Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 209: Victory, For Now

Chapter 209: Victory, For Now

Being alone wasn’t exactly fun. Riona couldn’t shake the guilt weighing on her mind. She kept blaming herself for what had happened to Trudy, feeling it was all her fault.

She trudged through the hallways, determined to find a way out, even if it meant punching her way there.

Several knights, big and tough-looking, had the misfortune of crossing her path. They were swiftly knocked down—not dead, just regretting the unfortunate encounter.

Riona was so strong now she could casually flex her level one-and-a-half power without even breaking a sweat.

After getting lost in the castle’s ridiculous labyrinth of hallways—seriously, who designed this place? Uh, it must be Nina, whose idea of fun would be starving her guests while being lost in this place—she finally found people she actually cared about.

And among them? The one she’d missed the most.

Without a second thought, Riona threw herself into Thorin’s arms. She ignored Puck’s dramatic groan of disgust, Charna’s awkward eyes darting, and Zane’s silent thank-you to the universe.

Wrapping herself around Thorin, she squeezed him so tightly that she forgot he needed to breathe.

"Riona! Love! Sweetheart! Air. You know, the thing I need to live?" Thorin wheezed, his face turning an attractive shade of purple.

"Oh! Right. Breathing. My bad." She let go and stepped back like nothing had happened.

But Thorin wasn’t ready to let her go. He kept his arm wrapped around her waist. After taking a few deep breaths, he cupped her face in his hands, his eyes scanning her for any injuries.

As he studied her, something else took over. Without any further warning, he leaned in for a kiss.

Everyone did their best not to watch, but let’s be honest—it was hard to ignore when the lovebirds were full-on making out right there in front of them.

No one knew how long this steamy reunion would last, or how long they were supposed to politely wait for the couple to remember there were bigger problems at hand.

"I missed you. Damn, I missed you so much," Thorin murmured between kisses, his voice low and filled with emotion.

"Me too," Riona replied, her eyes shut tight as she savored his lips like they were the best dessert she’d ever had.

Puck, who had reached the limit of his patience, cleared his throat loudly. When that didn’t work, he shifted his gaze from his dusty boots to the castle’s ceiling, then coughed again—this time with the force of a dying man.

The couple finally stopped eating each other, but not because of Puck.

"Please don’t hate me," Riona whispered suddenly, her voice shaky as guilt, anxiety, and longing collided in her chest.

Despite the moment, she couldn’t shake the thought of losing Thorin. Maybe, just maybe, she could finally hold on to some happiness.

"Hate you? Why would I ever hate you?" Thorin asked, his tone soft, but his brow furrowed in confusion.

Riona hesitated, pulling back slightly. She bit her lower lip. Her face was a mix of emotions as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t.

Thorin moved in to kiss her again, but Riona placed both hands on his chest, stopping him in his tracks. "Wait."

"What? What’s wrong?" he asked, his arms still firmly wrapped around her waist, unwilling to let her go just yet.

Puck threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "Obviously because she has a brain and common sense! She knows there’s a time and a place for things, and this—" he gestured wildly at the two of them "—is definitely not the place for—"

Poor Puck. He was way off the mark. Riona’s reason for stopping the makeout session had nothing to do with common sense—something she wasn’t exactly famous for.

When Riona finally spoke, it wasn’t just Puck who froze. Everyone did. Her words landed like a thunderclap.

"I killed Trudy."

Her voice trembled, her whole body shaking as the admission left her lips. Saying it aloud felt a million times worse than just thinking it. The guilt hit her like a wave, making her stomach churn and her chest ache.

Everyone stared at her as if she’d just claimed to have slain a dragon with a spoon.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Charna asked, confused and in disbelief.

Zane frowned but shook his head quickly. "Trudy’s alive. She’s badly hurt, but she was still breathing the last time I saw her. And I plan on keeping it that way when I get back to Wintertooth."

"Really?"

Riona’s wide eyes filled with hope, and relief flooded her like a dam breaking. She wiped her tear-streaked face and, to everyone’s surprise, broke into a bright, beaming smile. It was as if a switch had flipped, and the weight of her guilt had vanished entirely.

"Well then," she said, standing tall, her usual confidence returning in full force. "What are we waiting for? Trudy and Florian are waiting for us in Wintertooth, and we can’t keep them waiting too long, can we?"

She strode forward without waiting for a response.

Puck, still processing the emotional whiplash, muttered under his breath, "Yeah, sure, let’s just pretend the past two minutes didn’t happen..."

Thorin, the lovesick puppy that he was, couldn’t stop smiling. Riona was back to her lively, unstoppable self. The dark, brooding aura she’d carried before didn’t suit her at all, and he was relieved to see it gone.

Taking the lead, he strode ahead with purpose—after all, he was the only one who had any clue how to navigate the maze that was this castle.

As they made their way out, they ran into more of Zach’s knights. The odds were against them, but the group still had the two most powerful fighters—Riona and Thorin—leading the charge.

The knights, already weakened from losing their leaders, Nina, Sullivan, and Warren, didn’t stand a chance.

The gate loomed ahead, just as Riona and the werewolves were leaving behind the massive castle, which had only slightly been ruined by her explosion.

As they made their way toward the exit, an extravagant carriage rolled into the courtyard, as if it were delivering an extremely important person who couldn’t wait for an invite.

It was odd, to say the least. The Zacharias family wasn’t exactly known for being the welcoming type. Add in the Wintertooth werewolves already causing a stir, and they had a situation that was definitely not their typical social gathering.

And yet, this unfamiliar carriage waltzed in like it had the keys to the kingdom, acting like it was on a tour of the entire continent—no appointment needed.

Riona spotted it, and something about the carriage seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.

And then, through the window, she saw him: the silver-haired vampire from her escape from the royal palace of Eira. Hauntingly beautiful. Refined. Mysterious.

They locked eyes for a split second. But before Riona could dig any deeper into her memory, she quickly snapped out of it as she finally broke free of the castle’s walls.

The group began their journey back to Wintertooth with a wave of euphoria washing over them. Victory was theirs, or so they thought.

What they didn’t realize was that the storm they’d just escaped was nothing compared to what was about to hit them. Unbeknownst to them, they were walking straight into the biggest challenge yet—completely unprepared.

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