Chapter 3 MONSTERS AND BROTHERS

EMIRIEL'S POV.

Monsters.

Gods.

Devils.

Those are the names we've been given and called over time. Since we were six, we've been branded as 'the mad brothers', alphas of the shadowcrest pack, the unattainable, the undetectable.

It should be something to be proud of, to revel in, to boast and shout about.

But instead, it's a shame.

A plague.

A curse.

A disaster. Because every good thing comes with a price, and hunger is our price to pay for whatever good we have left in us.

My eyes flicked to where Rowan was seated, a woman maid was pleasuring him, his hand on her ass as she bounced up and down on his cock, her moans mixed with pain. I looked over at Malakai, Melissa, his personal favorite, bent back as he pushed in and out of her, spanking her as she pleaded for him to go faster.

It has always been a shock how Melissa could handle him, and that's why he liked her.

I looked at Nikolai, our above-and-beyond. His hunger was insatiable, unmatched. We were all cursed, but his hunger knew no bottom.

Three women were on him, two on their knees, taking turns kissing each other, fondling each other, and sucking his dick.

The last one was on his face, feeding him all sorts of small fruits while burying herself right in his mouth.

This was our shame, our harem, our dirty little secret.

Never to be told.

Never to be seen.

It was our hunger, unreached, unmatched, insatiable.

I watched all of this with a bored expression, my eyes drooping, almost closing. I was the only one who had grown past all of this. Our hunger knew no limit, from food to sport, to sex, we had to do it 100 times more than the average werewolf.

It was our curse and our life.

A knock came on the door, halting every movement in the room. Malakai slid out of Melissa, spanking her one more time as she walked naked to the door before opening it. Our beta, Basil, worked in, nodding at me before pushing a woman inside the room.

"Another spy?" I asked, groaning as I did.

When will they get the memo and stop sending them?

"Yes, my alpha. She was fou...

He stopped as I stood up, stalking towards the whimpering woman on the floor, her hands clasped together.

"Pl...plea...please I beg you...I don't want to die...please.."

I grabbed her jaw, my wolf coming so close to the surface of my skin. He wanted something. Anything. Even if it was this woman in front of me.

"Who sent you?"

"Pl...plea.." tears rolled down her cheeks, her lips quivering as she stared into my eyes.

"Who sent you?" I asked again, my voice low and calm.

I clenched my jaw, stopping the growl that was about to slip out.

"Ridgesaw pa..ridges...alpha Cole.."

I released her from my grip, standing up as I stared at her, contemplating whether to kill her or not. How many of her have I killed?

Thirty?

Fifty?

Hundred?

I'd lost count at this point.

And I know exactly the moment her blood touched down, I won't be able to stop myself.

To stop my hunger.

I'd said Nikolai was the worst of us all, but I lied. I am the worst. Sex, food, sport, hunting, all those still satiated my brother.

But I needed something new. Something worth fighting for. Something that didn't kneel and beg. Something to challenge me.

"What should I do with her, Alpha?"

"Please, I beg you...spare me and I'll leave. I beg you...he...

In a flash, I was in front of her, my teeth sinking into her neck as her blood spilled on the floor. Her cries came to an end, life draining out of her body.

I pulled back, wiping my jaw with my sleeve as I stared at her lazily. She was small. They were all small. And yet they still kept sending them in hopes that they'd figure out something about us. And they'll use that to destroy us, take our power.

But instead, we kept killing them or enjoying them. Some became too attached to leave, like Melissa, all in hopes that we might fall in love with her or keep her forever. Others tried to run, but most of them only ended up dead, unable to leave this place.

The minute you entered our world, it became yours too. We never forced them, so they never blamed us.

"Clean this up, and send a message to Cole. Tell him we'll be attacking in a week. Ask him to prepare." I said as I returned to where I was sitting, watching my brothers continue their actions.

"Yes, alpha. The priestess is outside. She said she has news."

At that, everyone stopped what they were doing, my brother's eyes snapping to Basil.

Nikolai was the first to talk, "Everyone out!"

The beta carried the dead woman off the ground, the other ladies slipping their clothes on as they exited the room. At their exit, the priestess, a middle-aged woman, walked into the room, scrunching her nose up at the smell of everything.

"Do you have news this time?" Rowan spoke first.

"Yes, your highnesses. I have come bearing news."

"Good or bad?" Malakai asked.

The priestess gulped down, her smile faltering on her face before she replied, "Bad. Very bad."

I could already feel Rowan rolling his eyes, Malakai leaning back into a bored position, and Nikolai crossing his legs-their actions whenever they didn't want to hear anything.

"Go on Miasan." I said.

"I have finally found her, your highnesses. Your mate. She has been found."

We all fell silent at her words. For years, we had thought ourselves mateless, another curse to add to our hunger.

Miasan continued, "But there's a problem, my lords."

Nikolai scoffed, "What problem can there be, Miasan? This is good news. She's our mate."

She shook her head, her white eyes full of pity. It was a wonder how she always seemed to know where to look without eyeballs, "She'll be your doom or your making. She'll have the power to liberate you from your hunger. Or she can push you further into it. It'll be challenging, riveting, you'll reach a state you've never reached before."

I felt all my brothers sit up, their ears now attentive and intrigued. I met Nikolai's eyes, a small smile dancing on his lips.

They've also been bored, grown tired of the senseless killing and sex.

"If she's your making, your highness. It'll be something to celebrate. But if she's your doom.."

She shuddered, the rest of her words dying in her throat.

"What would happen if she's our doom?" Malakai asked.

She shook her head, a distraught look on her face, "I don't know either, my majesties. I was only shown. It'll be everyone's undoing if not taken care of."

Something rippled in my chest. Sweet. Charming. A challenge. Just like I've always wanted.

"And when is she to arrive?" Rowan asked.

"Soon. Soon." The priestess said as she bowed and exited the room.

I closed my eyes, savoring her words all over again. I could feel the blood of the woman I just killed trickling down my throat, tangling with my excitement.

For years, it has been a senseless hunger, killing, maiming, claiming with nothing to look forward to.

Now there was something to look forward to. My wolf growled inside of me, whining and snarling. Red flashed in my eyes as I shut it, calming myself down.

When I opened them, I met my brothers, and I could tell we were all thinking the same: "I want every woman prepared. We're going to have lots of fun."