Page 92 of Her Feral Beasts

Sabrina chokes mid-sip on her water bottle and Minnie nods in solidarity. She gestures for the ball and I pass it over. “Holding animas hostage is also rude.”

“Yes, and yes,” Rylan says enthusiastically. “In the Old Times, kidnapping was commonplace and accepted courting behaviour. But today, we know better. Both anima and animus must choose their partners willingly, it’s only fair.”

“I’ve got a question,” Xander sneers.

“Then raise your hand,” Theresa says.

Xander does so and Minnie stands up and throws him the ball as hard as she can. Xander catches it with a grunt.

“That wasn’t nice, Minnie,” Rylan says. “You need to apologise to Xander.”

“He still hasn’t apologised tomefor my newly developed PTSD,” Minnie shoots back. “That’s really not fair, Rylan.”

Rylan taps his chin. “Has he not? Well then, I think you two will need to write a formal apology to Lia and Minnie for your abduction attempt. I’ll let Savage know too.”

Airing out our dirty laundry in public is a surprisingly cathartic experience, and I’m very pleased to see Xander’s fingers angrily digging into the ball.

“Fine,” he says stiffly. “So my question is: is it wrong for a rex or regina to reject their pack?”

More than one person gasps and the male beasts shift uncomfortably. My stomach churns and I can’t help but hug myself.

“It’s pretty uncommon,” Theresa admits. “How do we feel about something like this?”

“It feels gross,” Connor says. “Like, theentirepack? You’d have to be pretty screwed in the head to do that.”

My insides feel like they’re going to erupt.

“What if there’s a good reason?” Minnie pipes.

Everyone stares at her. A lion with purple hair asks, “What’s a good reason?”

“Well, what if the pack committed a really bad crime?” Minnie says in a soft voice. “What if they’re reallyevilbeasts?”

I feel like I’m being watched and I look from Minnie to find Scythe’s cold gaze on mine. I meet him stare for stare in a challenge. We’ve rejected each other now, the men and I. I refused them, and they in turn tried to force me back to my dad ‘to be dealt with’. It feels to me like their betrayal was worse though, because I never tried to hurt them, only run away from them.

The room is silent as we all digest Minnie’s words.

“If we consider that,” Theresa says, “then a rejection is fair. It is perhaps the only acceptable reason.”

Chapter41

Aurelia

After dinner, Minnie and I bid our friends farewell and I scan my card to open our cell door. We don’t have so many guards out the front of the anima dorm anymore, but they won’t give us back our normal room door until further notice.

But as I yank the cell open, I stifle a cry.

Savage is reclining on my bed, boots and all. He’s throwing my teddy bear up in the air and catching it. When he sees me, he leaps to his feet, throwing the teddy behind him, his face a mask of animal rage.

“Minnie. Leave,” I order.

“What—”

“Pleasego.”

She legs it and heads back down the corridor. Quickly, I step into the room to confront him.

I want to run. I really do, but the constant glares Savage has been sending me has given me some type of adrenaline that lasted all day. Coupled with the fact that I regina-ordered him back in the kitchens, I think I stand a chance against him.

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