Monsterland Mayhem (Fairy Tales With A Monstrous Twist)

28. Krolic

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

KROLIC

Spaten .

I can barely believe my eyes, but I would recognize my eldest brother anywhere.

He’s supposed to be dead.

Killed by our dear sister.

But he’s currently standing on top of my Omega.

I growl again, making his ears twitch as his green eyes—the same shade as my own—lock on me.

All this time, I thought Heart was behind the deaths of our parents.

But I see it clearly now.

It was Spaten. It’s always been Spaten.

That’s why his wolf looks identical to mine. How his presence lingered here as king. Why some of the kingdom chose to follow him.

He’s an heir.

Not the heir, but an acceptable one nonetheless.

And his aura is riddled with darkness.

Magic? I wonder. Is he the one weaving spells over those in the kingdom?

I thought it was Heart. Now I don’t know what to think.

Especially since my sister appears to still be possessing Baroness Clarice.

Or maybe she is the baroness.

I can’t smell Heart’s tangy scent anywhere. Which means either she’s not nearby, or she’s donned a clever disguise.

As though hearing my confusion, her skin begins to melt away to reveal the sister I know beneath the mask.

A shape-shifter , I realize, my heart stilling in my chest. Heart’s become a shape-shifter .

How? I want to demand. She’s never had a wolf. Never been able to shift. And yet, she’s transforming into her true self now as though she’s done this thousands of times before.

“That’s a new trick,” Craze drawls from behind me. “Can you grow a knot, too?”

My sister snarls at him.

“Well, I see your manners have taken a step in the right direction,” he muses dryly. “Better than your supposedly dead brother, anyway.” His gaze narrows at Spaten. “Growl at our mate one more time and see what happens.”

“She’s not your mate,” my sister hisses at him.

“She’s not yours either,” he bites right back. “She wants a mating ritual. So let’s give her one and see whose knot she chooses.” His gaze drops to Heart’s lower half. “Oh, wait… I guess you’ll have to sit this one out.”

Ches chuckles somewhere in the distance, the cat having vanished when he sensed our arrival. He’s probably playing in the hedges again, observing every moment.

He’s not the only one.

There are several monsters lurking in the maze. That’s where the ritual will begin. I don’t know how Ailsa knew to demand her rights here in the ceremonial courtyard, but I’m glad she did it. Her voice carried across Monsterland, inviting all the Alphas out to play.

And thus far, the only one who seems hell-bent on taking her by force is my brother.

He has yet to release her neck, despite her refusal to submit.

Oh, she’s gone still. But she’s not tilted her head.

She won’t give him what he wants.

Yet she’s given it to me before. The first night we met, I pinned her in a similar manner, my mouth instantly going to her neck.

She tilted to the side, just as an Omega should when her Alpha demands her submission.

But he’s not her Alpha.

We are her Alphas.

Poor Spaten is about to learn that lesson the hard way.

Catum appears behind him, his shadow form hiding him from view. But I feel him there. Know what he’s about to do. And give him a subtle go-ahead by tilting my chin.

This is my fight, which makes it our fight. As a unit. A circle. A proper fucking royal court.

That’s what my sister and brother have failed to realize.

It’s a lesson that is about to cost them dearly.

I made the mistake of imprisoning my sister, once upon a time. I realize now how she escaped—with Spaten’s help.

Then she must have faked his death before actually killing our other brother.

Their betrayals have tainted Monsterland, creating a darkness that’s reminiscent of a disease.

It’s a disease I fully intend to cure now.

By ridding this realm of their presence. For good .

I have no idea where Crimson is, but I imagine he’ll be appearing at any moment. We’ll handle him, too.

Then… we’ll claim our daring little mate.

She’s still refusing to submit on the ground despite having my brother’s teeth pressed against her throat. I can feel her determination. Her anger .

Such a good fucking Omega, I think. She knows her wolf, and that animal on top of her isn’t him.

I growl, low and with warning. Release her , I’m saying. Release her or face the consequences.

Said consequences are standing right behind Spaten.

My brother rumbles back at me, then does exactly what I wanted him to do—lifts his head to stare me down in challenge.

I nearly smile inside.

But the instinct disappears behind my beast’s howl as Catum bodychecks Spaten, sending my brother flying across the courtyard into a nearby sculpture. The hit is so intense that the stone cracks. But my eldest sibling is instantly on his paws and charging—not toward Catum, but toward me.

I brace myself for impact, ready to spar.

It’s been a long fucking time.

And I have no idea what powers my brother has seemingly inherited.

But I’m ready. My mate-circle is ready. And our Omega is watching .

Craze goes for my sister while Catum runs toward me and my brother.

Then everything is a blur of white fur as Spaten and I tumble across the earth.

He’s big. Slightly bigger than me. And he’s fighting like his life hangs in the balance.

Which it very much does.

I snap at his neck, his scruff, his throat, all while trying to gain purchase.

But he’s fast—faster than I remember.

And fucking insane.

He tumbles both of us into the nearby fountain, causing my ears to fill with water, thus drowning out all the sounds around me.

So much so that I almost miss the thundering echo of approaching Alphas.

However, as I surface, I see them coming.

A hungry mob.

All of them with their sights set on Ailsa.

Possessed , I recognize.

Catum must see it, too, because he shifts focus, running for our intended to protect her.

But there are too many of them. Too many salivating beasts.

My wolf grumbles as my brother tackles us once more, our momentary distraction giving him the upper hand.

I take a mouthful of water, my lungs screaming for the need to inhale. I went down before I took a proper breath.

Shit!

I claw at the ground, only to find my paws waterlogged.

This is bad.

I spin, using my back legs to kick Spaten off of me. But that sends me deeper.

My back hits the floor, probably ten feet beneath the surface now.

I whirl again, determined to push off the ground to reach the air I desperately need.

Except just as I shove off the bottom, Spaten checks me again, driving me right back down.

My wolf releases a sound I can’t hear over the bubbles in my ear, my insides demanding that I inhale.

No, I fight back. No!

But the dots… the darkness… it’s starting to seep in.

And with that comes doubt.

Fear.

Terrible. Unadulterated. Fear .

I can sense Catum fighting for his life. Sense Craze doing the same.

We didn’t underestimate our opponents. We underestimated Monsterland. Their ability to be manipulated. To be controlled by the dark villain in their midst.

My siblings never respected my rule.

It’s clear now.

And they didn’t respect our parents’ rule either.

What is this world without respect? I think, furious. What happened to Monsterland? The kingdom I love? The kingdom I once revered?

With a roar, I give it one last push, refusing to go down like this. Refusing to let go of my throne. My purpose. My destiny .

Spaten tries to keep me down, but something from below shoves me higher, the force of it allowing me to break the surface on a much-needed gasp.

Which is when I see the bedlam occurring in the courtyard.

Catum has yanked out the hearts of almost a dozen Alphas, but he’s wounded and bloody and panting.

And Ailsa is standing behind him with a vial in her hand.

One that says Drink Me .

My eyes widen inside, my beast instantly trying to swim toward her. No! I want to shout. Ailsa, don’t!

“You want me?” she asks the crowd, a note of steel underlying her tone.

I watch with horror as she tips the contents into the back of her throat. Swallows. And shouts five words that ignite the chase.

“Then come and get me!”