The Beast's Possession

pov**

**Aife The next day, soon after I woke up, I got hit with a feeling so uneasy, so gloomy and ominous, I couldn't shake it off even if I tried.

Sitting in the kitchen, having breakfast with Kala and Zion felt like an out of body experience. I was present and not at all at the same time. "Aife? Hello? Earth calls out to Aife, where are you?" Kala screamed as she waved her hand in front of my face, making me jump in my seat.

Wide eyed, with my jaw hanging, I stared at her, unable to utter a word. Kala didn't look like herself. In fact, she didn't even look alive. As I kept opening and closing my eyes, I still couldn't get back the image of how she was supposed to look. In front of me stood a woman I didn't know. Her high-pitched voice screeched in my ears, nearly deafening me. All of my senses went into overdrive as I jumped out of my seat and started backing away.

I saw the mouth moving, but didn't hear a sound leave it. My heart hammered in my chest with such might that I could feel every motion in my throat, as if the organ was climbing up, desperate to escape.

Kala looked like a real life zombie. Her skin was melting off her bones in massive chunks, all of her wild hair was gone and the crazed look in her eyes genuinely terrified me.

"Stay away," I managed to mutter, hating myself for how weak my voice sounded. No matter how hard I tried to say more, I couldn't force even one word out of me.

Was this a nightmare? Was I still asleep, trapped within the dream, unable to wake up and escape this unfortunate setting? If so, why did this feel so damn real?

Even though the woman before me looked nothing like my friend, somehow, I noticed that she had started moving towards me. That was when my heart truly got stuck in my throat. Everything happened too fast. I turned on my heel and tried to run, but something, possibly a wall, stopped me and I fell back. My head hit the tiled floor with a loud, deafening thud and the next moment, darkness enveloped me in its cold embrace.

***

I woke up in a warm bed, surrounded by what felt like clouds. Something kept me warm - the source was hard against my body but so darn warm that I felt like I was burning up.

Giving into the instincts, I didn't bother to open my eyes and kicked the source of warmth away from me. Only when this source let out a grunt of pain, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the floor did I open my eyes and sit up in bed.

I scanned the room for the source of sound, but didn't see anything. Still half-asleep and very confused, I frowned.

The only thing I really knew was that I was back in the bedroom. For some inexplicable reason, the room was so overpowered with Bane's scent, I was sure I had to really be asleep. Tears burned in my eyes and the next moment, I started full- on crying like a child. I really missed him.

Just when I thought things couldn't get more confusing, I was pulled into a tight hug, trapped in strong arms, my face buried in someone's chest. I tried to push the person away, growing more panicked with every second until.. Until I heard him speak.

"Shh, baby, calm down. You're safe, I promise you're safe. Calm down, please, don't cry my pretty girl, please don't cry," he muttered and I couldn't help it - I started crying even harder, grabbing him, trying my hardest to pull him so close, we could merge into one.

"Breathe, baby, you need to breathe. Take deep, slow breaths and calm down. I'm here, I'm not leaving you alone anymore. I'm not leaving you," he kept reassuring me as his large hand drew soothing circles on my back. Bane.. He was home. Finally, he was back home and for once, I felt like my heart was at peace. Perhaps his sudden arrival was what created the feeling in me earlier, but deep down, I knew it had to be connected with everything I found out yesterday.

Although Salem claimed Bane would return today and she was bloody right, I chose to bury the memory of her vision and focus on what mattered. He was back home, right where he had to be. "You're home," I breathed out, still sobbing.

A low chuckle left him as Bane's hold around me tightened. Enough to keep me trapped, yet not enough to hurt me. "I missed you," he whispered and pressed his lips to the top of my head.

All I could do was nod my head, still trapped in a sense of disbelief that he had returned. I had wished, probably in my wildest dreams, to have him back and it finally happened. How could I voice just how happy I was to have him back? Just as I tried to say something, Bane laughed. "Truth to be told, the last thing I expected was to get kicked out of the bed by my Luna. And I mean literally kicked out. But I'm not complaining. You're a silly one, my love," he mused. I had never been so thankful for the ability to avoid one's gaze. My cheeks instantly burned bright red, so much so that even the tips of my ears felt like they were set ablaze.

"But," he dragged. "I'm sort of happy I got kicked out of here. It's on me that I surprised you unprepared and whatever happened in the kitchen has to have played an important role with this situation too. Anyway, this just goes to show that you don't appreciate it if men just try to lay down next to you. My bad. Sorry."

A part of me couldn't believe that Bane was taking this situation so lightly. There was no trace of anger or annoyance in his voice, which was something I really appreciated.

By the time I finally mustered up the courage to meet his eyes, I had managed to calm down a little and there weren't any tears streaming down my face anymore.

My hand trembled as I brought it to his cheek, more or less to prove to myself that he truly was here. The moment I cupped Bane's cheek, he melted in my touch, successfully melting my heart in the process. He was here. This wasn't a dream. "Promise you won't leave me ever again. You're here to stay," I whispered the plea, desperate to hear the words I needed more than my next breath.

Bane placed his hand over mine and turned his head to plant a kiss on my palm and whisper, "I'm here to stay."