Page 33 of Their Pretty Little Monster

“Bringing together true mates has been crucial to our lives, and the Veil Ritual has been the foundation of our society for generations.” He pauses, ensuring the full attention of every monster present. “True mates are rare, but there are times when destiny generously provides us with a pulsing star in the sky. It’s a bond that brings forth strength, unity, and sometimes, the salvation of our kind.”

Wolfe’s eyes gleam as he looks around, his stare pausing on me a few seconds too long before he continues.

“Today, we gather to celebrate the possibility of such an occasion. May the participants find their true mates today and reveal the path that destiny has laid out for us.”

Everyone breaks out into a hooting sound, the noise loud and warming to see their people uniting.

“May the ritual commence.”

In a flash, the girls, half a dozen of them, hurry forward, taking a line in front of the woods, facing them.

Behind them, the men move in, standing in a row.

Killian ushers me forward while Nyko calls out, “Don’t make it easy for him.”

I glance back, unsure what he means, and suddenly, I’m in the line with the other girls, all of us dressed similarly. Killian steps back and joins the men, all bare-chested, looking ready to wrestle bears, except their eyes are all on us.

Killian winks at me, and my stomach twists.

“Rules are simple,” Wolfe begins. “Brides get a head start. The moment you are captured by your mate, you are his, and the true magic of the ritual will reveal itself if destiny has blessed you.”

I lean in next to the girl near me, who’s trembling, appearing as shaken as me. “I’m so nervous I could cry.”

She grins at me, her yellow eyes squinting, and it’s nice to have a friendly face. “It’s all theatrics, really. We’ll each get selected, but there’s an off chance that the ritual magic will awaken our true mate connection. My mother told me that it’s so powerful, once established, they will die for one another.”

“That’s intense.” The more she tells me, the more this ritual frightens me. “And once they catch us?” I glance over my shoulder at Killian, who’s watching me like a hawk.

“I’m Joa. You’re Sage, right? Everyone’s been talking about the new girl.”

“That’s me,” I say, nervously.

“Hey, it’s not too bad here. The males love it when you’re rough with them in the ritual.”

“Rough?” I must have sounded panicked.

She grins at me, leaning in closer, and slips into my hand a short blade.

“Here, I have three on me. You can take one. Maybe cut them a bit, be fierce.”

I swallow hard, and I half choke on a laugh. “You’ve just described the complete opposite of me.”

But she’s already glancing back at the line of men farther behind us, blushing as she stares at a man with wild blue hair and matching reptile eyes. “That’s the fun part, refusing them at first,” she whispers. “They mark you.”

I stiffen. “Wait, mark us… how?”

An abrupt hissing noise grabs my attention, and I twist toward the woods, watching as pink mist unfurls from nozzles mounted on the sides of the rooftop walls, pumping it into the forest. It seeps between the branches and trees, weaving through the woodland.

“What’s that?” I murmur, shaking and struggling to pretend I’m not panicking.

“The Essence of Ethros, a flower grown only on our vessel and known for its potent scent that will draw out the true nature from us and our mates. You have to inhale a lot of it to be effective.”

A piercing siren instantly goes off, loud and deafening, and I flinch.

The girls bolt into the woods.

“Run, Sage,” Wolfe’s yelling.

Ritual.

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