Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 76: An Unlikely Escape Plan

Chapter 76: An Unlikely Escape Plan

If she married Thorin and went to Wintertooth, she could escape the king’s grasp and ensure Florian’s safety, all while maintaining a comfortable life, just like the Alpha had promised her.

Moreover, this was what the ancestor wanted, and he had answered her prayers. She glanced at Thorin, contemplating how their relationship might change if they were married.

For once, the marriage would be purely transactional, and it should benefit them both. They wouldn’t become lovers because he clearly had his own agenda, just as she had hers.

Before entering into the marriage, they needed to establish clear guidelines to ensure they could present a harmonious front publicly and function as effective partners in private.

She rose from the sofa, fetched a parchment, and placed it on the table, quill in hand. Carefully, she drafted the terms and slid the paper toward Thorin.

He read aloud, "Rules of the marriage." Arching an eyebrow, he asked, "What’s this?"

"Exactly as you read. The rules of our marriage. Since we’ve agreed to this arrangement, shouldn’t we establish some guidelines? I know I’m not one for rules, but just in case..." Riona said.

Her usual principle that rules were meant to be broken did not apply here. For the record, these rules were created to keep a rein on the Alpha and ensure he wouldn’t overstep his boundaries.

"Wait, hold up!" Thorin adjusted his sitting position and processed the situation. "You accepted my proposal?"

She laughed, crossing her arms in an arrogant manner. "Oh, please, proposal? We both know this is just business. Come on, tell me what you want from me. Let’s see if I can accommodate it."

Thorin opened his mouth to respond but closed it again. He was unsure how to handle this unexpected turn. The situation was so abrupt and bewildering that he struggled to find the right words.

"Why are you sitting there in a daze? Isn’t this the perfect time to negotiate?" Riona raised an eyebrow expectantly.

Thorin let out a long, tired breath. He leaned back against the sofa’s headrest. "This is madness."

"Hey! What are you muttering to yourself?" Riona snapped, clearly annoyed by his reaction.

With no immediate response from Thorin, Riona’s mind raced to the worst possible scenario.

"Did you... retract your plan to marry me? Is it because you no longer wish to provide for me and Florian? As expected, is that too much to ask?"

He claimed to be wealthy, but even riches would feel the weight of supporting the livelihoods of two people, wouldn’t they?

In any marriage arrangement, a woman was expected to bring a dowry. However, Riona had no money, and Thorin had promised a secure and comfortable life for both her and Florian—a costly commitment.

Furthermore, despite being part of the royal family, Riona was practically a servant, an orphan taken in by the king out of pity. There was no way her uncle would pay a dowry for her marriage.

Perhaps Thorin had just realized the costs and sacrifices involved in this marriage. That must be why he remained silent.

She quickly attempted to ease Thorin’s upcoming burden with a spur-of-the-moment plan. "Don’t worry, if supporting both me and my brother is too much, you can just focus on ensuring my brother’s comfort."

Riona was frantic, her hands moving to emphasize her concern and redirect their future plans with loud gestures. "I’ll find a job in Wintertooth. I’m very strong—it’ll be useful."

She paused and took a deep breath, waiting for his response. When none came, she reassured him, "Either way, I’ll find a way to manage. I just need you to protect Florian."

Come on, you’ve already done so much for Florian. You care about him too, don’t you? I don’t know why, but I know you do. So, just say yes!

Finally, Thorin straightened up and locked eyes with Riona. "Do I look like I can’t afford to care for both of you?"

Riona pursed her lips, immediately regretting bringing it up. Had she offended him?

"I was confused, but not anymore. You’re marrying me, right? You can’t take that back. Okay? No matter what, you can’t get cold feet later," Thorin said firmly.

"Uh, okay."

He grabbed the paper and wrote something down, then shoved the parchment towards Riona. She picked it up and read the content.

The Alpha werewolf had written only one sentence: No backing out.

Riona couldn’t help but chuckle. "Are you sure this is the only thing you want to write? You can add more terms."

"Nah. That’s good enough for me. Oh, wait, I’ll add one more." He snatched the paper back and wrote another sentence: Be good to each other.

Strange. It was too strange. Why would they need to be good to each other in a purely transactional relationship? But Riona didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she began to write down her own terms.

Her terms seemed endless. Occasionally, she paused to ask Thorin a question. "Do I get a separate bedroom?"

"No," he replied.

"Then, do you sleep with your lights off?"

Thorin couldn’t follow Riona’s train of thought. "I’m fine either way," he replied.

Riona returned to her paper and wrote more before asking another question. "Do you have access to artificial blood in Wintertooth?"

"No, but I’ll work on it. You won’t starve, I can promise you that," he assured her.

She scribbled a bit more before putting down the quill. Her face showed a proud expression as if she had just won a hard battle. "That’s probably the longest I’ve ever written," she said.

Eyeing the extensive list on the parchment, Thorin chuckled. "I’m sure."

They both signed the paper, and Riona took charge of keeping the agreement safe. With the administrative matters settled, it was time to plan their next moves.

As if just realizing her circumstances, she stated, "I’m trapped. How do we get married?"

Thorin stood up from the sofa and approached her. He bent on one knee and kissed the back of Riona’s hand.

Her heart pounded wildly, and she couldn’t understand why. She thought it might be due to disgust, but oddly, she didn’t dislike it when his lips touched her skin.

"I’ll talk to your king and ask for your hand," he said.