Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate-Chapter 149: Thorin’s Genius Idea

But she did dodge. Oh, she dodged all right. Riona had seen Morgan’s attack coming from a mile away and decided to play dumb just for the theatrics.

She grabbed Morgan’s claws, did a little twirl, and then, with all the grace of a circus performer, slammed her to the ground and wrenched her arm behind her back.

Morgan let out a groan.

"Last but definitely not least," Riona said, kneeling on one knee with her other knee pressing firmly against Morgan’s back to keep her still. She flashed a triumphant smile at the pups.

"Never assume you’ve defeated your opponents. Always stay on your guard, because, as you’ve just seen, your opponents might still have enough will and energy left to come back and ruin your day."

"Ooh!!!" the pups exclaimed in unison, their faces lit with awe as if they had witnessed an extraordinary magic trick or a particularly complex circus act.

"And that’s a wrap! Any burning questions, or are we all good on the basics of how to be awesome like a vampire?"

In Eira, asking questions was strictly forbidden. That’s one of the many reasons Riona despised school. Students were expected to accept and believe whatever the teachers said without question.

Riona had an endless supply of questions, but she had to zip her lips or risk being branded a troublemaker or, even worse, rude. So she figured school wasn’t for her, and, surprise, surprise, she was once again labeled the oddball.

Now, as a teacher and trainer, she was determined to be the kind of instructor she wished she had. In hindsight, Sir Orlo was the rare exception who welcomed questions and actually had the courtesy to answer them.

The pups were buzzing with excitement, nearly all of them waving their hands frantically. Their questions ranged from the sensible to the downright bizarre.

Riona did her best to address each one, though she often deferred to the parents for the really off-the-wall questions—like how many furs Thorin had.

That one had the entire room erupting in a fit of coughs and snickers, with even Thorin sporting a face redder than a tomato in a sauna.

He clapped his hands, herding everyone back to their training like a particularly bossy shepherd.

Since Riona had essentially won the battle, Morgan grumbled out an apology that sounded more like a sob. Riona could’ve sworn she saw actual tears—or maybe it was just her imagination enjoying a bit of poetic justice.

The rest of the training session went off without a hitch.

The werewolves who had previously been skeptical of Riona—and who had one-on-one sessions with her—began to see her in a new light.

They grudgingly acknowledged her strength and even managed to learn something from her.

Riona still had a few die-hard haters, but they were now just a tiny, whiny minority—a massive improvement from the days when she was practically surrounded by them.

Thorin, meanwhile, was beaming with pride over his brilliant idea. He mentally patted himself on the back, giving himself a hearty round of applause for his genius idea and its dazzling success.

One werewolf’s triumph was another’s torment, and Morgan was the living, breathing example of this. With her pride bruised and her lips still swollen and bloody, she was already plotting her revenge.

Morgan gathered her pack of disgruntled werewolves who still couldn’t stand Riona and whipped up a parade of excuses to drive her out of Wintertooth.

Most of these excuses were laughably flimsy, but the original pack members had a point: harmony was crucial in their community. If a member’s presence was seen as disruptive, then action had to be taken. That was the rule.

Their go-to target for these complaints? Charna, of course. When Charna spotted Morgan and her entourage marching in, she had a pretty good idea of what was coming.

Morgan wasted no time launching into her grievances. "Did you see her insane strength? She’s a walking danger zone, Char. She can’t stay here. We can’t live with her."

One of her followers chimed in, "I’m seriously scared for my life now."

Another added melodramatically, "I don’t feel safe anymore."

Charna sighed deeply and said, "Morgan, haven’t we dragged this out long enough? Why are we still going around in circles?"

The whole "let’s hate the vampire" campaign had started because the werewolves thought Thorin was ditching Charna for a vampire.

But Charna had made it crystal clear that no one was being dumped, and Thorin could pick whoever he wanted without needing anyone’s approval.

Before Morgan could fire back, Charna continued, "I thought we were done with this. Riona won the challenge fair and square, and you even apologized. So why are you still so fixated on driving her out? What exactly has she done to you?"

Morgan had initially set out to defend her friend, but as time passed, Riona proved to be far more irritating than Morgan had anticipated. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

The vampire seemed to have a talent for poking at Morgan’s nerves, never knowing when to quit. Before anyone could blink, Morgan’s annoyance had morphed into a full-blown personal vendetta.

"She even went easy on you during the one-on-one sparring. Remember?" Charna reminded her, not understanding the root of Morgan’s hatred toward the vampire.

Morgan was flabbergasted. Charna’s response was like a direct hit to her already bruised ego. She felt utterly betrayed.

Despite having a mile-long list of grievances she was itching to spout, all she could do was stare dumbfounded and let out a bewildered chuckle.

Morgan’s lips trembled with frustration, and her disappointment boiled over. "Oh, please! Do you think you’re some kind of saint? You gave Vesper permission to leave. You can’t fool anyone, Char. You’re just as guilty as I am—if not more!"

Charna looked genuinely confused. "Permission? What are you talking about?"

Morgan couldn’t help but sneer, rolling her eyes. "Oh, come on. Don’t play innocent! You let Vesper out. You’re practically the gatekeeper here!"

There was no gate, and werewolves didn’t need permission to go to the market or visit the nearby town. But the pack members had to inform Charna if they intended to leave for an extended period for safety reasons.

"Huh?"

Morgan threw her hands up in exasperation. "Seriously? Vesper is off to meet the Zacharias. He spilled the beans about the vampires. Don’t tell me you haven’t heard about this!"