Page 170 of Her Psycho Beasts

When the dining hall doors finally open, we all step in to find the tables have been pushed back and decorated with white tablecloths, lit candles, and place settings, leaving a dance space in the middle. Where our buffet used to be, now there’s two wolves ready with their DJ laptop and speakers.

“You are being graded tonight,” Theresa reminds us, looking spectacular in a deep cassowary blue pantsuit. Her words stop a pair of hyenas from shoving at each other as we head to our tables in the most cordial manner possible. Minnie’s pack and mine find ourselves seated at one table, next to the rest of our anima friends and their dates for the night. Since Animus Academy has a male to female ratio of four to one, most of the tables have just one anima being fought over by males at the table. It’s hilarious to watch these delinquents on their best manners, but the more feral students have been practising with forks and knives for a while now. Hopefully, the grading will be done earlier in the night before it gets crazy later.

“If I see you waving that knifeagain,” Lyle snaps at someone at the table next to us, “you’ll end up serving the food instead of eating it.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Minnie says excitedly as a number of unhappy students in starched white waitstaff uniforms file out of the side door, carrying full plates.

A number of students jeer at them, and Theresa and the other teachers mark those students down on their clipboards.

“Best manners,” I remind Savage, who’s scratching at his collar again. “You don’t want to get bad marks. This isn’t TheJewel. You can’t drink lying down on the bar.”

“Boring,” Savage mutters, resting his chin on his hand.

We eat a pumpkin soup entree and roast dinner before the music turns on and we realise it’s classical music.

“Oh poo,” Savage grumbles. Lyle gets to his feet, offering me his hand, just as Marduk rises, offering Minnie his.

I gulp as I nervously take Lyle’s large, warm hand and he leads me to the dance floor. Minnie casts me a troubled look, and it takes me a moment to realise why.

The last time us two got on a dance floor, it was in Scythe’s club. My shark had danced with me. Had he planned hisabandonment all the way back then? Had he chosen to dance with me because he knew he’d never get the chance ever again?

“Angel.” Lyle has to nudge me into position because I’m so distracted.

I glance at the clock again. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” he says quietly, his thumb caressing my shoulder blade. “Remember your steps?”

Luckily, Theresa has had us rehearsing the last few months, and a simple four-step waltz is easy enough with my lion leading. Still, my eyes remain on my feet the entire dance.

“Move along, Mr Pardalia,” comes Savage’s voice. “Make way for the civilised beast.”

Lyle glowers at my wolf, before kissing my hand and making his way over to the other teachers and counsellors. Savage places his hand on the cleft of my ass and snaps me into his body like a tango dancer. We dance pelvis to pelvis for a bit before he cackles and takes my hand, spinning me around three times and catching me back close to him. I toss my head back and laugh breathlessly at the exhilaration.

“Baby, why have we never danced before?” He grins down at me, his handsome face breaking into the first genuine smile in weeks. “You look…”

“Look what?” I say, finding a rhythm again.

He struggles to find the words as he leads us around the room in a passable waltz. “Like you love life. With us. With me.”

I blink at him as my throat tightens against the onslaught of pain. I squeeze the muscled shoulder my hand is braced on and clear my throat, attempting to hide the fact that I want to burst into tears. “Idolove being with you, Savage.”

He studies my face. “Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it.”

My heart breaks in two at the anguish in his face. “You know how it’s been. You know how much we’ve all suffered.” How much we still have to suffer yet.

Savage peers at me in earnest. “I want you to know that I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make up for—” He swallows. “For?—”

“I know,” I say, pulling us to a stop at the edge of the dance floor, going up on my tiptoes and wrapping my arms around his neck. “You make me so happy. I… I didn’t know love like this was real before.”

Savage’s eyes glisten and he buries his face in my neck, holding me close. My own vision turns blurry. I have to say it into his mind because I’ve seen the clock above the DJ and my voice will give me away.“I’ll love you until the end of time, Savage Fengari.”

“Savage Boneweaver,” he replies.“I want your pack name. I’m yours.”

“Why did you make her cry, wolf?” Lyle’s voice is furious as he comes up to us, blocking the view of the people staring with his big body.

“It’s not his fault,” I say quickly, trying to ease off Savage, whose arms remain fixed around me, his face still buried in my neck. I turn to cup a hand on Lyle’s stern face. “My pretty lion.”

“No,I’mthe pretty one,” Savage complains, finally looking at Lyle, though his face is all splotchy. “He’s the mean one.”

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