Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 123: How Did This Happen?

Chapter 123: How Did This Happen?

Upon waking up, Florian found himself in a place that was, well, definitely not home.

For starters, it was warm and humid, a stark contrast to the cold he was accustomed to. Also, he wasn’t bundled in his usual thick clothing. The air wasn’t freezing either—just pleasantly breezy. Soft and soothing against his skin.

Glancing around with a frown, his feet hit the floor, and he soon noticed the gritty sensation of sand scattered across a wooden floor. Slowly, Florian rose to his feet, his hand brushing against the walls. They were made of bamboo.

He ran his fingers over the smooth, ridged surface, unfamiliar with the material, and lingered on it. It was his first time seeing bamboo so he didn’t know what it was called.

"Where... am I?" he muttered.

"Huh?"

The sound startled him. He spun around, searching for its source. "Huh?" He turned again, confused, like a dog chasing its tail.

Then he froze. Something odd was happening in his throat—it was... vibrating? He reached for his neck, wide-eyed, and realized the sound he’d heard had come from within him.

"I can... talk?" he whispered in disbelief, the words coming out slow and tentative. His hand crept toward his mouth as if that was going to make the situation any less bizarre.

And then, just when he thought things couldn’t get weirder—surprise! There were two sharp, pointy things sticking out from his lips.

He traced the shape, his brain already screaming what they were, but of course, he couldn’t believe it until he actually saw them.

Florian scanned the room, hoping to find a mirror, but instead tripped over a pile of... blood bags? Stacks of them, neatly arranged like they were emergency supplies for the apocalypse.

Suddenly, his stomach let out a growl loud enough to rival a wild animal. His hunger flared up, sharp and relentless, taking control.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the nearest blood bag, yanking it so hard that the whole pile collapsed in a messy avalanche.

The neatness of it all didn’t matter anymore—he was beyond caring.

He tore into the bag with alarming ease, sinking his teeth in and draining it in seconds. One down, but his hunger only seemed to grow fiercer.

Desperately, he reached for more, ripping through blood bags. One, two, three—he lost count after a dozen, consuming what would have been a week’s supply in a mindless frenzy.

The more he drank, the hungrier he became, an endless pit that nothing seemed to fill.

"Yes, that’s it! Keep going," a dark voice whispered in the back of his mind, sinister and encouraging.

"No, I need to stop!" Florian gritted out, trying to pull the latest blood bag away from his blood-soaked fangs.

But even as he said it, his instincts fought him, the need to feed stronger than his sense of reason.

Forget the mirror. It was as clear as day (or blood-red night) that he had fangs. Long, sharp, and undeniably his. They had shredded the plastic packaging with horrifying ease, letting him tear through so much blood so quickly.

"They belong to someone. This is theft," Florian mumbled.

Guilt started to settle in as his stomach finally stopped growling. His stomach, finally starting to feel something resembling full, gave him a moment of clarity.

And the reality of his actions hit him like a ton of bricks. Or, more accurately, a ton of blood bags.

"Why do you care who they belong to? Clearly, whoever left these little blood bags here was practically begging you to enjoy them," the voice mocked.

Florian tried to shake off the voice’s taunts, but it was like arguing with a broken record—he couldn’t come up with a solid counterargument.

"Honestly, why would anyone stash this premium Crimson Vitae Workshop blood in your room if they didn’t want you to have it?" the voice continued, sounding like a salesperson trying to close a deal.

Frustrated, Florian hurled the half-empty blood bag against the wall. It splattered.

He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself.

"I’m no thief. I’m not some barbarian," he chanted, almost like it was a mantra that would magically erase his guilt. "I can’t steal from others."

"What a fool! How do you know those aren’t for you?" the voice sneered when Florian didn’t heed its advice.

It was almost laughable how the voice was actually correct. Riona had indeed stacked those blood bags specifically for her brother. But of course, Florian had no clue.

All he knew was that his conscience was on overdrive, nagging him like an insistent inner critic.

"Stop! Stop!" Florian cried, pressing his palms to his ears as if that would somehow mute the voice. Of course, it didn’t work, because the voice was coming from within.

Fortunately, someone burst into the room, offering a temporary relief from his mental torment.

He glanced up to see a strikingly beautiful girl with rich, chocolate-brown skin. Her eyes were wide and her long lashes fluttered. Her chest rose and fell with rapid, nervous breaths.

"You’re... awake?" she stammered.

"Who are you?" Florian shot up, hastily wiping the tears from his face.

"You talk? I thought you were supposed to be mute!" Charna blurted out, her surprise transformed into awkwardness as she realized how rude that sounded. "Oh, uh, forgive me. I mean—"

"Who are you?" Florian snapped, his voice low and intense. He glared at Charna, fists clenched like he was preparing for a wrestling match. "Where am I?"

Finally, here was someone who might actually know the answers to his burning questions. If anyone could shed light on his situation, it might be her.

"I should get her," Charna said, spinning on her heel as if she’d just remembered she must extinguish the forest fire.

Before she could even reach the door, Florian dashed after her with a speed that would make a cheetah jealous.

Both were equally stunned—Charna because she’d never seen anyone move that fast before, and Florian because he hadn’t realized he could move that quickly.

What on earth had happened while he was asleep? Or was it something that went down even before that? Did his tantrum at the palace have anything to do with this mess?

Did it come with bonus features like talking, fangs, a bottomless pit of hunger, and a speed upgrade?

Seriously, how did this happen?