Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate-Chapter 245: The Emotional Blackmail Playbook

At hearing this, Lady Maris dramatically collapsed—as one does when you’re trying to save the world and are completely out of options. She dropped to her knees, head hanging low.

"I know," she whimpered, voice trembling with the weight of her admission. "I understand your anger. And if this were just about me, I’d rather stick a stake in my heart than ask her for help. But this isn’t about me—or His Majesty. It’s about the world... and her brother."

The once-proud lady of the vampire palace, who had walked with such regal dignity, was now kneeling before a werewolf—begging for help.

This was a rare sight—something that werewolves would use to ridicule vampires for centuries on. Vampires, who thought of themselves as the most superior beings, triumphing over werewolves, humans, and other beings, were now seeing one of them begging for a werewolf’s help.

Talk about irony. Thorin could practically hear the howls of laughter from the other werewolves who’d have a field day with this.

For centuries, vampires had prided themselves on being the apex predators, lording it over werewolves, humans, and pretty much every other creature, and now one of them was groveling at a werewolf’s feet. freёnovelkiss.com

Maybe he should get a throne while he’s at it.

"I know I’m being shameless..." she trailed off. Her voice cracked like she was about to spill her deepest, darkest secrets to Thorin. "But I have no other choice. Florian needs his sister."

Using Florian as emotional blackmail now? Nice move, lady. Thorin could almost hear the dramatic music playing in the background.

It felt underhanded, but... Thorin could understand why she was going so far.

If something happened to Wintertooth, and he could save his home and his pack by begging a few vampires, Thorin would do it. Well, maybe he’d do it. He’d probably hold out a little longer just to see if anyone else could step in first.

"...because she’s the only one who ever truly loved him," Lady Maris added, her words hitting Thorin like a cold splash of water.

Thorin blinked, clearly thrown off. He wasn’t prepared for this emotional confession.

Sighing dramatically, hands planted firmly on his hips like he was about to deliver a life-altering speech, Thorin looked her up and down. "Does she even know what’s going on? Like, does she realize she’s the magical solution to all your problems? Because that’s the position you’ve decided to put her in."

Lady Maris shook her head, her expression resigned. "I don’t think so. No one’s told her anything. Not since she was... kicked out of the palace."

Her gaze shifted upward as if searching for divine intervention before she clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture.

"Please, just let me see her once. I’ll explain everything to her without hiding anything, I swear."

Thorin rubbed his temples as if the act might somehow reset his brain. "How am I supposed to do that? I don’t even know where she is. She’s not exactly sending me postcards from her I’m-definitely-not-here hiding spot."

Lady Maris had come here, no doubt, convinced Riona was waiting somewhere in Wintertooth—likely just biding her time, sitting on a throne of her own making.

But when she was informed that Riona wasn’t here, she’d shifted into a new plan: surely Thorin must know where she was. After all, he and Riona had escaped together, and if there was anyone who had taken care of her and Florian afterward, it was him.

This was not the dramatic, heartfelt confrontation she’d envisioned. "I don’t believe you!" she snapped, her resentment bubbling up as she tried to convince herself Thorin was just making up excuses to stop her from seeing Riona.

"Great, don’t believe me. I’m thrilled by your doubt," Thorin drawled, waving his hand dismissively. "Believe me, or don’t. I literally couldn’t care less. Either way, no help coming your way from me."

His casual, borderline smug expression told her he was either a master of deception or he really had no clue where Riona was. Either way, the werewolf was insufferable.

Biting her lip, she shifted her approach, back to the original plan: get help—from anyone who could help her. "Your Howl is a tracker, isn’t he? Surely, if he concentrates, he could find her. If he leads us to her—"

"Us?" Thorin shot a look at her, eyes wide in exaggerated surprise. "Did I sign up for a ’we’ situation here? Because last time I checked, I was not the one who agreed to this little adventure. Have I somehow missed an official consent form? Should I have read the fine print?"

Lady Maris sprang to her feet, throwing Thorin a glare that could melt steel. "This isn’t the time for jokes! You don’t want to see her? Fine. I’ll go find her myself. I’ll be sure to tell her all about this, of course."

This was her last card. She was so done with this guy.

She could practically see the heart-shaped sparkles in his eyes whenever Riona came up—someone had feelings, apparently. And Lady Maris would use it to her advantage.

"Wait, you’ll tell her about what?" Thorin’s voice cracked slightly like he’d just realized he was about to be exposed in a way he wasn’t ready for.

Lady Maris fought back the urge to smile. She wasn’t going to let Thorin off easy, not yet. She turned dramatically, putting on her best disappointed face. "Oh, nothing much. Just your charming refusal to see her."

"Huh? I didn’t refuse to see her!" Thorin barked, clearly flustered.

"Oh, but you just did," Lady Maris said, practically twirling her finger in the air like a hunter catching her prey.

"I refused to help you," he snapped back.

Lady Maris raised an eyebrow, rolling her eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Which is basically the same thing. Refusing to help me means refusing to meet her. It’s all very simple."

Thorin opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but no sound came out. He blinked a couple of times. "Wh—"

Lady Maris shrugged dramatically, giving him one last pitying glance. "Alright then, if we’re done here, I’ll be off. Have a nice life!"

She made an overly elaborate bow and turned to leave, her mind already counting down.

One. Two.

Three–

"Wait! Alright, alright! I’ll help you," Thorin groaned, sounding like he’d just been forced to drink an entire barrel of liquidated silver.