Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 47: A Werewolf’s Bedtime

Chapter 47: A Werewolf’s Bedtime

Thorin flipped through the pages again, stopping near the end of the book. He instructed Riona to read the entire page. She didn’t hesitate.

No! That can’t be! Mother and Father died in an accident.

The handwriting on the last page was slightly different from the writing at the beginning. It seemed as if the writer’s emotions were reflected in the strokes, causing the letters to be more distorted.

"I don’t have much time. I know that we’re being targeted. That’s why I leave this book as evidence. In case I or Amara die, just know that we must be..." Riona paused. She couldn’t bring herself to say the next word.

...murdered.

"See? The writer of this book said so himself," Thorin argued.

"B-but..."

I remember that day clearly. They told me... ah... Uncle told me.

Seeing Riona shaken, Thorin continued to read the next passage aloud. "I can’t pinpoint the person behind it, but if you’re looking into this, just find whoever benefits from our deaths the most."

The one who benefited most from the death of Riona’s mother would be her uncle. She froze as the realization struck her.

Masking the murder as an accident was a smart move. Only if Riona’s mother died from natural causes or an accident could Riona give up her position to her uncle.

Riona felt her whole body tremble at the thought. Right now, she felt angry—furious—but at the same time, she was terrified.

If her uncle was somehow involved in her mother’s death, could she do anything about it?

After all, this was King Valentin they were talking about.

He was the one figure Riona couldn’t go against. She didn’t have the courage to confront him about his crime against her mother.

She couldn’t fight against him with her power—how could she when she was paralyzed every time he entered her field of vision?

Feeling weak, she wobbled forward and had to hold onto the desk to support herself. Thorin abandoned the book and approached her. "Are you alright?"

What a ridiculous question! How can I be alright after knowing that my uncle might have murdered my mother?

But she didn’t have the energy to retort. She was too busy trying to survive the creeping fear. The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became.

He has to pay for his crime! But how? I can’t win against him. Just how...?

The image of King Valentin came to her mind: the tall, imposing figure with his deadly glare. The ends of his lips were always turned downward.

The way he looked down on her as if she were an insect...

Riona collapsed, clenching her tight chest. She was gasping, feeling as though something heavy was weighing down on her.

"Urgh. Hngh...!!"

She made fists and struggled to get up. Thorin slipped his hand around her waist and arms to help her up.

"Where are you going?" Thorin asked, surprised as Riona moved towards the door with great difficulty.

"I need some time to think."

But she didn’t actually need time to think. What she needed was a time to process her fear and overcome it. King Valentin became so much more of a monster with this new revelation, and Riona didn’t know how she could face him later.

"Let me take you to your room," Thorin said, grabbing the book and rushing to her side.

The Alpha werewolf guided the way, but his steps seemed to be heading towards the main palace. She stopped and said, "I’m not going there."

"But your chamber..."

"I’ll sleep in the servant’s quarters tonight. You don’t have to walk me there. The servants will be uncomfortable having you around," she said, her voice revealing how dejected she felt.

Thorin said nothing for a moment. After a while, he sighed and said, "Have a good rest. You can come to me if you need, um, if you want my opinion about how we should approach this issue. You know where to find me."

There he goes again. Acting like a hero, when he’s nothing more than just a strong furry man.

Even though Riona thought negatively about him, a smile slowly formed on her lips involuntarily.

***

Riona hadn’t thought she would do this, but here she was, standing in front of the Alpha werewolf’s chamber.

She had thought long and hard about the petition and the murder accusation against King Valentin, but she kept getting stuck because of one thing: she feared the king.

Every possible path was blocked by her fear.

"Hey... It’s me," she announced timidly. She lifted her knuckles to knock on the door, thinking her voice might have been too low for Thorin to hear.

Just before her skin could touch the door, it opened. Thorin’s breathing was rapid as if he had run from the far end of the chamber. He pulled his robe forward to hide his bare chest, his face flushed.

"Is this a bad time for me to visit?" Riona glanced into Thorin’s room, afraid she might be disrupting his private time.

It would be awkward if some girls started to run outside, naked.

Hiring prostitutes was a common custom here. Some races had vampire fetishes; they wanted to experience being bitten by a real vampire and having their blood sucked.

Even among fellow vampires, it was common practice for the host to offer services and entertainment to foreign dignitaries to strengthen political bonds.

That might be the case here.

"No, it’s not. I was just, uh... Alright, come in."

As Riona entered the chamber, she saw that the bed was a mess, with the blanket and sheets strewn all over the place. It didn’t look like the result of bad sleeping habits.

It was more like someone had been rolling on the bed. Then Riona noticed something small and pink poking out from under the sheets.

Huh? Upon closer inspection, she realized those small, pink objects were scattered all over the bed but covered by the sheets.

Ah. Riona turned to Thorin and gave him a questioning look.

Realizing what she had noticed, Thorin rushed to his bed and hastily pulled the blanket away. Petals of flowers flew into the air and dropped to the floor.

"Were you rolling on a bed of flowers?"