Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 111: Welcome to the Jungle

Chapter 111: Welcome to the Jungle

A cart entered the rainforest, which only meant one thing—the artificial blood Thorin had ordered from the Crimson Vitae Workshop had finally arrived!

The werewolves prided themselves on their self-sufficiency, hunting game and drawing fresh water from the stream instead of relying on outside sources.

So, the sight of a cart piled high with blood packages was more than a little odd for them.

The red liquid sloshed within its transparent containers as the cart struggled to navigate the rocky, uneven ground, a strange sight in a community that usually preferred to sink its teeth into the real deal.

After overhearing the werewolves badmouthing her, Riona withdrew into herself. She seldom left her room, only going out to visit Florian now and then.

Let’s get one thing straight: Riona wasn’t keeping to herself because she was sad. Ugh, as if! She’d been hated plenty of times before—by royalty, no less—and it never fazed her.

Honestly, this kind of exclusion was practically a vacation compared to what she endured at the royal palace. At least these werewolves weren’t laying a paw on Florian.

At first, Riona thought maybe, just maybe, she’d try fitting in for once. See how that worked out.

But after overhearing the furballs badmouthing her, she quickly decided that blending in with a pack of judgmental werewolves wasn’t exactly on her bucket list.

She had zero interest in being part of their little pack now.

She’d let Thorin keep his promise and do her bit for the community with her strength, but she wasn’t about to pretend they were all buddy-buddy.

That bridge wasn’t just burned; it was nuked from orbit.

During her seclusion, Thorin tried to keep her alive with small servings of fresh blood.

Sure, it smelled like something had died twice, but what could she do? Vampires gotta vampire. So, down the hatch it went.

The werewolves, however, took Riona’s behavior as a sign that she was too good for them, which only deepened their negative perception of her.

They gossiped that Riona refused to mingle with them, clinging stubbornly to her vampire elegance while rejecting the wild, untamed life they embraced.

That afternoon, as the sun finally decided to make its dramatic exit, leaving behind only a moody orange glow through the leaves, Riona shuffled out of Florian’s room with a thick jacket draped over her head.

Her brother’s eyes remained stubbornly shut. Even today, he mumbled anxiously, his eyes darting beneath his eyelids—a sure sign of nightmares.

Preoccupied with thoughts of Florian’s condition—or lack of progress—Riona headed back to her room. But then, she spotted the cart, and a grin spread across her face.

Finally! What she had been waiting for had arrived. She could now bid farewell to the revolting fresh blood she’d been choking down.

Civilization, here she comes!

Sure, there were cheaper options for artificial blood on the market, but Thorin had insisted he was wealthy and promised her only the best.

So, she gratefully accepted the top-quality blood without complaint, eager to leave the unpleasant alternative behind.

Who was she to argue? High-quality fake blood? Yes, please. She accepted it without complaint, eager to leave the unpleasant alternative behind.

Riona dashed toward the shrub-covered plains where the cart was parked, barely noticing Thorin fussing over the contents while chatting up the driver.

She smacked right into the cart, and her jacket, which was barely hanging on anyway, finally gave up and flopped to the ground.

Fortunately, at that very moment, the sun was mercifully hidden behind the clouds, sparing her from getting toasted. Moments later, the sun dipped below the horizon, making the jacket officially irrelevant.

Not that Riona cared—her attention was laser-focused on the blood packages like a kid in a candy store.

She traced her fingers over the slick plastic, her eyes welling up as she whispered, "Oh, you beauty. It’s been too long. I’ve missed you."

Running her fingers over the slick packages, her eyes welled up with emotion as she murmured, "Oh, you beauty. It’s been too long. I’ve missed you."

"Congratulations! You’ve survived the wilds for, what, a whole week? That must be utterly unbearable, My Lady," Vesper sneered, appearing out of nowhere with his pack of mean-looking werewolves.

Another werewolf added with annoyance, "How about showing a little gratitude, huh? We’ve let you stay here for free. We’re not exactly running a charity, you know!"

They all crossed their arms in unison as if they’d just executed some grand power move that was supposed to send shivers down the spine of the Blood Moon child.

Right, because these furry geniuses had no clue who they were dealing with.

Riona rolled her eyes, choosing not to waste a perfectly good day by engaging in their nonsense. She reached for a stack of blood packages, but in her haste, several slipped from her grasp and hit the ground.

As she bent down to retrieve them, even more packages rolled away, creating a slapstick scene that had the werewolves chuckling.

"Can you be any more childish?"

Trudy emerged from behind the wall of towering werewolves, wearing an expression a mix of exasperation and pity. She knelt down to help, placing the fallen packages back into Riona’s arms.

"Don’t mind them. Where are you taking these? I’ll give you a hand," she offered, ignoring the amused glances from the others.

Riona wasn’t exactly thrilled by the offer. Trudy might have been the only werewolf with a shred of decency amidst the pack’s sharp tongues, but Riona wasn’t about to give her the benefit of the doubt.

All Riona saw was this small, plump werewolf hanging out during the gossip session and doing absolutely nothing to stop it—essentially a silent partner in the snide remarks.

To Riona, that was as good as signing up for the gossip club herself. Naturally, she saw Trudy’s gesture as nothing more than a hypocritical attempt at redemption.

And let’s be honest, Riona had zero patience for that kind of self-serving drama.

She shot Trudy a glare and said through gritted teeth, "Cut the act. Your friends might be complete jerks, but at least they’re honest about it. You? You’re just a sneaky hypocrite."

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