Page 69 of Her Feral Beasts

When I get back to my dorm, I’m surprised to find Theresa and Minnie are waiting for me, chatting away about something I’m not listening to.

Minnie pats me on the arm before the guards take her for her own meeting with Lyle and I don’t get to warn her to be careful.

Somehow, I don’t think he’ll speak to Minnie the same way he just spoke to me. She won’t give him attitude. She won’t taunt him.

“Are you alright, Lia?”

I shake myself because I realise this is the second time Theresa has just asked that question.

“Sorry, Theresa. Yes, I’ll be fine.”

Henry is still puffed up on my chest, his cheeks rounded like he wants to bellow.

“It’s alright, Henry,” I murmur, holding him up to my cheek. “The threat is gone. We are fine. We are well. We’ll be okay.”

I hardly believe it, but you can’t tell small creatures the truth like that.

“So, I’ll need you to sit down.” Theresa points to my bed and speaks softly.

Immediately, I’m worried. Once I’m seated, Theresa sits on Minnie’s bed so we are opposite each other like in a meeting. “Savage, Scythe and Xander will be locked up for seven days and they will be released the following Monday.” I suck in a breath. Will they have a trial like me? “And then they will be released back into gen pop.”

My stomach hollows out.

“That’s not possible,” I whisper. Under my skin, my anima hoots with joy because we’ll get our mates back. But what the hell? “Theresa, they literally tried to kidnap me.”

“Mr Pardalia has sorted it out, and it seems it was a bit of a misunderstanding.”

I gape at her because what I saw in that blood covenant wasnomisunderstanding. But Theresa frowns. “Did you not discuss this with him?”

No, I was alpha-ordered out of his office before he could. “Shit.” I clutch at my stomach because my insides want to escape up my throat and are doing a very good job of trying.

“Seven days is a long time, Lia,” Theresa reassures me. “They’ll have obsidian shackles on. They won’t be able to use their powers and will be guarded more heavily.”

Ha! Guarded by their own employees!

“This place is a joke. This system is rigged.”

Theresa grimaces. “Lia, in four weeks, you have your trial, correct? I think you need to put all your efforts into that. This is serious. A murder trial is a big thing.”

Like I don’t know that. “I don’t have a lawyer.”

“You’ll be assigned one. And I suggest you go to the library and have a look at what to expect. We have quite a few legal resources for you to use.”

“And I have Minnie. She’s a good researcher.”

“And you have Minnie,” Theresa confirms with a smile. “And Henry.”

My good little nimpin chirps in agreement.

She asks me if I have everything I need because from tonight, the monthly lockdown begins. I read about this in Minnie’s folder.

Once every month, mated females ovulate and go into heat. Being in close proximity 24/7, most of the females in the academy have their menstrual cycles synced. For mating groups it’s fine, they dorm together anyway and get to fuck each other silly until it’s over. But the pheromones make the rest of us—especially the animuses—rowdy, and things can get out of hand between the unmated beasts. On the night of the heat and the days before and after, the school goes into lockdown for three days. If we have classes in the mornings, we take them online and stay in our rooms. The dorms literally lock down with steel doors that nothing can get through and we have microwave meals for those nights.

After Theresa leaves, Minnie returns a little while later with a big grin. “He was so lovely, Lia. I have no idea why you don’t like him. I was all quivery, but he pretended not to notice. Such a gentleman!”

I snort in response, suddenly feeling exhausted. I decide I’ll take a nap to start off the lockdown and change into the old purple T-shirt and flowery shorts that have been serving as my pyjamas for the past three years.

Minnie claps as if this is a good idea and gets into her own rainbow coloured unicorn PJ’s, suddenly shooting me a wry smile. “You’re not going to try and put your hands down my pants because you’re not with your mates?”

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