Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 246: Wintertooth’s Next Top Rescue Mission

Chapter 246: Wintertooth’s Next Top Rescue Mission

The vampire lady was the attraction of the day—not exactly a positive one, though. Morgan and her pack glared at her like she’d just declared war on their favorite chew toys.

Meanwhile, the pups peeked curiously from behind corners, probably wondering if vampires really sparkled or if that was just a human rumor.

Lady Maris stood stiffly outside Thorin’s office, looking like an expensive vampire mannequin on display.

Every werewolf who’d caught wind of her arrival had to sneak a peek. After all, a vampire in Wintertooth was about as common as a werewolf munching on a silver bullet.

Inside, Thorin was allegedly getting ready to leave. And by ’getting ready,’ I mean bickering with Wintertooth’s elite werewolves like someone trying to negotiate a group dinner order.

Naturally, Puck and Zane were there—because they were basically Thorin’s left and right hands (though Puck would insist he was the right). Charna, the pragmatic Chief of Wintertooth, had also been roped into the chaos.

Oh, and then there was the wildcard in the room—a face both familiar and completely out of place.

"Why is she here?" Puck asked, jabbing a thumb toward Trudy with all the subtlety of a wrecking ball.

"She’s glued herself to Charna lately," Zane replied with a polite smile. "Apparently, the whole ’Let’s Save Riona’ mission turned them into soul sisters or something. Real touching stuff."

Charna didn’t even blink. She’d clearly accepted her fate as Trudy’s new emotional support wolf. Meanwhile, Trudy shrugged like she didn’t notice—or care—that she wasn’t technically supposed to be there.

"I’m important too," Trudy declared, sounding half-serious but brimming with enough confidence to make it seem true.

Puck raised an eyebrow, leaning slightly toward Zane. "She’s serious, isn’t she?"

Zane chuckled, amused. "Oh, 100%."

Seeing the dismissive looks on everyone’s faces, Trudy pressed on, undeterred. "I know why she’s here. And let’s be real—the only other werewolf in Wintertooth who cares about Riona besides you lot is me. You’re going to need my support for whatever it is you’re trying to pull off."

Bold claim. A bit too bold. Sure, her guess about Riona being involved was a solid shot in the dark, but the idea that her ’support’ was a game-changer?

Yeah, no. That was about as solid as a sandcastle in a tsunami. Still, no one had the heart—or the energy—to burst her bubble. Not after what she’d been through.

Having your guts literally ripped out while trying to save someone tends to buy you a pass from harsh reality checks. Even the most cynical of them weren’t about to kick her confidence while it was wobbling on its last legs.

"Thorin, you better bring her back! I don’t care what you have to go through or what you have to sacrifice along the way," Trudy declared with the conviction of someone about to hand him a quest scroll.

Of course, by sacrifice, she meant the vampire. But the rest of the room—being far too literal—assumed she meant Puck, who was the most likely candidate for ’noble werewolf fodder.’

"There will be no sacrificing, okay? Nobody’s getting sacrificed. Not me, not the vampire, nobody," Puck shot back, throwing up his hands as if this was somehow a common conversation he had to endure. "Let’s just leave me out of the doom and gloom plans for once."

Thorin glanced around the room, his gaze lingering on each werewolf as the weight of his decision pressed harder against him. Guilt clawed at him, relentless and unforgiving.

He’d made up his mind to search for Riona. It was about time the pack moved past the whole Wintertooth fire debacle and stopped obsessing over who may or may not have caused it.

But the thought of leaving Wintertooth again? Abandoning the pack after promising to stand by them this time? The irony hit harder than a silver dagger. He couldn’t decide if he was noble or just a hypocrite with excellent timing.

"If I leave..." Thorin began, his voice faltering. He paused, smacking his lips as if trying to chew on the right words before spitting them out. "You’ll all be left alone. Again."

The room fell silent, the werewolves exchanging looks that screamed, Yeah, and? We’ve kinda been through worse, buddy. But no one dared say it out loud. Well, not yet.

"We survived, didn’t we?" Zane said, clapping a reassuring hand on Thorin’s shoulder.

"You haven’t looked happy since... well, the incident. This is the first time I’ve seen a real smile crack through that broody mug of yours. Just because you’re an Alpha doesn’t mean you have to lock your heart away in some emotional fortress. She’s the love of your life, isn’t she? Then she’s our Luna."

The motivational speech was so cheesy Puck nearly gagged on it. He shot a glance toward Zane, his face twisting like he’d just bitten into a lemon.

He was this close to saying something snarky but held back, opting instead to look at the ceiling and internally scream while the room basked in Zane’s glow of heartfelt sincerity.

"Yeah! Who do you think you’re fooling?" Trudy piped up, her voice turned up to maximum shouty encouragement mode. "Bring her back here, and I’ll make sure she never feels lonely again! And if no one else accepts her, I will!"

Everyone stared at Trudy for a beat, as if she’d just announced she was forming a one-woman fan club for Riona. Puck muttered, "Alright, take it down a notch, cheer captain."

Thorin’s grin was so bright it could’ve powered Wintertooth through an energy crisis. Everyone backing him up? Oh, yeah. This was Alpha affirmation at its peak.

"Alright," he declared like he was rallying troops for a noble cause. "Take care of our home while I’m gone. Stay on guard at all times. You never know who—or what—might decide to show up uninvited."

Because let’s be honest, the Zachs? Please. They shouldn’t be a problem anymore—not after Riona had turned their castle into a smoldering pile of rubble last time. Thorin smirked at the memory, a flicker of pride in his eyes. Let’s see those cowards try to crawl out of their ashes now.

As Thorin strutted out of his office like a wolf on a mission, his head high and his heart full. For the first time in what felt like forever, he felt ready. Ready to find Riona. Ready to fight for her. Ready to finally bring her back to where she belonged.

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