Page 246 of Cruelly Bitten

I joined him on the ground, my mind partially tuned in to Luna’s thoughts. She was within a mile of the airfield now. Silas wasn’t far behind her, his athletic form much faster now than when he’d first turned.

“Vampires don’t value family. They’re not programmed in that way. There is no pack psyche. No ability to conceive children. Just a single desire to drink blood and survive.”

I wasn’t quite sure where he was going with this, but I felt compelled to point out, “Some have mates.”

“Yes. And the few who do are quite possessive of their human halves. But that possession—thatcare—doesn’t extend beyond theirErositas.Hell, even Sire-progeny bonds lack true kinship.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, not needing a breakdown of vampire kind. I was fully aware of their penchant for emotional detachments.

“Because I need you to understand that lycans and vampires have always possessed different goals. Different relationships. Different manners of life. At least until about twelve decades ago when humans became a common enemy between us. Everything changed after that.”

His expression darkened, his gaze seeming to focus on a tree across from us.

“Lycans felt obligated to conform. To run away from our humanity. To be more like our vampire relatives. To no longer care.” He finally looked at me again. “Family was seen as a weakness. Family was why we lost so many lycans during the revolution.”

My brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Our emotions dictated our actions. We thought about our packs and loved ones, not ourselves. And the humans took advantage of that. They killed our children. Our females. Leaving us heartless and broken. Incapable of fighting properly because we were too ravaged to think clearly. Then the vampires stepped in and ended it all with flawless efficiency.”

I swallowed, the picture he painted vivid in my mind.

“This is why so many of our kind have assimilated to vampire rule, choosing to follow their lead and take to their preferences rather than embrace who we used to be. It’s easier to survive when all you care about is yourself. No pain. No heartache. No potential weakness.”

I frowned at that. “I disagree. I’ve survived this long because of you. Because of Luna and Silas. They’re not weaknesses.You’renot a weakness. All of you give me strength.”

“Yes. And that’s the heart of a lycan. But now imagine losing us. Who would you be without your heart?”

“I would kill everyone who touched what was mine,” I replied immediately. “I’ddestroythem.”

“Which was exactly what many of our kind did. But the humans were ready for them. The lycans were so blinded by rage that they didn’t think strategically. And many of them lost their lives as a result.”

“How?” I demanded. “Mortals are not nearly as strong or as fast as our kind.”

“No, but their weapons were deadly. And they knew exactly how to use them.” His jaw clenched with the words, his gaze narrowing. “It was almost as though someone told them how to kill us.”

Edon,Luna whispered into my mind.The jets… they’re all gone. There’s no one here. No one at all.

“We couldn’t prove it,” my grandfather went on, my heart skipping a beat as my mind processed everything he was saying along with what Luna had just revealed. “But now we know Cane is the one who outed lycan kind. He’s the one who suggested that mortals try to weaponize us. And he very likely told them how to disable us, too.”

Even Jace’s jet is missing,Luna said.It’s not in any of the hangars either.

We’d taken the royal’s jet here because the Clemente Clan one was too slow.

“Once we acquire proof of what he’s done, who his allies are, and everything else involved, we can finally fix our broken packs,” my grandfather continued. “We can be who we are supposed to be. We can lead how we want to lead. And we can stop residing in the shadows of vampires.”

“The other alphas have gone to get Cane,” I realized aloud. “To gather their own proof.”

“Yes. They’ve gone to kill him and his allies.”

“And what about Cam? Ismerelda? The vampires who have been leading this revolution?” The majority of them were still at the tower right now, all working on a plan to breach the compound and save their loved ones.

Or the vampire equivalent of “loved ones,” anyway.

“Cam’s their leader,” I stressed. “They’re not going to react well if he dies from this lycan attack.”

“I know. Which is why you have a decision to make, son. Either you join us or you join them. Because regardless of how this plays out, it won’t end well.”

“Why not just ask them for help? To work with you? There doesn’t have to be two sides here. I think they’ve proved that.” They’d included us every step of the way these last few months. Why go against them now?