Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 112: The Pack’s Hate Club

Chapter 112: The Pack’s Hate Club

Riona’s mission was a resounding success. If her goal had been to turn the entire pack against her, she’d nailed it.

She was still fuming over Trudy’s audacity to play the friendly card. How dare she? Just because she hadn’t actively joined in the gossip didn’t mean she wasn’t complicit.

If Riona had been in Trudy’s shoes—assuming she had any friends to speak of—she would have had some words. Or, you know, at least done something.

"Hey! Riona!"

Lost in her angry reverie, Riona didn’t hear Thorin’s voice calling her from behind.

Frustrated, the Alpha quickened his pace, overtook her, and practically blocked her path. As she almost crashed into him, Thorin stepped backward, matching her stride and bending down to catch her eye.

"Riona!"

"Oh!" Riona snapped back to reality, startled by Thorin’s dazzling face. She stopped so abruptly that she nearly toppled over.

Thorin, always playing the hero, expertly slipped his hand behind her back to prevent a full-blown disaster, though the same couldn’t be said for the blood packages, which were now scattered across the ground.

He helped her collect the scattered blood packages and walked alongside her. "So, what’s going on? Did Trudy do something to you?"

"More like... what she didn’t do," Riona replied with a dramatic sigh.

"What do you mean?"

Riona launched into her explanation, making it clear that she wasn’t going to let something so trivial bother her. After all, getting upset over that would be so uncool, and Riona had no intention of looking lame.

Thorin furrowed his brow. "That can’t be right. Trudy’s genuinely nice. She’s one of the friendliest werewolves in the pack."

"Of course, you’d say that. She’s part of your pack! Speaking of which, is that giant who tried to turn me into a chew toy also on the ’nice’ list? Because a few minutes ago, he was practically drooling for a fight," Riona snapped.

Thorin paused, trying to recall who she meant. When he figured it out, he shrugged. "Ah, Vesper. Yeah, he’s not exactly known for his sunny disposition. He’s a bit... aggressive."

"’Aggressive’? Please. The guy looked like he was about to rip my head off. I swear, he’s on a mission to make my life miserable."

Thorin knew there was no witty comeback for that one. Vesper had been around the pack forever, just like Charna, both of them pulling their weight and then some.

But Thorin wasn’t blind, and he definitely wasn’t dense enough to miss the way Charna’s eyes lingered on him. It was also no secret that Vesper harbored an undying, and frankly, exhausting crush on her.

This tangled mess of feelings was the last thing Thorin wanted to deal with. He’d fought tooth and claw to earn his title, and he knew he was exactly where he was supposed to be.

But he also understood that with the title came a whole parade of admirers, followers, and enemies. And the line between admirer and enemy was razor-thin. Thorin couldn’t afford to let Charna cross over to the enemy camp.

He walked in silence as he pondered about everything. He’d been so wrapped up in his rose-colored view of Riona that he completely missed how much the pack resented having her around.

It was like throwing a vampire into a werewolf mixer and expecting everyone to get along—classic Thorin, always the optimist, even when it came to inevitable disasters.

***

Where had he gone wrong? Thorin retraced his steps since arriving in Wintertooth, trying to pinpoint the moment things had started to unravel.

Shortly after Riona had admitted that she couldn’t stomach fresh blood because it was beneath her refined palate, Thorin decided it was time to have a chat with Charna. So, he invited her to his office.

He’d let that slip, given that everything seemed to explode at once.

She seemed a bit flustered when he approached her while she was hanging out with the other werewolves. Her cheeks flushed as she followed him inside, clearly expecting something special.

He expressed his gratitude to Charna for looking after the pack while he had been away. He emphasized, that since he had returned, she no longer needed to look after Wintertooth and could return to her previous posting.

Thorin started with the usual pleasantries, thanking Charna for keeping the pack together while he was away. Then, he made it clear that now that he was back, she could step down and return to her previous posting.

But as soon as he said it, Charna’s expression shifted from hopeful to sour. It was painfully obvious that this wasn’t the kind of thank you she had been hoping for—more like the "let’s be friends" talk after a string of misleadingly romantic gestures.

Was that really the issue? Thorin had assumed that as the former leader, Charna would’ve taken the initiative to welcome Riona and help her fit in. But apparently, that was too much to hope for.

"Were you looking for me?" Charna asked, appearing in the doorway of Thorin’s office.

"Uh, yeah," he said, getting up from his seat and casually leaning against the desk with his arms crossed.

Charna’s face was unreadable at first, but as Thorin continued to just stare at her in silence, a faint blush started to creep up her cheeks.

"What is it? Do you need something?" she asked. Her composure cracked under the weight of his unspoken questions.

Thorin mulled over how to broach the subject. He needed Charna’s help, but given her obvious crush on him, diving in headfirst might not be the smartest move.

So, he opted for the subtle route, pretending to be blissfully unaware of her feelings.

"A new moon is coming soon," he began, casually dropping the bait. "Riona still doesn’t know her way around here. Could you, uh, guide her through the morning ritual?"

Charna’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. "You want her to participate in the morning ritual?"

The morning ritual was sacred, a werewolf tradition held on every new moon to honor the Moon and pray for protection. Normally, it was a strictly fur-covered affair—no vampires had ever participated.

"Yes," Thorin said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We’re the only ones who do it because we’re the only ones who want to. There’s no law saying other races can’t join in, right?"

Charna’s face was turning the shades of green with envy. She was so taken aback she could barely manage a response.

"Besides," Thorin added with a grin, "Riona’s part of our pack now. I expect you to treat her like one of us."

This was practically Thorin shouting from the rooftops that Riona was his special someone. Charna didn’t want to admit it, but her irritation got the best of her, making her spit out the question she’d been holding back.

"So, what’s the deal with you two? Are you in love with her or something?"

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