Page 45 of Monsters After Dark

My Monster

Leann Ryans

I was alone in the darkness.

Or I thought I was.

The small noises that reached me could be explained away. A rat scurrying down the tunnel beyond. The wind whipping through openings in the caves.

I’d chosen what I thought was the most secure cavern to create my nest. It wasn’t the deepest, I hadn’t been able to reach an end to the cave system, but it was off a side tunnel where I thought I wouldn’t be found.

Not that it seemed like there was anyone to find me. I knew my home village wasn’t the only one in these mountains, but I hadn’t seen a single person since the night I’d ran away.

My father’s death had left me with no protection. On the cusp of my first heat, I was being fought over by the alphas before his body had even cooled.

And I wouldn’t let myself be claimed by the ones that seemed likely to win.

Murderous slobs. Little better than filthy animals. Even the monsters they told stories of would be a better choice than any of them.

But that left me going into heat alone in the mountains.

Stumbling across the cave had seemed to be a blessing, and finding the system beyond was more than I could have hoped for. Despite not encountering anyone during my trek, I hadn’t wanted to be exposed while I was vulnerable. The caves would keep my scent from spreading on the wind and drawing in any alpha close enough to be affected by my pheromones.

I tossed restlessly on my meager pile of rushes. The cramps were already ripping at my middle when I found my hiding place, so I hadn’t had much time to prepare. The armful of sweet grass I hadn’t been able to resist as I made my way through the woods wasn’t enough to cushion the hard stone below me. Even adding my cloak overtop it didn’t make the unforgiving surface any more pleasant.

A whine escaped as I thought of my bed. The piles of pillows and blankets I’d hoarded over the years in preparation. They would have been added to the bedding provided by the alpha my father chose for me, yet even he hadn’t found anyone in our village worthy of an omega bride. He’d planned to take us to a new village with better prospects, but when the others found out, they’d killed him.

Tears built, spilling over and running down my grubby cheeks, but my mind couldn’t focus on grief with lava burning through my veins. My middle tightened, lungs locking as another wave of pain spread from my core. Fresh slick spilled over my thighs, but I was beyond the point of caring about my sorry state.

A soft sob left me as the cramp passed, eyes blinking open in a vain effort to find distraction. Eyes opened or closed, there was no difference in what I could see. Perhaps that was why the small sounds I heard kept catching my attention.

A scuff pulled my head to the left. I’d turned too many times to know which direction I faced or where the tunnel entrance was, but instincts said the sound came from beyond my little cave.

Ears straining to catch more noise, I held my breath as I waited. My heart was racing in my chest, fluttering as fissions of fear streaked through me.

Had I been found?

I’d done my best to cover my tracks as I left the village. Sticking to the hard path until I reached the stream, then wading through it until my feet were so numb I could no longer feel them. Even when I left the water I was careful to climb out over a fall of rocks so I wouldn’t leave any traces. I’d camped without a fire, eating the food I’d stuffed in the one bag I’d brought with me as I huddled beneath my cloak, yet visions of the alphas from the village bursting into my cave filled my head.

My core clenched again, and I had to swallow back a cry of pain. Lips pinched together, I trembled through the building pressure until another gush of fluid escaped between my legs.

The fabric beneath me was soaked, the sweet smell of slick overpowering the aroma released by the grass. My body went limp when the cramp passed, leaving me panting as I tried to prepare for the next. They would continue until my heat was over or I was knotted by an alpha. Without their potent seed to soothe the burning demand of my womb, it was going to be a rough few days.

My head lolled and my breathing eased as I let my mind drift again. I already felt weak from days of travel coupled with the loss of fluid, but I couldn’t search for water in my state. I had a little left in my waterskin, but I had to save it for after my heat broke.

If I lasted that long.

Another scrape sounded beyond my little bubble, but I was too tired to lift my head and look for the source. It was all in vain anyway when I was enveloped in darkness. I couldn’t even see the hand at the end of my arm.

Turning to try to get comfortable, another whine slipped through my control, the soft sound seeming loud as it echoed around me. I had no idea what else could be living in the cave system I’d found, I could only hope whatever it was would be scared away from the scent of human. It wouldn’t be long before I was in no state to defend myself.

As I fell deeper into the daze of my encroaching cycle, the sounds outside my tiny cave became more frequent. The steady scraping had a rhythmic pattern, one I knew I should recognize, but my brain refused to focus on anything outside the demands of my own body. The heat building beneath my skin, the irritation of the restrictive dress twisting around me with each change of position, the building pressure in my womb, and the pulsing throb of need between my thighs.

Rolling over again, the abrasive brush of my coarse dress across my tightened nipples became too much. I rose to my knees, tugging it off with a growl and tossing it somewhere beyond the bounds of my nest. It didn’t matter that I’d struggle to find it once my cycle passed, only that the offending material was beyond my current reach.

Cool air brushed across my sensitive flesh, bringing a sigh to my lips as I let myself sit back on my heels. There was a new scent on the breeze that played through my cave, something musky and rich and mouthwatering, but I didn’t know where it came from. It teased my senses, prickling the hairs on the back of my neck, and bringing a fresh surge of slick from my core.

I couldn’t resist the need for release any longer.

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