The Beast's Possession
46: A test.

**Aife pov**

I jumped from my seat and spun around to face a man, standing near the gazebo.

While I couldn't quite see his face, I could easily notice that he was quite tall and buff, possibly one of the men working for Bane.

"How can you be so sure of it? This is the first time I see you around here and believe it or not, but I'm at the age I know not to trust random strangers. Especially those who appear out of nowhere with a clear intent to get me in trouble." I knew my voice was trembling, but there really wasn't anything I could do to fix that.

Besides, no matter what these brutes thought, I had all the rights in the world to feel scared whenever they appeared.

"Well," he dragged the word as he shoved his hands inside the pockets of his pants. "I didn't come here to force you into believing me, did I?"

"I don't know, did you?" I spat back with the same amount of sarcasm he just gave me.

"No, I didn't," he chuckled and shook his head in amusement. "On another note, I see why he's so fond of you. You're not like other women I have seen swarming around him like bees."

I furrowed my eyebrows as the mysterious man stepped closer. "What are you talking about? Who's fond of me?"

"Alpha Bane."

How I didn't burst out in laughter was beyond me. Had this man fallen and hit his head somewhere on his way here?

He couldn't possibly be claiming Bane was fond of me. Were all his darn pack members so blind and delusional to not see how that monster was treating me?

Bane had kicked me when I was down and abused me plenty of times.

For the millionth time, he killed my family and pack! He kidnapped me, humiliated me, punished me for everything I did wrong according to his books and the list went on.

If anyone thought those were the things someone did because they developed a specific liking for someone, they had to be out of their mind.

"You don't believe me," the man spoke, sounding genuinely surprised.

"No shit, Sherlock," I spat back in a 'duh' tone.

While I had no idea where the attitude was coming from, I actually enjoyed it. Most likely because I didn't have to think about every word that left me for as long as Bane wasn't around.

I missed being myself, I missed being sarcastic and sassy at times, and even more, I missed standing up for myself and not letting others get away with shitty behavior.

"You know, all you're doing here is keep proving my point."

I didn't bother to entertain more of his bullshit. The last thing I needed was another crazy stranger, claiming I couldn't see the obvious. There was no 'obvious' to begin with.

"Whatever," I muttered, rolled my eyes and spun on my heel, happy to get as far away from the delusional monkey as I could.

But before I could take even one step towards the building, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer to him.

"Didn't you fucking listen to me, brat? I just told you no one is watching you. He lied. This is your chance to get away from here so why won't you use it?"

His grip around my wrist became tighter and his voice dropped lower, almost as if he was threatening me.

"Let go of me," I muttered, keeping my eyes glued on the building.

"Stop being a difficult baby and get the hell out of here while you still have a chance. I know, for a fact, the things he's planning for you aren't nice. If you stay here for another day, Bane will cripple you." Sucking in a deep breath, I tried to calm my raging heart. I wasn't as stupid as everyone claimed I was.

I knew staying around Bane came with many risks, but until I was completely sure I had an actual chance to get out without being caught, I didn't want to jump the gun.

As I tried to pull my wrist out of his grip, I decided to play the same game he was playing.

"If you don't let go of me, I will scream for Bane."

My words were nothing but an empty threat. I would try to get rid of him alone, but between the two of us, Bane undeniably was the scariest, most feared one.

"If you want out, you won't scream for him. And you do want out, I know you, I've been watching you."

Cold shivers ran down my spine as I listened to him speak. How stalker-ish was it to watch someone all the darn time?

To be honest, that thought bothered me. Not the fact that anyone noticed my not-so-hidden dislike of this place and attempts to get out, but the fact that this person had been watching every single move I made. He had heard every word that left my lips, seen every facial expression, and every damn tear I shed.

I really needed to get away from him, even if it meant I had to return in the clutches of the beast himself, it had to be done.

Just when he was about to speak again, I sucked in a deep breath and screamed at the top of my lungs.

The man instantly released me and disappeared in the shadows. Weirdly, it was a little funny to watch him run away, especially since Bane didn't appear outside. I was pretty sure he didn't even hear me scream, or the more believable scenario - he didn't care.

Slowly, I turned off the fairy lights around the gazebo and walked back to the house. As tempting as the idea of running away right this instant was, I knew I couldn't do it.

When I finally reached the door and was about to open it, Bane pulled the door open and grinned at me like an idiot.

I furrowed my brows in a silent question as he stepped aside and gestured for me to enter.

A little reluctant, I did, but didn't bother to utter a word until he would speak. Sometimes, it was better to wait on others to speak up, that way, I could hear him out, or perfectly, listen to him dig his own grave with excuses. "You made the right choice," Bane announced, closing and locking the door. "Huh?"

"I said you made the right choice," he repeated, adding a rather irritated eye roll.

"What choice?" I asked, still puzzled.

I had no idea I had to make a choice, especially one Bane was aware of.

"It was a test," he grinned and approached me to throw his arm around my shoulders. "I wanted to check if I could trust you. Remember the last time you ran? You took off the moment I turned my back on you and I wanted to see if you would do the same thing again if given the chance. But now, at least I see my hard work with treating you better has paid off and you're finally coming around."

"B-but the man said," I stuttered.

"Yeah, he was a part of the plan. He was there to mess with you and encourage you to try to leave. As I said, it was basically a test to see if I can trust you. Congratulations, princess, you passed."