The Beauty's Hidden Beast

Gold's POV

I woke up to the sound of Muir's rustling around and found him trying to sneak out without waking anyone up. I supported myself on my elbow, looking around the bedroom.

Curtis's tail was draped over Yali's waist. Skaris was sleeping under her legs. Bart was sleeping on the floor, taking the blanket along with him. Vick was sleeping in his hammock, which was hanging over the terrace window.

Mitchell returned to the Flame City a few days ago. The throne he used to occupy was vacant, same as Romeo's couch.

My spot was usually inside the indoor spring pool, not because I couldn't sleep on the bed with Yali, but because she would grope or stroke whatever her hands found, leaving me sleepless.

Look at Curtis; his tail was her current victim. She would pull, poke, and rub it, and he had to endure it until the morning, or until he gave up and moved to his spot on the floor. Most of the time, it would be Vick's beast keeping her busy, not always.

She opened her eyes and gave me a glimpse before closing them again. I got off the bed, following after Muir out of the bedroom.

"Did I wake you up?" Muir asked.

"Nightmare," I replied, pausing for a second before elaborating, "I keep seeing her... Jean. She is trying to persuade me, telling me how much she loves me. How she regrets leaving me, and how I should go to her."

Muir frowned, "How long has it been?"

"About a week," I replied as he gave me a once over. He asked if I remembered anything that would lead to this and I nodded my head.

I lifted my wrist, activating Karrak's phone which looked like a bracelet. Its screen popped out, unfolding into thin, rectangular screen, lighting up the corridor. "Show us the scene where the Ape King fought against Curtis and Parker," I ordered.

The device scanned the comic and showed us a certain part. There was a scene where the Ape King held Curtis and Parker back so I could escape with Jean.

I pointed at the certain part where the Ape King used mind control on Curtis, making him see Bai's illusion. "He obtained lots of emeralds from the Kings. His skills must be greater than in the comic," I concluded, "I don't understand why we are still keeping him alive."

"He saved Bai's life in the end," Muir replied, "Due to her good treatment toward her males, he couldn't bring himself to kill her. Our spouse doesn't have such a good image to have her life spared. He's a bigger threat to us dead than alive. It would be harder to keep tabs on him if he died and took control of another beastman through his soul stone."

"You are smart," I said.

"It's easy when you know the plot," he replied.

Yali asked Karrak to send us the comic as some sort of an anniversary gift. The comic's villains were barely a challenge, but she never lowered her guard. There was always someone greater above.

I believe she allowed the Ape King to roam free and get stronger because he had the "Beast God's" blessing, which she needed to obtain in order to get around Karrak. She didn't tell us directly, but her subtle hints made us aware of the fact that Karrak was always one of her top priorities.

"You've been distant lately," I finally stated. Muir was different from Curtis, who viewed Curtis in the comic as his ancestor. The question was: how much differently did he view it?

Muir's shoulders dropped, his head hung low, "The comic awaken something within me," he paused, "The attraction was sudden, and my heart was beating faster, the more I related to Muir's feelings in the comic. It's as if I used to be Bai's mate, and loved her. Loved her deeply and wholeheartedly, like he did."

I was quiet, and he sighed as if he was glad that he could get it off his chest, "I don't want to be separated from our spouse, but the thought of not having Bai by my side is unsettling. It's like an unspoken, silent vow I've made is breaking apart."

"What do you plan on doing?" I asked.

"Move on, and try to forget?" he replied, uncertain, "Bai doesn't remember any of this, and there's no need to make her remember. I would have given up on her if she didn't show up in the Flame City and needed my help. I can give up on her again."

"You are trying to fall out of love with Bai, what if you decide to do the same to Yali in the future too?" I asked, blocking his punch while explaining what I meant, "My love for Jean changed into hatred and resentment, not because I met Yali, but because Jean broke my heart. You loved Bai, and she came to love you back. But you are trying to forget her, to fall out of love for Yali's sake. If you continue on this path, you will end up resenting yourself. Do you think this will make Yali happy?"

"It won't," her voice resounded behind us, causing us to freeze.

Muir's eyes were filled with sorrow as he approached her. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his knees hitting the floor. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing his head against her stomach, "I'm sorry."

Yali chuckled, stroking his hair, "If you can accept me loving other bugs, I can accept you loving other chicks. I will have to put some effort into winning your heart and make you love me more, but that's the case with any other bug. Now let's cuddle…I'm feeling a bit lonely."

Muir immediately scooped her up, his hands under her legs and back. He carried her outside, toward the lake in the valley.

She was too light and grew thinner, but her might remained unmatched. I sat by the shore next to them and reached for her left hand, intertwining our fingers together.

Muir looked down at her, "What if I want to love you only? You're the best there is," he paused when he realized he had said the same to another person before, "I'm just a bug. My worth is beneath your feet, and yet you've chosen me."

"Bugs are hardworking. They are resilient, persistent, and go for bigger things than they can chew," she said, "Admirable qualities. Plus, they are cute. Haven't you seen yourself?"

"..." He fixed his gaze on her, looking lost and sad, unable to cheer up despite her attempt to do so, "I'm disappointed to find out that my love couldn't transcend time, yet I wouldn't be able to meet you if it did."

"That's the beauty of the soul. No matter the lifetime or realm, no matter how many times your memories gets erased, your soul will always remember. It's what makes you distinctively you, and not an empty vessel for others to manipulate."

Muir cradled her in a tighter embrace, "Thank you."

"For?"

"For not hating me."

"That's not possible."

"Why?"

"Because I love you."

"..."

"..."

His head turned red and steam started to pour out of his ears, "Don't say things like this out of the blue."

"But it's the truth," she said, shrugging her shoulders, "I've already said the words. Can't take them back."

He hid his face in her hair, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"You should go to Bai, you know," Yali suggested, "Before something bad happens to her and you start to regret it."

He shook his head, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not loving you only, for not being able to give you the love you deserve, for not being the one you deserve."

She didn't seem to care about not being loved enough and instead showed interest in his emotions, "You don't want to fuck her? Have you ever imagined both of us together? Or just one at a time?"

Muir paused and then started shaking her shoulders, "How can you be so shameless?" he asked, "I'm trying to be serious here, trying to say the right words and you are distracting and making fun of me."

"Sorry, but I like it better when you are smiling. I'm not joking. I'm just saying that I wouldn't mind if you want to try it together. If we ever return to the past or miss each other in the next lifetime, and you happen to remember me late like this, I'm open to sharing your chicks. I'll give them the time of their life, and make sure to leave them satisfied and craving more."

"Why didn't you take in a female as your spouse yet?" I asked while Muir continued to shake her shoulders in disbelief.

"Never found a compatible one," she replied, "There aren't many people with your attitudes out there. Not everyone can keep up with me, or be a good match. But getting a taste of the females you happen to fancy sounds appealing, and the fact that Muir has a thing for Bai intrigues me. She has a cute face, I won't mind making it look cuter…or messier. I can make her love it, and love me too," she continued, "Not that I would want to, unless Muir decides he wants her too. She's not my type, but it's good enough if she's his. I can see us having fun together."

"No," Muir cut her off, "I will not let you corrupt Bai with your dirty, dirty thoughts."

"The ones with the purest face always end up being the biggest perverts, the biggest freaks, the wildest of them all. You just didn't awaken her yet. She's still waiting for the right person to come and claim her, and I might be just the person," Yali continued to tease him, her head bobbing back and forth with all the shaking, "With all those inexperienced big dicks by her side, she must be aching for a change."

He shook her again, and her head fell back. She faked being dead, her tongue sticking out, and her eyes rolled to the back.

I didn't know whether to cry or laugh. She distracted him enough to lift his spirit, but the way she did it made me want to smack her too.

"No, we are not done yet," Muir licked her tongue back in and kissed her lips. His mouth opened wider, his hands cupping her face, and his teeth began nibbling on her lips, "Stop playing dead, and start playing alive. Start talking dirty. Talk more. Tell me more. I want to hear everything."

She laughed and started telling him about how she would tie up his chicks, blindfold them, and tease them with his feathers.

"Not that," he groaned, biting her lips, "Tell me more about how you would do me, or how I would do you."

I held in a laugh when she dropped dead in disinterest again.

As I listened to them, I could't help but share my opinion too, "Bai won't be happy living with the rest of us. Nobody is going to adapt to her lifestyle and at least half of us will refuse to share our Yali with her."

"I'll erase Muir's memories of Yaya if he chooses Bai," Karrak's voice echoed from my bracelet.

My blood ran cold. The idea of someone wiping away our memories of Yali was terrifying. I could tell from Muir's expression that he felt the same. Vick could be scary, but I was never genuinely scared of him like I was scared of Karrak right now. My fingers around her hand tightened, and she returned the gesture.

"It's the best solution for all the problems. Muir will have Bai, and he won't feel guilty. Yaya doesn't have a possessive bone in her body, and doesn't care about not being the best or the most loved. She's more of a free spirit, and loves too much to be jealous. Don't take advantage of her nature," Karrak's voice continued, "You tend to do that a lot, don't you? Muir?"

Muir pulled her closer, pressing her against his chest. His dark eyes turned sharp and his jaw clenched, "She might not have a possessive bone in her body, but her feelings are strong, and not everyone can accept them, or handle them. There's a reason why only we remained by her side."

He gritted his teeth, "No matter how many times she pushes me away, or denies my existence, I will always be there for her. I will keep my promise to Bai, not as her mate but as someone who has pledged his life to protect her. Yaya support my decision because she likes that quality of mine, not because I'm taking advantage of her nature."

"I like his determination," Yali admitted, "If anything, I'm taking advantage of his dedication."

"We all are," I added. "If Muir ever falls out of love with Yali or finds out there is another female he loves more than her, we will drag him back and remind him where he belongs, like we did with Vick."

"..." Muir glanced at me, his eyes watering, "Thank you."

"Don't forget his chick," Yali reminded, causing Muir to shake her shoulders again, his disbelief changing into doting helplessness, "The chick is important. I want to meet her and play with her. We need a chick."

Karrak was quiet and then his voice echoed again, "Your tastes in women are more questionable than your tastes in men, Yaya."

"Don't judge," she replied.

"I'm judging, but I'm not blaming you. There's no accounting for taste. It's subjective, and doesn't need to make sense," Karrak replied, "Anyway, I'm not going to erase Muir's memories of Yaya. I just wanted to scare you guys a little."

"..."

"..."

╔═══ Author's note ════╗

Muir expresses his loyalty and devotion differently than the rest. It's hard to explain, and not easy to convey in writing, but it's something that's been bugging me a lot. 🫠

I always thought that I didn't appreciate Muir's character enough because of that. He isn't just an errand boy who takes orders and flies to fetch what his mate and her males needs. He is a warrior, a proud male who is driven by his sense of duty and honor.

Thanks for reading my ramblings and Happy New Year! 🎊

╚═════════════════╝