Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 21: The Unfortunate Waltz

Chapter 21: The Unfortunate Waltz

Riona scanned the room amidst the hushed silence that had fallen over the room. Her eyes locked into a familiar figure.

Lisbeth stood there, smirking, clearly relishing the spectacle before her.

The Alpha werewolf was right by her side. His expression was unreadable, uncharacteristically devoid of his signature smug face.

Suddenly, a chill ran down Riona’s spine, and she couldn’t shake the feeling of a particularly ominous glare boring into her.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out whose stare it belonged to. King Valentin, the owner of the deadliest glare in the Kingdom of Eira, had fixed his icy gaze upon her.

It felt like the weight of the world was crushing down on her chest, suffocating her with each labored breath.

As the king took deliberate steps closer, Riona felt the grip of fear tightening around her heart. Forget about revenge—she doubted she’d even survive the next hour if King Valentin so desired.

Overwhelmed by a paralyzing fear, Riona found herself frozen in place, unable to move a muscle despite her desperate desire to flee. Her tongue felt like lead, rendering her speechless and trembling uncontrollably under the weight of the king’s piercing glare.

When King Valentin was right before her, her tongue went numb. She was trembling and unable to control her body. The king’s glare was enough to send anyone to wet their pants.

Just when she thought she couldn’t bear it any longer, Thorin intervened. He came to her rescue with all the subtlety of a charging rhinoceros.

For the first time, Riona found herself genuinely grateful for his overbearing hero syndrome—after all, who else would bother to save her sorry butt in a moment like this?

Though she hated to admit it, and would rather chew on a fist of garlic than say it out loud, Riona knew deep down that she needed help in this dire situation.

"Just the person I’ve been waiting for. Now, if you’ll excuse us, Your Majesty, but I have my first dance to attend to. Lucky for me, my dance partner is already here," Thorin declared, not being subtle at all.

A smile returned to Thorin’s face, although this one was visibly forced. His grip on Riona’s shoulder was tight, signaling the tension coursing through him.

Clearly, he understood the precariousness of challenging the vampire king in front of such a massive audience.

King Valentin, who also knew the importance of maintaining a good public image as a leader, managed to maintain composure. "Of course. Enjoy your first dance. I trust the music will be to your liking."

The Alpha werewolf guided Riona to the center of the dance floor. His hand was still on her shoulder.

In all her life, combat and controlling her power had been her primary focus. Etiquette, poetry, and dances? She found them as useful as air for a fish.

Back at the academy, she had reluctantly attended a few dance classes, but mostly, she skipped them to practice her combat skills.

Now, here she was—a clueless vampire flailing around like a bat in daylight. What an irony!

Around her, everyone moved with the grace of professional dancers. Meanwhile, Thorin, her unfortunate dance partner, chuckled through the ordeal.

"Ouch! That’s the fifth time you’ve kicked my shin. I mean, how did you manage to do that?" he remarked, amused.

"I, uh..." Riona mumbled. Her cheeks flushed red.

Why was it difficult for her to apologize for this little thing? But it was the infuriating werewolf! If it were someone else, perhaps Riona wouldn’t have such a hard time.

"Let me guess. You’re more into the kind of dances that involve dodging attacks?" Thorin teased.

Riona shot him a glare, trying to suppress a smile. "Well, excuse me for not taking dance lessons seriously. I was too busy perfecting my combat moves."

He laughed, letting out a deep, rumbling sound from his throat. "Just try to follow my lead, alright? Pretend we’re in a fight. Maybe that will help."

Now that he brought it up, Riona realized she had never seen Thorin’s true power. She had never gotten a glimpse of it. It was always the other way around, which made her curious.

Thorin was famous for becoming an Alpha at such a young age, a piece of juicy gossip that even vampires found intriguing.

"Yeah. Sure. Just remember, if I bite you, it’s purely accidental."

Awkward as it might be, Riona tried her best not to injure Thorin any further. She didn’t want to pile up more reasons to apologize, nor did she want to owe him any favors.

However, to the onlookers, they probably appeared quite close. Especially given the glare she could feel piercing her back.

Ha! It was the first time Riona had seen Lisbeth with such a deep frown on her forehead.

"Hey, Alpha, I think your girlfriend is jealous," Riona smirked, feeling like she had discovered another of Lisbeth’s weaknesses.

"What girlfriend? I don’t have–"

Thorin’s strong denial was cut off abruptly when Riona deliberately pressed her chest against him.

She did it to provoke Lisbeth, but the unintended consequence was Thorin turning beet-red.

"Dear Dark Lord, for real, Alpha? Are you seriously... blushing?" Riona creased her brows, staring at Thorin in disbelief. "Ew, gross!"

She attempted to distance herself from him, but then remembered they were dancing. Physical contact was, unfortunately, required.

"This isn’t..." Thorin stammered, which was wildly uncharacteristic of him, and Riona found the sight both amusing and appalling. "I mean..."

"Relax, wolf boy. Don’t go into a rut on me, alright? Let’s keep it professional," she snarked, rolling her eyes.

She glanced over at Lisbeth, who looked like she was about to explode. It was priceless.

"So, do you think she’s going to turn into a green-eyed monster or just stay as a frosty princess?" Riona quipped, thoroughly enjoying herself.

Thorin cleared his throat, the layer of red on his face gradually subsiding. "Ahem. What happened to you? You didn’t return to the palace with everyone else. Florian was worried."

"Sir Kai thought I was some kind of weak damsel and decided to save me by hiding me in the Nightwarden compound. Can you believe that? He even insisted that I see a doctor first before letting me go."

"So, did you obey?"

"Obey? Pfft! I left right away. Oh, the look on his face! You should’ve seen it. It must be the first time he encountered a girl who didn’t need saving."

Thorin’s face remained stoic. "You sound so close to him."

Riona smirked, "Close? Please. If Sir Kai were any more clueless, he’d need a map to find his own feet."

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