The Beast's Possession

**Aife pov**

This encounter with the witch had left a lingering sense of unease in the pit of my stomach. Her words, those hit the hardest. Almost heavy enough to echo in my mind like a haunting melody.

Her name was Salem and from what I heard from Kala, this woman was powerful. Too powerful to be contained. Far too powerful for her own good. And bitter - angry at the world, spiteful, so darn furious that everyone didn't kiss her feet that in time, her own anger poisoned her.

As her name echoed in my mind, the sound sent shivers down my spine. I was sure that there were many people out there, who experienced the same reaction if they ever heard anything about this woman.

Deep down, I had a bad feeling about this. Not only the fact that the witch suddenly needed to see me and decided to warn me about something, but the overall situation. Something was telling me that there was no way that her power and rage could be contained by removing her arms.

There was that crazed, haunted look in her eyes. The look that could scare the bravest of the warriors, the fiercest of leaders and even most loving mothers. It was a low blow to anyone, even if only echoing in my mind, but I wouldn't be surprised if Salem's mother feared her daughter.

Tilting my head to the left, I stole a moment to take her in once again. Kala mentioned some details about Salem being a cunning woman who had mastered dark arts that danced on the blade of death. If I didn't know how truly evil she could be, I would doubt the things I heard about Salem.

She was beautiful. Stunning. But behind that breathtaking beauty was a hint of innocence that hadn't faded with time and rage. Maybe she still used it against her victims? What if Salem wanted to come across as a naive, lost woman who just needed some peace of mind and solace, just to strike once she trapped the next victim in her web of lies?

"Luna Aife," Salem spoke again, her voice a low, melodic whisper that seemed to have the power to pull me closer. Without noticing it, I had, in fact, stepped closer to the cell, unable to fight the need to get as close as I could until her voice broke the silence again. "We need to talk. You need to listen. I can see you're curious, so if you don't want to speak yourself, at least listen."

Sucking in a deep breath, I braced myself and looked straight into Salem's eyes, as if my attempt to appear strong would work on her. Then, I shook my head, much to her displeasure. "I think you already said enough just moments ago, Salem. After everything you've done here, I'm sure you understand that your kind is not welcome here. Didn't Beta Zion make it obvious enough for you when he took your arms?"

Her eyes widened for a split second, but the initial shock faded as if it hadn't been there. Salem was good like that - hiding her emotions and forcing them down until she needed some extra trigger to release her rage.

This wasn't a place for that. I would be damned if she ever released her anger in this pack, if she ever targeted any of the pack members just because she was angry about something.

But to my surprise, instead of acting like she had all this time, Salem chuckled. An emotion I couldn't describe danced in her eyes as Salem dismissed my words and kept talking about what mattered to her.

"I understand your hesitation, chosen Luna. I really do. If I were to stand in your shoes, I too would hesitate if anyone had fed me the lies they feed you here. However, I must stress that it is enough if you spare a moment and listen. Don't think, don't ponder my words, just listen. All I want is to voice my concerns to you directly as it is you who is targeted, not anyone else."

Had I lost my mind? Maybe I had a fever? I wasn't sure, but darn, she truly sounded genuinely worried about my well-being. Was it a good idea to listen at all? I wasn't sure..

And yet, for some reason, I couldn't force myself to leave. I couldn't move for an inch, too worried about missing a moment of this conversation.

While Salem waited for me to speak, I made the quickest decision in my life. Only time would tell if it was the right one.

I scoffed at her and took another step closer, as if we were about to whisper the words. "You attacked us. You came with an army, a whole army of trained wolves and witches, all of them thirsty for blood, definitely ready to tear our pack apart. Why should I believe anything you say? Give me one good reason and I will listen."

I made a promise I didn't know if I could keep. Salem, on the other hand, accepted my conditions and nodded. Her eyes bore into mine, and for a moment, I felt a chill travel all the way down to my bones. The corner of her lip twitched and I knew it was her. She did it, even without arms.

"You should listen to me because your life is in danger and I have information that can save you. If you still want to leave, be my guest, take the high road and find out what happens, but again, if I were you, I would listen."

"Save me? From what?" I laughed as I pointed a finger at myself. "Salem, your kind has never been anything but trouble for wolves. Even before I met you, I knew we had to avoid witches. No one tells others to avoid someone without a reason. Why would I trust you now?"

Salem was quickly on her feet, taking a step closer to the cell door. Even with missing limbs, she managed to have this energy surrounding her. While rather weird, Salem's movements were as graceful as those of a swan, ready to take off into the sky.

"The Alpha you follow, the one you love - he carries a curse. It feels like a dark magic that twists his very being, but it's not that. It's not. I would know. I would feel my magic, it would invite me to step closer, but this one, it drives me away like a rotten corpse. But that doesn't matter to you, does it?" Now, she tilted her head to scan me. "You've seen it. You've seen the signs. The erratic behavior, the moments of inexplicable darkness. The curse of double personality." My breath caught in my throat as my heart nearly stopped in my chest. I had witnessed the shifts in his demeanor, the moments when the kindness in his eyes morphed into something far more sinister.

But as true as it sounded, I still refused to fully believe her words. Everyone had heard about Bane, far too many people knew about him and how he was - this was something any stranger could tell me. Well, except the mention of the signs I had seen, but that could be explained as a wild and oddly precise guess.

"You expect me to believe that?" I asked. Sadly, my voice gave out just how much I believed her words and how hard I was fighting against it..

"I understand your doubts, but keep in mind that I have no reason to lie. Not anymore. I have no cat and no arms. Once your Alpha returns, he will kill me. So, I figured that if I'm going down, I'm going down with an explosion. As a witch, I refuse to let anyone off the hook easily." She grinned.

Arching my eyebrow, I crossed my arms in front of my chest and whispered, "tell me more."

"The curse is ancient. That much I can say for a fact. Hard to explain really and while I had lived many lives and experienced many things, I hadn't seen anything like this ever. It's unrecognizable in its roots, which in itself is extremely off in the magic world. I saw a vision, it didn't explain much about the curse itself but it promised to leave nothing but destruction and blood in its wake."

I nodded, once. "But why are you telling me all of this?"

Salem rolled her eyes at me. "Just like I said - I don't like you but I wouldn't wish what I saw upon anyone. Also, I might feel slightly bad for you. This, any of this mess, is no fault of yours. You're caught in the crossfire of a battle that isn't yours. If you stay, you will become another number added to the statistics."

I took a step back, "if what you say is true, why did you want to attack the pack in the first place? Was it really to come here and get Kala? You don't seem too worried about her.."

Salem laughed. "Silly, my kitty is fine, she has a new owner, a better one. The attack, well, first it was about her but later, after I felt what surrounded the territory, I wanted to snoop around and what's a better way to do it than an attack? Let's say I didn't expect the chaos my move would cause."

"So that's all? You come here, cause chaos and expect me to leave? I should abandon the only place I have ever felt at home and safe, the only man who has ever truly loved me, and the life I have built here just because of some cryptic warning?"

"Your love for the Alpha clouds your judgment," Salem insisted. "I don't expect you to trust me, but I really hope you can consider the risk of not everything being as it seems. There are forces at play beyond our understanding. Even beyond my own."

I scanned Salem's face again, searching for any hint of deceit. But all I found was an intensity that spoke of genuine concern. "I can't just leave. Not like that. I can't leave the pack.. I can't leave him," I finally admitted, my voice barely a whisper. "If you stay, you'll be caught in the crossfire of a battle that isn't yours to fight." Salem repeated herself and spun on her heel, turning her back to me. "Do as you wish, Luna Aife. I did my due diligence, I can wash my hands in the waters of innocence. Be careful."