The Beast's Possession

**Zion pov** Entering the hospital wing to check on Aife, the last thing I assumed I could do was break down like a child and cry in her arms.

I had never been a man who was scared of showing his emotions, but these days, I feared that emotions could be viewed as weakness. Not among the pack members, but whoever has been passing the information to someone who shouldn't know it.

And at this point, it seemed that I wasn't the only one who thought there was an actual rat in our pack, pretending to be an ally while working for the damn enemies.

As soon as I would find the fucker, I would boil him or her in gasoline and then peel their skin off while they were still alive. If I had to, I would keep them on life support just to force the traitors to live through the pain.

The only problem was that no matter how much I wanted to get rid of the anger I felt, I also couldn't stop thinking about the pretty little thing back in the cells. What if she was cold? Did the guards feed her? Would she really reject me just because I'm not one of hers?

Life was a pretty complicated thing. Never before had I hated being who I was as much as I hated it now. If only I wasn't another werewolf, maybe she would accept me. Funny how before finding her I never worried about rejection. Well, I also didn't think I had a mate but that was a story for another day.

"Zion, will you ever talk? I admit, I thought you were joking at first, but seeing how truthful and frantic you are, I really don't have any other choice but to believe your words. However, if you keep zoning out like that, I don't think there's anything I can help you with," Aife's voice broke me out of the weird daze.

Shaking my body back to senses I looked at her and tried my hardest not to appear weak. This wasn't easy for me, it truly wasn't, so finding the right words proved to be challenging.

"I don't know what to say," I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. In reality, I had so much to say, but none of those words felt like the right ones.

Did Aife want me to proclaim my love for the woman whose name I didn't even know? Or did she want me to tell her that I couldn't be bothered if the pretty little thing rejected me?

I would be fucking bothered. Pain be damned, that didn't worry me - losing her did. It was stupid how fast we fell in love with the one the Moon Goddess had chosen for us, really, but I truly loved the woman without a name. Okay, she most likely had a name, I just wasn't smart enough to ask her what it was.

"First things first. Why do you think she is going to reject you?" Aife, the voice of reason, jumped to her feet and started pacing the bedroom the same as I did earlier.

No wonder she wanted me to stop, just looking at her made my damn head spin so fast, I nearly passed out. It was crazy how the actions of others really affected everyone. Stupid, yes, but true.

"Well, I believe that her words were pretty telling. She said I had to get out of her sight so she could figure out how to reject me," I explained.

Aife instantly stopped to stare at me wide eyed. Her jaw nearly hit the floor. "No, she didn't," Aife gasped.

It was pretty nice to see the disbelief on her face, almost made me feel like a real catch - someone who wouldn't be rejected by their fated mate. Too bad it wasn't the case and I happened to live in the opposite reality where mine wanted to do just that.

"Yes, she did. Not to mention her obvious dislike of werewolves in general. I'm not sure if the rejection is coming because of who I am or because I threw her in the cells, but either way, I guess I need to get ready for the fateful moment that woman will break my heart." As soon as I explained more, a bitter chuckle left me.

I didn't want to believe this was my life, but sadly, there wasn't much I could change.

"What can you tell me about her?" The sudden question caught me off guard.

There wasn't really much I could say other than a few things about the woman I noticed. It wasn't like we grew up in one pack or went to the same school. Before this day, we had never met, so we were nothing but fated strangers. Sadly, I didn't have much hope we could ever be more than just that.

"She's the prettiest little thing I've ever seen. At first, she appears so frail and weak, like someone you want to hold close to you and protect forever. But then, there are her freaky cat eyes, so full of courage and anger, you can't look away. I don't know much about her. Feisty, yeah, she's feisty too."

As I told Aife everything about the woman who had stolen my heart without wanting the damn thing in the first place, I couldn't help but grin like an idiot.

If she ever gave me a chance. If only she could tolerate me for a couple of days, I could prove to her just how good I could be. I would kiss the ground she walked on, all she had to do was ask. I would seriously go above and beyond to please her, to ensure all of her needs were met. Literally anything she wanted.

"Holy shit," Aife whispered and instantly slapped her hands over her mouth. She wasn't one to curse out loud so the reaction was pretty expected.

"Holy shit, what, Luna?" I teased her, getting a little closer and wiggling my eyebrows just to get on her nerves a little.

Aife dropped her hands and rolled her eyes. "Don't tell anyone I cursed, but this situation is pretty fitting for spitting out some words I wouldn't use on a day to day basis, okay?"

Great, now she was trying to distract me so she wouldn't have to explain her reaction. Nope, I couldn't let that happen. Taking another step closer and crossing my arms in front of my chest, I glared at Aife.

She, the same as my nameless mate, looked tiny and frail, but shit, did these women have fighting spirit and anger issues burning in their eyes. I literally felt like Aife could explode like a ticking time bomb if only I got too close.

"Explain your reaction. I won't let you leave or rest until you do. And don't give me the generic bullshit answers you're used to giving everyone. I want you to be truthful with me, like a real friend would be."

Aife looked around me, clearly focusing on the bedroom door and most likely coming up with an escape plan. "Don't even think about it," I growled.

She flashed me the widest shit-eating grin and spoke. "She has you wrapped around her finger. Now move, fatso, I need to get to the cells so I can meet my new best friend. You've been replaced."