The Beast's Possession
76: She’s safe with me.

**Zion

pov**

Shit. Deep, deep, over the head, deep shit. That was where I dragged myself into.

The only positive thing about this situation was that Bane arrived on time. He took Aife with him, so I was sure she would be safe now.

I never intended to put her in danger. I never wanted her to get in trouble.

For once, I wanted to see the girl that was hurting fade into distant memories. Although I might have chosen the wrong approach, I really tried to make her smile, relax and enjoy herself. If anyone, Aife was the only person I knew who deserved it.

It was a shame no one but me seemed to be able to see how worthy she was, how truly amazing and bright that woman was.

Aife wasn't someone who I could be interested in romantically, but she sure was someone I wanted to befriend.

Compared to people who lived in the pack, she was a breeze of fresh air. And on top of that, for me, she was a glimmer of hope.

Of the hope that one day, things would get better. We all could be pulled out of the darkness that surrounded us, she was the key, all I needed was to prove to Bane that my theory was correct. By the time I parked in front of the main building, I couldn't see Bane's car anywhere. At first, I was a little worried, but then, I wrote the absence down to him, probably heading back to his house. The thought that my best friend wanted so much privacy with a woman warmed my heart, but it wasn't strong enough to rid me of the fear that had rooted itself inside me.

The shadows of the past were dangerous, even more so now that he was trying to fight them.

"Pull yourself together and focus on now rather than what the future holds. He can do this, you know he can," I muttered to myself as I got out of the car and headed towards the main door.

As soon as I stepped inside, I noticed how quiet it was. My guess was that Bane sent everyone to their rooms in a fit of anger.

Slowly, I walked towards his office. I knew he would come here to give me a piece of his mind pretty soon, so it was better if I didn't make him wait.

Bane was a man of unpredictable nature and soon, I would find out if it really would be Bane who I would have to face.

Opening the door to his office, I slipped inside but didn't close the door behind me. I chose to leave it open as a sign for Bane that I was waiting.

Surprisingly, he had cleaned up the mess and stacked up the paperwork just how it was supposed to be. Not a thing was out of its place.

Sitting down, I glanced at my watch and started the silent countdown for his arrival. There were many possible outcomes, but the main ones that circled my mind were that the longer it would take for him to arrive, the bigger the possibility that he could arrive in a murderous or joyful mood.

Whichever it would be, well, it would depend on Aife.

By the time I heard steps in the hallway, I was almost asleep. He sure did take his damn time to arrive.

Just as Bane stepped inside the office, I stood up and spun on my heel to face him.

The smile on my lips disappeared the moment when, once again, his fist collided with my face. "You've taken great pleasure in beating me lately," I hissed as I brought my hand to my nose.

"That's for putting her in harm's way," Bane announced, shrugged his shoulders and threw another punch to my jaw. "And that's for sneaking her out without my approval."

Either way, I was about to get my ass kicked, so what harm would a remark make? "I didn't know you cared so much about her to assault your best friend because of a chich. All we did was just have some fun, dance a little, grind against each other, no biggie."

I could see the rage burning in his eyes, but that was exactly what I wanted. I wanted to see the anger, the panic, everything. Bane didn't need words to prove my suspicions being right.

And just when a smile tugged on the corner of my mouth, he punched me again.

Now or never. Clearly, Aife hadn't told him anything about our unexpected run-in with the asshole, so I had to come clean with Bane.

"Wow, I can only imagine what you'll do to me once you find out that Killian was there and he had his paws all over your precious little Luna."

Closing my eyes, I expected the beating of a lifetime, but it never came. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see Bane, standing in the furthest corner of the room, his claw digging deep in his thigh.

"Shit, man, you're bleeding,” I announced as I tried to get close to him, but Bane held out his hand as if to keep me away.

"I know about that fucker, that's why it's better that you stay at safe distance. She told me everything and it's not like I could miss his stench all over her." Bane hissed, digging his monstrous nails deeper in his flesh.

My eyes widened. "What the fuck are you doing? Stop!"

The look he gave me was so full of pain and sorrow, I knew it wasn't because of what he was doing to himself. Bane was broken, so damn broken and lost that I feared he couldn't be fixed anymore.

"I'm trying to hold him back from hurting you. I can't do that if you're too close. A punch or two are okay if you deserve them, but I refuse to allow my darkness to kill my best friend. No matter what, you're all I've got, Zion. I can't lose you," Bane's voice broke as a tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek.

I wanted to run to him and pull him into the tightest hug ever. I wanted to tell him everything would be fine, he could fight it and a brighter future was ahead of us.

It really sucked to know that all the things I wanted to say weren't real. Those were lies, delusions I created in my mind and they probably would never come true. But a fool could dream, couldn't he?

"Bane," I tried to speak, but I choked up when I noticed how he was digging the nails so deep, they could go though his leg anytime soon.

"It's fine, I just have to fight it," he gasped, averting his gaze.

A massive lump appeared in my throat, so big, I was struggling to swallow around it.

Bane was more than just my Alpha and best friend. He was the man who saved my life, who protected me when no one else did. I wanted to do the same for him.

Sadly, I knew he wouldn't allow me to. I knew him too well. If there was a risk to someone he cared for, Bane would rather self-isolate and fight alone than endanger someone.

As much as it pained me to, I had to ask the question that could break my best friend for good. "What about Aife? Is she safe around you?"

His tear filled eyes focused on me. Determination I hadn't seen ever before filled them as Bane dug his claw deeper in his flesh. "She's safe with me. I'd rather slit my own throat than allow him to get to her."