The Beast's Possession

**Samantha pov**

My hand nearly grabbed the book again, but then, suddenly, I pulled it back. It felt like the book was calling for me, but at the same time, I had this insane urge to run from the library and never look back.

It was almost like I could feel that whatever was about to happen would be far worse than anything I'd already seen.

My hand trembled, my breaths were shallow, but the urge to find out more overpowered my fear.

The moment my fingers brushed against the book's surface, the same jolt coursed through me, and the world around me vanished.

The vision resumed, but this time, I was no longer in the grand hall. This room was lavishly decorated with silken drapes, candles, and flowers. It was a wedding.

Gideon stood at the altar, his expression smug, his chest puffed out like he had just won the battle of the century. Beside him stood Lana, her face pale and her posture stiff. Unlike the first time I saw her, Lana didn't look like the powerful woman she once was. Wearing the wedding dress, which had to make her look confident and gorgeous, she looked small and fragile next to Gideon.

"Do you, Gideon, take Lana as your Luna?" The priest asked.

"I do," Gideon said, his voice dripping with arrogance.

"And do you, Lana, take Gideon as your Alpha?" The priest asked, eyes still focused on Gideon.

There was a hesitation, a flicker of doubt in her eyes, but she forced herself to nod. "I do," she said softly, the words barely audible.

"By the power granted to me by the Goddess, I now pronounce you man and wife," the priest declared. The gathered crowd cheered, even though very little of the guests looked genuinely happy about the new couple.noveldrama

Gideon raised Lana's hand in his, grinning widely. "And now," he announced over the cheers, "a gift for my lovely wife. A gift I have made with my own hands."

Lana's brows furrowed in suspicion. "What kind of gift?"

"You'll see," Gideon said with a smirk, gesturing to one of his guards.

The man stepped forward, carrying a silver platter covered with a dome lid. Then, he set it down on a table before Lana and removed the lid. Lana's scream pierced the air, a sound so raw and soul-shattering that it made the vision tremble. On the platter was the severed head of her father, his eyes still wide with terror, his mouth frozen mid-scream.

"You monster!" Lana sobbed as tears streamed down her face and she clutched her chest. "How could you?"

Gideon's smile widened. "Consider it a reminder, my dear. You belong to me now. There is no one left to protect you."

The vision blurred, and when it cleared, the wedding was long gone. Lana was sitting on the floor of a dimly lit bedroom, her face bruised and tear-streaked. Gideon towered over her. "Get up," he barked, his voice dripping with hatred and amusement at the same time.

She flinched but didn't move fast enough for his liking. His hand shot out, grabbing her by the arm and hauling her to her feet. "You will learn your place, Lana," Gideon growled, his grip tightening until she whimpered. "You are my wife, but don't think for a second that makes you my equal. You are nothing but dirt under my feet."

Lana's lips trembled, but she didn't speak. Gideon shoved her toward the bed. "Stay there. And don't make me come back to deal with you again."

Time sped up again, days and nights passing in flashes. Gideon brought other women into the packhouse, mistresses who suffered the same fate as Lana. One by one, they suffered because of his cruelty, and one by one, they broke under his abuse. Some disappeared, their fates unspoken but understood. Others stayed long enough to be discarded like broken toys.

Eventually, Gideon's brutality turned back to Lana. She was thin and frail, her eyes hollowed by years of torment. The final blow came on a cold night when Gideon, in a fit of rage, beat her so badly that she didn't live to see the next sunrise. The scene shifted again. I was at her funeral, watching as her coffin was lowered into the ground.

Gideon stood at the graveside, his expression void of any emotion - there was no sorrow, no regret. He looked like a man watching a stranger's burial.

But then his gaze lifted, scanning the gathered faces and it stopped on a woman standing near the back. Their eyes met, and something shifted in Gideon. His lips curved into a slow, predatory smile.

"Mine," he murmured under his breath.

The vision jumped forward, and now, the same woman was in the middle of the packhouse, surrounded by onlookers. Gideon had claimed her in front of everyone, he didn't bother to wait for ceremonies or rituals.

Gideon had forcefully marked her, biting into her neck while she screamed and pleaded for mercy. Gideon knew none. Even now as blood dripped from the wound on her neck, and her tears streamed down her face, Gideon didn't care. If anything, he enjoyed it, felt pride for his doings, completely ignoring the horrified stares of his pack.

Time shifted again. The woman was sitting in a corner of a dark room, her face hidden in her hands. Her sobs bounced off the walls, a sound of pure pain. When the door creaked open, she looked up, and I gasped. Her face was a mess of scars, bruises, and dried blood. Her eyes were swollen, her lips cracked - she barely looked human.

Gideon stepped into the room, a silver dagger in his hand. He shot her a sadistic grin."Is it a boy this time?" He asked. "Or do I need to cut this one out too? I'm done waiting. If you fail to carry my son, this time I'll take your womb and find someone else worthy of bearing my heir." The woman's sobs grew louder, but Gideon only chuckled.

The scene shifted once more. Gideon stood alone in a graveyard, a fresh grave at his feet. The woman he had claimed was gone. No one else was there - no mourners, just Gideon, staring down at the coffin with disgust. "Pathetic woman," he spat at the grave. "Only cowards take the easy way out. Rot in hell."

As Gideon turned to leave, the air around him changed. A sudden surge of what felt like electricity shot around him and froze Gideon in his step. Then, a blinding light appeared at the gravestone and I swear, I could see a silhouette of a woman standing there.

"Enough!" She roasted at Gideon with such force, that one word shook the earth around Gideon and threw me back into the library.

I stumbled back, gasping for air. My heart pounded in my chest, and my knees felt weak. Glancing at the clock again, my suspicions were proven right only minutes had passed. No, I wasn't giving up yet, I needed to know more.