Page 247 of Cruelly Bitten

“The only thing they’ve proved is how different they are,” he replied. “They don’t care about coexisting with humankind. They care about their blood supply. They care about treating their food somewhat humanely. But it’s all about their needs. They’re immortal. As such, they need their food to thrive. That’s it.”

I just found two dead vampires,Silas informed me.Not permanently dead, just shot in the heart and regenerating.

Fuck, I muttered, not only in response to Silas but also in response to what my grandfather was saying.

“They’ve spent the last twelve decades perfecting their food source at the expense of lycan lives. And they won’t be ridiculed for that; they’ll be praised. Even our supposed allies can see the importance of what Cane has accomplished. They’re intrigued, Edon. And they’re not hiding it.”

My teeth ground together. Because he wasn’t wrong.

“I don’t blame them for it, either,” my grandfather added. “But again, our goals are not aligned. Lycans used to live among humans in peace. Cane changed all of that.Vampireschanged everything. We can’t just let that go.”

“What about Blood City?” I asked him. “Khalid’s vision has humans and vampires living together in peace.”

“Yes, with a few lone wolves woven into his society,” he returned, his tone underlined with derision. “He didn’t build that city for lycans. He built it for vampires because he is a vampire himself. What use do we have for a blood tax?”

“What use do we have for humans in general?” I countered.

Mortals were treated as toys for the moon chase. Potential breeding dolls for procreation. Nothing more.

“Wolves can mate with each other,” I added. “In fact, they should. Our children are born wolves.” And they didn’t have to go through the painful turning process.

Unlike Silas, who’d had to be bitten and forced to shift.

It’d been painful for him. So painful that he was lucky he’d survived.

“Exactly the point.”

I blinked, surprised by his reply. “What?”

“We don’t need humans. We never have. We once lived with them in harmony, primarily because they left us to our own devices. But that all changed when Cane—avampire—revealed our presence to the world. The mortals became violent and hurt us. We wanted revenge. However, that desire has long since passed.”

I stared at him. “Which leaves us where, exactly?”

“In a stage of rebirth. In a place where lycans can thrive again as packs. But we need the vampires to stop trying to control us first. We also need assurances in place that humans won’t be able to harm us again.”

“And what do those assurances look like?” I wondered aloud. “How would the lycans handle humankind?”

“That’s the debate, isn’t it?” he murmured, his gaze flicking up to the sun before returning to the earth. “We might not need humans now, but if our kind fails to procreate, mortals would serve a purpose. Therefore, exterminating them isn’t an option. However, regulating them is a must. They can’t be allowed to obtain or own weapons again.”

I stared at him. “And what about the vampires?”

He released a long breath, his head moving back and forth. “That’s complicated.”

“No shit.”

His dark eyes glittered sideways at me, his look one of disapproval.

But fuck that.

He’d essentially just told me the lycans wanted to rebel against the vampires and start a war. At the very least, he could tell me the plan.

“Why tell me all of this now?” I added. “Why not before? Why not include me in these discussions?”

“Because you weren’t ready,” he replied. “And one of your mates is best friends with a vampire and a hybrid, both of whom are mated to royals. Not to mention your own ties to the hybrid. Your allegiances are unstable.”

My eyebrows rose. “My allegiances have been guided by you from the day I was born.”

“And now they’re influenced by your mates,” he returned. “Silas and Luna will always come first. I respect that. But it complicates matters, Edon. That’s why the lycans voted to keep you in the dark.”