The Beast's Possession

**Aife pov**

"Threatening me? What do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow at his statements.

The look on Bane's face was enough proof for me to know he wasn't lying. In fact, I didn't think I had seen him this serious ever before.

By now, I had seen many of his faces, even more of his moods, but up to now, I hadn't seen him looking this distressed and scared. "Threatening your life," Bane whispered.

Cold shivers ran down my spine as my body tensed. Why would anyone threaten my life? I didn't think anyone but Bane, his pack members and my family knew where I was.

As the thoughts ran through my mind, I decided to take a wild guess and see if we could get any closer to answers. "What if that's my family? You mentioned they're alive, so maybe it's their way to get me back?"

I didn't want to believe my own suspicions, but I wouldn't put this past my father; he was, after all, a man who cared more about his image than he did about those he claimed he loved.

"I don't think so. This is more than a petty family feud," Bane instantly shut down my idea.

Once again, his hold around me tightened, as if he feared that I could disappear if he didn't hold me tight enough. To ease the tension, I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him.

Bane was a man with great power, known to be a ruthless leader, but deep down, he was a hurt, misunderstood man. For some reason, he showed that part of himself only when he was with me...

Slowly, I slid my fingers in his hair and gently scratched his scalp as I whispered, "we will be fine. Whoever is sending those letters doesn't underthat whom he or she is messing with. If anyone, you are the one I would trust my life with. Experience shows how far you can go. Bane, you always act like a man on a mission, no mountain is too high for you to climb. I know you will keep me safe."

His body instantly tensed. "I'm trying. I took you here to keep you safe, away from prying eyes, surrounded only by the men I would trust my own life with, but somehow, the letter still appeared on the darn sofa. I can't trust anyone." I knew that there were no words I could say to calm him down, so instead, I did the only thing that worked with him.

I placed my hands on the sides of his head and pulled my head back to gain access to his lips. The moment they collided, a deep, desperate growl formed in Bane's chest as his mouth wasted no time to assault mine.

A moan escaped me just when he thrusted his tongue inside my mouth, tasting every bit of me he could reach.

He didn't loosen his hold around me as he slowly started leading me into the bedroom. The backs of my legs hit the bed and I lost my balance, falling back and pulling Bane with me.

He landed on top of me, but his lips didn't stop the relentless attack on mine. When I was out of breath, I tapped his back so Bane pulled back. I expected a moment of gazing into each other's eyes, but got nothing of sorts. Instead, he traced his lips over my jawline and down my neck until he reached the spot my mate would mark one day. He kissed, sucked and nibbled on the area.

I didn't think he was thinking about marking me, but I was pretty sure he was struggling to stop at just kissing when Bane started grinding against me.

"Bane," I moaned his name as I slid my fingers into his hair, grabbed it, and tugged on it.

"I can stop, I promise I won't go too far," he whispered against my skin.

With each thrust of his hips, waves of heat coursed through me. I had to bite my lip to keep the moans from escaping me.

"But I don't want to," he added, his voice a barely audible whisper.

In any other situation, I was sure I would react differently, probably panicking and pushing him away, but now, all I did was try to get him even closer. Maybe both of us were stuck in some weird brain haze that was created by fear and adrenaline, but we both didn't want to stop whatever we had started.

And although I wasn't fully sure if I was ready for a step like this, if I was ready to give Bane something I had hoped to save for my mate - I wanted to take that step, I wanted to leap into the unknown and be connected to him fully. Perhaps a few years from now, I would look back in time and call this moment a mistake, but even that possibility didn't scare me as it should.

"Then don't stop," I whispered.

Bane instantly froze. He held his breath as he slowly raised himself to hover over me and his eyes searched for something in mine. Was it fear that he tried to find? "Holy fuck," he breathed out. "You're being serious."

My cheeks started burning, making me feel like someone had poured lava over them, but I ignored the sensation and just nodded my head.

"Use your words, sweetheart," Bane pleaded, his eyes still searching mine. "I'm begging you, use your words and tell me you're not joking. Tell me you're serious and this isn't a decision you made just because you feel pressured. If you're considering sleeping with me out of some sick obligation you might feel, I could never forgive myself for forcing myself on you."

His voice sounded strained, as if he was in pain just because he let the words spill out of him.

A massive lump formed in my throat. For a moment, it felt as if the lump kept growing and expanding, holding me back from giving him a verbal answer.

I opened and closed my mouth, unable to find the right words to soothe the storm raging within him or force any of them out of me. I wanted to calm him, I wanted to tell him it was okay and I was ready to take this step with him, but I feared that I would sound off.

Bane could easily tell it if I tried to lie just by listening. No one in my life had ever had the ability to tell something was off just by the tone of my voice, but he had it.

It was as if the very man who had brought nothing but pain and suffering to me somehow became the only person who could truly understand me. The only person who could bring me happiness no one ever had bothered to try to create. As the thoughts ran through my mind, Bane took my silence as an attempt to get out of what I had started. He tried to get off me. The moment he moved, panic surged through me and I held onto him tighter, refusing to let go. "Don't," was all I could manage to say.

Bane shook his head and sucked in a deep breath. "No. You are overwhelmed and whatever you think you want isn't what you actually want. You're not ready. I already told you that I have taken many of your firsts and this isn't something you're obligated to give me."

It was now or never. I had to come clean with him.

He tried to pull away from me again, so I sucked in a breath and spilled my feelings. "Stop. You're mistaken. I don't have any pretty words to describe what I want," I confessed, my voice trembling with emotion. "In fact, I don't have any words at all. But I know what I want. I know what my heart wants. It's you. Just you. You're it for me."