The Beast's Possession

**Aife

pov**

The drive home was surprisingly quiet. I expected Bane to blow up on me or toss in some insults, but he didn't do it.

I was stuck replaying Vanessa's words in my head and he seemed to have plenty to think about too.

Unlike the drive to his friend, this trip felt like it didn't take more than a few minutes by the time I realized Bane had parked his car in front of his house and gotten out of the car. Coming to my senses, I realized he was nowhere to be seen. There was a possibility that he had left me in the car because he was angry, and honestly, I hoped that was the case.

I would much rather have some distance between us than have him in my face.

Sighing, I removed the safety belt and turned my body to open the door. Except, I couldn't. Bane didn't just leave me in the car - he locked me in. Great.

At first, panic surged through me. There was nothing I hated more than tiny spaces. But, after a while, when I managed to breathe out the fear and initial shock, I convinced myself this was a good thing. While Bane thought I suffered in his car, it was actually rather comfortable so I could have some decent sleep without his hands all over me.

***

I was startled awake by someone, knocking on the window. As my eyes opened, I jumped in my seat and let out a yelp of surprise.

Next to the car stood a man; I couldn't tell much about his appearance other than that he had blinding white teeth and a very wide smile across his lips. I could barely see anything as it had gotten dark outside. Slowly, he opened the door for me and offered me his hand. "Beta Zion, just in case I frightened you." He introduced himself.

I got out of the car and shook his hand. "Aife, but you probably knew already."

The man offered me a sheepish grin and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe, maybe."noveldrama

From there, he didn't say much. He just led me to the house and stopped in front of the main entrance.

I raised an eyebrow at him, wondering why he was so hesitant to enter his Alpha's house. Had I slept through something and missed a grand show?

"Emmm," he dragged and spun on his heel to face me. The moment he brought his hand to the back of his neck to scratch it, I knew something was really off. "Listen, I don't want you to freak out or anything, so I'll just give you a heads-up. Bane isn't here, he's drunk off his ass, passed out in his office in the main house. This one, however, yeah, it doesn't look great."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Zion's eyes started darting anywhere but at me as he shifted his weight from one leg to another. "Let's say Bane isn't the biggest fan of being reminded of his past. Not all of it, but there are a few details he hasn't learned how to cope with." Crossing my arms in front of my chest, I remained silent to see if he was willing to tell me more. I knew I had no right to ask for explanations, but maybe someone in this pack truly believed Bane's lies and bought the idea of me being Luna. "I'm not sure why he decided to leave you in the car, but I think it's a good sign. Usually, he doesn't care who falls victim to his anger outbursts, but he actually locked you inside the car so he wouldn't do something he would regret the next day. Seriously, let's take it as a good sign, m'kay?" Zion flashed me an awkward smile, but I didn't give in.

My silence seemed like the worst punishment for the poor guy. He grew more nervous with every second I didn't speak.

"No, I can't tell you anything more, it's not my place. All I can tell you is that he isn't in a good place, he's drunk and out of your hair for a few days. Let's go check out the full extent of the damage and see if it's safe for you to stay here. I'll send in a cleaning crew first thing in the morning."

With that being said, Zion turned his back to me and opened the door.

Stepping inside the house that had been my cage for a while now felt surreal. Everything was destroyed. The furniture was either turned upside down or broken, the walls were covered in claw marks, I was pretty sure I saw blood splattered on the walls, and the list went on.

It wasn't a house anymore, it was a full-on crime scene.

As we walked further inside, the scene kept getting worse. We found broken plates and everything made of glass, all over the place. Living room looked like Bane had used it to practice his throwing skills.

I was as appalled as I was shocked to witness it all. Zion led me upstairs and checked the rooms. I wasn't exaggerating when I said they were all destroyed, worse than the bottom floor.

All of them... All except for the room I had slept in. Bane turned his bedroom upside down, even the closet, but he didn't touch the side he had assigned to my clothes and the room I used when I tried to escape him for the night. "That's odd. The whole house is in shambles except that part of the closet and one room," Zion muttered, voicing my thoughts. "I wonder why."

I cleared my throat to gain his attention. "From what I saw, he didn't touch my side of the closet and the room I slept in the other night, if that makes any sense.”

"I had a feeling-" Zion muttered, but unfortunately, I heard only the first part, not the most important one.

"Had a feeling about what?"

Zion waved me off as if it was no big deal and turned around to walk towards the staircase. "Nothing. Let's check the kitchen, I'm sure you're starving so we need to see what we are working with."

As much as I was dying to pry some more and get the answers, I didn't. Zion seemed like a nice person and the less I got on his nerves, the bigger the possibility that he might like me.

I really needed an ally here, another enemy would do nothing but make my life more miserable.

When we got to the kitchen, not surprisingly, it was just as bad as the house. There were some fruits in the refrigerator and other than a massive dent on its door, it wasn't damaged.

"Yeah, I'll have to bring you some food from the main building it seems. I think we have some lasagna leftovers from dinner, would that be okay?" Zion asked, already walking out of the kitchen.

"No need," I called after him. "It's late and I'm not hungry. I have fruit if I crave a snack, so I'll survive until tomorrow morning." I left the kitchen and walked Zion to the door.

"Okay, if you say so," he shrugged and let his eyes scan the destruction again. "Anyway, I'll be back here with the crew bright and early. Get some sleep."

He opened the door just as I flashed him a smile and muttered, "I will."

Zion hesitated for a moment, as if he was trying to talk himself out of something and then looked at me over his shoulder. "Give him time, m'kay? Not as bad as you think he is. I know he's an asshole, but it's more a show than reality. Remember that not everything that glitters is gold, but the same thing goes about dirt. Not everything that is covered in dirt is worthless."