The Beast's Possession

**Aife

pov**

At first, Kala was taken aback by my announcement. Hell, I was taken aback by hers. How that was possible was beyond me, but nevertheless, I was happy. Not only for myself, but her and Zion too. We were expecting little bundles of joy.

After the initial shock, she started jumping around and laughing, happiness oozed off her in waves I had never seen before. And the questions, Goddess, the amount of questions she had for me was crazy. When Kala finally calmed down, we sat by the tree and discussed some details until the excitement wore off and she remembered that her mate was taken away by Jonathan, and possibly needed her presence to heal faster.

She jumped to her feet and offered me her hand, "come on, let's go and check on Zion. I want to see how he is doing. Not in the best shape these days, I'm sure you understand."

I flashed her a smile and shook my head. "I understand, go. But I'm not going just yet, it feels nice here and the Goddess knows I need some peace and quiet right now."

Kala pulled back her hand and frowned at me. I could feel her hesitation as she slowly took a step back, worry etched into her face as she chewed on her bottom lip. "Are you sure you want to stay? I really don't like the idea of leaving you out here, especially in your condition."

I snorted out a laugh and waved her off. "I'll be fine, don't worry. I just need some time to clear my thoughts and relax. And besides," I gestured around us, "Jonathan said the creatures are here. I'm safer with them then I would be anywhere else. Not to mention that pregnancy isn't an illness, so really, I'll be okay."

Kala hesitated a moment longer and looked around. She squinted her eyes as if she was trying to notice someone and then pointed her finger at nothing. "You, wherever you are, make sure my friend is safe here. I'm a nice person but I can be scary and dangerous too," she hissed the passive-aggressive threat and turned back to me with a gentle smile. "Just promise me you won't stay out here for too long, okay?"

"I promise," I whispered with a reassuring nod of my head.

Kala stood frozen for a few more seconds and then turned around and walked in the direction Jonathan had left. While she didn't know where the house was located, I was sure Kala relied on her senses and followed her mate's scent. My stomach twisted at the thought. Not because Zion and Kala found each other, no, I was happy they did. What bothered me was the fact that Zion's scent was overpowered by the stench of the blood, which had to be hard on Kala. As soon as her silhouette disappeared among the trees, I leaned my head against the tree and closed my eyes, exhaling a heavy breath and allowing myself to relax.

The forest was doing miracles for my mental state, ridding me of the tension and confusion that only kept building ever since I left Bane's pack.

I almost fell asleep until a sudden rustling to my right startled me. I looked over and gasped at something small that was darting between the trees. Was this the creature Jonathan mentioned? So tiny and playful?

As I tried to notice more of it, a pinecone connected with my forehead. It bounced off me and I couldn't help but chuckle as I picked it up and looked around, grinning like a fool. "Is this for me? A gift?" I called out, tossing it back in the direction it came from.

The pinecone barely hit the ground before another one was thrown my way, this time, barely missing me. I laughed and shook my head as I repeated the game, picking it up and tossing it back. For a while, the game went on and I allowed myself to enjoy the childish entertainment.

The presence of these creatures was odd, but still comforting in a way. But soon, the game changed and instead of tossing the pinecones my way, they started throwing them into the woods, all of them nearly showing me the direction I was supposed to follow.

So I did, I got to my feet and followed their directions. These creatures really seemed to be leading me somewhere, the glowing forms darting ahead, just barely out of reach for me.

When the woods became denser, I hesitated with each step I took, but curiosity was only building within me, so I tossed away any doubts I had and kept powering forward.

And then, I saw it - a wolf, lying down, seemingly hiding in the taller grass. It was silver-grey and somehow, it managed to blend with the forest. My eyes scanned it until they stopped on its leg, caught in a bear trap. "Oh, my, you poor thing," I whispered, catching the wolf's attention, and taking a slow step closer.

It growled and bared teeth at me, making me stop in my tracks. I raised my hands to show I wasn't a threat, just there to help. "I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to help," I whispered, praying the wolf hadn't lost its human self yet and still understood language.

Slowly, I walked closer, "that trap looks nasty. Let me help you, okay?"

It didn't respond, of course it didn't, but it didn't attack me either. Taking that as a permission, I knelt by the leg and reached for the mechanism to press it down with all my strength. The trap opened and the wolf managed to slide the leg free.

As soon as it realized it was free, the wolf put distance between us as quickly as it could. I stayed where I was, avoiding sudden movements. "Wait, don't run off. You need to let that heal first. If you run, you'll make it worse and become easier prey for others."

"Please," I whispered. "Let me help you. You can come with me, I'll tend to the wound and get you some food. You can leave as soon as you get better." Begging a rogue to come home with me wasn't a good idea, but I also couldn't leave someone hurt behind without trying to help.

For a moment, the wolf's expression softened, almost like it was about to agree, but then, the sound of crunching leaves behind me made it snarl.

"Aife, get back," Jonathan hissed. I turned to see him striding toward me and before I knew it, he put himself between me and the wolf, shielding me with his body.

"Jonathan, wait! I'm trying to help!"

He shot me a look of disbelief. "You don't know what a rogue is capable of."

"The wolf is injured," I insisted.

Jonathan blew out a heavy breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly irritated. "You keep dragging home strays, Aife. One of these days, it's going to backfire."

"Not today," I mumbled and smiled at the wolf, who stood near us, watching us carefully. "Please, Jonathan. Only until the leg heals."

He grumbled something under his breath but finally dropped the stubbornness.

"See? You're safe. Let's get you fixed up." I offered the wolf.

It hesitated for another long moment before taking a shaky step toward me. Relief washed over me as I reached out a hand, moving slowly so I didn't startle her. Yes, I was sure this wolf was a she, no male wolf was this pretty. "Fine. But if this goes wrong, I'm saying 'I told you so." Jonathan grumbled under his breath.

I grinned. "Deal."