The Beast's Possession

**Bane

pov**

From the moment I saw her standing in the bedroom, I noticed the questions running through her head. As always, Aife didn't question me. She let me lie. At times, I found it funny how she didn't realize how easy it was to read her.

But at moments as such, I both enjoyed and hated that. Enjoyment came from the fact that she didn't question me too much. Hatred was built in a place of worry. Whatever happened next, I couldn't let her know the true reason behind my sudden decision.

Earlier in the day, when I left Aife with Amelia and headed to the main building, I thought this would be like any other day. Oh, how fucking wrong I was.

Today, I found out I had more issues than those on my agenda. It turned out I had a freaking traitor living under my roof.

No other thing would explain what I found inside my office.

As soon as I stepped inside, I noticed it - placed perfectly in the middle of my desk. An envelope, sealed with a wax seal I had seen before but never paid much attention to it. Inside the envelope was a note, written in blood. It was a direct threat to my Luna, a promise that shook me to my core.

Even as all I could see was the road ahead, the images of the note flashed before my eyes.

*Alpha Bane. I write to congratulate you for finally finding someone who can deal with your monstrous nature. Cheers to the new couple. For now. While I am in no place to threaten someone as powerful as you, I can give promises. And the promise I give you today is simple - she is next.*

Cold shivers ran down my spine as I glanced at Aife. She had fallen asleep and I, on the other hand, had managed to admit that I had fallen for her.

I couldn't voice my feelings so soon, that much I knew. If I rushed into anything, I could scare her away and that truly was the last thing I wanted to do.

Instead of pitying my little black heart, I focused on driving. In no time, I parked the car in front of the small cabin and got out of it.

Aife was still sleeping, so I locked the car and checked the surroundings. My men were in their posts, already ensuring the area was secure.

Then, I did a quick check of the cabin. Everything was in its places, even the decorations I ordered for everyone to put out. Best of all, the table was set, food was ready and all I had to do was light up the candles.

A smile spread across my lips as I returned to the car and she was already awake. I unlocked the car and opened the door for her just when Aife frowned. "Why did you lock me in there? Scared I might try to run?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Safety reasons. I can't let you sleep in the car that isn't locked. While you think it's no big deal, it's a massive one for me. Keep in mind that I haven't been quite secretive when it comes to you and your role in my life. Also, I wouldn't claim everyone's fond of me. There are more people who would go out of their way to hurt me than you think, which in turn, would make you an easy target."

As soon as the words left me, her eyes started scanning the surroundings. I tossed my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, chuckling. "No need to panic, sweetheart. Just because we're hidden away in the middle of the woods doesn't mean I forgot anything. Our men have surrounded us, if anything happens, we will be alerted and I'll have enough time to get you to safety."

Now, she relaxed a little and nodded. Since Aife was biting the inside of her cheek, I could tell she was worried and tried to hide it.

I really couldn't think of a way to calm her, so I did the one thing that always worked for me. I kissed her.

The moment our lips met, she melted against me.

No matter how many times I kissed this woman, every time felt like the first time. Then, there was the overwhelming feeling of her, fitting in my arms perfectly.

It still seemed surreal how I found her with the sole intention of hurting her, but now, I couldn't imagine doing that. I couldn't even think of a possibility of letting anyone hurt her.

I didn't want her anywhere else but in my arms. Aife started as another nobody I wanted to use as a pawn in my game and turned into someone who had me in the palm of her hand.

She was the only one I could think about, she was the only one I wanted. And the more time we spent together, the harder it became to deny that I needed her. I had to admit that if I didn't have her, I didn't have anything at all. As we broke the kiss, she peered up at me and flashed me another one of her blinding smiles. "Are we ever going to enter that cabin or are you planning to make me stay here so your men can have a show?" She teased. Although I knew it was a joke, fire blazed in my chest. Just thinking of my men, watching her the way only I should, pissed me off.

I used the moment, sweeped her in my arms, and carried her inside the cabin. Her reaction was close to the one I hoped.

The moment she noticed the table and lights around the cabin, Aife gasped. "Did you do this?"

"Yeah," I cleared my throat. "Well, kind of. I had help, obviously. Couldn't have done this before we arrived so I asked some of the pack members to decorate, set the table and cook. It's only the beginning, don't worry. I have more plans for later." Aife pressed her lips to my cheek and laughed. "Thank you, this is amazing."

Slowly, I set her to her feet and told her I would grab our bags. Aife sat on the small sofa and nodded, still trying to take in every detail around her.

It took less than a minute for me to run to the car, grab the duffles and run back inside the cabin. But, apparently, it was enough for Aife to find something that ruined her mood.

I dropped both bags next to the door and walked towards her. "Sweetheart? What happened?"

She appeared paler than usual and the aura that surrounded her was tense. A lump instantly grew in my throat, expanding with every second she refused to look at me.

When Aife finally did, I stopped in my tracks. She looked like she had just seen a ghost as she tried to hand me something she was holding.

Whatever it was, it had visibly shaken her. My eyes traveled down to her hand and I instantly recognized the handwriting and the envelope. The same as one I found in my office, but this one had my name on it.

"Why does the envelope with your name on it smell like blood? I tried my best to stay silent, I wasn't going to ask questions, but I can't stay silent anymore. I can't. Bane, what is happening? What are you hiding from me?"