Page 119 of Her Feral Beasts

Reuben steps out between me and the others, his tall frame towering over them. “You always had a way with words, Sav. It’s a wonder how you’re illiterate.” He barks to the rest, “Clear out.”

I’m breathing hard and staring as they all walk away as slowly as they can, although I sense they want to run. They don’t want to activate my prey drive. It’s on a hair trigger as it is.

Reuben takes a drink from his bottle but doesn’t take his eyes off me.

“You wanna fight, Sav?” he asks, wiping his mouth. He puts on the boxing pads, never taking his eyes off me. He beckons with them. “Come and fight, then.”

I charge at him.

He bares his teeth as I hit the pads, pummelling them with vicious speed. I’m hitting him harder than I should, but my blood is screaming, my head is pounding, and my wolf wants to see blood spattering his skin. It doesn’t even matter I’m missing an index finger; I enjoy the pain of the amputated finger, that sheer, hostile burn. Aurelia healed it before I came in her so hard that my body is still wired from it. Somehow, she made my body even stronger, and now my wolf is all feral madness.

Reuben keeps up, but it’s not enough for what I need.

“Take the fucking pads off and hit me!” I roar.

He ignores me, knowing it’s the only thing keeping my wolf at bay. “It’s over that eagle anima, isn’t it?” Reuben huffs, stepping sideways as I jog on the spot. “The one who went to court today.”

I snarl and lunge at him.

He deflects, smacking me over the head. My head snaps to the side, but the pain feels so fucking good.

“You have an unusual amount of rage, even over a pretty anima,” Reuben grunts. “It’s not healthy. It’ll get your ass killed, pup.”

Agree to disagree.

“Your obsession over this girl is not normal,” he presses. “Let her go.”

It’s my wolf who roars, “SHE’S MY REGINA!”

Reuben rears back in shock, his brown eyes wide. “Yourregina?”

She whimpered my name.Mine,inmyear, from the way my cock was inside of her. Her sweet sounds resound in my head, and I want more.

But I know what Reuben is thinking, a beast like me is usually rex to a pack of females. It makes sense given my power. But he doesn’t know Aurelia, doesn’t know how well she took me last night. How she made me feel.

“What do you mean?” he asks carefully. “Why is she not—”

“Because she doesn’t want to,” I growl. “She Doesn’t. Fucking. Want. Me.”

Reuben sighs, falling back on his ass and staring at me. “She thinks you’re too dangerous.”

I shrug.

“She’d be right, Sav.”

I glare at him, but he’s right. I’m not really stable in any way. “I don’t know what to do.” Those words have never come out of my mouth and it almost feels like another man is saying them.

“I’m sure she wants you too,” Reuben says quietly. “Reginas have an unquenchable need for their pack. She must be worried about all the other shit she has going on.”

He has no idea.

“Yeah, but she should have come to me about it. I’ve never wanted to help anybody. But she won’t let me.”

“She doesn’t know you.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It’s harder for the women, pup.” Reuben strokes his long brown beard and I don’t even care that he’s calling me that. “We are their natural predators. A relationship has to be built on trust. Regina or not. You can’t trust someone you don’t know.”

---