Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 52: Noble Nonsense

Chapter 52: Noble Nonsense

A dozen losses of potential allies and a dozen gains of new enemies later...

The trio hit the slump. Thorin lay on the sofa, his hand dangled to the floor. Riona rested her temple on her hand, sighing nonstop. Puck couldn’t stop moving, pacing everywhere there was space for him in the chamber.

"What now?" Riona began.

Puck rolled his eyes. "Well, maybe if someone could hold her temper for more than five minutes, we wouldn’t be in this mess."

Riona straightened up, glaring at Puck. "Oh, come on! You heard them. Those nobles were rude and selfish. I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing."

The Howl stopped pacing and turned to face her. "Yes, because challenging a Coven Leader in front of his kin was such a brilliant move. Really helped our cause."

"Someone had to put him in his place," Riona said defiantly, crossing her arms. "He was treating us like dirt."

Puck threw his hands up in exasperation. "Great. So now we have the elder and the entire royal court against us. Wonderful."

Thorin, still lying on the sofa, shifted slightly. "Riona has a point. That ancient vampire was out of line."

"At least someone understands," Riona said, smiling as she glanced at the Alpha werewolf.

"Fine. But what’s our plan now? We’re running out of allies, and we can’t keep making enemies like this." Puck let out a frustrated sigh and resumed his pacing.

Riona softened slightly. "We’ll figure it out."

Annoyed at Riona’s nonchalant response, despite her being the cause of everything falling apart, Puck widened his eyes and said, "You mean Thorin and I will figure it out. In case you forgot, you’ve done nothing but destroy our opportunities."

Riona was about to retort when Thorin spoke softly, "We need rest. Let’s not make any decisions while we’re this exhausted." His voice was barely above a whisper. His eyes fluttered closed.

Puck paused, taking a deep breath, and nodded reluctantly. "Alright. But we can’t afford many more mistakes."

***

In the end, Riona successfully gained the trust of five nobles.

Count Charles. He was the only noble who joined Riona’s alliance genuinely to bring justice to her mother.

Landgrave Magnus, who followed Riona after hearing that Count Charles was in.

Lord Seymour came from lower-rank nobility but had influence in the upper ranks due to his astute business capability, advising high-ranked nobles on growing their wealth even more.

Count Horace and Baron Darius were both noble representatives at the royal court. They were the only nobles who took Riona’s offer after her well-known dispute with a Coven Leader.

She had given up on recruiting a member of the royal court, so hearing their positive responses was quite joyful for her.

"Five..." Riona muttered to herself then turned around and exclaimed, "Isn’t that great?

Thorin and Puck stared at her, each wearing contrasting looks. While Thorin smiled endearingly at Riona’s happy face, Puck scoffed.

"Out of fifty, mind you," Puck reminded, breaking her bubble just when she was about to fly too high.

She pouted. "Why must you look at the bad side of things all the time? We have five nobles on our sides! That’s what matters, isn’t it?"

Puck crossed his arms and replied, "More than a hundred nobles are supporting the petition, Riona. Don’t you get it? We’re terribly outnumbered, and there’s just no way we can win this fight."

If he said it like that, Riona could see how dire their situation was. But Puck missed something. "Their side, even though greater in number, lacks authority. Count Charles is on our side."

She declared proudly as if having Count Charles only would be enough to balance out the uneven power struggle between her and Lady Maris, which was a ridiculous notion in the first place.

Riona was too optimistic, and Puck thought that foolish optimism would only end in failure. She needed to be realistic so they could prepare for their upcoming plan.

Count Charles was a powerful man. Despite his lower rank in the nobility, his family had been part of the Council Elders for generations, and Count Charles was also expected to join the council in the near future.

Having him on the team was great and all, but it wasn’t nearly enough when their opponent was the king’s most beloved vampire, Lady Maris. King Valentin was weak against her, so they needed to tread lightly to avoid going head-on against him.

Noticing the doubts in Puck’s eyes, Riona said, "Sir Kai promised to help out. Maybe he would find evidence or gather allies for me. Pfft! He and his sense of justice just couldn’t bear seeing this damsel in distress."

She almost laughed at those words—calling herself a damsel in distress. Although she was in distress, she was no damsel. However, Thorin found no hilarity in the light-hearted joke. Riona’s attempt to lighten the mood failed miserably.

A frown was a rare occurrence for Thorin’s flirtatious face, and yet it appeared now.

’What now?’ Riona thought.

"I thought you were not close with Sir Kai," Thorin’s voice was so low that Riona almost mistook him for being angry. "Could it be just you who thinks that way? Are you sure that he doesn’t harbor a hidden motive?"

What’s with him?

Riona wasn’t the only one baffled by Thorin’s sudden snarkiness. Puck was also staring at Thorin as if he couldn’t believe what the Alpha had just said.

"Are you serious? Is that what’s important for you? I mentioned evidence and allies. Shouldn’t those two words draw your attention the most?" Riona responded, appalled by Thorin’s ability, or lack thereof, to focus.

"Ahem, he must be quite tired after everything. Why don’t we rest for today? The Blood Moon Masquerade is next week. Let’s wrap everything up and finalize our plans tomorrow. We must be fully prepared for the worst and hope for the best," Puck said, practically kicking Riona out of the chamber.

She sighed and said, "Alright. I guess you’ve been straining your brain lately. Maybe you need to pamper your canine nose for tonight, if you know what I mean."

Riona was referring to the bed of flowers Thorin had laid in the other day. If fragrant petals could help him hone his senses, maybe it could help his brain as well.

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