The Beast's Possession
15: It’s not true.

**Aife

pov**

Soon after Clove alerted me about someone getting closer, I noticed that. The snapping of the branches and heavy steps nearing us. I couldn't see the person coming closer as Clove had said, but I knew it wasn't a joke. Quickly, I stripped and forced the clothes inside the tote, waiting on her to shift.

*"What are you doing?" She asked, confused.

"Letting you shift without ruining the little clothes we have. Come on, it's not like we have enough time to stand around naked, shift," I hissed under my breath.

*"What, now?"* Clove gasped, looking around us, scanning the surroundings to check if the person had gotten close enough to see me.

"Yes, I'd rather have you face whoever is coming than risk them seeing my face," I spoke, a little more panicked than earlier.

*"Makes sense," she muttered and took over.

Now, in our wolf form, all I could do was sit back and watch whatever was about to unfold. Soon after, the stranger approached us, his hands still held up in surrounder.

I could have sworn I knew him from somewhere. Surely, we had met before. Just.. I couldn't quite tell who this man was. Also, since he just stood there, completely mute and shell-shocked, it wasn't like he could tell me who he was. "Wow," he finally broke out of his haze, still looking at Clove, completely amazed.

In return, my beautiful wolf offered a deep, threatening growl and bared her teeth at him. It was a warning, enough for him to take a step back.

"Shh, I didn't come here to hurt you. I just noticed the smoke and decided to check if anyone's here as this forest is technically unavailable for the masses. Protected species live here and we try our best to ensure some crazies won't come around and harm the animals," he explained, taking a step back.

Clove tilted her head and sat down to watch him. She was very aware of the situation and didn't let her guard down, listening into the sounds of our surroundings. For all we knew, this could be an ambush and someone might attack us while we weren't paying attention.

"May I please ask something?" He asked, voice calm and steady.

Clove growled again but nodded, letting him know he could speak. He had to be another werewolf if he spoke to a wolf like this. The only issue was that I couldn't catch even a hint of his smell or grasp his aura. I wondered why. "Don't take me the wrong way, please, I won't force her to return, but do you happen to be the wolf of a woman named Aife?"

My heart leaped up to my throat. Fuck, they found me so fast.

Clove, sensing my fear, growled even louder, showing off the razor-sharp canines.

The man threw his hands up again and shook his head. "I won't force her to return, just like I said. I just want the answer and if it happens to be that I'm right, I have a proposition."

*"What do you think? Should we hear him out?"* Clove whispered, completely ignoring the fact that he couldn't hear her speak.

Scratch that, he couldn't hear me too.

As she kept her gaze on him, I slowly put the pieces of the puzzle together until the realization dawned on me. The man in front of us was Killian, the same Alpha Killian that I was supposed to become a breeding machine to. Clove, hearing my thoughts, almost attacked him. I had to give him credit - he wasn't as stupid as everyone thought he was.

"Whatever you heard, it's not true. I managed to grasp at some straws of information, but clearly since I wasn't there, I can't know for sure. I never intended to buy you as my personal breeder, Aife." Killian stressed, taking another step back. "Yes, there was an agreement with your father about the marriage and the money we agreed upon was what he said was the bridal price. He claimed it was a tradition in the family, so I agreed. But just to set the record straight - I mentioned wanting many children, but never said anything about breeders. If I wanted one, I would pick one from my pack, I have plenty of willing women around me as it is."

Maybe I was far too trusting, but he did have a point. If he needed a bunch of kiddos just for the sake of having them, he could have gotten hundreds of women pregnant already. She-wolves always felt honored to carry their Alpha's pups, in a relationship with the man or not.

*"I think we should hear him out."* The same as me, Clove decided it was better to get the full picture of the situation rather than relying on the little bits we had gotten.

Slowly, she grabbed the bag with her teeth and walked around the tree to quickly shift back. "Turn around and don't look. She will know if you tried to peek, creep," I hissed as I started getting dressed.

A deep chuckle left him, but I heard movement and assumed he was listening. When I was done getting dressed, I walked back and faced him, glaring just in case he thought I was no threat.

"One wrong word and she's back. She craves blood and I won't stand in her way, especially if whatever she wants is right before her eyes," I snarled.

Perhaps I didn't sound threatening, but I hoped I did.

"Alpha Killian," he said and offered me his hand. I looked down and then back at his face, refusing to accept his gesture. "I thought it would be nice to properly introduce myself before we sit down to talk," he explained.

"Aife," I grumbled.

Killian's face broke out in a wide grin, "oh, I know."

"Get to talking, we don't have time to waste," I pushed him to do what he claimed he wanted to.

Killian looked uncomfortable as he brought his hand to the back of his neck and scratched it. "The whole pack is freaking out as we speak. But I must wonder how the hell did you get this far that fast? We're what, a good two hours drive from my pack?"

I rolled my eyes. "Why does it matter? I think the fact I left your territory speaks volumes about how much I care about whatever is happening in your pack."

I couldn't help but feel bitter. We didn't know each other, we weren't friends and it wasn't like we ever spoke to each other either. We were strangers and I didn't want to break the magic of that word.

"Fair. Seems like you're not one to drag out the conversations. So," he slapped his hands on his thighs and sat on the lodge. "So, we could discuss the offer I want to give you."

"An offer?" I raised an eyebrow. What could this man offer me? Unless it was the chance for me to escape the wedding and breeder duties, I didn't want to hear what it was.

Killian grinned and wiggled his eyebrows like some low-budget villain. "How would you feel about a chance to enjoy some payback? To be more specific - payback to your father and sister?"

"Wait, what? I think I didn't hear you correctly," I gasped, taking a step closer to prove my point. "Did you just offer me to go against my father and sister? For the record, just because we're supposed to be related doesn't mean we are close. This so-called sister never cared about me, so why should I care about her?"

"I don't know," Killian shrugged. "I just thought you would enjoy watching them finally receive the karma they have earned. From a safe distance, of course. I couldn't let them think you returned."