Page 23 of Her Feral Beasts

“Yeah,” I say, trying to sound cooler than I am and coming across much worse. I decide to try my newfound friendship skills and hold up my student card. “I’m Lia, eagle. This is Minnie, tiger.”

I’m hoping Minnie being a tiger will hold some sway over the other beasts because as things go, tigers are right up there on the power chain.

Raquel nods in acknowledgement, their piercings shining under the bright hallway lights.

But Sabrina rolls her eyes. She’s unimpressed with us and I know that for sure when she turns her back and the two of them walk away down the corridor.

Minnie’s mouth drops open and we stare at the obvious display. Abruptly turning your back on any animalia means you think they’re too weak to be a threat. It’s a great form of disrespect, especially between beasts of the same age who aren’t friends.

“Don’t worry about it,” I mutter, tugging Minnie after them and the two lionesses walking out of the third room. “They don’t know us, that’s all.”

“You’re right,” Minnie says. “A bit of breakfast and everyone will be much happier.”

More animas join us going down the stairs from the levels above and below. There are a few terse mutters exchanged and more than a few glares from the more senior animas. At the end of the day, they want to establish the hierarchy, and Minnie and I aretold, more than once, that we’re at the bottom.

Two lionesses shove us aside as they jog down the stairs and someone yanks on my ponytail. With a yelp, I’m pulled backwards and just manage to stay on my feet. When I turn, black painted lips smirk at me.

Serpent.

Shit. I recognise those slitted pupils from my father’s court. This one is called Natalia, and she was a year above me in primary school. She and another serpent girl with heavy black eyeliner glare at us before pushing past and surging ahead to go down the stairs.

Fuck the pecking order, but Iknowthis will be nothing compared to the males of the academy. Animas take it seriously enough, but there’s usually not the same brutality to it as the animus’.

We manage to find ourselves clustered with our group of first year girls, because Raquel and Sabrina have been pushed back as well, despite their best efforts to remain haughty. There’s six of us in total, including the two lionesses, Yana and Stacey, looking off-kilter, eyes darting around. We all might not like each other, but we have no choice but to keep as a group.

And it’s a good thing because Theresa and a few other counsellors are waiting for us outside, the older girls already milling around them and eyeing us like we’ve all got headlice.

“Animas,” Theresa says by way of greeting. “If you’ve all taken a good look at each other for mates, we’ll all head over to the field for mating lines.”

I choke, but Minnie laughs. “It’s where we’re shown to the animus’ to see if us unmated animas have any mates we’ve not met before. It’s better to do it in a safe environment rather than organically. It could cause chaos.”

“Thank you, Minnie,” Theresa says, beaming at her. “You’re exactly right.”

“I read it in the student handbook,” my friend pipes proudly.

Sabrina and Yana roll their eyes, but as we make our way to the field, everyone quickly forgets to keep their noses in the air because the males are also streaming from their dorms onto the field not twenty steps from us.

This is actually like my worst nightmare made reality.

It’s a precariously controlled chaos of swaggering males, and they only seem to be behaving due to the guns pointed in their faces. Most of them are fully clothed in T-shirts and pants, but many are shirtless, likely showing their order and gang-affiliated tattoos and markings. While they’re trying to get a look at us, they’re also trying to assert their dominance over each other. Until they’ve established who fits where in the power chain, there’s a danger a fight will break out and us animas can all feel the taut strain of latent power mingling in the air.

There are just as many armed guards today, but even with the six standing by the field, it doesn’t stop the overt masculine excitement at the new anima scents in the air and the sight of us.

One of the males walking past says something unintelligible but suggestive, and it’s followed by a chorus of deep laughter.

The older girls all seem to be used to it because they just flip their hair and stare them down.

Minnie’s smile falters only for a moment before she plasters it back on, but I can’t help notice that she discreetly steps closer to my side. Raquel scowls at anyone who looks our way, while Sabrina is thoroughly amused by the attention, flicking her long black ponytail and raising an eyebrow at the wandering eyes.

Me? I don’t even know what to do with my faceorbody because I’m trying not to show how freaked out I am. While I’m used to a little male chaos from years of going out on jobs, I’m not used to beingseenby males. Dodging them while invisible is easy. But being watched? Being assessed? It makes me heat up all over and I’m fumbling to concentrate on maintaining my shields. I’ve recovered enough to put back up five of my seven shields. No one should be able to scent me, but I’m still sweating under the heat of their attention. My anima is going feral inside my body, trying to see if we can catch a glimpse of our mates, and thumping her down is hard enough on its own.

Theresa herds us animas behind a wall and we wait there, just listening to the buzz of the other students streaming in. After a couple of minutes, I hear the clink of chains and Theresa peeks out.

“The more feral students and first year animus’ are coming in,” she explains. “They’ll be shackled in case they’re not sure how to handle themselves around a new mate.”

The first-year males are greeted with growls and there is jostling and jeering going on that I try to ignore. Minnie gulps next to me. I take her hand and squeeze it and she looks up at me gratefully.

A male lion appears around the wall, waving in greeting. He’s a black-skinned male with a lean build and wears his long black hair in a braid down to his lower back. There are crystal studs in both of his ears, and he grins cheerfully at us.

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