The Beast's Possession

**Zion

pov**

The cold, damp walls of the cell pressed in around me, suffocating me with their oppressive presence as I held my breath and waited for the footsteps to echo against the hall walls.

I could feel the ache down to my bones, the sting of every bruise and cut that adorned my battered body. But, amidst the pain, there was something else, something far more dangerous lurking in the shadows.

Bane.

The mere thought of his name sent a shiver down my spine, a bitter reminder of the betrayal that had torn our pack apart for good. Long gone was my best friend, the one person I could trust my life with. There were days I would stop a bullet for him, but now, as he finally stood before me, I couldn't help but feel disgusted by his presence.

He was nothing but a twisted reflection of the friend I once knew, his eyes gleaming with malice as he silently taunted me in my weakest moment. A moment he had created for nothing but his sick pleasure. "Bane," I spat his name like venom, unable to hide the disgust in my voice. "What do you want?"

He had an ability to get the worst out of me, that much was clear. I couldn't utter a decent sentence to the woman I loved with all my heart, but to him, I could ask questions. How unfair was that?

A smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth, a cruel twist of his lips that sent cold, dreadful shivers down my spine. "Just thought I could pay a visit to my old friend, see if you're getting comfortable in your new, upgraded accommodations." So, he didn't return to get more of his anger out on me then. He wasn't here to torture me. In a sense, he wasn't, at least physically. Instead, he decided that taunting me would be the best approach to show me where I stood.

I gritted my teeth, ignoring the pain that shot through my jaw the moment I did. Despite the fact that I couldn't fucking move, the urge to strike out at him was becoming nearly overwhelming. Too bad I knew I couldn't open the cell door even if I tried. Also, I knew better than to give in to my anger, knew that violence would only serve to feed the darkness that now consumed him. What was left of him..

I used to love Bane more than anyone, just to turn around and have that bite my damn ass. My love, respect and loyalty was what brought me here. I put so much trust in him and he.. He decided to give up, to fucking stop fighting.

Swallowing the bitterness, I looked up at him. "What happened to you, Bane?" I asked, my voice laced with sorrow more than anger. If my best friend was somewhere in there still, he would hear me. "You were always so strong, so fucking noble. How could you let yourself be consumed by this.. this curse?"

His cold laughter echoed through the cells, a hollow sound that chilled me to the bone. "You wouldn't understand, Zion. You have always been too weak, too stupid, too damn obsessed with yourself to notice him changing. You are too soft to embrace the true power that lies within us. And that is what landed you here - alone, beaten, bruised, fucking miserable."

I shook my head, refusing to let his words break me. Refusing to give him enough power to make me question myself and my abilities. I was a good Beta, a great warrior and an understanding, supportive friend. I had lived my life to my best ability, not letting anyone ruin it or take over me.

"Power?" I snorted out the word. "Is that what you call this? You have become nothing more than a puppet. A fucking slave to the darkness that consumes you. You, once great Alpha Bane, are nothing but a vessel for that fuckward to use as his toy. Worse than a fucking community dildo, handed from hand to hand without a care for a quick rinse."

Bane sneered, his gaze darkening with fury. "Watch your tongue, Beta. You may be imprisoned now, but I still hold the power here. I can take your ability to speak since I was the one who let you keep it."

I met his gaze with defiance, refusing to cower before him. "You may hold my body captive, Bane, but you will never break my spirit. And as long as there is breath in my lungs, I will fight against the darkness that threatens to consume us all. Your bloodline can go rot in hell for all I care, but the people, your fucking people, they don't deserve to pay the price of the sins that are not theirs!"

For a moment, there was a flicker of something in his eyes, a hint of the friend I once knew buried beneath the layers of darkness. But it was gone in an instant, replaced once more by the cold, empty gaze of a man lost to his own demons. "Very well, Zion," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "We shall see how long that spirit of yours lasts in the face of true power. Don't miss me too much yet, I need to visit someone special and I'll return back to you in no time." A sick smile spread across his lips as he pointed at the metal bucket inside my cell, "be a good boy and do your business before I return, I'm sure neither of us would like to watch a grown man piss himself."

With that, he turned and stalked away, leaving me alone once more in the darkness. My heart hammered in my chest as I feared that Bane was on his way to find my mate. How else could he break me? I had one weakness and that was the woman who had snuck in here to steal the weakest of ghost kisses and remind me that I was loved.

As I watched him go, I knew I wouldn't give in, no matter how much he taunted or tortured me. No matter how powerful the darkness might seem, I would always believe in the light, in the hope that one day Bane would find his way back to

us.

I had no idea what could make him fight against this, but there had to be something. Even beaten, out of breath, I managed to look up at the ceiling of the cell and whisper, "please, Moon Goddess, the mother of all living, send your mercy upon us. Whatever he did, I beg you, spare us. Find forgiveness and set him free. Bane isn't a monster, he has never been. Don't give the darkness power to consume him for good. Set him free."