Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 200: I Thought You Were Dead

Chapter 200: I Thought You Were Dead

"I thought you were dead," Nina said with a smirk. She stared down at Riona, the way someone might look at a bug—one they were considering squishing just for fun.

"How do you know my parents?" Riona asked, keeping her tone cool.

No way was she letting on that she’d just pieced together her dad’s big secret. Who knew what this werewolf queen might do—burst into evil laughter, throw out some dramatic insults, or maybe even start a whole villain monologue?

When Nina burst into evil laughter—because of course, she went with the most cliché villain option—it weirdly suited her whole vibe. For a moment, Riona panicked, thinking her secret had somehow slipped out.

But nope. Turns out Nina was just laughing for dramatic effect because her next words had nothing to do with it. Apparently, this werewolf queen just enjoyed her own theatrics.

"How do I know them? Oh, young lady, please," Nina said, wiping away tears from the corners of her cat-like eyes. She had laughed so hard she was crying.

Then, without warning, she switched gears and became downright terrifying. It was like someone hit a button labeled demonic nightmare mode. If a demon snake somehow got werewolf powers, it would be Nina in that exact moment—pure, undiluted nightmare fuel.

"I’ve been chasing that traitor for decades!" Nina spat, her voice dripping with resentment and fury. "He’s a disgrace to the werewolf race. I didn’t, still don’t, and never will, acknowledge him as one of us."

Riona cringed. She’d heard the gossip about the infamous Alpha—how he’d ditched his pack, saved his own skin, and run off to marry a vampire in some faraway place.

The story had always sounded a little too dramatic, like something out of a soap opera, but now it was starting to feel way too real.

"Is it because of... that incident?" Riona asked cautiously, keeping her words vague. She couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud, terrified the rumor might actually be true.

Remus’s notorious reputation loomed large, and though Riona had barely cared about it before, now that she knew he was her biological father, the weight of it hit her like a blow.

"What? Don’t tell me you’re buying into that nonsense too!" Nina scoffed with mocking amusement. "You’re his daughter, and yet you don’t have a shred of faith in him? Wow, poor guy. Loyalty runs real deep in your bloodline, huh?"

Riona tried not to flinch. It wasn’t like she had much faith to begin with. After all, it had only been a day since she found out about her true lineage.

Until yesterday, she’d thought her father was just some random vampire commoner whose name wasn’t even worth remembering.

But she wasn’t about to admit it—not yet. If that infamous Alpha was truly her father, then the rumors couldn’t possibly be true. There was no way her mother would have fallen for someone as despicable as the werewolves claimed he was.

Besides, Riona had snippets of memories of him, and the guy wasn’t exactly giving off evil mastermind vibes. He’d been a doting dad, the kind who made terrible dad jokes and tucked her in at night.

Whatever had gotten him killed, one thing was clear: he’d made sure she was safe. That didn’t scream traitorous monster to her.

"You’re wrong! He’s not like that!" she snapped, defending him like she’d spent every day of her life by his side.

Sure, she’d just figured out who he was yesterday, but who cared? Whatever the truth about his past, in her heart, her father was someone who embodied love and compassion—not betrayal and shame.

This time, Nina didn’t respond right away. Instead, she let the silence drag on, staring at Riona with the kind of smirk that wondered whether she should mess with her more, or get to the point. After what felt like an eternity, she finally chose option two.

"You’ve got a sharp eye, young lady. Indeed, that rumor is not true," Nina said smoothly.

Riona blinked, already bracing herself for more wild accusations. "But you don’t—" she started, armed with an arsenal of rebuttals. But Nina’s next words completely derailed her train of thought.

"...what?" Riona blinked, her prepared rebuttals dissolving into confusion.

"Do you know how the rumor even started?" Nina asked, her tone so casual it was almost offensive. "I suggested it."

Riona’s jaw dropped. "You... what?"

Nina shrugged like she’d just admitted to ordering dessert on a weeknight. "He’s dangerous," she said breezily. "And he refused to work with us Zacharias. A shame, really."

There wasn’t even a flicker of regret in her expression—just smug satisfaction, as if inventing life-destroying gossip was her version of a productive afternoon. Riona raised an eyebrow, struggling to figure out what this woman’s deal was. Did she want an apology, a thank-you, or a standing ovation?

"He was cunning, I’ll give him that," Nina began with reluctant admiration. "He used his connection to the Blood Moon child to snag the blessing."

The connection between Remus and the Blood Moon child she mentioned wasn’t the same kind of connection Thorin had sought with Riona, though Riona had no way of knowing that.

"He should have consulted with the key leaders of the werewolf community before making such a move," Nina continued, shaking her head like a disappointed parent.

By key leaders of the werewolf community, she meant the Zacharia clan.

"A plan like that could have disrupted the balance of the world. But no—he just had to do things his way, at his own pace."

Riona couldn’t help it—a smile tugged at her lips. That sounded an awful lot like... well, her. Apparently, she’d inherited more than just her father’s eye color. She quickly wiped the grin off her face, though. No need to give Nina any ammunition.

"And for the record," Nina added with a cold smirk, "there was no pack to abandon. His pack was wiped out. Annihilated. Down to the youngest pup."

She said it like she was announcing the weather, utterly detached.

"I don’t know what happened. We had planned to eliminate them, but someone else got ahead of us."

Riona’s growl was low and furious, her fists clenching at her sides. Nina’s condescending tone, the way she looked at her like she was a minor inconvenience—it was too much. Her fists clenched as her temper flared.

"I will clear his name!" she snapped, her voice full of fire. "I’ll tell everyone the truth!"

Nina’s laughter exploded, booming through the grand hall and bouncing off the walls like a clap of thunder. "Oh, that’s rich! Go ahead, spill your little truth. Let’s see if anyone buys it—from a half-vampire, no less. As far as I know, no one in Wintertooth even likes you."

Riona’s eyes narrowed into a deadly glare, channeling her best impression of Uncle Valentin’s patented look of doom but with slightly less experience and more rage.

"You’re wrong!" she snapped, her voice rising in triumphant defiance. "One werewolf is definitely head over heels for me. And, in case you missed it, that werewolf happens to be a Zacharia Alpha."