Page 5 of Her Feral Beasts

I beat my wings as I try to convince myself that I’m going to be alright. That I’m going to get out of this state and the beasts hunting me won’t win. That I won’t go crazy.

The sun beats down on me and my number one priority is getting the burger I can smell in this bag to safety.

There’s a national park nearby, and it has to be the safest place to hide out so I can eat. As an eagle, they’ll find it impossible to trace my scent by foot.

The scent I’ve been trying to hide my entire life.

Ten minutes later, I’m standing at the base of a tall gum tree. After taking a cursory look around and seeing no predators or men in camo gear, I flash into my human form and, butt naked, fall to my knees. Tearing open the bag, I open up the cardboard box and find a mostly uneaten burger ready for me.

I gobble it up like an actual animal, moaning around the still-warm grilled chicken breast as flavour bursts along my tongue. Lettuce, tomato, mayo. I know then for sure there’s a Goddess because it tastes like literal heaven to my dry mouth. In moments, a little burst of energy zings through my veins as the calories hit my arteries.

I’m working on tiny amounts of sleep here and there because the thing about being hunted by multiple apex predators is that they’refast.And being hot on my tail, I’ve barely avoided them so far. I can’t afford to hole up in a nice cosy place, Ihaveto keep moving.

Three of these apex predators had been stuck in a dungeon just over a week ago.

It just so happened that the wealthy eagle who had been keeping them in that dungeon purchased my marriage contract from my father. The place ended up burning down (I suspect my dad for setting that up) and now Charles Halfeather is dead and I’m being blamed for it.

The burger gives me just enough energy to bring back up three of my shields. I usually have seven, when I’m at full power, and if you think that’s a bit dramatic, you would be right. But it’s been so ingrained in me since the day I turned thirteen—the day my father and I found out how many mates I have.

Yes, there’s five of them. And they’re all of different orders.

It’s a dead giveaway to my secret, so my father instructed me to both hide my mating mark and my scent. That makes for two shields. My third and fourth are psychic shields of different levels, so no one can invade my mind or find me by psychic means. And one of my mates is a shark, so he has the power to do that.

The fact that I can make shields like this at all shouldn’t be possible, but there you go. I’m a prized sow, and therefore, Ican’tbe found. If anyone finds out what I am, I’ll be sent to a breeding pen and be forced to make more pups just like me.

It’s the reason I’ve been hiding from my mates my entire life. Usually, your mates are from the same or similar order as you. The fact that I have five of different orders is unheard of.

I shift back into my eagle form and jump up into the tree above me to catch my breath. I’mexhausted.Now that my belly is full to the brim, my body is telling me to sleep. Drowsiness haunts my mind and I sway on the spot for some unknown length of time, wondering if I should give up and just nap here in the warm sunlight for a bit.

It seems like a really great idea. If I want to get to the next state, it’ll be a long flight for hours. But, if I’m right and the luxury store invasionwasthem, I need to quickly put some distance between us. None of them are able to fly, so I have the advantage here.

Well, Xander is a dragon, but they’re only allowed to fly in designated areas. And since they’re also on the run, they surely won’t risk his big body hurtling through the air.

My eyes droop as I roost on the thick branch of this gum tree. It’s deliciously warm, and exhaustion pulls my eyes shut.

I only realise I’m tumbling through the air at the last minute and land on the leaf litter below with a sickeningthump.

Groaning, I roll my bird body over and lie on my side, feeling a little sorry for myself. But my stomach is full, so no real complaints here.

Eventually, I drag myself to my feet, but it’s then that I hear the crunch of heavy boots on the forest floor…and a husky male voice singing what sounds like a children’s song.

Chapter2

Savage

“Hold my chicken.”

“Rooster,” Xander corrects, accepting the black bird.

I scowl at my pack-brother because he can take his private school education and shove it up his big dragon ass.

“His name isEugene,” I snap. Patting said chicken on his red head-frills, I turn back to the trembling cashier of the Opal Feather. The sight of us always makes these humans piss their pants. A dragon, a wolf and a shark walk into a luxury store and, well…they all know what comes next, I suppose.

Or it could be the blood still on my teeth and the bare skin of my torso. On a hunt, I only stop for lunch, you see. Lunch being the two birdie security guards now lying on the shop floor behind me.

“Human woman.” I point at the cashier. “Get out. Your boss is in trouble.”

As the blonde with the dark fake tan and short, short skirt grabs her phone and scampers out to call to the cops, Xander scoffs again.

---