The Beast's Possession

**Aife

pov**

By the time all the kids got their chance to touch my hair and peck my cheek, I felt like all energy was sucked out of me, but I didn't complain. If all those kids needed to feel happy, what was a few seconds of my time, who was I to deny them? Bree had tears in her eyes as she guided me towards the table and sat down next to me. "I have never seen something like this. Ever. I'm sure everyone can agree with me. The kindness you showed them was... It was... Yes, it was. I can't find the words. It's hard to deal with them, but you still did. Thank you."

The rest of the women jumped in with more words, so I just sat and listened, unsure if interrupting them would be right. But when they finished talking, my eyes scanned the faces again and I frowned.

"What's wrong, Luna?" Bree asked, clearly worried. She even glanced over her shoulder, I was sure to alert Zion about something.

"No need to look for Zion," I chuckled and placed my hand over hers. "I just don't see the reject women here, that's why my reaction to the kind words might seem off. Where are they?"

The mothers exchanged glances, clearly taken aback. "Why are you asking? I thought this was a family event. Don't get us wrong, we have nothing against the reject women, but we're not quite friends either. There always has been some tension between us since we were chosen and they weren't."

"That's understandable. It's just that I thought this was a pack thing to do, not only those who were chosen and taken home, you know. As much as I love the event, I can't help but feel bad for them. They have already been rejected in a way, left out of everything, sent pretty far to live among themselves and they can't attend the events. How would that make you feel?"

"Wow," Bree gasped. A look of shame washed over their faces as the women tried to avoid my gaze at all costs. "I haven't thought about it ever before. It seems that I'm not the only one who hasn't either." She muttered. "They're all actually really nice. I promise they are. I stayed with them for a bit and all of them were very welcoming and helped me with loads of things. Maybe we could invite them so they don't feel even more left out?" I insisted. Sure, most of them were busy with their own troubles and me, adding another, was the last thing these women needed. But still, I couldn't close my eyes and pretend I didn't see the injustice.

Why would a group of women live away from the rest of the pack, lead their lives thinking they were less than they were worth, clean and work for the pack, and on top of that, be excluded from the pack events? If that wasn't unfair, I didn't know what it was.

Bree perked up and gasped again, slapping her hand over her mouth as tears filled her eyes. "You are a true Luna," she muttered through sobs that escaped her.

All I could do was give her a questioning look. What was a true Luna? There was the Luna, the Alpha's mate or a chosen one, the woman who nurtured the pack and cared for people, the woman who made the Alpha better and taught him how to feel for his people, not just lead them. A true Luna? That had to be something they came up with, a concept I hadn't heard about ever before.

"A true Luna is a woman worthy of the title," another woman jumped in the conversation, offering me a soft smile. She reached over the table and offered me her hand, "I'm Dana, by the way."

As I shook her hand, I reminded them all that I was glad to meet them and told them my name, unsure if I wanted to keep this conversation going or if I could find a way to distract them from the topic.

"We all once came from other packs, remember that. Most of us have been here for so long, we saw the previous woman that the Alpha chose. Don't get me wrong, she was beautiful, she really was. However, she was also rotten. Inside. That woman didn't care about anyone but herself. She didn't love the Alpha. She wanted power, not the responsibilities that came with that very power she desired. You, however, are a true Luna," Dana kept talking, completely oblivious to how uncomfortable her words were making me.

The worst part was that I wasn't uncomfortable because of how she said those things. It was the things she was sharing. Specifically the woman which Bane had been involved with before. I hated to admit this, but I was jealous, very bloody jealous.

I knew I wasn't his first, so I couldn't hold that over his head and start trouble. But the selfish part of me somewhat hoped I was.. Or at least the first one he truly loved and cared for. I went from hating that man with passion to making my soul bleed and call his name. Bane was special and I wanted to keep him like that in my thoughts.

Clearing my throat, I muttered a weak thank you, unsure if I had to say anything to begin with and looked around. I hoped Zion would see how freaking out of place I was and could save me. But of course, he was too busy tossing a ball with the kids to notice me. Freaking traitor.

"If you have any questions, we are more than glad to answer those. Luna, we really want to get to know you better and for you to get to know us. We might come across as savages to the outside world, but I promise we are very civil and we know what a shower is. You're a part of this pack now so we want to do everything in our power to make this place feel like home," Bree announced, glaring at the rest of the women.

Why did I have a feeling that every person around here had a secret to keep? One that they were unwilling to share with me even if my life depended on it...

"What's the deal with this pack?" I started, cautious. "I mean, I'm not saying you guys are weird, but some things don't quite.. Fit in to be deemed as normal? The whole system of taking women, separating them and all that. Also, there's another thing I'm dying to ask, but I don't know if I should."

Bree threw her arm around me as if we had been best friends forever. "Everything happens for a reason, Luna. The system in this pack has worked for centuries so we just stick to it, no super important reason. It just works. And you can ask us anything, don't hold back."

Sucking in a deep breath, I nodded and prepared myself. "Why are there only boys in this pack? I see only sons, but no daughters? What's with that? Are men forcing you to get rid of your daughters, do they treat them as less?" The faces paled, eyes widened, jaws dropped. The whole bunch of women acted as if I had killed someone right before their eyes.

Slowly, I turned my face to look at Bree, who was just as pale and shocked as the rest of the women. "What?" I asked, completely lost to what might be the reason for their reaction.

Bree glanced in Zion's direction, gulped and then leaned closer to whisper, "are you telling me they haven't told you about the curse?"