Riona winced as she tried to stretch her muscles, feeling like she’d been used as a chew toy in a werewolf playdate. With a groan, she replayed the last moments in her mind. free𝑤ebnovel.com

What was it? Right. She was sparring with Lisbeth. She tried to be benevolent, allowing the princess to catch a breath, but the princess used that kindness to turn her into an ice sculpture.

The blue ice advanced towards Riona. Before she could counterattack or avoid it, the ice had already gotten to her. She panicked and struggled to escape, but it was futile.

Inside the icy prison, her memories were fractured. She was lost between consciousness and unconsciousness.

It felt like there was a creature inside her, itching to burst out and lead its own monstrous life.

Finally, she managed a feeble attempt to move. "Ngh..."

"Oh, look who’s decided to join the land of the living—or rather, the land of the undead. I was starting to wonder if you’d gone into winter hibernation like some vampire bear. But then again, in the Kingdom of Eira, it’s always frostbite season."

She turned to the side and saw the Alpha werewolf lounging on the sofa like he owned the place.

He sauntered over, wearing a sardonic grin on his prominent features. "Need a hand, or are you planning to stay in bed until the next full moon?"

Confused, Riona looked around and found herself in the guest chamber of the royal palace. "Is this your room?"

Thorin chuckled. "What dirty thing do you have in mind? Do you want to share a bed with me?"

"Are you out of your mind? I would rather put a stake right into my heart than touch you," Riona retorted. Her eyes widened in horror, shooting him a look of pure disdain.

Thorin’s grin widened. "Oh, come now, my dear. Don’t be so dramatic. After all, you’ll be my wife soon enough. Might as well get used to the idea of sharing a bed."

"Over my undead body," she scowled in disgust. "Please, stop with such jokes. They are not funny."

"But I wasn’t joking," Thorin replied, leaning in closer until only inches separated their noses.

Riona instinctively scooted back, deciding that ignoring Thorin’s silly games might be the best strategy. If she stopped reacting, he would surely get bored. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Looking for my brother. I have no business here if you’re just going to play games and dodge my questions," she said, heading towards the door.

"Stay. I’ll tell you what you want to know," he called, moving to block her path. "This isn’t my room. They wanted to put you in the servant’s quarters, but I insisted you needed to be comfortable to get the most out of your beauty sleep, so they put you here. Why would you sleep in my room, anyway? We’re not married yet."

"Ugh, why do you keep bringing up marriage? I told you to stop joking around like that! Geez, waking up in a guest chamber never leads to anything good."

At that time, Riona found out that she was to serve the dining room, and now, she woke up to this werewolf’s face, and he just wouldn’t shut up about this marriage nonsense.

Thorin smirked. "You say that now, but imagine waking up next to me. That would be a howling good time."

She rolled her eyes. "I’d rather face a pack of wild werewolves. Oh wait, I already am."

Thorin, lounging on the bed, craned his neck to look up at her. A mischievous smile was playing on his lips.

"Oh, did you not know? My term for the alliance is you. It won’t happen unless I marry you."

Riona froze, feeling colder than when Lisbeth’s creeping blue ice had surrounded her. She opened her mouth and closed it again.

There was an endless list of bad words that she wanted to say, but none of them were enough to describe her feelings.

Her expression shifted through a spectrum of emotions—rage, repulsion, and a perfect blend of both. Finally, she settled on a look of pure disbelief. "You can’t be serious."

Thorin grinned wider, clearly enjoying her reaction. "Dead serious, love. Think of it as the ultimate merger. Power, politics, and a bit of pillow talk."

Riona’s jaw dropped. "You definitely have a screw loose. I’d rather negotiate with a hungry vampire."

He sat up, propping himself on his elbows. "Come on, it’s not that bad. You get to wake up to this handsome face every day."

"Handsome? More like a flea-bitten mutt. I’d sooner take my chances with a garlic necklace."

"Your words wound me, Riona. But I can’t help it if you find me irresistible. It’s a curse, really."

Riona shook her head, exasperated. "Delusional, that’s what you are. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have more pressing matters to attend to."

As she moved towards the door, Thorin called after her. "Think about it, Riona. We could be the power couple of the century."

She paused and glanced back, her eyes narrowed. "More like the nightmare of the century. See you around, furball."

He chuckled as she left, clearly enjoying every second of their banter. "Oh, you will, future Mrs. Furball."

***

Riona had no one else to blame but herself. She was the fool for expecting a normal conversation with a brainless werewolf. She should have known–vampires don’t look down on werewolves for no reason.

It was practically a universal truth.

She found her brother in the kitchen, eating some cold, leftover soup during a break. He put down the bowl and ran towards Riona, hugging her waist tightly.

Stroking his head, she whispered, "How have you been, big bat?"

He lifted his chin. His eyes welled up with tears but a wide smile spread across his face. They sat on the stairs, and Florian wrote on her palm, telling her she had been unconscious for two weeks since the match.

"How was the result? Did I win?"

Florian nodded, saying that the official record stated so, but something else happened while Riona was bedridden.

"What is it?"

He wrote, ’The nobility is against having you in the Nightwarden as they don’t feel safe with you in charge of the kingdom’s security.’

Riona let out a bitter laugh. "Of course they don’t. I just took a little ice nap, and Lisbeth is already controlling the whole kingdom. Truly the king’s daughter."