Page 130 of The Beast's Heart

The Beast stands with his hands on his hips and roars. Another iconic move. Then he ducks under the ropes.

“A surreal moment for longtime fans as The Beast heads into the ring to take on Chevalier. Will The Beast finally be slain?”

The men stand in their corners. Chevalier slips off his sparkly coat, revealing a pair of tight red shorts with gold trim. Look, he’s not my fave, but I’d hit that.

The Beast shrugs out of his fur and his bod puts Chevalier’s to shame.

“Would you look at that! He’s kept in great physical condition,” Rod comments. “If anything, he’s bigger and meaner than he was when he was last in this ring.”

“And he’s going to have his work cut out for him tonight!” Alan rattles off a list of other heels that Chevalier has faced, hyping him up. Usually this is where both men would play to the crowds, but that would be pushing the illusion of an audience a bit too far.

Instead the men face each other. Beast pounds on his chest and roars in Chevalier’s face.

“Remember Alan, we’re talking about one of the greatest of all time. Does Chevalier truly know what he’s up against?”

The ref directs each man to his corner and Beast appears to have an argument with him. No doubt, scripted, before retreating reluctantly to his corner.

Chevalier, meets Beast’s eyes and drags his hand slowly across his throat. Beast rushes him, but the ref jumps in the way. It’s great entertainment.

“That was either an incredibly brave or an incredibly stupid move by Chevalier,” Rod says.

“I’ll go with both, Rod. I’ll go with both. The Beast is out for blood tonight and he’ll get it one way or another.”

The men are once again in their corners. The announcers read their weight classes and the rules of the bout, then the ref steps back and the bell goes.

Beast rushes Chevalier again, but Chevalier grabs him and throws him into the ropes.

“Beast over there trying to establish his dominance, but he’s underestimated his enemy,” Rod says.

Beast pushes him back and they go into a headlock.

“Some ring rust is to be expected after so long out of the game,” Alan adds.

The headlock breaks. Beast pushes Chevalier and he sprawls on the mat. Beast stalks towards him, but Chev scrambles to his feet and the two circle each other. Beast grabs him and knees his midsection before throwing him back against the ropes, but Chevalier uses the momentum to bounce back and shoulder Beast in the middle. Beast lifts him and body slams him to the mat.

The fake crowd boos.

Beast tries to pin him but gets thrown off. Chevalier mimes being winded as he struggles to get up. They’re really playing up the tension. Then, he comes at Beast with a right hook. Beast falls back with a dramatic cry.

“Stop!” A shout from behind me in the audience.

But that’s not possible.

Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. It’s the teacher. He’s running down the aisle, waving his arms. I stagger to my feet.

“Who the fuck is that?” Rod asks under his breath.

“The Beast’s boyfriend. Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

I intercept Belle. God knows how he even got in here. “What the hell are you doing?” I grab his upper arms but he shrugs away.

“This has to stop. You know it has to stop.”

I block the aisle. “They’re in the middle of a bout. You’re too late.”

“How could you let this happen?” His cheeks are bright red. “You know he could die!”

“Let this happen? I made this happen! And he’s not going to die. Don’t be so dramatic.”

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