Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate-Chapter 329: The Lesser One

Roderick watched. That was all he could do lately. And even that wasn’t easy. Watching someone craft the perfect plan to make the world bow—knowing it might destroy everything in the process—without being able to stop it, was excruciating.

Emperor Kaan had used Riona’s blood, taken when he pretended to heal the Blood Moon child, to weave his influence. With it, he had earned the trust of both Florian and Ol’gaz. The effect still lingered, only weakening when they were away from him.

***

"Why did we listen to him?" Ol’gaz groaned when it was just the two of them in the room. The demon, wearing Florian’s form, paced back and forth in the guest chamber the emperor had provided.

"You’re the one who answered him," Florian muttered.

The truth was, they were both ensnared by the blood’s power. Florian felt an unnatural closeness to the emperor, while Ol’gaz’s sense of ease around him felt forced, artificial.

Yet the very intensity of Florian’s unexpected trust in a stranger made doubt creep into his mind. And that doubt, no matter how small, might be the only thing keeping him from falling completely under Emperor Kaan’s spell.

"It’s strange," Florian murmured.

He’d never wanted to be friends with the demon—never even wanted to stand on the same side. But now, Ol’gaz was the only one with him.

And oddly enough, that shared experience, that mutual helplessness under Emperor Kaan’s influence, created an unexpected bond. Against his better judgment, Florian found himself softening toward the demon.

"You felt very comfortable with him!" Ol’gaz snapped.

The demon was furious—convinced this was all Florian’s fault. If the young vampire hadn’t responded so warmly to the emperor, Ol’gaz wouldn’t have been dragged into this mess.

"Your heart just moved whenever he talked!"

"I know," Florian said quietly, almost to himself. "That’s why it’s strange."

He knew himself well. Reserved by nature, cautious by necessity. His childhood had shaped that—years of silence, powerlessness, and cruelty had taught him not to trust easily. Riona had been his only safe place, the only person he could rely on.

Later, there was Thorin. He had come into Florian’s life like a sudden light, kind and steady. But even then, it had taken time. Florian hadn’t opened his heart to Thorin until he saw—truly saw—how deeply Thorin cared for both him and Riona.

So why had Emperor Kaan broken through his walls so easily? Why had his heart moved so quickly?

This was unprecedented—and undeniably strange.

"It has to be one of his tricks," Florian said, his voice low. "There’s no other explanation."

***

Florian was convinced of his theory—and, for once, even Ol’gaz had no retort.

While the demon’s manifested form continued its conversation with Emperor Kaan, Florian observed everything with quiet intensity. The situation. The air around the emperor. The emperor himself.

And then, he saw it. Or rather—him.

There was someone who might hold the key to the strange familiarity Florian had been feeling.

He began to move slowly through the emperor’s office, hands clasped behind his back in a calculated mimicry of casualness. He paused by the window, giving the impression of idle curiosity, then turned deliberately westward, passing the one man who was always at the emperor’s side.

Roderick.

He always wore a sour expression, his eyes shadowed by a constant weight of disapproval. Florian couldn’t be certain, but if his instincts were right, Roderick didn’t entirely agree with everything Emperor Kaan had done.

And that sliver of doubt—however small—could be useful. Very useful, if Florian played his cards right.

The problem was, diplomacy had never been his strength.

He’d grown up watching his sister bend the world through sheer willpower—charging forward, demanding, conquering. Manipulation, subtlety, persuasion... these were not tools he’d ever needed.

Florian cleared his throat and said lightly, "Working for someone as great as him must be exhausting, isn’t it?"

It was the best bait he had.

Roderick’s brow twitched into a faint scowl, but he didn’t reply. That was enough for Florian to press further.

"I mean, I’d be exhausted if I had to be reminded every day that I’m the lesser one," he added, his tone still casual—but there was an edge beneath it.

There was truth in his words. Growing up in the shadow of Riona had never been easy. Even with her good intentions, even with all the love she gave, it still hurt to always be the weaker one. The protected one. The quiet one.

But at least Riona’s protection came from love. She had shielded him from the world because she wanted him safe. Wanted him to be happy. She had fought for him.

Emperor Kaan, on the other hand, bore no such warmth. Florian could tell at a glance—his power wasn’t wielded to protect, but to dominate. His subordinates weren’t treasured. They were tools.

And unlike him, Roderick didn’t have a Riona. No salvation. No shield. Just the weight of obedience—and the bitterness that came with it.

***

Roderick had been watching. But he was also being watched.

While his gaze remained fixed on the emperor, calculating how to minimize the damage without provoking Emperor Kaan’s wrath or being cast out of the inner circle, he failed to notice the boy studying him just as intently.

That boy, so often dismissed for his youth and apparent inexperience, had been watching him for some time. And Roderick didn’t realize it until it was too late.

When Florian spoke, his words veiled in politeness but sharp with implication, struck a nerve. The remark about living in the shadow of someone so great that everyone else, including oneself, was reduced to second-best—it hit closer to home than Roderick liked to admit.

But he didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. He buried the reaction deep, where no one could see it. Especially not the boy.

"It’s strange, isn’t it?" Florian said, his voice light, almost conversational. "We both know His Majesty is doing something unlawful—something that could bring ruin to the world and the vampires in it. And yet, we support him without question."

He studied Roderick’s expression carefully before pressing on.

"It’s like I’m being pulled—forced into loyalty by something beyond my control. But if I could just figure out what that something is... maybe I could break free. Maybe I could stop him before it’s too late."

Roderick’s jaw tightened.

If he believed—even for a second—that this boy had the strength to defy Emperor Kaan, he would have already told him everything. Every secret, every weakness, every detail that could unravel the emperor’s grand design.

But he didn’t trust Florian. Not at all.

This was the same boy who had succumbed to Ol’gaz’s influence time and time again. The same boy whose body had been a vessel for the demon that terrorized Eira—the so-called Vampire Hunter, who had left a trail of blood and fear in his wake.

And now, that very boy spoke of fighting Emperor Kaan? The man no one could hope to defeat?

Roderick remained silent. Because if Florian wasn’t strong enough... then giving him the truth would mean nothing.

It would only mean watching him fail.