Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate-Chapter 145: Vampire Biology

As Thorin rambled on, Florian wasn’t really listening—well, not to the actual words, anyway. His attention was elsewhere, focused on the increasingly loud voice in his head that was now completely drowning out Thorin’s monologue.

It hammered away at Florian’s mind, relentlessly urging him to lunge at Thorin and choke him.

And with each passing second, the idea sounded less insane and more like... a reasonable afternoon activity. Florian wasn’t sure how much longer he could resist.

And then, he couldn’t. His fingers twitched as the overwhelming desire to strangle the werewolf before him rose to an unbearable peak.

Florian erupted. "GET OUT!!! GET OUT!!!"

He could have phrased it more politely. Something like, "Thorin, my dear friend, would you kindly vacate the premises because I’m currently fighting an overwhelming urge to kill you?" But no.

Rational thought had apparently left the building about five minutes ago, along with his sanity.

Half kicked out and entirely confused, Thorin stumbled out of Florian’s room, still processing what had just happened. It was odd, seeing Florian so agitated—his face flushed, eyes wild.

Where had that come from?

"He’s got more energy than I expected for someone who looks like he hasn’t eaten in weeks," Thorin muttered under his breath.

Little did he know, Florian had indeed been starving himself in some desperate or just plain crazy attempt to silence the dark voice in his head.

Thorin had noticed halfway through their conversation that Florian wasn’t really listening. Naturally, he’d gotten worried.

And what he got for showing concern was an explosion. Florian flipped. This was the same kid who used to welcome someone worrying about him.

The training sessions were supposed to strengthen the bond between werewolves and vampires, but how exactly was that supposed to happen when Florian refused to show up?

Would he even show up after today’s little episode? Thorin wondered whether it was worth revisiting the subject and extending another invitation tomorrow—or if it would just make things worse.

He seriously doubted Riona would have any groundbreaking solutions, but he was fresh out of ideas. She might at least know how to charm Florian out of his current meltdown. Maybe.

***

As expected, Riona was just as clueless. She scratched her chin, eyes squeezed shut, biting her lower lip like she was about to solve a world crisis.

"Wait, he really lashed out and kicked you out?" she asked, still trying to wrap her head around it.

It was hard to believe her sweet, lovable brother would do such a thing—except, well, he had been acting like a totally different person ever since waking up from his beauty nap. So yeah, it wasn’t exactly that shocking.

Still, Riona wasn’t ready to admit that her perfect, non-lashing-out brother was long gone. She held onto the faint hope that the old Florian was still lurking in there somewhere, possibly hiding under all the rage and weirdness.

"Is this what they call a teenage mood swing? Is that what’s happening?" Thorin grumbled.

"Technically, he’s not a teenager anymore—unless we’re counting people who’ve been alive for thirty years as teens," Riona replied. "But in vampire years, I guess he’s still a teenager."

Vampires aged in their own confusing way, different than humans and werewolves.

Florian’s body still looked like a thirteen-year-old, yet he’d been around for nearly thirty years. Just another charming quirk of vampire biology.

"But he used to act like a little kid before," Thorin said, still baffled.

He wasn’t wrong. Despite being a teenage vampire, Florian often behaved like a child even younger—around eight or maybe less.

Riona had a theory that his traumatic experiences had basically hit the pause button on his mental and emotional development. It wasn’t a scientifically backed theory but it seemed as good an explanation as any.

Then, bam, everything changed.

After the ancestor messed up and unlocked Florian’s powers, he went from eternal kid mode to acting like a moody adult who wanted to live in a cave and avoid eye contact.

He preferred solitude now, limiting his interactions with others. It was a complete 180, and no one quite knew how to handle it.

"Anyway, I’ll talk to him about the training." Riona sighed heavily, not feeling confident at all. "I’m not sure if he wants to listen to me, but I’ll try."

***

When a werewolf disappeared for a few days or even weeks, no one batted an eye. Vesper felt a curious mix of relief and irritation.

He was pleased that no one had bothered to hunt him down while he was off on his secret mission. It must be because he was so good at being hidden that no one even noticed he was gone.

But that was exactly the problem. It was irritating to realize that no one gave a damn about his absence.

Didn’t anyone think it was worth asking where he was, or—heaven forbid—show a hint of concern?

He sulked, mulling over Charna’s total lack of interest. She hadn’t even questioned his departure from Wintertooth. Unbelievable.

It was as if his whereabouts were of absolutely no consequence to her. The nerve.

"Seriously, after all I’ve gone through for her, this is how she repays me?" Vesper grumbled, though he quickly composed himself and shook off his irritation as he faced the colossal, brooding gate of the castle.

"We’re here," the carriage driver announced, missing the dramatic irony of the moment.

A few days ago, Vesper had sent a note to the Zacharia family, hinting that he had something they would absolutely be interested.

Of course, he didn’t hear back immediately—because why would they?

But once he dropped Remus’s name, the Zacharias sprang into action, dispatching an envoy to collect him. Vesper had informed Charna he’d be away for a while, though he didn’t go into specifics.

Navigating the route to the castle had been a nightmare—although he actually did nothing but sit quietly inside the carriage.

Vesper’s sense of direction was about as reliable as a plastic window in a hurricane, and the labyrinthine paths only added to his confusion.

The Zacharia family was infamous for their secrecy and isolation. No one had any idea where they lived, and practically no one had ever managed to find their hideout.

Vesper wasn’t sure if Thorin had ever visited his family on his mother’s side, but if he hadn’t, then congratulations to Vesper for being the first werewolf from outside the Zacharia clan to actually be invited.

What a distinction.

The main gate bore the Zacharia clan’s crest: a shield with rounded edges—because, of course, their secret lair had to come with its own fancy emblem.