Page 132 of Her Rabid Beasts

“I take full responsibility for the crime. It was my idea. I forced Sabrina. The only blame lies with me. It should be on my record. The punishment should go tomealone.”

A few animas, including Minnie, gasp. Sabrina whirls around and stares at me with such a look of supreme shock that I have to smile at her. Gratitude fills her eyes, but the fear is still there as she reaches out for me.

“Lia, I…”

Over her shoulder, Scythe’s eyes fix on me and Ialmostbalk at that gaze of cold malice. He’s furious, nose-flaring-preternaturally-still furious with me.

A small pulse of magic through the air tells me the bond-brothers are having a silent conversation. Savage crosses his arms as he stares me down with disapproval. Xander is confused by my words, because his hand hesitates as he reaches for the joint in his mouth.

Titus scoffs. “I don’t fucking care if it’s you or her. I want to see punishment for this, Scythe. I want to see the type of justice you serve in yourcourt.”

My anima roars at the overt challenge. I want to rip that bastard’s throat for questioning my mate so openly. This isnotthe Clawson territory. A few of Scythe’s henchmen cut Titus a sharp look for speaking so informally to their leader.

But the shark ignores him and says to me in that nightmarish rasp that skims my skin, “You are willing to take Sabrina’s punishment?”

I shrug, trying to hide my trembling hands by clasping them in front of me. “It was my idea. It’s only right that it’s me.” Jerking my head to Sabrina and Raquel to get behind me, they reluctantly obey, all but lurching back to Minnie.

“Lia, no,” Minnie whispers. She sounds like she’s about to cry and I don’t blame her right now.

But as I step forward to make my guilt clear, I only have eyes for Scythe. And he only has eyes for me. Eye to eye, I silently challenge him. This is his court. Will he back down because it’s me? Or will he be fair? What type of alpha is my shark, exactly?

“Whore of a bird will get her wings broken for this,” Titus sneers. “That will be justice served in the Old Way. It’s the only punishment for thieving and you all know it.”

Scythe’s eyes bore into mine and I swear he’s staring right into my beating heart and weighing it. Weighing my mettle. My resolve. Challenging me right back.

It’s almost as if he thinks I’m going to balk. That I’ll run from here, that I’ll cry and beg and plead. That I might even pull my regina card to get out of this. He and Xander want me to show them I’m weak. That I’m unworthy to have them. To prove to them I’m no more than the serpent girl they’ve always believed. Cunning but weak.

But I wasraisedwatching pain and fear.

In doing this, I claim my power among these brutal, vicious males. Here and now, in a way that will broker no argument.

We all know the breaking of hands or paws or wings is the only punishment for theft. I’ve actually seen tails broken in my father’s court over it.

I stare defiantly back at Scythe until he rasps a single word and my world threatens to slide from under me. “Shift.” A command from our leader.

But he’s notmyleader.

I’mhisregina.

I blink at him. I wanted to see how he would take my challenge. Hell, a part of me thought he’d laugh and send us animas away. But he’s actually going to go through with it. So it’s through gritted teeth I say, “I’ll take it in human form.”

There are more whispers from the crowd, and Beak is trying to call me stupid with his eyes.

We all know it’ll hurt more. Human bones break harder than the delicate hollow bones of a bird’s wings. But there’s something about shifting here in front of all these animuses that makes me more vulnerable. I want to take this, standing tall, on my own two feet.

“Your sentence is the breaking of both arms, no healing for three days,” Scythe rasps. He’s not blinking. “You will be shackled so you don’t use your own healing powers.”

He’s asking me if I really want to do this. Reminding me of how painful it will be.

Fucking hell. I thought I actually had healing up my sleeve. Looks like three days of hell for me.

“I understand. Do it,” I say, nodding at Savage. Fuck, my heart is beating so damn fast.

But my wolf only stares at me. Xander says nothing.

Titus strides in my direction. “You’re his regina. I’ll fucking do it.”

Beak moves forward. “No, it’s my responsibility?—”

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