The Beast's Possession
33: Alpha got these for you.

**Aife pov**

Although I wanted to pity myself for a second, I couldn't actually do it. As unfair as everything felt, I couldn't forcefully give myself some sympathy.

It wasn't about who was right or wrong in this situation, it more or less was about the fact that my life as it was today, was the result of decisions I made. Somewhere between the conflicting emotions, I reached an odd realization. I didn't have to wait that long until my birthday.

For someone else, the thought would mean nothing, but for me - it meant the world.

While I had no idea what day and date it was, that didn't hold much importance. What was truly important was the fact that soon, I would meet my wolf and her presence would actually give me a chance to escape.

Just like I had once already, I decided to play Bane's game. All I needed was to gain a tiny bit of his trust. Enough for him to let me exit this house and if I was lucky, wander the territory unattended.

As if on cue, the door to the bedroom opened. My head snapped in the direction, and for once, I could let out a breath of relief because it wasn't Bane who came here.

Silvia brought in some more laundry and grinned at me. "Alpha told me you are allowed to leave the bedroom if you're up to it. He mentioned the doctor had said that you need to get some fresh air once in a while, so Alpha ordered me to accompany you," she spoke as she walked to the closet.

Honestly, I really wanted to get out of here, but not for a walk. I wanted to get away.

For the time being, though, this would have to do.

Silvia kept talking as I tried to get out of the bed. My body was sore, but I managed to kick off the sheets and toss my legs over the edge of the bed.

When Silvia exited the closet, she came with a little pile of clothing in her hands. I frowned at the lacy fabric that laid on top of the pile, which made her laugh at me. "It's just some underwear, there's no need to make a face like someone just fed you snails. Come on, I will help you get dressed."

I nodded and let her help me to my feet. Silva huffed something about my weight when she pulled the shirt off me and helped me step into the panties. She even helped me put on the stupid lace bra.

This type of underwear was for the eyes, not one's comfort. Something was telling me that Bane chose it all.

My suspicions were proven to be right when Silvia spoke again. "Alpha got these for you. I have no idea how he knows your size, but everything fits nicely. I washed, dried and folded your clothes too, they're in his closet."

It probably was an awful thing to feel grateful for, but for once, I enjoyed my inability to voice my thoughts.

"There," she grinned.

My eyes traveled down my body as I realized I had managed to zone out while she was helping me get dressed.

A little embarrassing if anyone asked me, but I had to suck it up.

At least for the time being while I was too weak to deal with regular mundane tasks on my own.

Silvia was all smiles and positivity as she took my hand in hers and led me out of the bedroom. I was beyond grateful to her for not trying to run around as every step I took seriously hurt.

Walking down the halls turned into a whole experience because Silvia pointed at the paintings and told me everything she knew about the history behind them.

It was a bittersweet moment, really. Back home, we had a hall packed with paintings of our relatives, both living and dead. I used to love walking down that hall as a child. My favorite thing ever was imagining how those people might have been in the past, what they did and enjoyed.

By the time Silvia and I reached the bottom of the stairs, I was growing increasingly nervous. I had enough Bane for one day, so running into him was the last thing I wanted.

Some fresh air in the gardens Silvia boasted about sounded like pure heaven right now.

Thankfully, he was nowhere to be seen, even when we stepped outside the house and Silvia led me towards the gardens in question.

When I finally got the chance to take in the full view, I couldn't believe someone as vile as Bane was hiding something so beautiful. The garden wasn't packed with just flowers, it also had lush fruit trees and what looked like a miniature maze. "Alpha prefers fresh fruit and doesn't trust that produce in supermarkets could fit his liking, hence he planted the trees. The garden was originally created when he was a little boy and he just kept adding new stuff as the years went by. Believe it or not, but sometimes when he's overwhelmed, you can find him here. And I don't mean sitting around - he's actually gardening." Silvia giggled.

My eyes widened at her words. It seemed that the more I learned about Bane, the less I actually knew. Who would have thought that a man like him actually tended to the trees and berries bushes?

Maybe if he weren't such a colossal asshole, I would find this piece of information rather endearing. But alas, just because he was capable of doing one nice thing didn't undo the awful crimes he had committed.

Silvia took my hand in hers again and led me towards a bench under a beautiful oak tree.

We sat in silence, her, deep in thoughts, and me, taking in as many details as possible.

This hidden piece of paradise had to be one of the most beautiful places I had visited. A part of me never wanted to leave the bench and let go of the calmness this place set within me.

Perhaps this is what I needed - a moment to sit down and enjoy nothing... Absolutely nothing.

"I have no right to tell you anything about the pack. I mean, I'm sure some of the women around the rejects housing told you plenty of things, but there is more than meets the eye. They don't see what the rest of us do, so as a result, they have little to no knowledge about what actually happens around here." Silvia's eyes darted everywhere but at me.

Only now did I realize I didn't take the notebook with me, so there was no way I could encourage her to speak up. As indifferent as I acted, I wanted to know more about this place and why that awful man kept killing innocent people just to snatch one girl from the pack he attacked.

"Even though you can't answer, I can nearly hear how loudly you are thinking, which means you have questions, right?" Silvia finally looked at me and offered me a sad smile.

I nodded. Deep down, I had a feeling that I wouldn't like what she was about to tell me, but despite that, I still wanted to know. Selfish, yeah, but I had to know why he dragged me here. Why did Bane need me?

"Do you have any idea why the men are leaving and stealing women from other packs?" She asked.

Of course I didn't have any idea why. But Silvia - she had the answers. The downside of that was her stalling and beating around the bush.

I shook my head and even shifted in my seat to get a little closer. As soon as her lips parted and she was about to tell me everything, someone appeared behind us and slammed a hand on our shoulders. "Ladies, there you are. I've been looking for you all over the place."