A week later,
In the Vampire Coven hall—now suspiciously quieter than usual—
Ethan sat at a long stone table that once hosted war councils.
Instead of weapons and battle maps, it was buried under property contracts, forged identity documents, offshore bank statements, surveillance acquisition reports, and at least three different "confidential" folders stamped with human government seals.
He stared at the stack in front of him like it had personally offended him.
The vampires had taken his warnings seriously. Too seriously.
To prove goodwill, they had purchased an entire building complex near their territory and transferred it to the Lycans as neutral ground.
Vampires funded it—because, as everyone clearly knew, they had centuries of compound interest working in their favor. Lycans, in return, agreed to guard vampire movements during daylight hours.
Peace.
On paper.
Unfortunately, there was now a lot of paper.
Building deeds. Corporate shells. Fake identities for both races. Surveillance specialists to scrub digital trails.
Hackers to erase hospital anomalies. Financial trails routed through six countries so no human agency could connect anything back to them.
And all of it, somehow, had landed in front of Ethan.
A thick bundle of files dropped onto the desk.
He looked up slowly.
Amelia stood there, calm as ever, holding even more.
"No," Ethan said flatly, raising a hand. "Take them away."
"I already have a mountain here."
Selene stood to his right, arms crossed, watching him with faint amusement that she wasn't even trying to hide.
"Why is there this much paperwork?" Ethan demanded. "I thought vampires preferred shadows, not spreadsheets."
"You were the one who said we should abandon outdated traditions and adapt to modern society," Selene replied smoothly. "Modern society runs on documentation."
Ethan stared at her.
"This is not what I meant."
He flipped open one file and immediately closed it again.
"Then you guys can read this bunch," Ethan said with a clearly irritated expression, shoving the stack of papers toward them. He was a high school student, not a corporate executive.
Amelia stepped closer, placing the remaining files down despite his protest.
"You negotiated the truce," she said evenly. "You forced both sides to see reason. It is only fair that you ensure it holds."
"That logic is criminal," Ethan replied, looking genuinely betrayed. "I solved your centuries-long blood feud. That should earn me retirement, not administration."
Selene's lips curved slightly.
"You wanted progress," she said. "This is progress."
Ethan leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as if reconsidering all his life choices.
"It would've been easier if I'd just let you all keep fighting," he muttered. "Less paperwork. More screaming. Very simple."
No one looked amused.
***
And like that, a modern Vampire–Lycan society was formed.
Leadership was decided quickly. Amelia represented the Vampires. Lucian stood for the Lycans. And the chairman—nominated without consent and with zero enthusiasm—was Ethan Corvin.
Now the first official joint meeting was underway.
A long hall. Vampires on one side. Lycans on the other. Tension still lingering, though no one was openly snarling.
At the center sat Ethan.
Not on a throne. Not on some grand elevated seat.
Just a chair.
With a huge bottle of coke in his hand.
He took a long sip.
Burped.
Both sides stared at him.
"Alright," Ethan began casually, leaning back. "Big laws. Simple ones. Don't attack each other. No secret ambushes. No 'it was a misunderstanding' nonsense. Relations should remain stable."
Murmurs on both sides, but no objections.
"If a new vampire is turned or a Lycan is born, they get registered in the shared database. No hidden creations. No secret armies."
Lucian gave a slight nod. Amelia didn't argue.
"Second," Ethan continued, pointing lazily between both factions, "if a vampire and a Lycan fall in love and have a kid, treat it as normal."
That caused more visible reactions.
He raised a hand.
"If the kid shows abnormal traits or abilities from both sides, treat them as hybrid. Don't panic. Don't try to secretly eliminate them. Hybrid births are rare anyway."
Lucian glanced at Amelia. Amelia's expression remained composed, though clearly calculating.
"Third," Ethan said, his tone losing some of its casual edge, "humans must never know. If someone puts the existence of either race at risk, they get one warning. Maybe two. If they keep endangering everyone, you execute them."
Silence filled the hall.
No one argued.
Because everyone understood the logic.
Ethan took another sip of coke.
"And lastly," he said, standing up, "don't call me for these silly meetings."
A few Lycans almost smiled.
"I ended your war. I'm not your secretary."
And before anyone could respond, he disappeared.
The chair spun slightly where he'd been sitting.
*****
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