominant tendencies, something I’d say you carry in spades. Which was why I intended to make him my enforcer.

  So an alpha doesn’t need to be lycan born? He sounded confused. I couldn’t really blame him. Genetics was complicated.

  If a lycan sires a child with a mortal, then turns that mortal into a lycan during the pregnancy, the child will be born a lycan.

  That sounds too easy, he said, looking down at me.

  I met his gaze as I replied, There’s a ninety-nine percent fatality rate. The transition while a female is pregnant is typically lethal to the mother and the child. Only the strongest of mortals survive.

  Ah, and the strongest are usually alphas, he translated.

  Not usually, but always. Most humans are killed in the process. “Which explains why he wanted the breeding camps. Brilliant bastard,” I marveled out loud, interrupting whatever Jace had been saying to Kylan.

  They both looked at me with arched eyebrows, obviously not pleased with my interruption, and desiring an explanation.

  I cleared my throat. “I was just explaining the alpha creation process to Silas.”

  “Between lycans and humans,” Silas clarified. “I didn’t know that was how it worked. At the camps, I mean.”

  “Depends on the goal of the breeder,” Jace said, his focus on me. “And what conclusion did you draw, Edon?”

  “If Silvano destroyed the alpha bloodline in Clemente Clan, the lycans left behind would have been desperate to create a new ruling family. Which would either require involvement from other clans—an unlikely choice given how few alpha females remain in our world—or they would try the breeding farms.”

  “And pay top price for each host,” my grandfather added. “That’s the motive Luka and I determined as well.” Pride lit his gaze as he added that last line—the emotion directed at me, not himself.

  “What about Lilith?” I wondered out loud. “Has she drawn the same conclusion?”

  Both of the alphas shook their heads. “She called in Ryder,” my grandfather replied. “Seems to think he knows more than he’s sayin’.”

  “I’m certain he does,” Kylan replied, amused. “But it won’t be about Silvano.”

  “Who is Ryder?” I asked. “He’s not part of Silvano’s hierarchy. Or I would have met him.” Yet the other day in the field was the first time I’d ever seen the vampire. Age and power had wafted off him like a dark cloud, and he hadn’t fought at all. “Why is he even here?”

  “He lives near the camps,” Luka explained. “On the Silvano side. He keeps to himself, refuses to play the political game, and only came along ’cause Silvano walked the army through his property.”

  “Yeah, he was asking Lilith to excuse him, saying he only volunteered to represent Silvano for the initial meeting and had no intention of staying.” My grandfather snorted. “She refused, of course. Said with Catalina in custody, she needed an elder around to keep all Silvano’s vamps in line.”

  Kylan smirked. “Bet he’s thrilled he volunteered.”

  “Do you think he knew what Silvano intended?” I asked. “Was he working with him?”

  Kylan laughed outright. “Hell no. He hated that bastard.”

  “Silvano marched the vampires through Ryder’s lands,” Luka said.

  “I’m sure he did,” Kylan replied. “It was the best way to provoke the old recluse to come out and play, and Ryder fell for it.”

  “But why provoke him at all?” I wondered aloud. “Why bring him into it?”

  “Maybe to act as a scapegoat, should he need it. Or because it was the easiest route.” Kylan shrugged. “Regardless, I’m certain Ryder isn’t involved. He might be old and senile, but he’s not suicidal.”

  “I’m inclined to agree with Kylan that Ryder would never work with Silvano on this.” Jace’s tone rang with confidence. “But that’s the real problem. The question remains: How will Lilith react to the news?”

  “You mean, will she punish me for taking Silvano’s life?” Kylan grinned. “She can try.”

  Jace smirked. “She can, yes. Meanwhile, Edon and Logan should be all right, as Walter was the one who accepted the challenge and requested to fight with Niko at his side. No major hiccups, but I imagine she’ll be watching them closely as a result.”

  “It was all within pack law,” I added. “She can’t fault us for following it.” But Kylan, yeah, he might have an issue or two.

  “Indeed.” Darius scratched the dark scruff dotting his jaw. “Still, I think we all need to lie low for a few months while the dust settles. Too many upsets so close together is going to put the alliance on edge, and we can’t afford to be noticed.”

  “Killing Silvano to stop the vampires and wolves from killing each other is hardly going to be seen as a revolutionary move,” Kylan pointed out. “I’m the mad royal, remember? I do crazy shit all the time.” He punctuated that with a kiss against Rae’s neck. “Right, consort?”

  She just shook her head, but the hum of energy between them suggested she was in his head. How fascinating. I wasn’t aware vampire sires could communicate like that with their progeny. I always thought it was a wolf thing.

  He turned her after he made her his Erosita, Silas explained softly. She told me it altered her transformation.

  Fascinating, I repeated.

  “It’s true. All the rebellious acts of late have somehow involved Kylan. If anyone is at risk of censure, it’s him.” Luka glanced at the royal. “Which is why I didn’t want to bring you on board. You’re a danger to our plans.”

  “Are you suggesting I might tattle on you all to save myself?” Kylan asked, his lips curling. “What happened to good old-fashioned trust, wolf? Can’t you smell my loyalty?”

  I snorted at that. “You smell old and powerful to me.” Just like Jace and Darius. They were at least two or three thousand years old.

  Logan grunted. “They smell old to me, too. But I’d like to know what all this revolution shit is about while we’re on the topic.”

  Jace smiled. “You’re sitting in the middle of it.”

  And so began an hour-long conversation about those who sought to take down the Blood Alliance Council.

  Four of the founding members were in this room—Jace, Darius, Luka, and Jolene. But there were several others across the globe, all living in quiet and waiting for their cue to rise up. It was something they hadn’t planned to do for several more years, perhaps even decades, but events over the last two months had escalated their timeline.

  This week, in particular, punted them way into the future.

  Because Logan and I were groomed with a purpose—to lead our clans toward rebellion. However, it had to be subtle. Little things like getting rid of the moon chase might not be noticed, especially as it only happened a few times a year.

  Another would be to allow relationships to form, to encourage matings rather than degrade them.

  It just had to be quiet. Unnoticeable by the other packs.

  “With Silvano out of the picture, we might have an opportunity,” Darius put in. “Jaxon is one of the oldest in the territory.”

  “But not in a leadership position,” Jace replied.

  “Neither was I.” Darius grinned. “Yet, here we are.”

  “Because of my place at the top.” The royal winked at Darius’s blood virgin. “It’s nice to see your eyes, sweetheart.”

  She blushed but didn’t drop her gaze. Clearly, she was in on all of this, because from what I understood, blood virgins were bred to be submissive to a fault. Yet she seemed rather confident and poised beside Darius, as if she had every right to sit in this circle.

  And maybe she did.

  “How many other young lycans are being trained for your rebellion?” Luna asked, her eyes on Luka. “Your daughter? For Logan?”

  His expression darkened. “Just because Niko decided to retire earl
y does not mean my daughter is to be wed next month.”

  Well, that wasn’t at all what Luna had asked. But it seemed to be a sore subject for the alpha lycan.

  “So my pack is to go without leadership until you decide she’s ready?” Logan asked, his eyebrow inching upward. “You know I can’t ascend without a mate.”

  “It’s a topic we’ll continue to discuss,” Jolene put in with a sharp look at Luka. “And to answer your question, Luna, there are a handful of mentors in place to help guide the mentalities of younger lycans, yes. However, you, Edon, and Logan were our primary objectives for this wave. As we mentioned earlier, we thought we had more time. But it seems our pawns are falling into place earlier than anticipated.”

  “Much earlier,” Darius agreed. “We’ll need to reevaluate several avenues, but it seems others have opened up for us to navigate.”

  “You’re welcome,” Kylan interjected.

  Darius ignored him. “I think it would be wise for Edon to engage in his triad, as it will set an immediate relationship precedent for the pack. Just as I would advise Luka to reconsider his stance on his daughter’s nuptials. Ernest Clan will require unity to rebuild, and Logan can’t do that alone.”

  Luka growled, but I jumped in before he could reply. “You know what would be wise? For someone to explain what the fuck a triad is before asking me to do it,” I suggested, not so politely.

  All eyes fell to my grandfather.

  He sighed in resignation. “It’s what I had with your grandmama and Claudette.”

  Luna stiffened beside me. “And what does that mean, exactly?” she demanded.

  “Yeah, what she said,” Logan agreed.

  I didn’t comment since I wondered the same thing.

  But I was the one my grandfather addressed. “The three of us were very much a unit, similar to the one you, Silas, and Luna are forming.” Sadness swirled in the depths of his dark eyes. “Your grandmama was the alpha female and Claudette was a human turned lycan. During my initial alpha rituals, I turned her, then claimed Yazmine beneath the moon a few weeks later.”

  As was the custom for an alpha ascension.

  I understood that.

  “And?” I prompted.

  “And unlike your pairing to Luna, Yazmine was mine by choice. Meaning we went into our initial claiming with love already in our hearts. As you know, the male bites first. Then the female bites during the next full moon. But something happened between me and Claudette in the interim, and that something spread to my Yazy. We didn’t understand it at first; the physical connection was just incredibly intense.”

  Sounds familiar, I thought.

  “And by the next full moon, the three of us were too engaged for Yazmine and me to go through with our pairing alone. We invited Claudette to join us and performed a triad bonding instead, much to the surprise of our pack. Then we lived together as a trio for nearly five hundred years, three hundred of which I ruled Clemente Clan. We didn’t split until the new world order, and to this day, I believe that split is what killed my Yazy.” He swallowed, his eyes falling. “Triads are not meant to be separated.”

  “What he’s telling you is a warning,” my mother added softly from the living area, her voice surprising us all. “You can’t enter a triad lightly. All three of you have to be committed and be prepared to fight for it.”

  39

  Luna

  Two days later and Lilith still hadn’t reconvened the council. Apparently, she wasn’t in a hurry to deliver a verdict.

  Which left wolves and vampires all over Clemente Clan headquarters.

  And specifically, in Edon’s house.

  I stretched my legs, limbering up for a much-needed run as Silas joined me outside. “Human or wolf?” he asked.

  “Human.” Because I wanted to talk to him about all this triad business. We’d avoided the Jolene bombshell for long enough. While I could sense how Edon felt, I had no idea what Silas thought about it all.

  Fucking around temporarily as a trio was fine.

  Committing to one for eternity? Yeah, entirely different scenario. Even if it broke my heart to see Silas go, I’d let him if that was what he wanted.

  And therein lies the problem—I can’t read him. Just as he can’t read me.

  Supposedly, that problem would be fixed if we accepted each other under the next full moon, but I wasn’t willing to do that until I knew he desired the same things I did.

  “Human it is.” He left to slip on a pair of socks and shoes and returned without a shirt. Something my eyes more than appreciated. “Ready?”

  “Yep.”

  He grinned. “Lead the way.”

  “You just want to check out my ass,” I said, taking off at a jog for the tree line.

  “Those shorts are awfully short, little moon. Can’t blame me for admiring the view.”

  I snorted and picked up the pace because I could. “You just saw me naked, like, an hour ago.” He’d joined me in the shower not to fool around but for company. Which was nice. I liked the way he washed my hair.

  Of course, I’d need another thorough cleansing after this run.

  Maybe Edon would be back by then and the three of us could have some fun. I supposed it depended on how Edon’s chat with his grandfather went. They were reviewing the list of packmates Jolene recommended for promotion to headquarters. Apparently, he’d been keeping tabs on everyone over the last ten years, preparing for the moment his grandson ascended.

  A slap to my ass had me jumping a step. “Hey!”

  “I thought we were going for a run. This is more like a lazy stroll.”

  I glanced over my shoulder at the cocky male. “You want to race, newbie?”

  “What happened to big wolf?” he teased, referring to that day in the kitchen.

  “You haven’t earned it yet,” I tossed back at him. “Beat me to the creek and maybe I’ll reconsider.”

  I took off at full speed, not giving him a chance to reply or react. His chuckle followed me, the sound far too close for my comfort. So I pushed myself harder, my inner wolf growling in jealousy of my two legs. She wanted to be free to run, to smell the trees, and to feel the air currents against her coat.

  Later, I promised.

  I wanted to talk to Silas in our clothes because I didn’t trust myself to engage him naked. We’d end up in a pile of limbs. Especially after an adrenaline-filled sprint through the woods.

  His shoulder brushed mine, his long legs carrying him faster.

  On four paws, I held my own because of my experience. But it seemed he had me beat in human form.

  With every inch he put between us, I grew more and more agitated.

  And equally aroused.

  Because the man was sleek, lean muscle streaking through the trees and dodging branches like a professional. I wanted to lick that trail of sweat beading down his spine, nip the back of his neck, and pin him to the ground.

  Only to have him wrestling me beneath him, something I knew he would do. And then he’d slide right into my waiting heat.

  This is why we’re wearing clothes.

  Except my tank top suddenly felt sticky and far too heavy.

  My shorts were too thick.

  My shoes suffocating.

  I wanted to breathe.

  No.

  I had to talk to him first, and we were almost to the creek—the same spot in which I’d played with Edon all those weeks ago. So much had changed since then.

  A revolution? Who would have ever thought that was possible? But hell yes, I was in. Edon and Silas, too. The question was, would we fight together as a triad or as friendly packmates?

  Silas reached the water’s edge first, his triumphant smile drawing me to him all the more. It took serious effort not to jump him and wrap my legs around his waist. But I stopped just barely at his side, hands on my hips as I panted in much-needed breath.

  He’d pushed me to my limit. I could still go another few miles, but damn. My legs felt a little like jelly.
>
  “Did I earn my nickname?” he asked, much less winded than me. Something told me he could have gone harder, and would have, had it been Edon racing him.

  I would need to work harder to keep up with those two. Lucky male genetics.

  Silas cupped my cheek and brushed his mouth against mine. “I prefer sweets to big wolf.”

  “Yeah?” I licked his lower lip. “What if I prefer big wolf?”

  “You could nickname me furball and I’d still answer to you, Luna,” he whispered, kissing me again.

  And damn, he tasted so good. Like sex and wolf and man all wrapped up in a Silas package. Mmm, but I needed to talk to him first. That was the whole—oh, that feels good—point of this—

  I arched into him, groaning as his tongue did something decidedly wicked with mine.

  Hello, hardness, I thought, feeling his excitement beneath his jeans. He must have enjoyed that run as much as I did, even though we only went a mile or so.

  His palm wrapped around the back of my neck, his opposite hand falling to my hip, and he devoured me with his mouth.

  We kissed a little in the shower, but it was more nips and fun. Silas had meant to play then. Now? Yeah, now he seemed hungry. No, starved. And I was his next meal.

  “Silas,” I breathed, my pulse racing as it always did when he touched me. “I want—” His tongue silenced me and scattered my thoughts.

  I shivered, my wolf bowing to his.

  Hmm, no, I need… “Triad,” I managed to force out, the word sounding much sultrier than I anticipated.

  But it caught his attention. “Triad?” he repeated, pulling back just far enough to stare down at me with his blown-out pupils.

  Oh, dear moon, the hunger in his gaze…

  Focus! I chastised myself.

  I cleared my throat, trying to remember what I wanted to say. But I couldn’t. Not with him so near, his blue irises hypnotizing me, his full lips taunting me for another kiss. I wanted him, and not just physically. I wanted Silas. All of him.

  “I want the triad,” I whispered. “I want to be with you. With Edon. With us. I want to hear your mind. To know your soul. To touch your heart. I want to know what it would be like to be loved by you. To love you in return. To be your mate, your everything. To connect all three of us. Forever. But I won’t make you, even if it’s all I can think about, all I’ve ever truly wanted for myself in this life. Because you have a right to choose. And I would never take that away from you.”