He soothed his mate gently and took up the tale. "They ruled wisely for millennia," he said quietly. "In those days being Ancient was a given, not the rare commodity it is now. The peace appeared absolute so Anakatrine decided our people had evolved enough that there was no more need for a royal hierarchy. She formed the very first Vampire Council in a bid to retire from power, to allow our kind to rule themselves in wisdom. None of them had any idea of the rot that was hiding underneath the surface of our people. It was only when the first Vampire/Were mating occurred that it became obvious."
Gard stood up and paced to the desk coming to stand beside them and turning to meet the wolf's sceptical gaze. "Three thousand years ago the first hybrid child was born," he continued when Caleb sto
