The Beast's Possession

**Aife

pov**

Just like promised, Jonathan showed me around the house. The bedroom was amazing, so much so in fact that I already dreamed about the moment he would leave and I could hide in that comfy bed, locked away and hidden from everyone. After the brief tour, he led me to the kitchen where Jonathan made us some tea and then, we went out on the patio. Whoever built this house had a great taste in everything, even the furniture outside.

As we sat down, I realized that this house had to be special. Not only was it beautiful inside out, but the whole setting reminded me of a fairytale scenario. The view from the patio made this place truly magical.

"Okay," Jonathan sighed as he set the cup he was holding on the table. "I might have acted like a complete dick and for that, I apologize. You don't deserve to be treated like an enemy because you're not one. And I don't view you as one, for the record. Gosh, I sound like a fool, don't I?"

I didn't get a chance to answer before Jonathan reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes with a lighter. My eyes widened a little as he pulled one out, placed it between his lips and was about to light it up. "Don't," I blurted out before I could stop myself.

As soon as his eyes set on me, dread filled me. How was I supposed to explain why I didn't want him smoking around me? Or at least what excuse could I use so I wouldn't have to go into details about something as personal as a pregnancy? Jonathan pulled the cigarette from his lips so slowly, I cringed, unable to hide any emotions that were running through me. He raised his eyebrow, clearly suspicious, but since I had no idea how to go about this, I remained silent and looked anywhere but at him.

"You're pregnant,” he whispered, little to no emotion lacing his words.

I felt like all blood in my body managed to travel up to my cheeks while my heart stopped and muscles locked me in the position. My mouth was dry, a lump that formed in my throat expanded to the size of a darn baseball ball and at one point, I started sweating like a pig.

"I'm not judging," he suddenly announced, raising his hands as if in surrender and shaking his head in denial. "Stress is bad for babies. I think. Don't stress out, please."

The scenarios of possible consequences went through my mind so fast, I nearly passed out. No one was supposed to find out, this was one of the reasons why I wanted to leave. At the end of the day, if there was one thing I knew for a fact it was that Bane had many enemies, more than I could imagine.

If anyone were to find out I was carrying his child, Bane's enemies would line up for a hunt to use us against him. Perhaps he really didn't care about me and my well being, but I had a feeling that he would care about his child. Or at least I hoped so..

"I won't tell anyone. It's up to you when you're ready to announce it, if you ever will be." Jonathan reached over the table and grabbed my hand. "Listen, I won't tell anyone. I promise. Not a soul."

The sincerity in his words overwhelmed me. It was too early, I hadn't fully wrapped my own mind around the idea, let alone deal with someone who just found out.

"I don't want anyone to know, not yet," I managed to force the words out, despite how painful they felt.

"And I understand that," Jonathan tried to reassure me. "Despite the ideas you might have about me as a person, keep in mind that I'm not half as bad as you might think I am. Moreover, I do have a few working brain cells and it's not hard to put together the ideas why you need to keep this beautiful news to yourself. And no, not because of my Alpha. I think it's because of your Alpha. Letting this knowledge out for the public to find out might turn into a disaster, we don't have many people who like him. If at all."

I felt like a heavy weight just fell off my shoulders. I didn't have to go into details explaining my reasoning for the decision, this man who didn't know me at all, found the answers without any help. "Thank you," I whispered and offered him a slight smile.

Never in my life had I thought I could ever end up in a position I was stuck in now. First of all, I never thought as far as ever having children, but now, I was expecting one without the baby's father being in the picture.

"But I think Killian should know," Jonathan announced, taking away all the ease I felt a moment ago and instantly replacing it with dread.

For now, Killian was acting as if he was on my side, but news like this could change everything for good. Bane and Killian weren't exactly friends and he might try to use this to his advantage too. The bottom line was that I couldn't trust anyone, no matter how much I wanted to.

Even Jonathan, as nice as he was acting, it could have been a game he was playing, not an actual representation of his nature.

Shaking my head, I fought the tears. I didn't want him to know this but now that it was too late, at least I could take the power about who else could know or not.

"No, don't jump to more conclusions again. What I mean is that it would be best if Killian knew. Not only would he be able to get you everything you might need, everything that baby might need, but also ensure you get the medical attention you need. Just think about it, that's all I'm asking. And while you think, keep in mind that carrying an Alpha's child isn't a game. It's not easy. There is a reason why Lunas spend most of their pregnancies under strict supervision of doctors." Frowning, I tried to find any crack in his demeanor. I didn't like how Jonathan's words sounded. "What do you mean?"

The smile that spread across his lips didn't reach his eyes. It seemed more like one of those 'I pity you' smiles, not a genuine one. "A lot of Lunas die during their pregnancies, especially the chosen ones. The Goddess knows a strong she-wolf when she sees one. Only the strongest women are paired with Alphas, mainly because of the health risks that follow pregnancies."

As always, before I could stop myself and think, I blurted out the information I initially didn't want to share, "Bane's my mate. I found out shortly before I left that pack. I'm not his chosen Luna, we are fated mates."

The color drained from Jonathan's face as he jumped to his feed, wide-eyed, nearly panicking. I couldn't pin-point what brought such a reaction, but there had to be an explanation to this. "Wait here," he hissed. "While you would rather keep this pregnancy a secret, which I understand, I can't let you," he ran a hand through his hair and hissed. "Shit, we're in such deep shit. Don't move, Aife, I swear, don't move. We need Alpha here like hours ago!"