The Beast's Possession
181: Games to play and people to hurt.

**Bane pov**

Eventually, I came to my senses and managed to push myself off the ground. The headache was still there, pounding my head so hard, I had a feeling my ears were working like a speaker, letting everyone know I was suffering. That might have been the look on my face - the scowl or obvious discomfort, but as I returned back inside the house, everyone parted their way to let me pass without uttering a single word.

Zion was nowhere to be seen, probably a little busy back home with Kala, but his annoying voice was the last thing I sought now. All I wanted was to return back to the bedroom and hold Aife until the pain would fade. At this point, I was growing irritated. With every step I took, I was in more pain than before - my whole body still hurt and the headache added to the mix wasn't helping me remain sane.

While I knew it was a bad idea, I really didn't have any other choice.. Instead of joining everyone in an effort to make Aife's day magical, I hid away.

I walked up the stairs, passing Alpha floor and stopping on the last one. Once I found the entrance to the attic, I pulled down the ladder and climbed up to hide away from everyone.

As soon as my feet hit the attic floor, I pulled up the ladder and closed the entrance, leaving myself surrounded with nothing but my pain and the darkness.

Laying on the attic floor, I focused my all to positive thoughts. The pain was about to fade, it wouldn't torment me for any longer, this had to be the consequences of lack of sleep, nothing more.

It almost worked until the asshole in my head decided to remind me of his goddamn presence. *"It's not what you think it is. Stop fooling yourself, Bane, you're an Alpha, you're better than that."* He mocked me.

"I don't have time for your bullshit right now. Leave me alone," I grumbled and closed my eyes, hoping a quick nap could help me cool down.

The laugh that echoed in my mind was so damn loud and threatening, it chilled me to my bones. That was all I needed to finally realize that this had to be one of his doings. It had to.

"What the fuck did you do?" I growled and tried to sit up, but my body didn't listen to my orders.

Out of nowhere, my whole body was tingling as if the flames of wildfire were licking on my skin, trapping me pinned to the damn floor.

*"Oh, nothing, I swear nothing at all. That is, if nothing at all means that I finally gathered enough strength to do what you were supposed to do ages ago. She's making you weak. She has no place in my life,"* as he ranted, I knew I had to put my foot down once and for all, so I interrupted him.

"Your life? Excuse the fuck you, this isn't your life, buddy. You're literally a parasite using my body as a vessel to keep on surviving. You might have a voice but it's easy to silence for as long as I remain silent. You don't have a body, dreams, aspirations, goals, a pack, a fucking house for Goddess sake. You have nothing. You are nothing. So, stop splashing around in your kiddie pool of delusions, grow a pair, grab it, and admit you are nothing. Now, let me sleep you fuckwit," I hissed.

Speaking my mind felt so liberating, I actually felt proud for finally doing that. But of course, as it always was with me - nothing was as simple as it seemed to be. Sadly, he found a way to remain one step ahead of me.

*"You foolish boy. You're the same as your weakling of a father and grandfather. The great name of our family, the bloodline, it all has been tainted by weaklings like yourself and those that came before you. I'll be damned if I allow you to act the same as they did. You have no right. No damned right to let a woman stomp over you!"* He growled so loud, the headache instantly increased.

"Good thing I don't care about you and your opinion on the matter, right?" I chuckled, fighting myself to remain as indifferent to his threats as I could.

*"Have I ever asked for your permission for anything, Bane?"* He asked, catching me off guard.

I had no idea where this conversation was going or what he was planning. I was so used to this moron always talking in riddles that I never took him seriously. Maybe I should have. "Have I ever cared?" Like a true spiteful kid, I retorted with another question, checking how far I could push him.

*"The headache you're battling right now is nothing but a side effect, if I may so. The feeling of flames, licking your skin is the next step. The inability to move is yet another one. Do you really think you have any power in this situation? Any at all?" He laughed.

I hated to admit this, but I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach.. A feeling that could be described as nothing but dread. He was planning something - something so evil and sinister that I couldn't even imagine what it was.

All I knew was that something would go down and unless I figured out a way to prevent that from happening, all of us were most likely as good as dead.

As the last ditch effort, I mind-linked Zion, thankfully getting through to him. I was as fast as I could, quickly laying out what was happening and what he had to do before everything went down.

While the fucker in my mind thought that he had an upper hand over me, he somehow missed the fact that I was reaching out to my second in command. That had to be because he was too distracted with playing God in everyone's story.

He was so taken by with the chance to boast about himself that he was completely blind to everything that was happening around him.

And now, although earlier I really wanted to lay down and sleep, I had to fight off the heavy weil of sleep slowly covering me. I was so exhausted, I really needed to close my eyes, but I knew that would do nothing but put my pack in harm's way. It could put the woman I loved at his mercy, which was something I refused to allow.

*"Let's go, we have games to play and people to hurt,"* he laughed, coldly. To make matters worse, he managed to use my voice to state his plans out loud rather than scream for only me to hear.

The same moment, my arms and legs started twitching and spasming against my will. *"Ah, it's been a good while since I last took full control of a body, don't mind me, I'll get a handle on this very quickly. I'm speaking from experience,"* he chuckled, once again, using my voice not his.

Although I fought against his control with all my might, the next moment, I was upright, walking towards the attic entrance, opening it and slowly sliding down the ladder.

I screamed, fought, growled, thrashed and even pleaded with him, but it was no use. Finally, he had managed to get what he wanted and the only person who could help me keep them all safe was Zion.

My own voice was silenced by that in my mind. I was left fighting for a chance for my own survival and that of my pack. On the very goddamn edge, not present, yet present enough to watch everything unfold before my eyes. Goddess, please don't let him harm anyone.