The Beast's Possession

**Killian

pov**

The piles of paperwork scattered all across my desk looked like neverending mountains of tasks I couldn't get through fast enough. As soon as I sat in my chair, I literally felt like the paper was trying to swallow me whole, hide me from the rest

of the world.

No matter how fast I worked, the piles didn't shrink, in fact, the paper only seemed to multiply right in front of my eyes. Every time I read a document, signed it and put it aside, I felt like two new ones appeared in place of the one I just set away.

I let out a heavy breath and massaged my temples, trying to scare away the headache that was pulsing behind my eyes, slowly spreading up to my forehead and hairline. This was the worst of the headaches I knew, one of frustration and helplessness.

My role of leadership wasn't all glory, fame and barking orders at everyone like I had no care in the world. In my reality, it was hours of different documents - proposals, offers, forms, reports and even more shit about budgeting and cutting

corners.

No matter how many people thought that being an Alpha was fun, fuck, it wasn't.

Just as I reached for another piece of paper, a knock on my office door startled me so much, I jumped in my seat. The sound caught me off so much, for a second there, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do next and how to react. But, before I could respond and call out to whoever stood behind that door, it creaked open and Kayson stepped in, a slight smirk across his lips. But this one wasn't the regular, cocky smirk we all knew so well, this was tight and tense - two things I never thought I'd use in the same sentence as my best friend's name.

I had to admit that he had been more quiet than usually lately, withdrawn in a way that was hard to miss and ignore. The usual cockiness in his step was replaced by something different, almost haunted in a way.

I watched him close the door and walk closer until Kayson stopped at the chair across from me and slumped into it without a word. Silence didn't look good on him.

"You look like you've been through hell. On your knees, probably," I said, trying to keep my tone as light as possible and arched an eyebrow at him, almost like I was challenging him to lie to me.

Kayson snorted out a laugh, but the sound didn't carry much genuine humor behind it. "Thank you, the best of the best friends, my dear Killian. You're a charmer, as always, I'm flattered."

I leaned back in my chair and dropped the idea of working on any paperwork, instead, focusing on a chance to study him for a little longer. If I didn't, there was a big chance that I might force a foot in my mouth and say something absolutely stupid.

The dark circles under Kayson's eyes could be seen from miles away. Then, when he started rubbing the back of his neck, I noticed how tense my best friend was, acting like he was carrying an invisible weight on his shoulders. While he looked like Kayson, he didn't feel like him.

"Alright, enough of this back and forth bullshit. What's going on with you? Just spit it out and stop beating around the bush. I don't need another 'nothing' excuse from you, so keep that in mind. And remember, I know you too well to believe any of your bullshit excuses."

He waves me off and shook his head, as always acting like my concerns weren't valid enough for him to consider as such.

"It's nothing," Kayson mumbled, doing the one thing I asked him not to. And not only that, his voice also sounded too forced to be convincing. "Let's talk about something else, yes?" He instantly offered, fully aware his attempts to defuse the situation wouldn't work with me.

This guy was so full of shit that sometimes I really wondered how we became friends and held onto this friendship for so goddamn long.

But nevertheless, although his stupidity made me frown, I still decided it was best to let this slide. For now. "Alright. What's on your mind? There has to be a reason why you ignored my mind-link to the pack members. I told everyone I'll be busy here and shouldn't be distributed."

Kayson hesitated, his gaze darted everywhere but at me. First the walls, the windows, even the piles of paper in front of me. After a little too long, his eyes finally settled on me.

"There are rumors going around, you know. Not about you, of course. About Bane and his pack. You probably already heard a few of those, right?"

I nodded, slowly, almost like I feared that moving too fast might discourage my best friend from getting to the point. "I've heard the whispers here and there. Nothing solid, really. Why are you bringing it up now, though?"

I couldn't help but feel suspicious about this conversation. Kayson didn't want to share his worries with me and most likely that was why he brought up the troubles in Bane's pack.

Something fishy was going on with him.

Just as I opened my mouth to ask if Bane's issues were more important than whatever he was going through himself, Kayson leaned forward and whispered, "I didn't want to believe it at first myself. Seriously thought it was just the usual pack rivalry nonsense. But after my patrol today, I wholeheartedly believe there's truth to what everyone is whispering about. Keep in mind that there's no flame without smoke."

Okay, that caught my attention. Kayson was many things, but my best friend wasn't a man who spoke about something without a reason.

Tapping my fingers against the table, I pinned him with my gaze. "What did you hear? No, what did you find? I need full facts, not assumptions."

"It's not what, it's who," he muttered and looked at the window, doing anything to break eye contact with me. "A few people left Bane's pack, it seems. Now, they are asking for refuge here. That's why I came in the first place. Listen," he huffed and ran a hand through his hair. "I get that this has to be a lot, but those people, they're scared, man. Terrified."

A cold chill ran down my spine. Refugees from other packs weren't unheard of, those came and went pretty often, but from Bane's pack? Never.

That. That was something unheard of.

"What did they say?" I asked.

Kayson shook his head, his jaw tight with emotion I couldn't read. "I haven't had a chance to speak to them yet. I came here first thing. Right now, some of our guards are watching over them to ensure they don't stir up any trouble. But, from what I overheard, it's bad over there. Really bad."

I hummed and let my mind process the information. Step by step, I put together an imaginary scenario we would follow, but before I could voice it to my Beta, my phone went off.

I grabbed it from the desk and glanced at the screen. Jonathan's name flashed across it, so I couldn't ignore the call.

"Killian," I grunted the answer, sort of happy Kayson wasn't paying attention to me.

"We have a problem."