The Beast's Possession
180: A promise ring.

**Bane

pov**

The day was here. Finally, I could pull my shit together and show Aife how much I cared for her and how important it was to make this day as perfect for her as possible.

In fact, I wanted the day to be just as perfect as she was, but that was impossible. Nothing and no one could ever compare to her. Nothing in the world was perfect.. Except for her. Aife was still asleep, so I used the moment to my advantage and snuck out of the bedroom. As much as I didn't want to leave her behind, I knew I had to if I wanted my plan to work. I held my breath as I closed the bedroom door and listened, just in case I woke her up.

"Watcha doing?" Zion's voice startled me so bad, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

In a matter of a second, I spun around and slapped my hand over his big, loud mouth. "One more word, seriously, one word and I'm cutting that damn tongue out. If your stupidity comes at the cost of my plan, you're a dead man walking," I whisper-hissed.

Zion's eyes widened, despite the amusement I could see in them and he raised his hands in surrender.

Feeling a little better, I pulled my hand away from his mouth and took a step back, shaking my head in disbelief. This man was an overgrown child.

Focusing on what mattered, I nodded my head in the direction of the staircase and started walking away, hoping the fool would catch the hint and follow me.

Thankfully he did. And even more so, the impossible happened - Zion remained calm and didn't ruin my attempt to sneak away unnoticed.

When we started heading down the stairs, he spoke up. "So, what's the plan, Boss? Are we buying flowers for her?"

The corner of my mouth twitched as I glanced at him and announced, "flowers should be on their way already. I ordered a truckload of them. In fact, if the company didn't exaggerate, the pack members should be setting the flowers in their places as we speak."

Zion clapped his hands, slowly, like a goddamn villain. "Bravo, dude, you're growing brain cells. Look at you, you're doing so damn good," he mocked.

While I really wanted to slap the back of his head and force some sense into this guy, I knew he was all over the place after finding his mate, so no violence could get him off his high.

Not that I could blame him.

However, that also meant that there was no fixing Zion unless he really wanted to be fixed by someone. So, I just rolled my eyes at the stupid remark and focused my thoughts on the tasks at hand.

I didn't have much time until Aife would wake up, so I had to act fast.

"How about a gift? Did you get that too?" Zion suddenly asked.

Glancing at him again, I saw the shit-eating grin spread across his lips. Sure, he thought he had caught me unprepared. Well, had to suck to be him because he fucking didn't.

I nodded my head, rather excited to tell him about the gift I've gotten. "Actually, yes, I have a very special gift for my Luna."

"Ooooh," Zion gasped. "Do tell more."

The lack of belief in his words annoyed me, but once again, I gripped the weak strings of my sanity to remain calm. Nothing could ruin this day.

"I got her a promise ring," I blurted out and quickly raised my hand to stop him from spitting out something outrageous before I had a chance to explain the idea behind this gift. "Before you start your shit, listen. Okay?" I glared at Zion, just for a good measure.

The shithead grinned and nodded. Something about his reaction was telling me that he kept pushing my buttons for a reason. Possibly for amusement, but more believably to ensure I had the right intentions in mind.

"I know those rings are a thing fit for humans more than it is for us. However, I liked the concept of this one. A while ago, I read an article about a ring that one is allowed to purchase only once in their lifetime, so they have to be like million percent sure about the person they are with. And I so happen to be very fucking sure about her. I'm comfortable and secure in our relationship. This ring won't serve only as a promise ring, it will also fit as a beautiful gift for a special birthday." In my mind, I could imagine how Aife's face would light up once she had a chance to open that small box and look at the ring.

I still had a lot to learn about her, but I knew she wasn't a woman of many demands or fancy taste. For the most part, Aife preferred simple things in life, so this was something she truly deserved to have. Besides, she was my Luna, the love of my life, and she deserved to be spoiled.

Soon, I was planning to spoil her rotten. My idea was to ensure she turned into a brat so I could punish her after she acted out.. And on that note, yeah, the last thing I needed was a fucking hard on while I spoke to my best friend. If the luck was on my side, my hard on would disappear or else the pack members could start thinking that I was into guys.

"I like the idea behind it, pal," Zion announced, throwing an arm around my shoulder and pulling me a little closer to him. "Proves that you actually spent some time to think about the gift. Also, the commitment with this one is real." He laughed.

This time, I could share the moment and laugh along with him. He was right, I really wanted to commit to anything for as long as it was with Aife.

By the time we reached the bottom of the stairs, I felt like we were walking for hours. Just like I assumed, the flowers were being brought inside by the pack members and set in the living room. One thing down, million to go.

"Hey, mind if I leave for a bit? I want to check on my mate quickly and then, I'm all yours. Kala would gladly help too, if you need more hands on this one," Zion spoke as he stepped aside and already started moving towards the main door. What was the point in asking me something if he clearly didn't need my approval to leave? Well.. What I meant was that Zion would do anything he wanted, no matter what my opinion was.

"Sure, come back with your mate, I need all the help I can get here," I called after him right as Zion was closing the door behind him.

Since he was out of my hair, I could check on the kitchen staff without having to hold the angry overgrown goblin away from the cake.

As soon as I entered, I was hit with an insane aroma of the foods that were prepared for Aife's party.

The place looked like a bomb had gone off there, but at least the work was being done.

"Good morning, Alpha," all the women called out simultaneously.

"Good morning, ladies. Don't mind me, I'm just passing through," I waved and headed in the direction of the back door.

I wasn't passing though initially. This was a spur of the moment decision because as soon as I stepped into that kitchen, the voice in my head went off, screaming like a banshee and all of a sudden, I was experiencing a migraine. Stepping out of the building, my knees gave out and I collapsed on the ground, grabbing the sides of my head and gritting my teeth, praying to the Gods this wasn't anything serious and it wouldn't ruin Aife's special day.