Page 57 of Her Feral Beasts

Cold terror wracks through my insides, even as Savage’s huge wolf heats my naked skin with his own, his tongue swiping eagerly at my chin.

There is violence around me and possessiveness over me, and it’s as alluring as it is terrifying.Scythe has a power that I’ve never experienced before and I can’t believe it excites me like it does. It’s like the sharpest tip of a blade, precisely,cleanlyslicing through each of my shields one at a time.

I want to scream, but my voice is stuck in my throat, choked up with terror and confusion. They’ve forced me to submit to them, literally and psychically, and as Scythe slices my shields, my vulnerability escalates one layer at a time.

My physical protective shield goes.

My scent shield is torn apart.

My blood shield crumples.

My mental shield dissolves.

My two psychic shields fall away.

Finally, my last defence against a world that will destroy me, my mating mark shield, disappears with a puff like it wasn’t even there.

The full force of our mating bond hits us all in a visible wave of sheer celestial power. Something that existed before we were born and will exist long after. Something bigger than us. Something mightier than us.

I struggle to breathe through the desire, the pure need to bond with each of them, to join anima and animuses and be whole once again.

But my brain is scrambling. It’s truly a terrifying thing to be under Scythe’s control. As he looms over me, his mating mark now visible to my eyes on his neck. It takes my breath away; that golden skull gleaming with celestial light. Its sight is vicious and demanding; a sheer order to claim my mates. To love them and let them have me in all ways.

But they attacked me.

Hunted me like prey and pinned me to the ground like meat.

They made a contract with my father and nothing can forgive that.

But just as Scythe opens his mouth to speak, he and Savage are torn away from me as if by a giant’s hand.

I gasp as Savage’s heavy weight is abruptly removed and I can breathe again. Coughing, I fling back up every single one of my shields. Minnie makes a sad sound nearby as she’s unfrozen and we both roll over to see what the hell is happening.

Students are streaming outside behind an animalistic Lyle who has both his palms facing the men who hang limply in the air, and a face full of rage. Behind him, Theresa and the other staff rush towards us, including feline guards who hold their palms up to help to restrain a violently protesting wolf-Savage with telekinesis. Xander and Scythe remain still and tense in the air.

Minnie lopes over to me, shielding my naked body with her tiger’s body.

“I trusted you, Scythe,” Lyle roars. “You didn’t honour your agreement. You took advantage. You’re all in fucking lockdown.”

Reuben, our head fighting instructor, jogs out with his team behind him. He bursts into a vicious white wolf and his team follow suit. They form a pack that rushes under Savage’s body, forming a snarling, snapping circle to receive him. Lyle lowers Savage and the five other wolves growl and bare their teeth, ready to make him submit.

Savage growls right back, but he’s surrounded by too many grown snapping mouths and has no choice but to be escorted out. He snarls the entire time and looks back to give me a pining glance, but I just scowl at him over Minnie’s back.

Xander is lowered to the ground next and received by a group of so many guards I can’t even count them. They throw obsidian shackles on his ankles and wrists straight away. Neither he nor Scythe put up a fight as the shark is also taken away in shackles. Xander does not look at me as he leaves, but Scythe’s eyes find me and those blue ice chips are unreadable.

The buzz of students’ voices rises in the air as, no doubt, rumours spread right before me. Theresa crouches next to Minnie and I, orange jumpsuits in her hands. She snatches up my old duffle bag, still lying on the grass from before I shifted and hands it to me.

She gives me a look that says something like, ‘ReallyAurelia? Running away?’ but spares me anything verbal just yet.

Wild Mother bless her, honestly, because I don’t think I could take a telling off right now.

Not when escape had beensoclose.

Not when I’ve had my plans foiled. Thwarted once a-fucking-gain.

Not when I’ve been betrayed by the very men fate had destined to love and protect me.

This is a wound that has cut so deep, I can’t even see where it ends. That primal thing inside of me breaks a little.

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