Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate-Chapter 152: A Door That Shouldn’t Be Open

Riona was minding her own business when Puck rushed toward her with urgency in his eyes.

"Hide!" he shouted, his eyes wide with panic.

Naturally, she figured it wasn’t just her who needed to disappear. No, it seemed like the entire community had a sudden urge to turn into hermits.

As she watched the pups race back home, trailed by their anxious parents, her theory was starting to feel spot on.

But once back in her room, she heard the unmistakable sound of people murmuring as they scrambled in a frenzy.

"What’s happening?" one voice trembled.

"I don’t know. I think it’s the Zachs."

"The Zachs? Why are they here?"

"Who knows? Maybe they’ve come because of the vampires."

"Do you think they’ll destroy this place?"

"Will Thorin let them? He’s the Alpha. Shouldn’t he take action?"

"He could, you know, like getting rid of the vampires. Don’t get me wrong; I like Riona. She’s a blast. But she’s still a vampire, and the Zachs wouldn’t be rolling out the welcome mat for her."

"Right."

The moment Riona heard the news, there was no way she could just sit still in her room. If the one behind this chaos in Wintertooth had a thing against vampires, then Florian was in danger too.

Hiding in a bamboo hut with a thatched roof wouldn’t exactly keep the vampire hunters away.

These huts were built for sleeping through sunshine, rain, and maybe the occasional cold breeze, not for, you know, not dying.

Without a second thought, Riona abandoned her room, not even bothering to close the door in a way that would suggest she was still inside.

Her mind was laser-focused on Florian—and also mildly pissed off.

She was offended, to be honest. If it was true that Thorin’s family despised vampires and wanted her gone, it stung. What a bunch of racists!

Though, let’s be real, she couldn’t whine too much. Vampires felt the same way about werewolves.

Just look at her uncle, a prime example of vampire bigotry. Oh, and don’t forget those overpaid, utterly useless officers.

Riona’s mental rant about her uncle and his band of utterly incompetent officials came to an abrupt halt when something far more interesting caught her eye outside Florian’s door.

You’d think the young vampire would keep it locked up tight—because, you know, that’s kind of his thing, never letting anyone in, ever.

But no, there it was, wide open, like it hadn’t been glued shut forever.

Wait, had Florian actually left? In the middle of a crisis? While everyone was under strict orders to stay inside? Of course, he had.

Why follow the rules when you could just casually do the opposite and wander into certain danger?

As she edged closer to the hut, Riona blinked in disbelief—just in time to see Puck getting thrown out. Yes, thrown.

Not one to be dramatic, Puck managed to avoid face-planting like some furry hero. Instead, he landed on his feet and skidded to an almost-impressive stop before smacking into a wall of trees.

"Puck!" Riona called, rushing over.

She was ready to help him up, but of course, Puck was already on his feet, because apparently, being launched from a building was just another Tuesday for him.

"Why did he... open his door?" Riona asked, her voice shaking with a mix of disbelief and, yes, a little bit of betrayal.

Florian wouldn’t open the door for her, his own sister, but Puck got an invitation? Seriously?

She knew now wasn’t the time to be offended by something so ridiculous, but come on... it still hurt. A lot.

"I was knocking, telling him to stay inside like everyone else," Puck said quickly. "But out of nowhere, he flings the door open and tells me to come in."

When he came inside, Florian’s face was smeared with blood, like he’d just walked off a battlefield.

He had just finished off an entire stack of Crimson Vitae blood packages, and judging by the stains, it looked like he’d downed them all in one go.

"Yeah, he must’ve cracked them open and drained them in one sitting," Puck added, his tone somewhere between disbelief and concern.

But it wasn’t Florian’s sudden hunger that worried Puck—it was the hollow look in his eyes, the way his cheeks had sunken in, and the deep, shadowy circles under them.

He looked like a walking corpse, like something far worse than hunger was eating away at him. And when Puck, in a moment of genuine concern, pointed it out, Florian exploded in a sudden fit of rage.

"I have no idea what set him off," Puck said, shaking his head.

"I was just trying to help. Apparently, pointing out that someone looks like death warmed over is an insult now. So, word of advice—never comment on someone’s appearance. Your ’concern’ will just get you yelled at."

"No, but Florian isn’t the type to—" Riona began, rushing to defend her brother, as if any of this made sense.

Florian stormed out of his room, and yep, just like Puck had said, he looked like a complete disaster. And angry—very angry.

His chest rose and fell in uneven breaths, and his fists were clenched like he was ready to punch the nearest wall... or vampire.

"Flo...?" Riona called out, though she was already regretting it.

"Did you know?" Florian growled through gritted teeth, stomping toward her like a raging bull trying to restrain itself from charging.

"Know what?" Riona, usually fearless in the face of everything, was now feeling that strange sensation people call fear.

Who was this guy? Because it definitely wasn’t the Florian she knew. His anger was intense, almost suffocating, and for the first time, she felt as though she was staring into the eyes of a stranger.

Florian got so close she could practically count his pores. Their noses were almost touching when he hissed, "That anti-vampire werewolves are here to hunt us down?"

Instead of responding right away, Riona locked eyes with Puck.

She had no idea what kind of werewolves Thorin’s family were, and there was no way she could promise Florian something she wasn’t sure she could deliver.

Swallowing her unease, she offered cautiously, "Why don’t we... take this conversation somewhere else? Like, maybe deeper into the woods? Just, you know, to avoid any unforeseen complications."

Florian tilted his head in that unsettling way, a deliberate gesture that seemed more like an attempt to intimidate his own sister.

"Unforeseen things?" he sneered. "You’re just like them, aren’t you, sister? I thought you were supposed to be this great, unbeatable vampire. But here you are, trembling over a few furry beasts."

"What on earth are you suddenly rambling about?" Riona shot back, raising an eyebrow.

"These barbaric beasts," Florian hissed. "They act all friendly, but deep down, they want us gone. They think they can outlast us."

Before Riona could respond, Florian turned on his heel and began to storm off.

"Wait, Flo! Where are you going?’

He paused just long enough to respond, and it wasn’t the answer she was hoping for. "They want a vampire? Well, they’ll get one."