Monsterland Mayhem (Fairy Tales With A Monstrous Twist)

4. Krolic

4

KROLIC

I glance down at my wristwatch, my teeth gritting together. Come on, Craze.

He’s showing off.

Trying to impress our future mate.

But he’s wasting precious minutes. The longer he keeps Ailsa on this beach, the less time we have to secure her future in Monsterland.

“Tick, tock,” Craze says, probably because he can sense me lurking in the shadows with my watch.

Tick, tock indeed, I think at him.

Unfortunately, he can’t hear me. Oh, but he can sense me. Just like he can sense the other approaching predators.

The bull-man, as Craze so lovingly refers to Brandt, is only one of the incoming problems.

Ailsa’s alluring scent will travel far and wide, marking her as a beacon for trouble. All because the Imposter King—I won’t call that bastard by his real name—is cheating the system.

The elixir edict is bullshit. Especially since that elixir causes Omegas to go into a forced heat.

I suppose it’s one way to ensure an Omega is found, but a real king creates a mate-circle and hunts for potential mates.

Real kings don’t cheat.

And they don’t take over the palace while the kingdom’s true monarch is out searching for a queen.

Alas, here we are.

If the imposter on my throne catches Ailsa, he’ll forcibly breed her and solidify his rule over Monsterland.

I can’t allow that to happen. We can’t allow it to happen.

Which is why I need you to fucking move, Craze, I growl in my mind.

He cants his head. “What’ll it be, princess?” he asks our intended.

He’s gone through about a dozen pet names since meeting her, each one seeming to call to one of his varying personalities.

“Do you?—”

Brandt roars, cutting off whatever Craze was about to say. He glances back just as the fiery bull takes off toward them, his red eyes focused on my best friend.

“Rude,” he drawls. “I was giving the lady a choice, but now you’re forcing me to act.”

He casts a series of his rigged cards through the air, each one perfectly catching on Brandt’s torso, and exploding a hairsbreadth of a second later.

“Such a waste of fire power,” Craze mutters. “I’m going to need another deck.”

He’s talking about his cards, but Ailsa doesn’t appear to be listening. She’s too busy gaping at the bloody beach.

Just pick her up and run, I want to demand.

Alas, we agreed this part would be played by Craze. He’s the only one who hasn’t spent any time with Ailsa yet. Not that Catum has been around her much, but he’s at least been able to observe her from afar.

Meanwhile, Craze stayed here to spy on the Imposter King. He’s a literal jack of all trades. His primary skill set centers around survival, thus making him the obvious pick to play hide-and-seek with the fake monarchy.

“Ailsa,” he murmurs, his voice softening as one of his rarer, more tender personalities comes out to say hello.

She finally looks at him, her expression wary.

“I realize this is a lot to take in,” he says. “But your scent marks you as bait for a very dangerous game. So we need to run, as I can’t properly protect you here.”

Oh, he can protect her anywhere.

But staying here will require him to reveal one of his more violent sides, something Ailsa isn’t ready to experience.

Those parts of Craze’s nature also weren’t meant for her.

Our diamond needs love and affection. Protection and patience. Pleasure and understanding.

We have a long road ahead, one we need to quickly maneuver down if we have any chance at all of safely reaching the finish line.

Speaking of… I glance at my watch again. We are definitely going to be late. Fuck.

“I don’t even know your name,” Ailsa whispers, blinking those beautiful eyes up at my best friend.

He gives her a playful grin, one that pulls at the white paint around his mouth. “Craze de Hatte, at your service.” He bows and then straightens as the sound of rustling grows in the trees.

Orange orcs . I can smell them, their citrusy aroma underscored by the scent of rotting fruit.

Two of them are notoriously known for supporting the Imposter King. The Tweedle brothers .

Word is already spreading of Ailsa’a arrival. We knew this would happen. We expected it. We wanted it.

Claiming her must be a public event. It’s the only way to resecure the throne and prove once and for all that the current king is unfit to rule.

He’s a lone wolf.

I have an Alpha-circle.

And soon, my Alpha-circle will have a mate. Then we’ll have a whole kingdom, too.

“Please,” Craze says to Ailsa, drawing my attention back to them. “Please let me escort you.”

I smirk. Craze never begs. But he knows he’ll have to use up several more explosive cards to take down the two massive orcs. And Craze hates wasting his toys.

Ailsa sighs. “Damn it, Beast.”

My eyebrow inches upward as Craze cocks his head to the side.

“That’s an intriguing nickname,” he tells her. “I much prefer it to ‘Mad Hatter.’?”

She stares at him. “What?”

“The nickname you just gave me; I said I preferred it.” He frowns. “Are you hard of hearing, love? Is that why we’re still here instead of running?”

“I… No . I can hear just fine. And I wasn’t talking to you. You are not my Beast.”

My inner wolf purrs at the possession underscoring those two final words. That’s right, little mate. I am your beast in more ways than you realize.

“I can become a beast for you, if that’s your preference,” Craze offers.

“You can turn into a wolf?” she asks.

He stares at her. “No, sweet rabbit. I’m a different beast entirely.”

I nearly snort. He’s not wrong. But he’s not talking about physical forms so much as his sexual prowess.

Which, of course, goes over her head.

Because she frowns and asks, “Should I be afraid of you?”

He chuckles. “Probably, but not in the way you think.” He winks and glances over his shoulder again as the scent of rotting citrus grows stronger. “I really don’t want to play with the Tweedle brothers, Ailsa. Can we please run now?”

“How do you know my name?” she asks, ignoring the urgency in his tone.

“How about a game?” he counters. “For every direction that you follow, I’ll answer a question. Starting with the one you just asked in exchange for you running.”

She studies him for a moment. “You’re saying you’ll tell me how you know my name if I agree to run?”

He smiles, but I don’t. Because I recognize the devious twinkle in her gaze. I’ve spent the last two years getting to know her in my alternate form. And that look isn’t one of obedience. It’s one of defiance.

“Okay, I’ll run,” she adds as she stands.

Then she bolts down the beach.

Craze’s amusement dies. “That’s not what I meant,” he mutters, chasing after her.

Naturally, she’s chosen the worst path imaginable.

Growling under my breath, I shift back into my wolf form and take off in their direction.

There’s only one way to distract her now.

I sprint through the woods to the beach and release a howl that has her stumbling forward to an abrupt halt.

She spins around just as I reach the edge of the forest, her eyes going wide. “Beast!”

I cock my head in the way I know she thinks is cute and wait for her to start running toward me.

That’s it, little mate. Come get me.

She bypasses Craze—who is glaring in my direction and no doubt thinking he had this handled when he obviously didn’t—and darts straight for me.

I wait until she’s about fifteen feet away to turn back around and bound into the woods.

“Wait!” she shouts.

I do, but just enough to string her along and get her moving in the right direction this time.

“What are you doing?” Craze demands.

His words are more for me than for Ailsa.

Yet she replies with, “Following my pet!”

“Pet?” Craze echoes.

Then laughs.

Because of course he finds the term fucking hilarious.

I’m a king. The rightful king of all the Alphas and Betas in this kingdom. And this adorable little Omega considers me her pet.

I don’t mind.

I’ll be anyone she wants me to be so long as she chooses me. Chooses us .

It’s not just what she is but who is, and that distinction is what the Imposter King has failed to understand.

He’ll take Ailsa by force, knot her until she’s pregnant with his heir, and then present her in front of Monsterland like his prized broodmare.

But this connection is much deeper than breeding. It’s about mutual respect. Winning her heart. Marrying her soul.

That’s the lesson Monsterland needs to relearn.

That’s why we let her take that elixir.

That’s the reason we’re playing this game now.

Her acceptance will remind Monsterland of our past.

And her choice will define the future.

I trot along a little more for her, glance over my shoulder to see that she’s well and truly on the correct path now, and take off at full speed.

“Beast!” she yells for me, making me smile inside.

I love that fucking nickname.

She has no idea how beastly I can be.

But she will soon.

Very. Fucking. Soon.