Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate-Chapter 300: Playing Hero

Anyone in a dire situation—anyone with something to lose, something to protect—was always easy to fool. And that was exactly the case with the Alpha.

Kaan had taken full advantage of it, offering him the one thing he desperately sought—a cure to save the Blood Moon child.

Now, alone at last, Kaan let out a chuckle, though he had to bite it back so no nosy eavesdroppers would get suspicious. With the efficiency of someone who had definitely done shady things before, he extracted Riona’s blood into a tube and slipped it into his pocket. Easy. Too easy.

Then, he turned his attention back to her.

She lay on the bed, writhing in pain, her body shifting ever so slightly in discomfort, like a dramatic actress in her final performance. Kaan smirked and crouched beside her, studying her face, drinking in the sight of her suffering.

"You’re going to die soon. And it will be excruciating." He tilted his head, watching her pained expression with cruel amusement. "That’s your punishment for refusing to be my bride. I have everything, you see. You’re the one lacking basic intelligence."

All that was left now was to watch the show. Except... the show was not going as planned.

Instead of crumbling into a miserable, agonizing death, Riona was—wait, was she getting better? Kaan’s smirk faded. His eyebrows inched together. He squinted at her like she was a puzzle missing half its pieces.

Her breathing evened out. The once-fatal wound was closing up like some sort of divine joke. He blinked. This was not how it was supposed to go. Something had gone terribly wrong.

What the hell is this nonsense? She is supposed to die, not start regenerating.

Kaan crossed his arms, pacing like a man whose grand evil plan had just been hit by a rogue plot twist. He let out a long, frustrated sigh, rubbing his temples.

"They betrayed you," Thessara hissed. "Those researchers you trust so much? I told you, didn’t I? You can’t trust anyone but yourself."

Of course, she was also the one who had insisted he delegate tasks in the first place. And let’s be real—when had Thessara ever done anything herself? She preferred to manipulate and command others to do her dirty work. But that was beside the point right now.

"Find the traitor and make them pay!" she demanded, dramatically gesturing as if this were some grand performance. "This is treason, plain and simple. Are you really going to sit there and ignore such a blatant betrayal? Because if you let this slide, you’ll be inviting even worse, more outrageous betrayals in the future."

Her eyes gleamed with something sharp—something dangerous. And despite the venom in her words, there was a twisted kind of excitement beneath them.

Kaan had never exactly been famous for his kindness. Mercy? Compassion? Yeah, those were cute concepts—for other people. There was absolutely no way he’d let those so-called betrayers walk free—whether they were actually guilty or not was just a minor detail.

Still, he had other things to consider.

Oh, how satisfying it would be to make an example out of a few scholars, to spill some blood just for the sheer principle of it. But unfortunately, some of those scholars—along with the witches and wizards in his underground unit—were crucial to taming the demon.

Killing one insignificant junior scholar would be no big deal. But wiping them all out? Not yet. Annoying as they were, they still had a part to play in his grand scheme.

And as much as he loved a good dramatic execution, he wasn’t about to shoot himself in the foot for a cheap thrill. Making Ol’gaz kneel was the real goal here, and if that meant holding off on some recreational murder... well, so be it.

"I still need them," Kaan grumbled.

"But do you really?" Thessara purred in his ear. "You only need the ones with real magic to lure Ol’gaz. Let’s be honest—those scholars are about as useful as a candle in a wildfire."

Kaan halted mid-step. She had a point. The research had already served its purpose; he had the knowledge he needed. The scholars who couldn’t wield magic were now... well, dead weight.

"I guess there’s no harm in setting an example," he muttered, his irritation bubbling over. "These people need to learn their limits—what they can and can’t do. How dare they call themselves scholars? With brains that small, I’m surprised they can even read. You’d think they’d have at least one self-preservation instinct. But no. Apparently, stupidity comes with a degree."

His patience was wearing thin. Maybe a little lesson was in order after all.

Kaan strode out of the room, tossing out a few vague, heroic-sounding words, effortlessly pretending he was the one who had miraculously saved Riona.

This was not how he had pictured things going.

In his mind, he had been preparing for a much more enjoyable scenario—delivering dramatic condolences, looking deeply wounded by the Blood Moon child’s tragic demise, maybe even squeezing out a single, well-timed tear for effect.

But no. The so-called betrayers had thrown a wrench in his perfect plan, forcing him to improvise.

Fine. Whatever. He could roll with this.

After basking in his own fake glory for just the right amount of time, he made his excuses to leave and headed straight for Eira. If he was going to trick the demon intersection by posing as someone familiar, he had to act fast—before someone actually familiar showed up and ruined everything.

Before he left, Kaan had one last thing to take care of. He made his way to the underground unit among his entourage, and the reaction was immediate.

Everyone shot up from their seats. Those leaning against the carriage scrambled to stand upright, while others who had been lounging on tree roots snapped to attention as if their very lives depended on it—which, to be fair, they probably did.

"Your Majesty!"

The tension was thick enough to cut with a blade. One of the scholars, the very one who happened to be the one who secretly saved Riona’s life, dared to speak up. "How can we assist you this time, Your Majesty?"

Internally, he was screaming, Please don’t make me kill another vampire. Please don’t make me kill another vampire. But outwardly, he did his best to maintain a composed expression, despite the subtle tremor in his hands.

Not that it mattered. Everyone was trembling in Kaan’s presence. Fear was practically a prerequisite for working under him. If he was looking for a guilty conscience, well... good luck. Every single one of them looked equally terrified.

"Who interfered with the poison coating the blade?" he inquired.