Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 100: The Great Escape

Chapter 100: The Great Escape

Everything was getting blurry, and Riona struggled to think. Just before she completely blacked out, a rush of air filled her lungs. The suffocating slime wrapping her body melted away, and she collapsed to the ground.

Riona coughed violently, gasping for air. She took deep, ragged breaths as she crawled, her fingers clawing at the earth.

"Cease your insolence. I will not tolerate any more of this," King Valentin’s voice thundered through the air.

Under the dark night sky, the king appeared almost heroic to Riona. His large, imposing figure stood before her, shielding her with his body. He lifted a commanding hand toward the elder with a resolute stance.

It was the first time Riona had ever seen him in this light. "Your Majesty..." she whispered.

"Do not stand in my path! I’m doing this for our nation. How can you disregard your people for your personal emotions?" Elder Alfred shouted, dark blood dripping from his mouth.

King Valentin had struck him hard in the stomach to prevent him from killing her.

Once again, the two powerful figures stood opposed, each harboring a deadly intent. The tension crackled in the air as they faced off, both ready to strike.

Riona gathered her strength. Trapped in this situation, she couldn’t tell who to trust. Elder Alfred was certainly an enemy; his relentless efforts to end her life were hard to miss.

The trickier one was the king. King Valentin might be Riona’s uncle, but he had always treated her as less than a bug. Just because he saved her once, did that make him an ally?

"Riona!!" that sudden, loud call of her name pulled her back to reality.

Thorin was dragging his legs toward the courtyard with Puck’s help. Sir Kai carried the still-unconscious Florian, while Zane fended off attacks from behind. The whole troop was there.

Riona crawled toward them, but Elder Alfred was quick to notice. He shifted to the right, aiming to strike her from behind. The king was caught off guard but he reacted with lightning speed.

An invisible force choked Elder Alfred, halting his attack before it reached Riona’s skin.

"You leave me no choice, Your Excellency. Today, I will make history by being the first king to kill an elder with his own hands," King Valentin groaned.

"Riona!" Thorin’s face twisted with worry and relief. It almost seemed like he was on the verge of tears. Wobbling, he tried to approach and help Riona, but Puck grabbed him, holding him back.

"You’re in no place to help her. Stay here, I’ll go," Puck urged, accelerating his pace and leading Thorin to the palace gate.

With his canine speed, Puck sprinted toward Riona. As Elder Alfred’s golden aura nearly struck him, King Valentin deflected the attack. It surprised both Puck and Riona, who froze in their tracks.

"Why aren’t you moving?! Do you wish to end your life in his wrinkled hands?" King Valentin snapped.

Puck quickly gathered his wits and grabbed Riona’s arm, lifting her in a princess style and dashing toward the gate. He turned to Thorin and asked, "Can you move?"

"Yeah. Don’t mind me," the Alpha answered weakly but determinedly.

Sir Kai glanced between Thorin and Florin back and forth, trying to decide who to help first.

Noticing Sir Kai’s hesitation, Thorin barked, "Just go already!"

The Nightwatch tightened his grip around Florian and rushed out the gate. Riona looked back, locking eyes with her uncle for a brief second.

In that fleeting moment, a thousand emotions passed between them—words she couldn’t say, and words he would never say.

Riona suddenly wondered if her perception of her uncle had always been right, or if she had misunderstood something all along.

Zane came the latest, supporting Thorin, who still had a difficult time running.

As they escaped the royal palace one by one, the commotion inside continued. King Valentin stood firm at the gate, preventing anyone from pursuing them.

Before Puck disappeared into the woods, Riona saw a particularly large and eye-catching entourage approaching the palace.

The first carriage was lavishly adorned with golden patterns. A handsome man with shiny silver hair poked his head out of the carriage window, meeting Riona’s eyes for a split second before Puck plunged into the thick woods.

Riona had no idea who that vampire was, and she didn’t care enough to find out. She assumed she would never see him again, so there was no reason to bother learning his identity.

Well, she was wrong. This would be the first, but certainly not the last time their paths would cross.

***

The battle between the two powerful vampires grew deadlier with each passing moment. Neither intended to back down, and holding back their power to protect the palace became increasingly difficult.

Soon, the impact of their fight was felt throughout the palace and the nearby town.

Lisbeth was training alone in the hall when she felt the ground shake. An ominous aura permeated the air.

With a growing sense of dread, she rushed toward the source of the disturbance and found a clash of knights.

The door to Riona’s chamber was open and half-destroyed. Unconscious and dead vampire bodies littered the corridor, while those still able to fight clashed fiercely.

Lisbeth followed a trail of dark and red blood on the floor, indicating the involvement of werewolves or humans.

It didn’t take much deduction to understand what had happened. The werewolves and Sir Kai must have helped Riona escape. Their absence further convinced her of this.

Then she saw her father at the gate, panting and slightly injured. Opposite him stood Elder Alfred—the elder she despised most for his constant nagging about hierarchy.

The elder was in worse condition than her father. Lisbeth couldn’t fathom how it had come to this. Riona was supposed to be escaping, right? So why were these two fighting each other?

The only logical explanation Lisbeth could think of was that Elder Alfred had somehow aided Riona in her escape. King Valentin couldn’t have taken that well, and now they were to pull each other’s fangs.

"How could you, Your Excellency?" Lisbeth shouted, stepping beside her father with unverified anger. "Why did you help her? She’s nothing but a troublemaker!"

It didn’t make sense, but Lisbeth wasn’t the only one confused.

"What in the world are you babbling about? Your Majesty, will you allow your little bat to join an adult’s fight?" Elder Alfred sneered.

"Return to your chamber, Lisbeth. This has nothing to do with you," King Valentin growled.

"But, Father—"

"Just do as I said!" he roared, sending Lisbeth into a shivering shock.

It seemed the fight was far from over.

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