Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 157: The Pack Strikes Back

Chapter 157: The Pack Strikes Back

A large crowd of werewolves gathered in front of Thorin’s office with their anger palpable in the air. When Thorin finally stepped out to meet them, their grievances hit him like a tidal wave.

No matter how many voices he heard, the complaints were the same on repeat, like a broken record with extra growling: Punish the vampire already!

"He’s a danger to all of us!" one of them howled, as if Thorin hadn’t heard that for the thousandth time.

"Are you still going to stand by and do nothing?" another growled. "A pup is dead because of him!"

"It’s a kid this time, but what about next time, huh? Are you planning on taking a headcount of the werewolves left after the vampire goes on another spree?"

"Are you just sitting back and enjoying the downfall of your own species, Thorin?"

Puck and Zane weren’t much help either. Thorin’s closest allies stood there like supportive statues, silent and grim. They understood the werewolves’ pain all too well, sharing their frustration.

In the beginning, Thorin thought it’d be a brilliant, compassionate idea—helping two unfortunate vampires.

One was a vampire Thorin had fallen in love with, the other, well, he just felt sorry for the kid.

But the longer the vampires stuck around, the clearer it became to Puck that Thorin’s decision to bring the vampires into Wintertooth was a catastrophic mistake. Things had spiraled into a nightmare.

What had Thorin been thinking? To invite vampires into the heart of a werewolf stronghold and expect peace?

Puck had never been in favor of it, but out of loyalty and respect, he had trusted Thorin’s judgment. Big mistake.

Now, as tensions threatened to ignite into outright war, even Puck had to admit it—Thorin’s leadership was failing them all.

At the same time, Thorin couldn’t shake his frustration. He knew he’d been slacking on his Alpha duties, too wrapped up in his obsession with keeping Riona close.

Fine, he’d admit it—he loved her. And not in some passing, casual way. No, he wanted her as his Luna, the queen to his Alpha.

That was probably the real reason he insisted on keeping her around, wasn’t it?

But, of course, it wasn’t just about love.

There was also his lifelong dream of breaking free from the shadow of the Zacharias. With their blood running through his veins, he could never fully escape it.

Aunt Nina saw him as the next best thing to Daciana, her poor, dead sibling she couldn’t save. And that chain felt heavier every day.

Thorin thought if he could just unleash his true power and prove himself as the ultimate Alpha, maybe he could finally break those chains and be free.

But now he wasn’t so sure. Was all of this just selfishness? Was he so consumed by his own desires that he’d been blind to the pack’s needs?

And what about the vampires’ destiny? Was he ignoring that, too, in his desperate quest for freedom?

Was he really trying to break free, or just breaking everything around him?

"Alright, alright. I hear you. I hear all of you," Thorin said, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. "Now, if you could kindly get back to your day-to-day lives, I’ll take your... aspirations into consideration before making a decision."

The werewolves, predictably, didn’t budge. Of course, they wanted immediate action—preferably something dramatic involving torches and pitchforks.

In other words, they didn’t trust Thorin to make the right call on his own.

"At least promise us you’ll punish him," one of the werewolves demanded, eyes narrowing.

Thorin inhaled deeply, running his fingers through his hair, buying himself some time to not say something that would ignite a riot. His almond eyes darted around nervously, avoiding the whole promise thing.

He knew full well that if he even hinted at punishing Florian, Riona would throw an epic fit.

But at the same time, he couldn’t just brush off the pack’s outrage—not after Florian’s latest screw-up. This one was bad, even by vampire-in-werewolf-territory standards.

"Why aren’t you saying anything?" another wolf snapped, sensing his hesitation. "Don’t tell me you’re just going to let him off the hook! He’ll think it’s totally cool to kill werewolves whenever he feels like it."

Thorin’s head throbbed from the barrage of complaints. His jaw tightened as he bit down on his lower lip, resisting the urge to snap back.

He really didn’t need his pack to think any worse of him than they already did. But they were practically daring him to screw this up.

"Fine," he said, finally caving under the pressure, the words tasting like defeat. "I’ll punish him. Properly."

The werewolves didn’t exactly look reassured. In fact, the way they stared at him was downright unsettling. Like they were mentally scanning him, searching for any crack in his resolve.

If he stayed there much longer, they’d find a way to read his mind and heart—and he wasn’t sure either would survive that level of scrutiny.

After the angry mob finally cleared out, Thorin slumped back to his room with Puck and Zane trailing behind him. One glance at their faces, and he already knew what was coming.

"Stop! Just stop right there," Thorin groaned, holding up a hand. "I don’t want to hear your ’I told you so.’ I know I messed up. No need to rub it in again."

He sighed dramatically, grabbing the back of his hair as if it might somehow pull the disaster out of his brain.

"I’m screwed," he muttered, the understatement of the century.

"You just need to fix this mess," Puck chimed in. "Tell the vampires they’ve overstayed their welcome. The pack will love you if you kick them out. It’s a win-win—problem solved!"

Thorin raised an eyebrow, incredulous. "And where exactly would they go, Puck? Back to the palace? Oh yeah, I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to return to the place where everyone wants them dead."

Zane, who usually had Thorin’s back, stayed ominously quiet, which was never a good sign. No reassuring words, no brooding support—just silent judgment. If even Zane had run out of pep talks, the situation was officially dire.

Before any more terrible plans could be thrown into the mix, the door burst open. Riona stormed in. Behind her was Florian with his wrists tied up in red crystal—Riona’s personal touch, no doubt.

"Thorin, I need your help," she said, straight to business.

"The werewolves are furious. Do you know what they demanded? They want to kill him!" Riona continued, pointing to Florian, who looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.

The room fell into an awkward silence, the three werewolves were caught between a rock and a very angry vampire sister.

Thorin opened his mouth to say something, but found that, for once, words completely failed him.

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