The Beast's Possession

**Bane

pov**

The air from the cells made me feel like I was suffocating, even when I pulled in massive, greedy chunks of air. The more I breathed, the harder it was, the more my lungs burned in protest.

And my mind, fuck, that was an awful place to be in. It was stuck in a moment of tension only desperate fear could create, one I learned existed only when I spoke to the guards, begging them to tell me my best friend was alive, not tossed in some ditch like yesterday's news.

But Zion was smart and I knew that. Smarter than any other fucker I had ever met. My best friend figured a way to get out of the hell that the other side of me had created for him.

The issue was that I couldn't think of it. If the bastard who poisoned my body with his presence even suspected that Zion might still be alive, he would stop at nothing until he hunted my best friend down and gutted him like a fish. The monster thrived on making me watch everyone I ever cared about suffer. And worst of all, he found a way to do it with my hands - how to make be the villain in everyone's story.

When I returned to my bedroom, fully intent to lock myself away from the innocent members of the pack, I felt like I had run a thousand miles. The exhaustion was so overpowering that it seeped deep into my bones.

Every step I took felt heavier, the sense of guilt for the crimes that fucker committed was weighing me down, not him. The bastard didn't feel an ounce of shame and regret for his doings.

With my heart still aching in my chest, I walked to the mirror and faced myself. I paled at the reflection I didn't recognize. Gone was the strong, powerful Alpha and instead of him, stood someone with pale skin and hollowed-out look in his eyes. Not the man I used to be, but the man he made me to be.

And then, just as suddenly as it all ended, it started back again.

Ugly, black lines snaked across my face, physically pulsing under my skin like veins filled with the most deadly poison. The lines crept up from my neck first and then slowly spread over my jaw and cheekbones, twisting and curling over my skin like roots that were pulling their host to the surface.

My chest tightened, I had to grip the edge of the dresser for balance, the knuckles of my fingers turned white from the sheer force I was using.

"Not yet," I hissed at my reflection, refusing to believe he was coming back again. "I don't fucking need you, let go, bastard!"

But as it had been for a while, I had no power in this situation. The lines only darkened and soon, I felt the familiar yet horrifying pull that connected me to that awful part of myself.

And then, like a fucking magic trick, it happened again - a force dragged me inward, away from control of my own body. My vision blurred and the room tilted as I disappeared into the darkest parts of my own mind, just like that, becoming the prisoner of my own body.

As soon as I was locked in again, the monster stepped into my place and soon, I watched from the confines of my mind how the bastard was staring at me in the mirror image now.

First, he turned my head from side to side, almost like he just wore a bodysuit and had to ensure it fit perfectly. Then, he grinned, paying extra attention to the blackened veins that told everyone the host was in charge now.

"Weak," it spat at my reflection, baring teeth like an animal. "So weak, Bane, it's pathetic. You really thought you could hold on? Against me? Please don't fool yourself with delusions as such. You're losing everything and you know it, my boy. One piece at the time."

I could only watch from the prison of my own mind. I hated how helpless the fucker made me feel while he only enjoyed himself, laughing in my voice. More than that, I hated how he mocked me, how he used every time I failed to hold him back as ammunition to get under my skin - literally.

Right as he opened his mouth again, surely to gloat some more, there was a knock on the door. His smile widened as it turned and headed for the door, crossing the room like a predator, about to get to his prey.

He unlocked and opened the door to face one of the guards. Everything within me froze as I saw the guard's grip on Claudia, one of the maids - the same maid who was supposed to be on the run. She stumbled as the guard shoved her into the room and chuckled as the poor woman fell to her knees.

"This traitorous bitch," the guard growled and kicked Claudia in the ribs, "helped Beta Zion's mate escape the territory and tried to run away herself too."

Claudia cried out in pain, clutching her side as she tried to crawl away and shield herself from more blows, but the guard only grabbed her hair and yanked her back. "Thought you'd get away with it, huh?"

The monster tilted my head, his eyes following the scene while I couldn't feel a single emotion surge through him. He was so calm and uncaring - it was unsettling. And soon after, I felt the first emotion appear, which happened to be amusement. He felt delighted watching the guards' cruelty.

"Is that so?" He mused and forced my body forward, even though I tried to fight against him.

The guard looked up and nodded, his chest puffed out with pride. "Caught her trying to slip out through the eastern edge. She was covering their tracks. Must've thought we wouldn't notice."

Claudia's wide, tear-filled eyes met mine. She wasn't looking at the monster. She was looking at me. Pleading and begging for mercy. But I couldn't move, couldn't speak. I was nothing but a spectator to my own body. "Good work," the monster said, nodding to the guard. "Leave her. I'll deal with this one personally."

The guard hesitated, glancing down at Claudia. "Should I stay, Alpha? Just in case-"

"I said leave," the monster snapped, cutting off the guard.

The guard flinched away and released his hold on Claudia before he necked out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Claudia did her best to push herself off the floor, but she froze when the monster crouched in front of her and gripped her chin, forcing the poor woman to look up at him. "You're very brave or very stupid, I'm not sure which one it should be. What do you think? Brave or stupid?"

Her eyes filled with tears, but she fought against them and refused to speak. The monster grinned at her wider, clearly satisfied with her defiance. "No answer? That's a shame, I was hoping for a bit of a fight."

Inside, I screamed at it to stop, to leave her alone, but it was like shouting into a void. The monster's grip tightened on her chin, and I could feel her terror like a knife in my chest.

"Let's see what secrets you're hiding. And then, we'll decide what to do with you."