The Beauty's Hidden Beast

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Part 1/2

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YaYa's POV

Bart sighed deeply as he used his water pouch to wash my hands as if they were covered in germs, "Who will our Dearest insult next and get away with it? The Beast God?"

Muir shook his head and looked at me fondly. He cupped my face, rubbing away the dirt of my mask, "There is no such thing as getting away with it. A price must always be paid, and I don't want you to take the blame for my actions."

"Screw the cost," I said, tracing the veins on his wrist, "I want to see how much I can spoil you until I go bankrupt. You better spend big, or I'll think you're holding back on purpose."

"..." Muir widened his eyes, and the blush on his face deepened, spreading down his neck, his ears, and even his hands, "Please, don't say such things, or I won't be able to control myself."

"What's holding you back?" I asked.

He smiled and kissed my cheek, "Your happiness."

Bart dragged Muir by the back of his cape, pulling him away from me before Curtis and Mitchell could start a fight over who could be lovey-dovey with me next.

My boys weren't jealous when I had sex with them, but they were seething mad, when I was affectionate with others before their eyes?

I raised my feet and kicked their butts, "You really love to be stepped on by me, don't you? Well, come closer and let me crush you."

They rubbed their backs and ran around, avoiding my kicks. Their ramblings were something in the context: "We're your mates, and we have the right to be jealous. Let us be, okay? We just want you to be ours alone. It's a natural instinct."

I stopped kicking and watched them circle me like wronged love bugs, close but not too close, "Does it hurt? Need me to kiss your pain away?"

They looked around, and seeing no one, they nodded and closed the distance.

I kissed my palm and smacked their butts. I started with Muir and Mitchell. They were too shocked to move, giving me a chance to grope them a few times before I retreated my hands. Curtis and Bart were more welcoming, so I enjoyed groping them for a little longer.

"..." They rubbed their behinds and then proceeded to catch me. I let them, and they lifted me off the ground.

The four began carrying me like a wood log, their step in sync, their arms wrapped around my body. They all wanted to carry me, and this was the compromise they had agreed on without my involvement.

Curtis suddenly hissed and turned around, "Someone's here."

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Lazark was standing there, and I could feel him dissecting me with his eyes, "I didn't expect the Tiger Queen to have such a close relationship with the Cloud Nine's Madam. I heard stories about you, not the most pleasing ones, to be honest."

Seeing no reaction, he continued, "Nivi told me not to believe the rumors, yet was reluctant to share any details, not even the smallest ones. It's almost like she was hiding a treasure. A very rare, and beautiful, one."

Muir stepped forward, blocking Lazark's view of me, "Please, don't wander too far. It'd be a real tragedy for a guest as important as you to die over something as simple as losing your way. Let me guide you back to the resort."

"There is no need for such a hostile reaction. I'm not interested in pursuing The Cloud Nine's madam. I'm simply curious to see what she looks like," said Lazark, "Rumors can be misleading and exaggerated, so it's only natural to seek the truth for yourself, isn't it?"

I used Muir as a pillar, leaning my back against his, my voice low. "Face me without Cloud Nine's guest tag, and I will make the rumors seem like sweet lullabies compared to what reality will bring."

"Oh?" Lazark exclaimed, sounding satisfied for successfully provoking me into responding, "What are you hiding behind your mask? It must be a very dangerous secret if you are this defensive."

"The Cloud Nine's guest tag," I insisted.

Lazark chuckled, "Very well. I'll take you up on that offer," he handed Muir the resort's bracelet.

My boys had better things to do than to chase away my suitors all day, every day. They had territories to rule, businesses to manage, and cubs to take care of. The least I could do was to play along with the rumors they spread and have fun doing it. Their own allure, however, made many doubt the truth behind the rumors, making them want to join the pack still (not to be with me but with my boys).

I lifted my mask, mouthing in their direction: I hope you will finally step up your game and stop increasing my collection. The amount of dicks I can handle is limited.

"Do we kill him now or later?" Mitchell asked, watching the male in question.

"Now," Curtis said, ready to rip Lazark into pieces.

They stared at Lazark, who seemed frozen in place, unsure whether he was shocked or offended. He probably didn't expect the owners to make a one hundred eighty degree turn on him so fast.

"Let's make him regret even talking to her," Mitchell suggested, cracking his knuckles.

"Let's do it," Bart agreed.

"Didn't I say I'm not interested in pursuing her?" Lazark protested, "I was just curious."

"We. Don't. Care," they responded, "You decided to come here because of her, so we have to make you regret your decisions."

Lazark laughed, not taking them seriously, "But I haven't done anything yet."

"And we plan to keep it that way."

"..." Lazark was speechless. He didn't have a chance to speak before they shifted and surrounded him, their beast auras filling the air. His pupils constricted, and he quickly shifted in self-defense.

I leaned against a faraway tree, calling Skaris through the spouse imprint, "Come help our boys; we have a pest problem."

"Got it," Skaris answered.

I touched my mask. People were curious, and you know what they say about curiosity and cats?

I whistled and cheered, "Scar him up so no other female will ever touch him! You hear me?! I want him in my collection! No one can have him except me! Yeah! Knock his teeth out. Make him bleed, make him kneel, make him beg!"

A hand covered my mouth, stopping me from encouraging further violence, and dragged me deeper into the forest.

"What did I miss, Princess?"

"Drama, chaos, and more drama."

"Ah, same old." Romeo chuckled, his fingers brushing my chin, "What did he do?"

"He thought I was all bark and no bite."

"Poor soul."

"It's not every day I can act like a crazy, old, and ugly female, who can't obtain a male by normal means, and has to use forbidden arts to get my hands on one," I grinned, hiding within the tree branches.

"Ah, Mitchell's rumor... that one was quite popular for a while," Romeo commented, watching the fight from the treetop.

The flying lizard roared, his dragon tail slashing the trees, making them fall like dominos.

My lips stretched into a smirk when Nivi's group appeared, shocked and speechless. She tried to save Lazark, but the looks in my males' eyes were enough to show that they were serious about killing him.

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Part 2/2

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Another fight broke out, and this time, Nivi's mates were involved.

Nivi had three pentas (Sei, Winston, Panther), three four-stripped (Owl, Hawk, Shuu) and a single-stripped Harvey. Let's not forget the penta Lazark, who just popped an emerald into his mouth.

I had two pentas (Curtis, Muir) and three four stripped (Bart, Mitchell, Skaris).

Who had the advantage?

Obviously, Nivi.

"Our boys are losing," Romeo pointed out, remaining hidden.

"Of course, they're."

"Then why did you let them fight a losing battle?"

"It wasn't a losing battle until Nivi's group appeared. Well, a loss won't kill us, but a victory might blindside the opponent, and I would hate to waste a good opportunity."

Romeo began to connect the reason behind my actions and asked, "Did you make Nivi's males hate you to even out the hatred our boys have for her?"

My boys couldn't stand Nivi. I couldn't quite understand why, but apparently, her smiles made them want to punch her face, and the way she acted around everyone made them want to strangle her. The reason was stupid. So, so stupid.

Nivi didn't belong in a rough environment like mine, and no matter how hard she tried, she would never fit in. Vick hated her for trying to reform our life for the better, when nobody asked her for it, and the rest began to hate her for the same reason.

"Princess?"

"Would you rather have her males encourage her to come to hang out with me, instead?"

"I wouldn't want our boys to hate your friend more than they already do and that would certainly make them pull their hair in frustration," Romeo paused with a chuckle, "But I'm sure they won't mind playing pretense for your sake."

"But I mind."

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"Get out of the way," Bart growled, his claws aimed at Shuu, "That dragon is not leaving this place alive. If you continue to protect him, I will kill you as well."

"You've gone crazy!" Shuu stood his ground, blocking Bart's attack.

Skaris took the chance to sneak closer and grabbed a handful of the dragon's scales, tearing them off.

Winston lunged forward, his fangs latched onto Skaris' neck, making him howl in pain.

Curtis and Bart heard that and immediately pounced on the tiger, making him let go of Skaris, but Sei, who had just appeared out of nowhere, flung his tail, throwing Curtis off his balance. Lazark also flung his tail, smashing it onto Bart.

Muir was fighting both the owl and the hawk, his eyes burning with rage.

"Stop! Don't kill them!" Nivi yelled, but my boys continued to target Lazark, giving her males no choice but to keep defending the lizard, "Yaya. Where's Yaya? Does she know what you are doing?!"

My boys didn't spare a second thought for the fact Nivi had just saved their lives. Instead, they muttered bitterly about her males attacking them out of nowhere after all the hospitality they'd shown.

"Don't you like to clean after my mess?" I waved my hand, "Go, do your thing."

Romeo smiled and jumped into the fray, immediately taking advantage of the assault to ban Nivi's males from the resort. They broke the rules and almost killed the Cloud Nine's owners, but he won't pursue the matter further as long as they hand over Lazark.

"It was my fault. I piqued Lazark's curiosity!" Nivi argued, realizing that everyone would have a hard time dealing with another powerful opponent. She didn't want any more bloodshed, and wanted to end the dispute for good, "I'm still the guest, and I wish to leave with him alive!"

"You refused to hand Lazark over, so no, you are no longer our guest," Romeo was ruthless, and his reasoning was perfect: "Cloud Nine's policy is to give the guests what they want, within the limits of the rules. He wanted to see, and we are making him see. His wish is being granted," he said, crushing Harvey's hard work as he smashed Lazark against a rock, "The cost to see Cloud Nine's Madam is to defeat all the owners, not a connection with her best friend."

Lazark managed to get out with a broken limb and a few internal organs in a not-so-pretty state before Romeo kicked him in the abdomen, sending him flying into the sky. His wings spread, and he flew up to cause further damage.

The owl and hawk tried to interfere, but Romeo had my boys' back. They all pounced on the flying duo.

"Why?!" Nivi screamed, "We're not enemies. None of us wants to start a war. Why are you being like this? We don't want to kill anyone. Please, stop fighting!"

"That dragon must die!" my boys roared, shifting into their human form, "We don't want any males anywhere near the Cloud Nine's Madam!", "She's ours!", "No one can have her but us!", "Whoever dares to challenge that fact is not allowed to live!"

Nivi's eyes were tearful, and she fell to her knees, her voice shaking. "I will take him. He will be my mate, and I will stay with him, so can you stop now?!"

Romeo flew down, ready to negotiate. "We will have to charge him for the damage, nonetheless," he said. "So, if you'll excuse me," he picked up Lazark's belongings, took all the valuables from him, and threw his limb body before Nivi.

Nivi looked guilty for messing up the relationship between our males and endangering Lazark's life. She didn't want to risk another fight breaking out, so she helped Harvey pick up his stuff and left with her group.

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I jumped down the tree branch and walked toward one of the fallen trees, ripping a large piece of bark off.

My boys didn't expect their defeat to be a win in disguise, and when the realization kicked in, they began to crawl in my direction like worms, excited to celebrate the small victory.

"Is she gone for good?" Skaris mumbled, his claws digging into the soil.

"Probably not," Mitchell responded, "Ask her foul best friend."

"Romeo banned them," Bart said, his voice muffled, "So they should at least stay away from our territory."

I placed them on top of the large sheet of bark and pulled it like a sledge toward the manor.

"Don't worry. Princess will make every scratch and bruise you got count," Romeo said, "All the blame will fall on their shoulders, all the guilt, shame, and regret. They will know that everything that happened is their own doing, and they can't pin the blame on Princess, or even a single person other than themselves. Not all loses are bad losses, so let's make the most out of it."

They grinned and flinched, groaning from the pain. When we appeared before the manor, Vick looked like he was on the verge of beheading me.

"What did you do this time?" he asked, his arms crossed. Little Pea was curled around his fingers, blinking at me curiously.

"Nothing much," I said.

"Nothing?"

"Not a lot."

"How much?"

"Almost nothing."

Vick's eyes were piercing holes into me. He was not a fool and knew what 'almost nothing' meant.

"We're alive, aren't we?" I added.

He rubbed his temples, and looked at my boys, "Did she do this to you?"

They shook their heads weakly.

Vick was not the least bit convinced, "So you're telling me you all managed to get nearly killed at the exact same time by yourself? And who exactly is supposed to be keeping an eye on the resort? Because last I checked, it doesn't run itself."

"Can we get some food?" I asked.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"We didn't have lunch," I explained.

"You expect me to cook for you?" Vick said, "I have better things to do."

"Yes," I responded, "Like cooking for me."

"And why should I?"

"Because it's a husband's job."

"Go back to hell, where you belong," Vick said as he watched me move my boys to a cart and rolled them inside, "I can't believe they're still putting up with you."

"I'm starving, go cook something," I demanded, "Or else, you're sleeping on the floor tonight."

"Do it, and I'll sleep on the floor with you," he threatened.

"Are you threatening your mate?"

"Are you blackmailing yours?"

I ignored him and continued to push the cart into the infirmary.

Romeo handed a stack of crystals and emeralds to Vick, "Damage fee," he said and then cleared any misunderstandings that could have formed in Vick's mind, not that Vick was stupid enough to misunderstand, "It was a fun day, a great show, and a good exercise."

"I can imagine," Vick said as he pinched our little pea's ears with his thumb and pointer, "But an excuse to fuck her is still an excuse to fuck her."

Romeo smiled and gave a nod of understanding, "I can't argue with that, but I bet a warm meal would make her more willing to accept your advances."

Vick laughed and made a detour to the kitchen, "How is the Empire holding up?"

They began to talk about politics, and disappeared from my view.

I helped the boys out of the cart and into their beds. I cleaned their bodies, wiped away the dirt and dried blood, treated their wounds and then finally kissed away their pain like I intended to do earlier.

Starting from the feet, moving up the leg, then to the stomach, and chest. My lips traced their shoulders, neck, cheeks, and ending with a kiss on the forehead, "Better?"

Bart and Muir were too shy to look at me.

Curtis and Skaris nodded their heads, confused and at the brim of crying.

Mitchell pretended to be dead. Only the pitched tent between his legs gave him away.

They couldn't take the direct confession. Nobody could, not when I was the one doing it. Whenever I was straightforward with my feelings, they would break down and their brain would refuse to process such an outrageous idea.

"Dear, you are not going to die, are you?" Skaris asked.

"Is something bad going to happen?" Bart asked, "Should we prepare for the worst?"

"Who's the enemy?" Muir asked, "What do they want? How can we help?"

"We're not letting you go alone, so don't try to do anything stupid," Curtis said.

Mitchell groaned and pulled the blanket over his head, his voice muffled, "I like my foul female better. Go back to being her."

"..."

"..."

"..."

A vein twitched on my forehead, "Yeah. I'm dying. Goodbye. See you never."

I walked out of the infirmary and sent Romeo to deal with them. Who would have thought he would get affected by the boy's emotional breakdown, and started to worry about my health too?

"Precious!" Vick barked from the kitchen.

Which traitor snitched on me to Vick already? I fastened my pace, ready to flee the scene.

"I swear, if you don't get here this second, I'm throwing all the food away! Our son helped me, and you have the audacity to not eat it?! Get in here, now!"

I sighed and dragged my feet to the kitchen. Mama Yaya would be a terrible mother if she didn't try her son's first cooking.

Vick let Little Pea sprinkle a pinch of salt into the bowl with his tiny hands, and thus, the most delicious dish in the world was born.

╔═══ Author's note ════╗

The previous chapter received more likes than usual, I'm so happy. 🥰🙏🏻

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