Psycho Beasts: Enemies to Lovers Romance (Cruel Shifterverse Book 3)

After banging my head against the bathroom door like a lunatic, I finally calmed down enough to recognize what was happening.

I’d made the transition from prude to slut, and I was struggling with the lifestyle change.

Breathing deeply, I pressed my cheeks against the cold stall and calmed my heart.

I might be dumb, but I wasn’t a dumb bitch.

“It’s just a dick. It’s not that deep,” I whispered to myself as I dry-heaved into the toilet, farted out a concerning amount of white substance, slapped my face, then spread my arms and legs wide for confidence.

My panic attack waned, and I was able to see my new slutty reality for what it was: a blessing.

“They’re basically your bitches. You aren’t their bitch,” I whispered while shadowboxing against an invisible opponent.

Memories flashed through my mind.

I’d told Cobra I loved him after he told me I was his possession and he owned me.

Oh my god, I’m their bitch.

I proceeded to learn a very important lesson: it’s impossible to strangle yourself with toilet paper.

I yelled with frustration when the damn paper ripped for the tenth time right when I was starting to get some good pressure, and a woman’s voice called out, “Are you okay in there?”

I groaned, “Why is it so soft and pliable but so easily broken?”

“What?”

“By the holy sun god, just let me die in slutty shame.”

My toilet lady got angry. “Oh please, we both know there’s no such thing as a slut.”

I wailed, aware that I was being melodramatic but unable to stop myself.

“But what do you call a woman who gets violently fucked by four men and enjoys it?” I shuddered. “Like really violently, and like really enjoyed it. I can’t emphasize enough how much enjoyment.” I paused. “And how much violence.” I coughed. “Whatever you’re picturing, make it twenty times worse.” I coughed harder. “As concerning as possible.”

My toilet savior sighed. “I’d say she was one lucky woman.”

I breathed deeply and composed myself. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that right now.”

I pushed open the stall, and my savior stared back at me.

Turned out female empowerment came in the form of a four-foot-tall woman wearing a leather suit with holes cut out around the nipples.

“You’re so wise,” I said gravely.

“Oh my god, you’re the girl who was just on the platform!” She slapped my arm with surprising strength. “Bitch, I’ve never seen four more attractive men in my entire life. If you don’t want them, I’ll take them.”

I laughed.

She didn’t.

“My name is Jenny, and I live in the financial district around Third Street. Tell them I’m here every weekend.”

“Um.” I pursed my lips, unsure what was happening.

“Thank you so much. You’re the best.” Jenny gave me a hug. “Tell them they can find me by the back exit sign. I’ll be waiting for them.” She smiled and pranced out of the bathroom.

I narrowed my bloodshot eyes in the mirror as I splashed cold water on my face.

What had just happened?

Had I just set the men up with another woman?

I scrubbed my face, wondering how things had gotten so confusing.

On one hand, I wanted to attack Jenny for even looking at the men, but on the other hand, I felt bad because she was looking forward to them and she’d helped me out of a dark place.

It was a pickle.

“That’s the women’s restrooms!” Dean’s voice yelled outside, and I jumped in surprise.

“I know. Just go back to the stairs. I’ll meet you there later. Don’t interrupt me,” a voice snarled back. I recognized it, but I couldn’t place it.

That was the only warning I got.

A familiar bald alpha with a cigarette in his lips charged into the restroom with his gun pointed at my face.

I stilled in shock as I tried to process what the fuck was going on.

Apparently, Dean and Logan’s third pack member was Hunter.

The alpha who’d beaten me until I’d chosen death, who I’d also happened to infect with my blood.

Fuck.

I’d been hoping he’d just forget about it.

An enchanted gun hovered inches from my forehead.

I stated the obvious. “This bathroom does not have good energy.”

The safety clicked off as Hunter pressed the barrel into my forehead.

I pursed my lips. It seemed like he was holding a grudge.

“Listen, it really wasn’t personal.”

Hunter stepped closer until his caustic alpha scent overwhelmed my senses. “I’m making it fucking personal. I found out from Z you’d be completing your third initiation here and wanted to make sure I didn’t miss the fun.”

He pressed the barrel harder against my forehead.

I’d already had my mental breakdown, so I couldn’t panic appropriately.

“This is how it’s gonna go.” His cigarette hung from his lips, and he leaned forward so the burning end was precariously close to my face.

“You and I are going to enter into an agreement. I won’t tell everyone that you’re part witch, making you a wanted half-breed, and in return, you’re going to do something for me.” He pulled down his zipper, making it clear what he was referencing.

I glared at him with disgust.

I took it all back; what had happened with the men was beautiful and, frankly, inspirational.

This was violence.

He smirked, and bile burned my throat as I mentally reviewed my options.

I bit down on my cheek until I tasted coppery blood.

“You so much as begin to shift, or I see a glimpse of whatever that shit was that flew at me before, I’m pulling this trigger.” Hunter’s eyes were manic and wide. He licked his lips, and he shoved the butt harder into my head.

He wanted to do it.

Fuck.

Hunter smirked, thinking he had won, as he pushed my head down.

I fell to my knees and sent images of what was happening to my shadow snake, praying to the moon goddess that the connection worked like I thought it did.

Everything was happening so fast.

I couldn’t think.

The gun was cold against my forehead, and I mentally screamed at the snake, begging Cobra to understand.

To help.

“They thought they could threaten me and get away with it.” He laughed. “That’s not how this city works.”

Blood filled my throat as I bit down on my tongue. He didn’t make any sense, but it didn’t matter.

Hunter pulled his dick out of his pants.

He stepped closer.

Could I spit my blood at him? Could I shift? Could I do it faster than a bullet to the brain?

I had a half second to decide.

“Open your mouth,” Hunter demanded, and I gnashed my teeth together as hard as I could.

Terror paralyzed my chest.

From the corner of my eye, the flashing lights outside made shadows contort on the walls.

No, wait, the shadow was moving across the wall.

Relief made my head spin.

Cobra’s shadow snakes slithered in one long black snake against the wall.

“Open your mouth,” Hunter growled.

I leaned my head back, hyperaware of the gun that leaned with me, as I squeezed my eyes shut and begged the snake to take him out before he shot me.

Abruptly, the gun stopped pressing into my forehead.

I opened my eyes, and the gun clattered against the floor, Hunter’s arm limp at his side.

Large snake’s fangs sank venom into Hunter’s neck as he stumbled in confusion.

I didn’t hesitate.

Rearing back, I slammed my fist into his face as hard as I could.

Cartilage snapped beneath my knuckles, and I relished the feel of his face breaking my fist.

I’m going to fucking destroy you.

He grunted with confusion and pain as the venom coursed through him, and I beat him with my fist as hard as I could.

Blood splattered as I threw his body against the wall and stalked forward, slamming my knuckles at him until he was an unidentifiable, bloody lump beneath me.

“Open your mouth,” I snarled at him like he’d threatened me.

I yanked down his jaw and punched out his teeth.

My knuckles burned in the best way.

His jaw broke with a satisfying crack, teeth falling to the floor.

“What, you don’t enjoy being on the other side of it?” I taunted as I broke his skull, shattered his cheekbones, and made sure he would remember just who the fuck he had threatened.

Suddenly, the door slammed opened, and angry alphas stalked in.

Their eyes swept over Hunter’s exposed dick, the gun on the floor, his busted face, and my bloodstained knuckles.

Faces hardened.

I’d thought I’d seen them angry before, but now I knew what true rage looked like.

They didn’t hiss or roar; they were dead silent.

They stalked past me, chestnuts, cinnamon, and frost spiking like they were on fire.

Ascher stopped beside me and wrapped his tattooed arm around my shoulders. He pulled me tight against him, alpha-purring as he held me close and tried to offer comfort.

“Princess, step away from the fucker,” Ascher whispered roughly as he dragged me away from Hunter.

I leaned against him, grateful for the support.

His tattooed hands trembled as they ran over every inch of my body, like he was desperate to make sure I was okay.

When he got to my busted knuckles, he hissed in air through his teeth.

“It’s fine,” I whispered. “I handled it.”

“No, Princess, it’s not fucking fine,” Ascher growled as he wrapped his arms tighter around me and held me.

I melted into him as we watched the other men.

Jax pulled Hunter’s hands behind his back.

The shadow snake slithered off his neck and back onto Cobra’s skin, and Hunter stopped convulsing with pain.

With Hunter missing half his teeth, with a busted face, his words were barely understandable. “How dare that whore touch me. How dare you put your hands on me again.”

Cobra hissed, “You dare call her names.” He slammed his fist into Hunter’s gory face with such force I was surprised the fucker didn’t lose his head.

“You touched my kitten.” Cobra said quietly, “You hurt what’s mine.”

Xerxes flicked open the sex knife.

“You’ll never get away with this.” Hunter’s skin rippled as he began to shift.

“Stop shifting!” Jax alpha-barked, the power in his voice stronger than anything I’d ever heard.

The walls rippled as he spoke.

For a split second, Hunter stilled.

Xerxes didn’t hesitate. He slashed the knife down Hunter’s torso, from neck to navel.

Cobra reached his hands inside the split skin and grabbed Hunter’s organs. “You dared to try to force yourself upon her.” He snarled.

“Pigs like you don’t deserve to live,” he unraveled his organs, pulling them out with impossible speed.

Hunter screamed.

Cobra disemboweled him.

Jax held the thrashing alpha immobile, his face ice-cold.

They were merciless.

Xerxes picked the gun off the floor and clicked off the safety.

Jax released Hunter, and he collapsed to his knees, gasping as he grabbed at the organs still being ripped from his body by Cobra.

The omega walked to stand beside his packmates. Rage radiated off all three of them in tangible waves.

There was a loud pop.

Xerxes lowered the smoking gun.

Hunter’s body collapsed, a glowing blue hole in the center of his forehead.

Cobra kept pulling at the organs, blood staining his pale hands as he tore at the dead alpha’s body. His eyes were wide with mania, and he worked in silence.

“He’s dead,” Jax whispered and wrapped his arms around Cobra. “He’s dead.”

Abruptly, Cobra stopped and turned his head around.

He stared at my bloody hands, watched as Ascher held me and whispered words of comfort.

Cobra stalked across the room and reached his hand for my face, but he pulled it back when he realized gore dripped from his fingers.

“Kitten,” he whispered brokenly. “This is my fault.”

I shook myself out of the stupor I’d fallen into. It was slightly traumatizing, and yet weirdly satisfying, watching your assaulter get his organs ripped out and a bullet to the brain after you beat his face into a bloody pulp.

Free therapy.

Jax growled and raked his hands down his face. “Fuck, this is our fault.”

I didn’t think I’d ever heard him swear before.

“How?” I asked with confusion.

Jax sighed heavily.

“After the second trial, when you and Xerxes—” He waved his hand as if he didn’t know what to call our violent sexcapade. “We went to the club and cornered Hunter. We beat him up pretty good and threatened to kill him if he ever hurt you again.”

Cobra snarled, “I didn’t lie.”

Ascher sighed heavily, like he was beyond exhausted by recent events. “We also talked to Clarissa and told her that it was our fault for misleading her, but that we’d never had any real interest. We were idiots who were trying to get a rise out of you after we thought you rejected us.”

Cobra wiped gore off his hands onto his leather and said, “I wanted to beat her up for lying and touching you. I still think we should have.”

“It was more our fault for leading her on, and you know it,” Ascher snarled back.

If I weren’t feeling extremely unwell, I might have marveled at the fact that Ascher, who had once referred to all women as sluts, had recognized that he was the problem and not Clarissa.

However, since I was still in a state of extreme duress, I decided not to be impressed by a man doing the bare minimum.

“So—” I clapped my hands and pointed to the dead alpha at our feet. “—what do we do now? Pretty sure there was a law against murdering other alphas.”

Jax said, “Rule two hundred and three. Punishment by death.”

“But rule ninety-four, punishment for sexually assaulting any shifter is death and disembowelment,” Cobra argued back. “We were in the right.”

I narrowed my eyes and stared down at the dead body. “That feels too easy. We should burn him and flush the ashes down the toilet.”

Ascher laughed, the sound out of place among the death and gore. “You’ve clearly never gotten rid of a dead body before.”

“And you have?”

Suddenly, Ascher looked uncomfortable as he rubbed at the back of his neck. He couldn’t meet my eyes.

“Oh my sun god, how many people have you murdered, Ascher?”

He squinted and mumbled, “One for every tattoo.”

I covered my mouth in shock because every inch of his golden skin was covered in tattoos.

I’d made love to a serial killer.

Another panic attack seized my lungs.

Before I could go back into my bathroom stall and resume falling apart, the door to the bathroom slammed open.

All of us jumped, and I spat out my blood, preflinging it across the room, not willing to be caught with a gun to my forehead like last time.

It was the bouncer from outside.

Thankfully, he didn’t see the ball of blood hovering in the air beside him.

“You’ve caught the attention of the owners,” the bouncer said as he gestured at an enchanted broadcast stone in the upper corner of the room.

I let my levitating blood fall to the ground, hoping the stone didn’t see it.

The bouncer smiled as he looked at my busted knuckles and Cobra’s gore covered hands. “They’re impressed with your savagery and want to personally invite you to their private club. Follow me.”

With that, he turned around and left.

I stepped over the dead body and grimaced at Cobra. “Good work, I guess. But, I had it handled.”

“I killed him, baby girl,” Xerxes whined like he was looking for praise.

Cobra grabbed his leash and dragged him forward. “No talking, omega, unless I say so.”

He mumbled something about Kitten being his and him seeing me first under his breath, but I chose to ignore it.

I gagged as I walked into the club, because Hunter’s blood made my steps squishy.

Technically, we’d accomplished our goal.

But for some reason, it didn’t feel like a win.