The Beast's Possession

**Aife pov**

Zion was nice. Maybe even a little too nice. Definitely more than I deserved.

He didn't owe me anything, and yet, he went out of his way to ensure I was comfortable and safe.

I was pretty sure the man didn't know how much he was doing for me.

As he led me down the countless halls, I didn't see even a soul around the house. In fact, I couldn't hear a sound, which made me a little worried.

Zion picked on my unease and chuckled. "It's late, so everyone went to bed. We might be a pack of savages, but we all love good sleep. And besides, no one would ever come here, especially with Bane being as pissy as he is now. There's a difference between being courageous and foolish."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I arched an eyebrow.

"A man who possesses insane courage can do anything. Take Bane, for example. The fucker fears nothing, hence why he got where he is today. But then, there's the fool. In this case it would be anyone who dared to step near where Bane might be resting. You don't face someone who fears nothing," Zion explained.

Just as I parted my lips to question him, Zion added a little more, in a whisper, so quietly I barely caught on the words, "someone, who has nothing to lose."

It seemed like whatever the issue truly was, it was deep-rooted and I really didn't have the right to keep questioning him. Their pack, their problems.

We kept walking in silence, so to distract myself from the pulsating pain running through one side of my face, I let my eyes roam over the paintings in the hall.

Most of them were views of nature, impressive mountains and powerful waterfalls, but there were a few of one woman. Oddly enough, while the paintings still hung on the walls, her face was clawed off them. Not even one of them had any features of her face left.

"Someone must have hated the poor woman," I muttered to myself.

"Long, long story, but I will tell you about it some other day. We're here," Zion announced and stopped in front of a door.

I really wanted to know the story behind the damaged paintings, but I also didn't. I kind of didn't like that Zion caught on my words because if he wouldn't have, he wouldn't start the spark of curiosity within me.

He opened the door and stood aside, inviting me in. I couldn't help but smile at the goofy expression on his face, despite how much it hurt. "Thank you."

Entering the bedroom, one thing was clear - Zion didn't lie. I liked it. It was bright, fresh and just entering the room made me feel more cheerful. While Bane's bedroom looked like that of an old man, Zion's room reminded more of a kids

room.

And of course, he had to prove just how right I was with my assumption.

"Look, I have some gaming consoles here and a massive TV. Bet Bane didn't tell you about my grand TV because he didn't want you here. Who cares? Anyway, here's my figurine collection. As you see, I really like elephants. Not sure what is so appealing about those long nosed, big eared fuckers, but I love them." Zion beamed.

My eyes followed his finger as he pointed out the things one by one. Then, he pointed at a massive bed, overstocked with pillows. "You can sleep here, I'll take the couch."

I shot my hands up and shook my head. "No, you are the host and I am the guest here, so we will do it the other way around. I would prefer the couch. And besides, it looks like you're really into pillows which is something I don't exactly enjoy."

"Yeah, I hump them whenever I can," Zion grinned and winked at me.

I made a face and he just laughed at me. For a moment, it was nice, freeing even, to be in his company. Zion had a way about him that made me feel like nothing could go wrong. He was so cheerful and carefree, I wished I could become thenoveldrama

same.

"Oh, shit," he hissed, stopping the fit of laughter on the spot.

"What?"

Zion pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. "They made you food and you never ate. I should bring something here so you can fill that tummy up."

"Nope, I never claimed I was hungry. I wouldn't mind having breakfast after getting some sleep, but I'm good for now. Really."

He watched me for a couple of seconds and gave in. "Alrighty then, let's get the beds ready then, maybe watch some movie and snore our lives away. Oh, yeah, I've been told I snore."

"Let's hope you won't snore tonight then," I laughed.

Honestly, I hated snoring. Oftentimes, I struggled with insomnia and background noises never made the situation better.

Zion shrugged his shoulders and started pulling the pillows off the bed, "I believe the worst I could do is moan while I'm asleep, but that's better than snoring, right?"

My cheeks instantly turned bright red, which earned me another fit of laughter from Zion. He actually held his stomach and doubled over. "Please, don't tell me you're a virgin and your reaction is like that just because I caught you off guard."

I bit my lip and started shifting my weight from one leg to another. My palms were getting sweaty and my heart beat so fast, I could hear the pounding in my ears.

The lack of response killed any amusement Zion felt. His eyes widened and he hurried to me, grabbing my shoulders to shake me. "Aife, use your words. Are you?"

He looked a little panicked. But why? Was it really such a big deal that some women didn't sleep around like others did?

That would be so unfair. I never judged everyone's else's life choices, especially private matters, so why would someone do that to me? But then again, Zion didn't look like he was judging me. He was worried.

"Fine," I whispered. "I'm a virgin, okay. I haven't had a boyfriend like... ever. Please, don't laugh at me, it's not funny."

Zion looked like a bug as his eyes nearly popped out of the sockets. The initial shock wore down and then, it was replaced by burning rage.

He released me and started backing away, muttering, "I'm going to kill that fucking asshole, I'm going to kill him," over and over again.

"Stop," I raised my hand. "What on Earth are you so angry about? Can you guys stop being so darn mysterious and just tell me what's wrong? I don't see a big deal about this, so neither should you. And besides, it's no one's business if I had slept with anyone or not. It's my private life, Zion."

I kept my voice low, calm and collected, just to get my point across. Zion, Bane, and the rest of the pack had to learn that they weren't entitled to everyone's life stories.

"No," Zion raised his voice. "You don't understand!"

"Don't understand, what? Help me figure it out, give me a little more information?" I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

Zion ran his hand through his hair a couple of times, sat on his bed and sighed. "Bane wanted you in one of the empty rooms near the servants. It's a part of the house everyone has access to. You're a virgin, Aife," he slowly raised his gaze to meet mine and gulped. "Men here, I would trust them with my life, but they are unpredictable. Especially to outsiders. And you are an outsider, Aife. A woman and a virgin, at that. The moment you're out of Bane's room, you are considered fair game here."