The Beast's Possession

**Aife pov**

Drive was silent. Relatively, at least.

Every once in a while, Jonathan checked on me and offered me to stop and grab some snacks because according to him, his mother ate like a beast when she was expecting. This side of the sulky driver was endearing. No wonder Killian was so close to the man who wouldn't like someone with such intense nurturing, caring side to them? After the third hour in the car, I groaned and tried to stretch out my legs, only to be met with the fact that the simple task was impossible. "Jonathan," I glanced at him. "Yes?" He flashed me a smile, as if he knew what was on my mind already.

"Could we stop for a moment? I just need to stand upright for a bit, my feet are killing me for some reason," I added the complaint just to ensure he wouldn't protest. To my surprise, he instantly stopped the car at the side of the road and groaned. "Thank fuck, I thought this moment would never come. With Alpha, we stop every two hours just to stretch and walk around a little long drives are killing me."

I was more than glad to learn that I wasn't the only one who was suffering. Plus, I really didn't want to become a burden this early in pregnancy. I knew in a few months, my situation and the toll of pregnancy on my body would be way worse, so I had to be on my best behavior.

As we got out of the car, I almost moaned when my feet hit the ground. Never had I thought standing up could feel this darn wonderful.

Jonathan appeared at my side and handed me a bottle of water, opening his own and chugging it down as if he hadn't had any in years.

The silence we shared was comforting. Maybe at the beginning, he didn't like me, but we had found common ground and reached an understanding of sorts that didn't force us at each other's throats.

"You're way different from what I initially thought you are, Aife," he muttered, breaking the silence.

From the corner of my eye, I could see that he wasn't looking at me at all. Jonathan's eyes were trained on something in the distance, as if he wasn't fully present with me here.

"How so?" I asked, mindlessly.

Jonathan didn't show much emotion, despite the amused chuckle that left him. "I suppose I based my opinion about you on how I see your crazy family. Assumptions are unhealthy, I know, but mostly, everyone is more or less the same when they live under certain conditions, if that makes sense."

I hated to admit it, but his words didn't make sense at all. "No, it doesn't. Mind explaining a little more? I don't want to misunderstand you or assume anything."

The smile that spread across his lips was just as blinding as it was surprising. "There, see, there it is - the difference between you and them. You ask questions, you don't accept anyone's words at a face value and always question everything. You're not scared to admit your mistakes or that you didn't understand something. It's one of the things I admire about you, Aife. Someone of such high rank as you being so.. So human and real, so damn raw and true."

I didn't have words to offer, so I just took a moment to ponder them. However, before I could ask more, Jonathan beat me to it.

"You're an enigma. Maybe I haven't had enough time to figure you out, but I have a feeling that there would never be enough time for that. Even if we grew up and died side by side. You're unpredictable. I don't know how to explain this, but I can't stand your uptight family, sorry not sorry. They irk me. You, on the other hand, you're so different it almost hurts to see. You're a fighter, one that doesn't come across as someone who could ever give up or fully rely on someone but yourself. And then, you're so bloody good, it's unbelievable. You're so adamant to see the best in people, you don't stop seeking that good in them until you're hurt, broken beyond repair and yet, you keep going - looking, breaking the barriers to get to what you want. You fight for what you believe is right."

He couldn't actually mean this. I wasn't that much different from everyone else, maybe the only thing that told me apart from others was my experiences - that was all.

"Thank you for having such high thoughts about me, I'm really flattered, even though I don't deserve your words," I muttered and followed his example by focusing my gaze into the distance.

"You deserve way more. If you wouldn't, you would have taken the pill in your pocket," Jonathan added, once again, sounding like he was joking around, not addressing a serious issue.

The hair on my body stood upright and my eyes widened. How could he have known about the damn pill? Did the doctor tell him or did the pill have a weird stench he caught on?

Explaining why I still had the pill was the last thing on my to-do list, if I was being completely honest. Truth be told, I had no idea why I had kept it in the first place too. Precaution for something? Perhaps.. But for what? No darn idea. All I knew was that I didn't want to take that pill, I didn't want to rob my baby of life.

On an instinct, my hand covered my still flat belly, as if I was trying to shelter and cradle the life that was growing within me. This baby was the last bit of my mate I had. The proof that what Bane and I shared was real, not a fruit of my imagination and illusions.

This baby was the result of our love - as messed up and toxic as it was, it was still love. True, raw, passionate, barbaric even, but only ours to share and know about.

"How do you know about the pill?" I forced out the words, unsure if this was a territory I wanted to enter with Jonathan, especially after every nice thing he had just said about me.

Still not looking at me, Jonathan shrugged his shoulders. "Some pack members don't understand that even while away, Alpha has his eyes on them all. Killian might come across as an overgrown fool, but he's a good man who has great values. He wants to help, not bring misery. In his own words - her family had brought enough of that already, the last thing Aife needs is more enemies."