The Beast's Possession

**Killian

pov**

As soon as I entered the pack house, I knew something was off. Terribly off. The only issue was that I couldn't understand what exactly was wrong with the overall feeling here.

Sure, the whole pack thought that Aife had gone missing, but that was beyond the point. The feeling I got was something else, definitely not the emptiness of the premises that usually buzzed with nothing but life. Maybe I felt off because usually, whenever I returned from my trips, I never entered the pack house alone, but even that felt like a tiny possibility. Jonathan's absence couldn't be the reason why I didn't feel at home. Deciding it was better to investigate, not stand aside like some stranger, I headed into the living room. That was empty, no object was left out of its place and the vibe hadn't changed much either. Perhaps I was losing my mind.. Just as I neared the possibility of accepting that thought, Kayson entered the living room, catching me completely off guard. He wasn't supposed to return this soon.

Before I could react, he had his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. "Hey there, buddy, I wasn't expecting to see you this soon. The pack members mentioned something about you returning in weeks or months," he cheered. Kayson wasn't your everyday happy go lucky person, so his behavior was so out of character that it actually set the alarm bells off in my head. Slowly, I pushed him away and frowned.

As my eyes scanned my so-called best friend, I didn't need much time to understand that he was hiding something from me. Something big.. Something I wouldn't like.

"Spit it out," I groaned and sat down, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

Clearly, he didn't like my attitude. In true Kayson's nature, he rolled his eyes at me and sat down, but unlike me, he couldn't hold eye contact. There, definitely hiding something important.

"Spit. It. Out," I repeated myself, forcing the words through gritted teeth to let him know I wasn't in the mood of playing his games again. Kayson didn't have many options here. In fact, he had only one, which was something he didn't want to take. Like I fucking cared.

"Why do you always assume the worst? It's like I barely see you anymore and once I decide to hop in for a surprise visit not only are you away, damn it, but also once we finally get to see each other - you're acting like a complete dick. What happened to you? Is there my best friend in that body still or have I lost him too? Seriously, Killian, give me a fucking break," he groaned.

If anyone, he had to know that I wasn't too fond of liars, especially those who lied straight to my face. Alright, maybe the shit he hid was something personal, I wouldn't mind it if he kept that to himself, but there was no need to act like whatever he wasn't saying was connected to me.

With Kayson, it was pretty easy - the guy was a shit liar and whenever he acted like a sketchy child around someone, the person instantly knew the behavior was in a way connected to them. Like now. Kayson never hugged me like this. Ever. "Stop avoiding the demand. Or, do you need me to change the tone and make sure it's a command?" I raised an eyebrow.

Using my Alpha voice was the last thing I enjoyed, especially against those who were closest to me, but sometimes it was needed. Kayson was my Beta, my best friend, but above all that, he also had gotten too damn comfortable in his position. He seriously had to get his shit together.

"Alright, damn it," he hissed and ran his hand through his hair. "There's absolutely no need to act like a complete dick, you know. Also, you don't have to command me around, Alpha. All it takes is to be nice and ask the right questions. For once, be my friend, not my superior," he whispered the last part, but I still could hear it loud and clear.

Leaning against the backrest of the couch, I smiled. "Could you please tell me what's going on?"

Although deep down, I knew this answer would follow, but it still didn't make me less annoyed than I already was. Kayson met my gaze and grinned like the mad fuck he was as he mouthed, "no."

"See," now, it was my turn to groan and make stupid sounds. "I tried to approach you in a nicer way and it still didn't work. Last warning, Kayson. I'm still treating you like a friend here, I won't be so kind the next time I need to waste more of my breath on you."

The fear that flashed in his eyes was barely noticeable, and didn't last for more than a second, but I knew him well enough to notice it. What could have happened for Kayson to fear my reaction? This was so not him.

"I might have," he started and sighed, as if in defeat. While I frowned at my best friend, I didn't miss how uncomfortable he appeared even when Kayson jumped to his feet and started pacing the living room. It was unclear if he tried to find the right words or come up with another excuse.

When Kayson finally stopped and turned around to face me, the phone in my pocket went off. I raised one finger to signal that he had to keep that thought and pulled the annoying device out of my pocket.

Glancing at the screen, I frowned again and quickly declined the incoming call just to get another one right after. I declined that too, but of course, the ringing didn't stop so I gave in and answered the call, "Jonathan, I'm kind of in the middle of something here," I spoke, a little harsher than I intended.

"I know, Alpha. I tried to reach you using mind-link but since you blocked everyone out, I kind of gathered you're busy.. This is important. Very important. I need you here," Jonathan whispered the last words, as if he knew someone was in the earshot.

"How soon?" Was all I asked while still eyeing Kayson. My best friend wasn't paying attention to the phone call, if anything, he appeared relieved that he didn't have to come clean about his secrets just yet.

"This will sound bad, but I need you here right now. No, probably an hour ago, if not months. This is huge, trust me, we're in sort of trouble with this one. Way bigger than we originally assumed."