Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 97: Palace Mayhem

Chapter 97: Palace Mayhem

The knights had succeeded in getting into her chamber. It was the perfect opportunity to eliminate the Blood Moon child once and for all. All it would take was a single stab from their swords.

Elder Alfred assumed the private knights of the nobles were all on the same page as him. It was his wishful thinking, born from his desire to wield significant influence over the noble factions.

While some nobles were indeed loyal to him, many others served different elders with opposing agendas.

These knights had received their orders, and they were as clear as day. They were directed to bring the Blood Moon child to them alive. Not to kill her.

They were told to act on behalf of their masters and the elders those nobles served. Elder Alfred’s name had certainly not been mentioned in their briefing. That was why the private soldiers had hesitated during the battle.

The nobles had not anticipated Elder Alfred to be in the royal palace. They had not expected him to confront the king this soon.

"Kill her!" Elder Alfred shouted, treating the private soldiers as if they were under his command.

But, of course, the private knights didn’t listen to him. Instead of killing the problematic young vampire, they attempted to remove her from the chamber. Riona’s unconscious body was thrown back inside, while the knights could step out normally.

Elder Alfred quickly realized that the knights had no intention of following his orders. The truth hit him like a thunderbolt: some elders had betrayed him. Fury contorted his features, his eyes bulging as his breath came in rapid, angry bursts.

His focus shifted entirely to the knights, momentarily forgetting the king. But King Valentin, aware of the escalating danger to Riona, also turned his attention to the chamber.

Both of them rushed toward the room. Elder Alfred unleashed his power on the private knights, while King Valentin tried to stop the elder from inching closer to the room, in fear that he might kill Riona on the spot.

While being pushed back by the king, Elder Alfred sent a signal to the knights stationed outside the palace gate. It was time to go all out. He couldn’t afford to let the nobles or the king take her away.

King Valentin thrust his hand forward, clearing the corridor of scattered knights before turning his full attention to Elder Alfred, halting the elder’s advance with all his might.

"Stop!" King Valentin roared.

Elder Alfred’s voice echoed through the hallways as he shouted, "I’m going to kill her!"

In no time, the knights siding with the elder flooded the palace grounds, plunging the scene into further chaos. The Royal Guards struggled to fend off the newly arrived knights, while King Valentin faced off against Elder Alfred.

Amidst the turmoil, King Valentin noticed Thorin and his entourage entering the fray. He sighed in frustration at the sight of the additional, unwanted personnel. They would only complicate matters further, he thought.

But it wasn’t just that. King Valentin’s eyes widened in shock when he saw Florian among them. The small vampire was clenching his fist. His chest was moving up and down, and his face was drenched in tears.

"Kill her! Kill the fangless!" The knights shouted all over the place, led by Elder Alfred.

While King Valentin was preoccupied with fending off Alfred’s attack, the werewolves and Florian vanished from their previous spot. Frantically, the king turned, searching for them.

All of a sudden, Sir Kai also joined in. The ace of the Nightwarden took position in front of Riona’s chamber door. Thorin’s subordinates helped Sir Kai with defending the room.

Meanwhile, Thorin himself was nowhere to be seen. Panicked, King Valentin marched toward the door, sending anyone in his path flying against the walls.

Just as he reached the door, though, the room exploded.

***

Sir Kai visited the royal palace. He was worried about Riona after hearing nothing about her since the masquerade. As he feared, she was in serious trouble.

Although Thorin was reluctant to seek Sir Kai’s help, Puck was more than happy to have him join their cause. The Howl believed that Sir Kai’s presence might create a rift between Thorin and Riona, who had grown dangerously close in Puck’s eyes.

Sir Kai eagerly offered his assistance. His sense of justice was as thick as ever, but Thorin suspected there was more to it than just righteousness.

He has feelings for her!

Thorin’s glare intensified as the thought crossed his mind.

Without Thorin’s consent, Puck revealed the plan they had devised with Riona. She had promised to find a way to break the spell but had yet to update them on her progress.

"How can she update us when she’s trapped?" Thorin retorted, rolling his eyes as he lounged on the sofa, arms crossed in annoyance.

"Right," Puck replied half-heartedly. "We’ve been busy with our part too. But today, we plan to visit her and cross-check our progress."

Florian could have visited her, but he had been assisting Puck with his investigation. The young vampire’s task was to translate documents from a vampire language into a universal language.

With Thorin’s refusal to fully engage in the discussion, Puck assigned Sir Kai his role instead. He didn’t seem like the investigative type because he rather stood out. So Sir Kai was tasked with another vital role.

"You are a Nightwarden. Clear the road for us. We need to escape the kingdom smoothly," Puck instructed. Having the one in charge of the kingdom’s security would be a huge benefit once they left the palace.

Before Sir Kai could respond, a loud voice assaulted the werewolves’ sharp hearing.

"...KILL HER...!"

Alarmed, Thorin sprang from the sofa. The werewolves ignored Sir Kai’s response as their attention shifted to the distant commotion.

"There’s a fight," Zane announced.

"Don’t tell me—!" Thorin dashed out. The others, including Florian, were close behind him.

The Alpha led the group to Riona’s chamber, pushing himself to reach her before anything terrible happened. He hoped no one was targeting Riona, but given her true identity, the threat against her was all too real.

Upon arriving, they were welcomed by the chaos of a brutal battle in the narrow corridor.

Thorin wasted no time, slipping into Riona’s room. Sir Kai immediately took up a defensive position, fending off knights attempting to enter. Puck and Zane joined Sir Kai in guarding the door, while Florian followed Thorin inside.

Thorin’s eyes quickly found Riona’s unconscious body on the floor. Unaware of her condition before the battle, he assumed the conflict had caused her harm.

Florian was equally distressed. He felt a surge of rage. Though a vampire, he growled like a werewolf with his fists clenched. Suddenly, he opened his mouth as if to scream.

Within seconds, a blinding light burst from within him, impacting everyone nearby with its explosive force.