Monsterland Mayhem (Fairy Tales With A Monstrous Twist)

7. Ailsa

7

AILSA

Oh, Gods, where am I even going?

I shouldn’t have run away. But seeing how casually Craze killed those… those piglike men…

I shudder.

He didn’t even flinch. Just tossed a few knives at them. Or were they cards?

I don’t know.

I don’t care.

I just need to escape.

To where, I have no idea. The strange orange sand beneath my bare feet is hot . And I’m practically naked. Not the best attire for this desertlike area.

But I can see something green in the distance. That has to be promising.

My stomach rumbles in agreement, reminding me that I haven’t eaten today. At all.

I’m not even sure today is the same day I drank from the chalice.

Everything has happened so quickly.

None of this should be possible for me.

And yet… here I am.

Craze’s statements start rolling through my mind.

“Humans can be Omegas. It’s about the soul, not the species classification.”

“Alpha, Beta, or Omega.”

“Compatibility is about category, not species.”

“As an Omega, human or not, you’re capable of being claimed by any Alpha in Monsterland.”

I shiver at that last part. I heard him say it after I already started running. It almost gave me pause. But then I realized he might be one of those Alphas since he called me a potential mate.

I… I don’t know how to feel about that. He seems… a little strange. But he’s been informative. Protective, too. However, I just met him. I can’t be his mate. Or potential mate. Or his anything.

Because I’m running.

To…

To…

I don’t know.

Just running!

I can sense him pursuing me, hear his soft chuckles, and practically smell his spicy cinnamon scent.

Gods, why do I like his cologne?

And why does it seem like it’s swirling around me? Claiming me?

Is he right behind me ? I wonder. I swear I can feel his hot breath on my nape, his fingers brushing my hair.

I spin around, wanting to face him.

But he’s not there.

He’s nowhere.

Yet I can hear him. Smell him. “What’s happening to me?” I whisper, turning around again and jolting as I run into a wall of masculine heat.

Yelping, I stumble back but find my hips caught in an unyielding grip.

Smoke taunts my nostrils as I jerk my face upward.

And find a pair of alluring brown eyes staring down at me.

Eyes I know.

Eyes I saw right before my entire world was turned upside down.

“Master Pillar,” I breathe.

“Hello, Miss Marvel,” he replies, his voice a low purr that makes me feel dizzy. “Where are you running off to, hmm?”

“I…” I swallow. “What are you…? How are you…?” I shake my head, trying to clear it.

Because he shouldn’t be here.

I shouldn’t be here.

But we’re both standing in this too-hot desert. And he’s dressed in an all-black suit.

Which makes about as much sense as Craze’s jeans and leather jacket in this heat.

Thinking of Craze has me glancing around for him, only to suddenly feel him against my back.

“Looking for me, little rabbit?” he whispers, his lips so close to my ear that I can feel his warm breath.

I can’t even complain about the nickname this time. I’m too speechless to fathom words. Too lightheaded to properly inhale and exhale.

“I thought we were meeting in the caves?” he adds as his arm encircles my waist.

Master Piller doesn’t release me, just continues to grasp my hips with his hands while Craze holds me from behind.

Being between them is intoxicating . Overwhelming. And oddly soothing.

I no longer feel the blistering heat, not even against my bare feet. Which is strange, considering the environment and my exposed skin.

“There’s been a change in plans,” a third voice says, snapping my attention to a man with thick, silver-white hair.

He’s older than Master Pillar and Craze, maybe by twenty years or so, but the ripple of muscles flexing beneath his tight white shirt tells me he’s just as fit as the two men holding me.

“Obviously,” Craze drawls. “And I assume it’s not related to our little rabbit’s desire to be chased down like prey?”

The silver-haired man smirks, his pale green eyes meeting mine. “No, but we can table that activity for later.” There’s a growl in his voice that makes my tummy flip.

But it’s his eyes that captivate me.

They… they remind me of… “ Beast .”

He steps forward, his gaze intense. “Instantly recognizing me in my human form only proves how right I am about you, Ailsa,” he says, his palm cupping my cheek as his thumb drags a hot path along my lower lip.

I shiver, not just from his touch but also from the realization that Beast is a man. A shifter. A monster .

I always knew he wasn’t a standard wolf, his size too massive to be anything but spectacular.

But this…

I never considered this outcome.

Oh, Gods. Maybe I’m dreaming? I think, dizzy all over again.

I’m surrounded by three men, all of them exuding a masculine prowess that’s making it hard to breathe. Every inhale is a mixture of their scents—smoke, pine, and spice. It… I…

Why am I suddenly so sensitive to smell? And why do their aromas make me want to lay them down across the ground and roll all over them?

Beast’s thumb leaves my mouth, only to be replaced by his lips.

His lips .

All luscious and plump and soft, yet hard and demanding as well. It’s a conundrum that stirs conflict inside me. Shock, too.

Because what is happening?

Why is this man kissing me?

And why… why am I just allowing it?

It’s quick. Too quick. And only his lips. But I swear he leaves a brand behind, the burning touch searing me to my soul.

What is happening to me? I should be screaming. Trying to wake up. Anything other than standing here, staring into his beautiful green eyes while two other men hold me like I’m theirs.

“I need you to be a good girl for us and do what we tell you to do,” Beast says. “Can you do that, Ailsa? Can you be our good girl?”

I blink at him. His words should come off as condescending, but they don’t. It’s… it’s the purr in his voice. Something growly. Something I can’t define. It makes me want to obey him, to please him.

Which is how I find myself nodding in response.

He smiles, the sight of it so stunning that I can barely think.

And then he kisses me again. Briefly. Just a brush of his lips against mine.

I melt in response.

This is insane , I think. Utterly… insane.

Yet my knees feel weak, and my brain resembles mush.

This place is messing with my mind.

Or I really am dreaming.

Gods, I hope this is a dream.

But do I? Do I really want this to end?

I… I don’t know.

“Catum is going to cloak you,” Beast tells me. “Don’t fight him.”

Catum? I repeat to myself, borderline delirious. Who is Catum?

Master Pillar’s hands roam up my sides, over Craze’s arm, until his palms are cupping my face. “Look at me, Miss Marvel.”

I swallow and do what he says, completely hypnotized by his voice and his presence. Beast has stepped back, yet I can still feel his eyes on me.

And Craze is against my back, his chest solid and hard as he softly vibrates behind me. I don’t even know how he’s making that sound or why he’s making it, but it’s comforting.

“Such an obedient little Omega,” Master Pillar murmurs. “I’m proud of you, Miss Marvel.”

“Wait until she runs,” Craze mutters.

“She won’t run from me,” Master Pillar returns. “Right, sweet one? You’ll do exactly what I say.”

My chin nearly dips down, my instinct to nod overriding all rational thought.

“Because you’re cheating,” Craze drawls.

“I’m charming ,” Master Pillar returns.

Craze snorts. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

“Stop,” Beast interjects. “We don’t have time for games. Cloak her, Catum.”

Master Pillar sighs, his thumbs drawing a line beneath my eyes. “It’ll be a shame to cover all this beauty, but alas…” Energy warms my skin as his palms move again to my neck and down over my shoulders.

Craze releases me, allowing Master Pillar’s hands to roam along my arms and then over to my abdomen and up my sides.

I seem to stop breathing, my body no longer my own.

Because I can’t believe he’s touching me like this.

I’ve dreamt of it. Fantasized about it. All because of his voice. It’s a forbidden obsession, one I told myself would never become a reality. It was also a silly desire, one born of a presence I barely knew.

But now that I’ve seen his face, experienced his touch, my mind has short-circuited. This all feels very real. Too real.

He crouches before me as his palms go to my hips, then down my exposed legs to my ankles. Craze grabs my sides, pulling me back as Master Pillar lifts one foot to run his finger from my heel to my toes.

I shiver as he switches limbs, repeating the action while Craze holds me from behind.

This is madness , I marvel, my lungs demanding air. Utter madness. This whole place, this scene, this everything . I’ve… I’ve lost my mind.

We’re still standing in the orange-colored desert, yet I can’t feel any of the residual heat. Just a cool mist against my skin.

I lift my arm to examine it, startled by the inky fabric covering me all the way to my wrist. It’s… it’s translucent.

Glancing down, I see that the garment flows all the way to my feet in a gown of sorts, reminding me a bit of smoke. It actually feels like air against my skin, yet it moves as though it’s a dress. And it completely masks my white undergarments.

Master Pillar lifts the skirt to show me a pair of flats that actually fit my feet. “How…?” I trail off, unsure of what I even want to ask.

There are a dozen competing questions in my head.

And a dozen more statements.

“She’s ready,” Master Pillar says as he stands.

“Ready for what?” I blurt out.

“Dinner,” he replies with a wink before stepping away and holding out an arm. “Shall we, Miss Marvel?”

“I…” I blink from him to Beast. “No. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Craze chuckles behind me. “I see the surprise has finally worn off. That took a little longer than I expected.”

I bristle at his words and spin around to face him. “Excuse me for being a little flabbergasted by… by…” I gesture to Beast, then to Master Pillar, and finally to the damn world. “It’s a lot.”

“It is,” he agrees. “Thankfully, you have the three of us to see you through it.”

“See me through what, exactly?” I demand, my voice borderline shrill. I can’t seem to stop it. All I want to do is… is… scream . Run. Hide. Wake up.

“You’re the first Omega to enter Monsterland in over a thousand years,” Beast says. “The realm is full of hungry Alphas and bored Betas. Now, they’re all intrigued by your presence.”

“I’m not an Omega,” I grit out. “I’m a human.”

Craze just shakes his head. “I’ve already explained that species don’t matter, but…” He waves a hand at me, similar to how I just gestured at Beast and Master Pillar.

“You’re not just any Omega,” Beast continues like Craze and I didn’t just speak. “You’re our Omega. The one we’ve been hunting for the last several hundred years. And you are going to help us reclaim the Monsterland court.”