Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate-Chapter 330: A Crack in the Foundation

Perhaps hiding in plain sight truly was the best strategy.

Florian approached Roderick, his mind buzzing with questions—most of them about Emperor Kaan. But Roderick knew the boy’s real concern wasn’t just the emperor’s power. What Florian truly wanted to understand was how Emperor Kaan had managed to earn both his and Ol’gaz’s trust.

"My sister is the Blood Moon child," Florian murmured, absently running his fingers over the golden statue near where Roderick stood.

While Ol’gaz, in its manifested physical form, conferred with Emperor Kaan, ensuring every loophole was sealed, Florian seized the opportunity to speak with Roderick.

The emperor was too confident in his grip over Ol’gaz, believing Florian wouldn’t dare step out of line. After all, his memory was intertwined with the entity.

But Emperor Kaan didn’t realize the truth.

Roderick had told Florian almost nothing. Everything the boy had pieced together—his theories, his suspicions, his quiet observations—were based on silence, on what wasn’t said as much as what was.

And that wasn’t enough to raise Ol’gaz’s suspicions. Not yet. Not while Florian still had time to act.

"She’s coming for me. I know it," Florian said, his back turned to Emperor Kaan and Ol’gaz as they studied the map.

Roderick’s jaw tightened, veins standing out against his neck. He had no doubt—Riona would come for Florian. The last time he’d seen her, that had been her only goal.

But he also knew why she might not make it.

"She might not be able to," he said at last, the first real response he’d given to Florian’s careful probing.

Roderick couldn’t forget what had happened. The way Riona had been stopped. The way she had bled. All to satisfy the emperor’s twisted obsession. She hadn’t deserved that.

All she’d wanted was to save her brother.

But saving Florian had clashed with Emperor Kaan’s grand design. And for that, she had almost lost her life.

"What do you mean?" Florian’s eyes widened in alarm.

Only then did Roderick realize his mistake—he never should have responded. This was bad. His gaze darted around the room, checking if the emperor or Ol’gaz had noticed.

But Florian wasn’t finished.

He lunged forward, grabbing Roderick by the collar. "Finish what you started!" he demanded, his voice loud enough to shatter any hope of secrecy. Heads turned. The office fell into uneasy silence.

"Tell me why! Why did you say that? What happened to her? Is she alright? Just tell me that!"

The guards moved instantly, seizing Florian by the arms and dragging him back. Roderick straightened his clothes, heart pounding. He hadn’t meant for this to happen. He didn’t want Florian in trouble. He didn’t want trouble for himself, either.

But Florian thrashed against the guards, his voice raw with desperation. "What happened to my sister? Did you kill her? Did that bastard kill her?"

He wasn’t thinking. He wasn’t calculating the risks. He had lost himself to emotion, pointing an accusing finger straight at the emperor—an accusation that could cost him everything.

Roderick’s gaze flickered between Emperor Kaan and the shouting Florian. The emperor was watching him—waiting.

But this wasn’t curiosity. Emperor Kaan never needed to concern himself with what his subordinates did. He ruled with absolute confidence, especially when it came to Roderick. The emperor was certain he would never betray him.

No, this was something else. A test. A silent challenge. A chance for Roderick to prove his loyalty once again.

"Take him away. Lock him in the waiting room," Roderick ordered the guards.

The waiting room was just next to the emperor’s office—a place where guests waited for an audience, close enough to maintain Ol’gaz’s physical manifestation, yet far enough to keep Florian from disrupting the meeting any further.

A calculated decision. A clear message. Roderick had chosen the emperor over the boy.

Emperor Kaan’s lips curled into a slow, knowing smile as he turned back to the map. "I expect you to clean up that mess," he said smoothly, as if nothing had happened.

But this time, ’cleaning up’ didn’t mean killing Florian. Not yet.

For one, Emperor Kaan still hadn’t figured out how to kill the host without destroying the demon. And two—he needed Florian alive for the familiarity spell to work. Ol’gaz had no real connection to Riona. Without Florian, the spell would be useless.

And Emperor Kaan never let anything go to waste.

***

It started as a crack. Small, invisible at first. But a crack nonetheless.

And as time passed, that crack only widened.

Roderick saw it in the way Florian refused to break. He had always assumed the boy was weak, like everyone else did. Timid. Fragile. Someone easily swayed. But now, he realized the truth: Florian had not been completely consumed by the demon for a reason.

He wasn’t weak.

People mistook his quiet nature for passivity, his hesitance for lack of will. But Roderick saw what others missed—the fire in his eyes.

Florian didn’t fight for himself, not because he lacked strength, but because he never believed he was worth defending. Years of low self-esteem had made him seem powerless when, in reality, there was something unshakable in him.

Something fierce. Something that only surfaced when it came to the people he loved. When it came to Riona.

Riona had always been the strong one. She never needed protecting. She had handled the court’s bullies, faced down Wintertooth’s hatred, and stood unshaken. There had never been a moment where Florian needed to bare his fangs for her.

But now, faced with the possibility that Riona might be in danger, or worse, dead, something changed. Florian’s hidden strength rose to the surface. And for the first time, it shone.

It was enough to change Roderick’s mind.

Now, he stood before the guest chamber, fingers twitching as doubt gnawed at him. His thoughts twisted in opposing directions—one part of him still distrustful of Florian, convinced the boy could barely protect himself, let alone Roderick.

Yet another part of him condemned his selfish caution, urging him to think beyond his own survival. The world was at stake. The people needed him to act.

You know how disastrous it will be if His Majesty’s plan succeeds. You have to stop it while you still can. Isn’t that why you’ve stayed by his side?

He served the emperor—yes. But how far was he willing to go for a man like Kaan?

His father’s voice echoed in his mind, a whisper from the past. Watch over him, Roderick. Not just as your emperor—but as a man. Yet they had never been friends. And as time passed, Roderick came to understand why his father—and the previous emperor—had worried about Kaan.

They would want me to act. Not to cower in his shadow, hoping things turn out for the best. Someone has to save this nation. And if that means stepping into the fire... so be it.

He drew a deep breath, steadied himself—then knocked on the door.