Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate-Chapter 127: Terror’s Playground

"She’s here again," the dark voice grumbled, annoyed.

Florian clenched his jaw, the familiar bitterness of the voice twisting his mood.

"She’s my sister. What’s so wrong with her visiting? Just shut up, will you?" he snapped with a sharp tone.

But the voice was not one to be silenced. It slithered back. Calm and menacing. "You think you can command me now? How bold you’ve become, child," it hissed.

"Don’t touch my sister!" Florian’s voice trembled with desperation. freeweɓnøvel.com

"I never did. It is you who almost did. Admit it, child, you want to strangle her. You want to thwack her body to the wall and see blood dripping from her nose and mouth."

The voice only deepened, cold and cruel. "I’ve never touched her. But you... oh, you have thought about it, haven’t you?"

It paused to let the words sink in before continuing to torture him. "Admit it, child. You want to wrap your hands around her throat, feel her bones crack under your grip. See the blood trickle from her mouth, watch her gasp for breath."

"Shut up!" Florian shook his head violently, trying to push the thoughts away.

The voice pressed on, relentless. "You want to rip her open, watch her insides spill out—"

"That’s enough!" Florian shouted, voice cracking with anguish. "Leave me alone!"

He was about to say something to keep the dark voice in check when the door to his room creaked open.

Riona stepped in, and despite the warmth of her presence, fear crept into his chest. He was happy—really, he was—but that happiness was tainted by the growing dread gnawing at him from the inside.

The dark voice had become more unbearable these days, and it became more difficult for Florian to control himself. Sometimes, it felt like an unseen force was moving his body.

The intrusive thoughts swarmed his mind, assaulting him relentlessly. They invaded every moment of his waking hours, and even sleep offered no escape.

And then there were the nightmares, which he tried really, really hard not to think about, mainly because they always revolved around Riona—her face, her blood, the terror.

Now that he knew about the werewolves around him, they had wormed their way into his nightmares too, their faces haunting him when he closed his eyes. The line between reality and nightmare was growing thin.

"Have you eaten?" Riona asked as she flopped onto the bed with a casual thud.

"Yep," Florian replied. Short and sweet. No need for details like how he’d gobbled up enough to feed a small army.

"So..." She propped herself up on her elbows, a gleam in her eyes. "How about some training? The sun’s down, the beach is empty—it’s perfect. We can head out there."

Ever since Florian had regained consciousness and, well, sprouted fangs, Riona couldn’t help but see him in a new light. His progress had been impressive, almost frighteningly so.

She was itching to see how much potential he had. For her, it was all very exciting. For him? Less so.

"Uh..." Florian stalled, desperately searching for an excuse.

Truth be told, he wasn’t all that keen on leaving the room. The werewolves hanging around were part of it—he wasn’t exactly used to them yet—but there was more to his reluctance. Those dreams of his... the nightmares.

"Come on! You can’t hide in this room forever," Riona said, springing to her feet and yanking Florian by the wrist.

I wish I could. Maybe it would’ve been better if I hadn’t woken up at all. The darkness might be suffocating, but at least I wouldn’t have to worry about... hurting anyone.

"Let’s get you some fresh air. It’ll do you good. They say the sound of waves and the smell of the sea can, like, magically cure people or something," Riona continued, determined to drag her brother out of his self-imposed exile.

Florian opened his mouth, desperately piecing together a half-baked excuse. Something about an allergic reaction to happiness, perhaps.

But before he could even manage that, Riona had already yanked him out of the room and was leading him toward the beach.

Well, great. Now he was standing on an empty beach. At least there was nobody else here. Small mercies.

Riona took her stance and sent a quick, mild attack at Florian. He dodged it effortlessly, but his eyes widened. "Wait! I’m not ready!"

"You think an enemy’s going to wait around until you’re ready?" Riona shot back. "You have to react, not ask for timeouts."

She wasn’t wrong, but that wasn’t the issue. Florian wasn’t just unprepared—he was afraid.

A sudden attack like that could push him over the edge. Against an enemy, he wouldn’t hesitate. But this wasn’t some faceless threat; this was his sister.

Killing a foe was one thing, but Riona? He couldn’t even think about it.

Florian retreated, focusing on defense. His movements were cautious, almost too cautious.

Meanwhile, Riona was practically bouncing with joy at finally having a training partner who could keep up with her. All her life, she had trained alone in the woods, isolated from distractions.

When she did have partners, they either resented her or harbored grudges, making every session a gamble.

But what Riona didn’t realize was that Florian posed an even greater danger than any of her old rivals.

Forget Lisbeth’s hatred; Florian had an invisible, manipulative force in his head that was like having a really sneaky, malevolent co-pilot.

"Focus, Flo! Stop just standing there and attack me. I can handle it, I promise!" Riona’s voice rang out, determined to get him moving, but Florian remained frozen, indecisive.

"Go on, child," the dark voice purred maliciously. "She’s practically begging for it. Just give her a taste. If she gets a little banged up, it’s not your fault."

No! I’m not going to hurt her!

"Flo! Remember, we’re training here. What’s the point if you’re going to just stand there like you’re in a staring contest with the wall?" Riona’s voice was relentless, while Florian wrestled with the buzzing, obnoxious voices in his head.

"Give her a taste of my power! You know you want to!"

"Come on, already!"

"Give it a go!"

"Just do it!"

"Don’t hold back!"

The voices tangled in his mind, creating a chaotic chorus that drowned out everything else.

Riona’s encouragement and the dark voice’s taunts overlapped, a maddening noise that left Florian desperately wishing for just a moment of silence.

Unaware of Florian’s internal battle, Riona fired off another mild attack, convinced that a little nudge would help him shed his hesitation. Florian, who was already on edge, flinched like he’d just been hit with a surprise garlic pie.

At that precise moment, a group of werewolves strolled into the scene. Their presence instantly triggered Florian’s fight-or-flight response. Without thinking, he let out a low, menacing growl and flung his hand in their direction.

In an instant, a burst of energy erupted, filling the air with dense black smoke. Riona coughed and waved her arms around, trying to figure out what had just happened.

When the smoke finally cleared, she saw the werewolves lying on the ground, unmoving and silent.