Monsterland Mayhem (Fairy Tales With A Monstrous Twist)

29. Ailsa

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

AILSA

A Few Minutes Earlier

“Ailsa,” a voice whispers in the wind, causing my head to whip around as I try to find the owner of that sound.

A pair of lips appears in the space before me, making me yelp.

“Shh,” he hushes, the rest of his face appearing, followed by a head of pink hair. “You need to take the elixir.”

“What?”

His hand appears as he holds it out to me. “Take it. Then tell them to chase you.”

I shake my head. “I don’t?—”

“Look around you,” he demands. “Look at the statues. Really look at them. Then check the water.”

I blink at him as vicious chaos breaks out around me.

Craze stabbed Heart a few minutes ago, but she instantly recovered, making him growl about dark magic spells as she tossed his card right back at him.

The pair of them are fighting a few yards away while Catum whirls in a blur of black and blood, fighting off snarling Alphas.

Alphas I really don’t want to play a game of chase with right now.

“ Look ,” the pink-haired male says again. “Please, Ailsa. Just… look .”

Swallowing, I glance at the statues—noting the feminine angles and angelic features. Their lips are all rounded as though they’re lost in song.

I glance at the fountain, momentarily distracted by Krolic and the other wolf fighting near the deeper end of the pool. Or what I assume is deep, anyway, since they keep going under.

But as they disappear behind the center fixture, I start to see the reflections that the pink-haired man mentioned.

I frown.

The gentle innocence of the statues disappears the longer I look. They’re expressions are grotesque and agonized instead, as though they’re screaming, not singing.

I shiver. It’s a horrifying juxtaposition. “I don’t understand.”

“Drink and declare the chase,” he whispers, shoving the vial into my hands. “But make sure you touch the water before you flee.”

I shake my head, his words telling me what to do without providing any context as to how that relates to the statues and their strange reflections.

But when I glance back at him, he’s gone.

And all I have is the vial.

Drink me , the label says.

I close my eyes.

If I take this, I’ll go into heat. Perhaps immediately since I already have some of this elixir in my system.

Maybe that’s what he means by initiating the chase.

But… but how does that solve any of this?

The Alphas stalking toward me are half crazed, their auras radiating pain as they come for me.

Catum is the only one stopping them from ripping me apart.

I don’t want to make that worse.

Unless something about the ritual will snap them out of it? I wonder. The pink-haired man hasn’t led me astray yet.

And Alice told me to start the ritual in the courtyard.

Maybe this is the final step.

My eyes open once more, my spine steeling as I stand. “All right,” I mutter to myself. The craziest solutions are what have worked so far in this world. Why not try this one, too?

Clearing my throat, I fix my focus on the Alphas coming at me from the side. They’re walking over the remains of the others who came before them without even glancing down, their eyes fixated on me.

“You want me?” I ask them, my voice exuding a calm I don’t quite feel.

A calm that fizzles out of me as I force myself to knock the contents into the back of my throat and swallow.

“Then come and get me!” I shout, bolting toward the water and Krolic’s watching form.

His eyes meet mine, a note of panic lingering in his gaze that I can’t quite ignore.

Maybe I made the wrong choice.

Who the hell even knows?

But I run through the shallow area of the water, the liquid a blessing against my bare feet. A tingling sensation crawls up my skin, nearly making me stumble.

It feels like magic.

Healing , I realize as the aches on my soles begin to subside. How… fascinating.

So fascinating that I can’t help but stop and look down.

It’s a stupid thing to do, especially when I have a horde of Alphas bellowing in my wake. However, the water feels so inviting, like it’s calling me home.

Almost like the portal in the cave, I think, recalling how the dark hole intrigued me enough to touch it. Almost as though it was beckoning me to fall in.

My knees bend of their own accord, my fingers reaching for the water again now, curious as to why I feel so compelled to touch it.

Someone shouts my name.

I ignore them, too consumed by the need to run my fingers across the chilly water.

The liquid seems to hum in response, utterly entrancing me.

At least until a hand grabs mine and tries to pull me in.

I yank back, a scream billowing up from my throat.

Then a pair of bright green eyes meet mine from beneath the water, the ash-blonde-haired woman petite like me. Except she’s older. Similar to Krolic’s age.

Her nails bite into my wrist as she tugs on me again.

I jerk my hand out of the water.

And bring her with me.

She gasps, the sound seeming to echo throughout the entire courtyard.

Then she releases me to drop back down.

Only, she doesn’t go under; she hauls another woman out.

Followed by two more.

I blink, my own hand joining hers as a male clasps my fingers.

Rather than think about how impossible this is, I just help him to the surface.

Everyone continues the process until half the fountain seems to be filled with people.

Omegas , I realize. They’re all… Omegas.

Krolic is no longer in beast form, but standing as a human a few feet from me, his eyes filled with awe. “How?” he breathes.

I… I just shake my head.

Because I have no idea how any of this is happening.

“Thank you,” the original blonde says to me, her voice a rasp. “ Thank you .”

“Mom?” Krolic breathes, blinking at the female. “H-how?”

She smiles fondly at Krolic, her hand reaching up to cup his jaw. “Your Omega chooses you.”

His brow furrows. “We haven’t completed the ritual yet.”

“I know,” she whispers. “But her soul has already chosen, and it was enough.”

“Enough for what?” he asks, staring at her like he can’t believe she’s here.

I understand the emotion because I feel similarly.

None of this feels real or possible.

Which, of course, means that it’s all entirely plausible.

Because nothing is ever what it seems.

“To break the curse,” she says before shifting her focus to the other Alpha in the water—one who is also no longer in wolf form. He’s standing there, gaping at Krolic and his mother, a note of horror in his features.

Features that remind me of Krolic’s.

“You and your sister have a great deal to atone for, Spaten,” the woman announces, her voice carrying as it loses the raspy quality. “First, you killed my mate-circle. Your own father . Then you banished me to the depths of the ritual fountain. But you had no idea the Fates would send all of Omega kind with me, did you?”

She looks for Heart—who is kneeling on the cobblestone with Craze behind her, one of his cards against her throat. His opposite hand is locked in her blonde hair—the same color as Krolic’s mom’s. As well as Baroness Clarice’s, but I already gathered that Heart can shape-shift. That was pretty obvious when she transitioned into another woman right before my eyes.

Just like Krolic being able to turn into a wolf at will.

An eerie quiet falls over the courtyard as the fountain—which I now realize is more of a small pond due to the depth in the center—shuts off.

Krolic’s mother has lifted her hand into the sky, creating a dark hue that overtakes the sun and cascades the courtyard into darkness.

A blinding light soon follows as a bolt comes sailing through the air to strike Heart in the chest.

Craze releases her just in time, jumping several feet back a second before it hits. He curses. “A little warning next time, Alice,” he mutters, his words carrying due to the astounding silence.

A soft churning noise echoes next, the sound of it seeming to be radiating from Heart’s skin as it literally turns to stone.

I realize with a start that all the other statues no longer exist.

Because they were the Omegas, I suddenly comprehend.

That’s why the pink-haired man told me to look at the reflections. I do it again now and see Heart’s face frozen in horror.

Another bolt jolts through the night-like sky, this one striking the Alpha in the water.

His body vanishes, only to reappear alongside Heart’s, his reflection showing a snarl rather than one of terror.

“Crimson,” the woman calls out.

The maze parts to reveal a new arc, allowing the male I met just hours ago to step into the courtyard. “Your Majesty,” he replies, bowing low. “It’s good to see you in the flesh, Alice.”

She smiles. “Likewise, Tav.”

Krolic frowns. “He’s aligned with Heart.”

“He’s not,” she murmurs. “He’s aligned with me. And he has been for a very, very long time.”

Tav goes to one knee on the edge of the pond, his head bowed. “My fealty rests with the Silver Queen.”

“As does mine,” the pink-haired man says as he appears beside Tav, both men on their knees.

“I should have fucking known,” Catum grounds out, making the pink-haired man grin.

“Queen Alice will always be my first and only love,” he says.

Queen Alice’s lips curl. “I won’t be queen for much longer.” She looks at me. “That honor falls to you, Ailsa Marvel. So have your chase. Run free.” She shifts her attention to Krolic. “And enjoy your hunt.”

The night clears, revealing the sun once more as amusement meets her proclamation.

“Happy hiding,” she whispers to me as she walks past me to reach Tav and the other man.

Both of them stand in sequence, heads still bowed in reverence.

“You’ll always be queen to me,” the pink-haired one purrs.

“Stop flirting with me, Ches,” she replies.

“Never,” he says back to her.

Tav simply shakes his head. “You see what you left me to deal with these last few hundred years?”

“Are you saying my presence is more irritating than Heart’s?” the pink-haired one asks, sounding offended. “Because that hurts, Tav. It really hurts.”

Queen Alice laughs. “I’ve missed you both.”

“Not as much as we’ve missed you,” Tav replies, pulling her into a hug.

Ches joins from the other side, the three of them embracing for a long moment.

“Thank you for hearing my call,” she says to them.

“Thank you for entrusting us with the honor of helping to save Omega kind,” Tav returns.

“He’s disappointed that his efforts didn’t result in the Fates sending him his own Omega,” Ches interjects, earning a snort from Tav. “He chose the Silver Pack over his own. That has to earn him some favor, right?”

“Fuck off, Beta.”

Ches grins. “Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you don’t want a reward for picking the right side of the battle?”

“There is no battle,” he grumbles. “Not anymore.”

Ches shrugs. “For now, anyway.”

“The Crimson Pack isn’t what it used to be,” Tav grits out. “Leave it alone, cat.”

There’s clearly a story here. One I’m intrigued to learn more about. Krolic’s expression tells me he feels similarly.

All this time, he assumed Crimson was the Imposter King.

I doubt any of them ever guessed he was actually on their side. But I see a hint of respect in Krolic’s gaze now as he looks at Tav. That same glimmer is echoed in Tav’s eyes as he glances back at Krolic.

“The Fates will honor you both in different ways,” Queen Alice interjects, her voice soothing. “Now let’s stop distracting our future queen.” She gives me a knowing look. “That elixir is already doing its job. You need to run.”

With that profound statement, she waves her hand, creating a portal in thin air, one that she walks through with Ches and Tav at her back.

And then they’re just… gone .

I frown. Her connection with the two men didn’t seem all that romantic. I’m not sure how I recognize that. Maybe because of the way they spoke to each other, or because of how they looked at one another. There was fondness there, but not the same kind of fondness I sense in Krolic’s eyes now as he stares at me.

I meet his gaze, then glance around to find that we’re the only ones in the pond-like fountain.

Catum and Craze stand just out of reach, their expressions expectant.

Everyone else is just… gone .

“Where…?” I trail off, confused by our sudden aloneness.

“Home,” Krolic tells me, making me frown.

“What?”

“You were going to ask where everyone is, and I’m answering simply— home . Which is where we’re going to take you once we catch you.”

“Catch me?” I repeat, a strange warmth seeming to hum to life inside me.

He dips his chin in a single nod. “You need to run, little bunny.”

I gape at him, not just because of the abrupt change in atmosphere, but because the nickname is new. “ Bunny ?”

He grins. “I’m a predator. And you, my sweet girl, are officially prey .”

Catum and Craze growl in agreement, both of them studying me with intense stares.

“We… we just… All of this… I.” I shake my head. “Don’t you think we need some time to digest everything that has happened?”

Craze grins. “It’s chaos, gorgeous. Our lives wouldn’t be the same without it. So we don’t need time to think about anything. In fact, I believe I speak for the mate-circle when I say that none of us want to think at all right now. We just want to chase .”

“So run ,” Catum growls. “Now.”

My nipples bead in response, my body instantly primed.

“This is madness,” I breathe.

“This is Monsterland,” Craze counters. “Welcome to the mayhem, little rabbit.”

“You called for a hunt, baby girl,” Krolic drawls. “You initiated the ritual.”

“Yes, because… because…” Because the pink-haired man told me to rests on the tip of my tongue, but it feels wrong. Like a lie even though it’s technically true.

However, deep down… I… I wanted this.

I can sense it now, that intrinsic desire to be chased. Caught. And claimed .

Krolic smiles, his mouth radiating sin. “We’ll be nice and give you a head start.”

“Thirty seconds,” Catum clarifies. “Beginning… now .”

“You can’t?—”

“Twenty-nine,” Catum says, interrupting me. “Twenty-eight.”

Oh, Gods…

They’re serious.

“Twenty-seven.”

Shit!

I don’t know when I went to my knees in the water, but I stand now.

And then I do the only thing I can think to do— I run .