The Beast's Possession
18: Think about it.

**Bane pov**

This unexpected visit to Corden's house provided me with the perfect opportunity to snatch the newcomer and have some fun with her without anyone suspecting a thing.

Although I refused to admit it out loud, there was something about her that caught my interest and drove me closer, much to my displeasure.

Maybe it was partly because she was the first woman we took from a pack that actually willingly volunteered to leave with us just to save the pitiful people there. Or maybe it was because of her passion to defy me.

I couldn't figure it out. For the first time in my life, I had no answers to questions that ran through my mind far too often.

To top it all off, somehow, she managed to make silence into a weapon, and fuck, did that irritate me beyond my capability to explain the reason behind it.

"What?" Corden jumped to his feet, his eyes darting between me and the reject I was holding.

"Bane, you can't be serious. Didn't you listen to anything I just said? I told you, word for word, I brought her here as a cover to keep Amelia. You don't have to punish Aife just because she tried to be a good person despite not knowing us at all."

My eyes followed him as he started pacing the living room and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "No, you can't think I will allow this," Corden groaned and stopped, turning his body so he was facing me.

A slight smile spread across my lips as I stood from my seat and tilted my head a little. "And when did I ask for your permission? Have I missed the day when you became the Alpha of this pack?"

Corden's eyes widened a little, but he caught himself before it was too obvious. He shook his head and chuckled as if I just told a joke.

Honestly, my words didn't sound near as close to a joke as his following ones did. "How about I take Amelia and we leave the pack? Since you are so adamant in breaking us apart and refuse to let us live in peace, I don't see any other solution to this situation."

His threats to leave the pack did nothing but anger me. Corden literally begged me for years to become the Delta and now, he was ready to drop it all because of a woman?

Regardless of the reasons, he acted like an entitled hypocrite. He was one of the first men who signed the laws regarding women we took from the packs. In fact, he came up with labeling the infertile ones as unfit, and now, he had the gall to complain about his idea?

"Amelia stays here. In case you forgot, she is a property of this pack." I stated calmly. Corden grew visibly annoyed by my announcement, so I took the chance to add, "as for you, you're free to go. In fact, in the name of our friendship, I will give you a headstart. An hour sounds fair. Once the hour passes, you're fair game. No restrictions."

Now, he couldn't hide the shock on his face even when he tried. Slowly, Corden backed away and shook his head. "Y-You wouldn't," he stuttered.

I shrugged, completely unbothered by his reaction. "You know me better than I do it seems. Because I would. And the sad part is that you know that I fucking would," I spat the words though gritted teeth.

This situation wasn't just about my best friend going behind my back. It also was about him, literally stabbing me in the back while I didn't pay attention. He knew better than to assume it was possible to walk away unharmed. After all, he wrote the laws with me.

"Delta?" The reject behind me perked up.

I glanced over my shoulder to see how worried she was growing. My eyes darted back to Corden. His face became as pale as a paper sheet and his bottom lip trembled.

Rolling my eyes, I was honestly over and done with this childish show. Everything in life came at price, even the decisions we made.

Corden glanced over my shoulder, eyes set on the troublemaker. "Leaving this pack is impossible. You can try to run, but you will never escape. It is the law. If you leave, the rest of the pack goes after you. A hunting season," he explained and then looked back at me. "Something even the best friends of the leader can't escape as it seems."

Now, I was sure this was just another temper tantrum.

Although a part of me truly cared about those who were close to me, I knew better than to trust anyone blindly. I had gotten myself in plenty of trouble by believing someone I should have never trusted to begin with. "Are we done here, Delta?" I snapped, emphasizing his title for Corden to understand I wasn't playing around anymore.

Unlike him, I had shit to do and responsibilities to address.

His shoulders slumped as he cast his gaze to his feet and sighed in defeat. "Yes, we are, Alpha. I will head to the main building shortly to fill in the patrol paperwork."

Listening to Corden submit like a lost bitch made me grin. It was about time he remembered that everyone in this pack had a place, and so did he, regardless of the title he held.

Feeling rather generous, I checked my watch and chuckled. "Five minutes. Amelia can bid her goodbyes to the reject, I will wait at the main door. And don't try to pull off anything, I won't be as forgiving the next time you try to fuck me over." With that being said, I spun on my heel, winked at the reject and headed for the door. As soon as I stepped outside in the fresh air, I felt like a massive weight had fallen from my shoulders.

I truly invited the calmness and relief that was brought to me by the silence outside, but sadly, it didn't last for nearly as long as I needed it.

No longer than a minute after I exited the house, Corden joined me. He leaned against the door and looked up at the sky, seemingly deep in thought.

Although I was a little curious about why he decided to join me, I didn't ask. If he had anything to tell me, Corden had to pull up his big boy pants and speak up like an actual adult. "Don't you think you're too much sometimes?" He muttered.

"No," I replied without thinking. His eyes instantly snapped to me as I shoved a hand in the pocket of my jeans and pulled out a pack of smokes, offering one to Corden.

I wasn't a big smoker and neither was he, but at times of disagreements, we stood aside and smoked while he shared his thoughts with me.

"Have you ever regretted even one law that we wrote as teenagers?" Corden barely whispered the question.

I knew what his answer would be if I asked him the same question. However, unlike him, I had no regrets. I had learned a long time ago that I had to live with the decisions I once made, bad or good. "Nope,” I answered just to get him off my back and lit up the cigarette, offering him the lighter.

Corden snatched the lighter from my hand. His lips pursed around the cigarette as he exhaled a plume of smoke and shook his head in what seemed to be disbelief.

Corden slapped his hand on my shoulder and chuckled, "beware, Bane. One day, the decisions we made might come back and bite you in the ass just like they did to me. Look at me, I wrote the law, left my signature under it and now, I'm biting my own fingers for the things I did while I was young and dumb. The mindset I had then isn't the same I have now. If I had known back then... In short, I would do anything to keep Amelia. I will do anything. Just... think about it."