Ti seed to hit the pause button as everyone held their breath—everyone except for Florian, who kept swinging at Thorin like it was his personal mission to punch the Alpha into next week.
Seizing the opportunity, Thorin summoned all his strength and tackled the vampire to the ground in one swift move.
"CALM DOWN! You’ve just hurt a child!" Thorin bellowed, pinning Florian down.
Thorin couldn’t tell if the current Florian had any sense of remorse left in him. The guy was out of control, but co on, it was a kid.
Surely, he could muster an ounce of sha. Even a vampire should feel at least a smidge of guilt after that. Or at least fake it. Anything.
"I’m warning you," Thorin growled, still holding him down. "Keep this up, and I’ll have to knock you out. And trust , I don’t want to, but I will."
Just as Florian wriggled free, he took a step back and looked at the child. His brow furrowed in confusion, but no words escaped his lips. Instead, he turned on his heel and bolted away.
The pup’s mother let out a wail that could probably shatter glass, while the father’s face turned a shade of fury that Thorin recognized all too well. The man looked ready to chase down Florian.
Thankfully, Thorin jumped in just in ti to stop him.
"Your child’s life should be the priority," he said, channeling all his Alpha charm to redirect the dad’s anger.
Sohow, he managed to convince the furious father that chasing a vampire wasn’t more important than saving his child’s life.
With the pup cradled in his arms, Thorin rushed to find a healer. anwhile, Florian disappeared into the woods, grappling with a swirl of emotions.
The sight of that pup’s face clung to him. It hurt his chest, but the dark voice chid in, sounding almost cheerful.
"That foolish child charged at you! Not your fault! If anything, it’s his fault for getting too close to a cranky vampire," it said, practically patting him on the back.
Despite his brain’s desperate attempts to swallow that logic, sothing uncomfortable lodged in his throat like a stubborn piece of trunk.
He didn’t want to dwell on the discomfort, so he shifted his focus to satisfying the gnawing hunger in his gut.
Maybe a little cardio could distract him from his inner turmoil. If he ran fast enough, he might outrun the ntal images of the pup’s face.
A pool of red blood flowed around the child’s head, and Florian shook his head violently. "Stop thinking about that!" he scolded himself.
"Did the blood tempt you? You wanted to drink it from the ground, didn’t you? No, you wanted to sink your teeth into his skin and drain him dry!" the voice taunted.
"No! I was just feeling guilty!" Florian shot back, exasperated.
It was strange to be having a full-on argunt with the voice in his head. Who was he even trying to convince? Maybe not the voice.
Maybe he was just trying to convince himself that he wasn’t a complete monster.
The night wore on, and Florian still hadn’t gone ho. He was getting pretty cozy where he was. After feasting on the blood of several large animals, he found himself lounging on the beach like a vampire on vacation.
It felt nice to breathe in so fresh air—it had been a long ti since he’d seen the sky like this. The stars were twinkling, but his mind was anything but calm.
Instead, it was getting murkier by the minute.
"What did I tell you about werewolves? They’re a pain in the neck! Even the little ones are as clueless as rocks. Young bats wouldn’t pull a stunt like that."
Florian listened to the dark voice intently. It was the first ti he really listened and was interested in what the voice had to say.
"Seriously, if you were in that kid’s place, would you dare wander near a fight between adults?" the voice nagged.
"No, I wouldn’t," Florian replied, not even bothering to argue.
Mainly because King Valentin wouldn’t have allowed him to do whatever he wanted. Growing up with a strict uncle ant he had to follow all the rules, especially since he lived in the palace with the royal family.
But thinking about all that was a buzzkill. Instead, he preferred to wrap himself in the dark voice’s words, which felt oddly comforting and eased his troubled heart.
***
Thorin was caught in a dilemma. Even Puck and Zane were now pushing him to reconsider his plan to integrate the vampires with the werewolves.
"Maybe he’s just not cut out for our crowd," Puck said, sounding more unsure of himself than ever.
Everyone in the room knew that Florian had changed. Ever since he’d erged from that deep slumber, he could talk and had sprouted fangs. It was like he was a whole new person—complete with a shiny new personality to match.
"Don’t get it twisted. We’re only doing this because we really care," Zane added, taking a deep breath. "But if this isn’t where he truly belongs, he might end up feeling trapped. What if the protection you’re offering is really just a gilded cage for him?"
Thorin found himself at a loss for words. He had once been so confident, so certain that the pack would accept Riona and Florian as he had. Was he just being naive?
"Co on, Thorin. The peace you’ve fought to maintain for all these years is now in jeopardy because they’re here. This kind of chaos has never happened before," Puck said, shaking his head.
"Florian hurt a child, Thorin. That child is still unconscious, and we have no idea if he’ll ever wake up. If he doesn’t... well, let’s just say it won’t be pretty," Zane warned.
Puck crossed his arms, his brow furrowed in concern. "Are the vampires really worth it?"
"But what about the blessing from the Blood Moon child?" Thorin protested.
"We can explore other options. Do you really need the Blood Moon’s power to prove yourself to the Zachs? You’re already plenty strong," Puck replied.
"Not strong enough," Thorin said through clenched teeth.
"Thorin! Oh no! He’s dead!" Charna burst through the door to Thorin’s office, her eyes wide with panic. "The kid is gone!"
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