Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 90: Motherhood

Chapter 90: Motherhood

Valentin had tried to stop Amara from leaving the palace, but her decision was firm. She and Remus lived outside the palace, moving from place to place.

Despite her departure, Amara stayed in touch with him. However, each time Valentin mentioned returning to the palace, Amara would shut down.

"If you keep bringing that up, I don’t want to meet you anymore," she threatened.

Amara had always kept her word. Fearful that she would cut off contact with him, Valentin refrained from mentioning it again.

Without his sister, Valentin felt empty and alone. He opened up to Maris, who used to be Amara’s neighbor. Maris was welcoming and had been close to Amara.

Occasionally, Amara would invite Maris over for dinner. Despite his animosity towards Remus, the four of them shared countless meals together.

Slowly but surely, Valentin began to develop feelings for Maris.

However, their love story had a clear end. The former vampire king had chosen a noble lady for him. He would never be allowed to marry a commoner.

Valentin had often thought about leaving behind his obligations and the crown.

What if he had not been born into the royal family? Could he have chosen the woman he loved instead of being bound by the political marriage arranged by his father?

Experiencing love himself, Valentin began to understand his sister’s choices. He couldn’t leave Maris, even when the former vampire king announced the name of the noble lady he was to marry.

Valentin maintained his romantic ties with Maris despite the announcement.

Maris was in tears when she found out she was pregnant with Valentin’s child. She feared the former king would force her to terminate the pregnancy.

Valentin had never dreamed of having children. Having descendants was never his priority, and he felt indifferent about it. However, Maris seemed to treasure the life growing inside her.

Moved by her feelings, Valentin made a promise. "I will protect you and our child. I will not let anyone harm our baby."

Right after Maris gave birth to a baby girl, Amara disappeared without a trace. Valentin had no time to celebrate being a father—not that he wanted to, anyway.

He was distraught, constantly wondering what he could have done wrong. But he didn’t remember making her upset.

Though he did recall bringing up the taboo topic, Amara had simply dismissed it instead of making a big deal out of it.

"What went wrong?" Valentin groaned. He turned to his lover and asked, "Did she say something to you?"

Maris had just given birth and was still adjusting to her new life as a mother, but all Valentin could think about was his sister.

Swallowing her disappointment and hurt, Maris shook her head and patted Valentin’s back, offering him the support he needed.

She knew she would always be second to Amara in Valentin’s heart and would never dream of being his top priority. But at least, she had hoped that their baby girl would come first for him.

Valentin used all his resources to search for Amara. His men scoured the borders and determined that she had never left the kingdom.

"Good. Find her!" he ordered his subordinates.

His days grew increasingly hollow as he received only bad news after bad news. Unable to bear the emptiness, he brought Maris and their daughter, Lisbeth, to the palace.

A part of him hoped that bringing his mistress home would prompt his betrothed to reconsider the marriage agreement. However, his future wife remained undaunted.

Throughout their loveless marriage, Isodle proved resilient, holding her head high despite the cruel reality of her life. Though unwanted by her husband, she was loved by many.

"Your Highness, we have found her!" After years of waiting, Valentin finally received news of Amara’s whereabouts. By that time, Lisbeth was already five.

Maris was happy to hear the news, hoping it meant Valentin wouldn’t be sad anymore. At the same time, she feared that Lisbeth would be even more neglected than she already had been.

But she did not dare question Valentin’s decisions. Though he listened to her well, Maris was just a commoner. She had no power whatsoever.

Moreover, Valentin’s rightful wife was also in the palace. If Maris acted up and Valentin decided to withdraw his attention, she could be expelled at any time.

Maris underestimated the influence she had over Valentin because of her humble origins. So, when Valentin spent more time with his sister, Maris did not object.

"Mother, will Father play with me today? I can turn into a bat in less than a minute. I want to show him," Lisbeth said, crawling toward her mother.

Maris kissed her forehead and said, "I’m so proud of you, sweetheart. However, I don’t know when Father will come. Let’s tell him together when he does, okay?"

She couldn’t promise too much, fearing that Lisbeth would be disappointed if Valentin didn’t come.

***

Valentin couldn’t hide his shock. Now he understood why Amara had disappeared without a trace—she had given birth to a child.

A small girl stood by the door, the spitting image of Amara except for her blue eyes, which she had inherited from her father.

Remus lifted the girl and allowed Valentin into the house. "Come in. She’s waiting for you," he said.

Valentin gritted his teeth, clenching his fists. He would never get used to Remus treating him like an outsider. With a child, their bond seemed even stronger.

How could he bring Amara back home now? Valentin considered talking to his father about allowing Amara to return with the child. The real problem, however, was Remus.

"Honey, can you put Riona to bed? I want to talk to my brother alone," Amara said to Remus, who picked up the girl and left Valentin alone with his sister.

Once the werewolf and the mini halfling disappeared, Amara sighed. "Forgive me for not sending word to you. As you can see, I had a lot on my plate."

"Why didn’t you let me know?" Valentin asked through gritted teeth.

He was furious but also felt deeply hurt and neglected. Amara was the first person he had confided in about Maris’s pregnancy; he had expected the same consideration from her.

"Now you know," she said nonchalantly, which hurt him even more.

"How could you...? That child is a halfling!" Like most vampires, Valentin viewed halflings as a disgrace to their race.

"What’s wrong with that?" Amara argued, visibly upset by the disgust in Valentin’s voice.

"Do you really not understand? No vampire will ever acknowledge her as part of the royal family."