Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 151: Chaos Knocks on the Door

Chapter 151: Chaos Knocks on the Door

Charna hadn’t expected this. Vesper—of all wolves—had actually done it. He’d gone to the Zacharias? For what? Attention?

She stood frozen, trying to process the sheer stupidity of it all. It took a solid minute of mental buffering before her brain kicked back into gear, and she realized what needed to be done.

Muttering a half-hearted excuse to the small, disgruntled werewolves she’d been talking to, she bolted toward Thorin’s office, knocking only as a formality before barging right in.

Privacy was overrated in a crisis, right?

Panting, trying to catch her breath, she blurted out, "Thorin, you really need to hear this!"

Thorin, who had been peacefully minding his own business, sprang out of his chair like it had suddenly caught fire.

"What? What happened?" He looked like he was gearing up for bad news—as usual.

But before Charna could even spill the tea, chaos decided to kick the door in.

"THORIN! THORIN!"

Puck burst into the office like he was competing for the most dramatic entrance. A dark sense of dread seemed to follow him, and Charna instinctively knew this had something to do with Vesper’s idiotic plan.

Thorin threw his hands up, eyes wide with impatience. "Why is everyone acting like the world’s ending? Can someone please just tell me what’s going on?"

Puck, still catching his breath, finally managed to spit it out: "The Zachs! The Zacharias are here!"

Charna’s stomach dropped. Of course they were. Thanks to Vesper and his genius-level decision-making skills.

Thorin dropped everything and bolted after Puck. This was bad. Really bad. His steps were firm but had a distinct edge of panic.

"Tell Riona and Florian to hide!" he barked, channeling all the authority of someone who was desperately trying not to think about the impending chaos.

"But Florian won’t even come out of his room," Puck shot back, and honestly, it was a fair point. Getting that kid to do anything was like convincing a cat to take a bath.

"Then keep him in there! Build a barricade if you have to, just make sure he stays inside," Thorin snapped, clearly running on panic autopilot now.

Puck vanished to carry out the orders, but Thorin knew telling Riona to hide would be like asking a hurricane to tone it down a bit. She didn’t take kindly to commands.

And if she figured out the real reason she was being tucked away? She’d probably be insulted, maybe even furious enough to storm out on principle.

But Thorin didn’t have time for a Plan B. This was the best strategy he could come up with on such short notice.

If he could just keep his aunts and uncles away from the vampires, maybe—just maybe—they could ride this out without everything going up in flames.

Still, deep down, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Nina would get what she wanted, no matter the cost. And if that meant tearing through an entire pack to get it? Well, she’d do it with a smile.

"Charna, keep the kids indoors, but let the parents know to brace themselves for a possible showdown. I’ll do my best to avoid a brawl, but if we have to defend ourselves—" Thorin paused, his resolve flickering.

"I get it," Charna replied, though the truth was she really didn’t.

Why was Thorin so ready to sacrifice everything for the vampires? What was so special about them that warranted this level of commitment?

If things took a turn for the worse, Thorin could just toss the vampires out on their fanged behinds.

Sure, Charna wasn’t on board with kicking them to the curb, but if it meant saving the whole pack, she’d roll up her sleeves and throw them a goodbye party.

For now, she decided to follow Thorin’s lead—after all, if it turned out he was unfit to lead, well, she’d deal with that later.

Meanwhile, Thorin was consumed with thoughts of how to convince his family to retreat back to their castle. They weren’t exactly keen on making grand entrances, especially not in a chaotic situation like this.

They usually preferred sending letters—ultimatums, to be precise. The Zacharias just loved that kind of drama.

Threats were their favorite seasoning, and they took great pleasure in watching those beneath them squirm like worms on a hot sidewalk.

As Thorin strolled down the main road, he spotted a black carriage sporting the Zacharia family crest—a shield-shaped emblem with rounded edges in shades of grey.

Ah, yes, the Zacharias’ personal chariot! But where were his dear aunt and uncles?

He knew how much they detested mingling with ’lowly wolves,’ especially if it meant having to set foot on the ’filthy’ ground of nature. Heaven forbid they might actually touch dirt!

They had come all this way to see him, hadn’t they? So why the sudden game of hide-and-seek?

Thorin rapped on the carriage window, calling out, "Aunt Nina? Uncle Sullivan? Uncle Warren?"

There was an awkward silence that stretched on for what felt like an eternity. Finally, the carriage door creaked open, revealing Sir Leon inside. He was gripping the head of his cane.

Honestly, he was so old he probably remembered when the first werewolves discovered fire, but the Zacharias had a peculiar habit of trusting him with their most important tasks.

"Sir Leon," Thorin greeted, trying to sound casual while resisting the urge to check for wrinkles in the old man’s skin.

"Thorin," the ancient werewolf replied, giving a nod that was almost regal as he adjusted the edge of his velvet hat.

He then fumbled through his coat pocket and pulled out an envelope with a black seal that looked like it had been carved out of pure doom.

Thorin took the letter, his eyes lighting up.

Ah, yes, this was the Zacharias’ preferred method of communication: cryptic letters filled with passive aggression.

He was ready to send Sir Leon on his way, but it quickly became clear that the carriage wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Sir Leon, reading the confusion on Thorin’s face, let out a heavy sigh. "I’ve been instructed not to return without a reply. They’re very serious about it."