42: I don’t trust him.
**Kala pov**
After the tension Aife and Bane brought to the tent finally started fading, we sat down. Aife sat next to me, on a warm blanket on the ground, while Zion, Bane and the brute sat across from us.
Occasionally, I glanced at them three, especially when they all started laughing at jokes neither I or Aife could hear.
The view of three grown men, each dangerous in their own right, huddled together and whispering like schoolgirls reminded me that the world didn’t stop just because something awful had happened.
My ears perked up when Zion raised his voice at the brute. “You need to understand something - Bane isn’t evil. He’s fighting something inside him that none of us can see. That creature wants to make him do things he’d never dream of if he had full control.”
The brute leaned back and let out a low grunt, “I’ve seen him and I don’t trust him any further than I can throw him.”
Zion snorted out a laugh and shook his head. “You won’t be throwing him anywhere. What I’m trying to say is that it’d be nice if you tried to see Bane for what he is, not what the monster wants you to see.”
Bane’s arm was outstretched, his fingers wrapped around Aife’s ankle - that constant reassurance that whatever was inside him couldn’t surface for now. He was entirely focused on Zion and the brute, but I could see the sweat that broke out on his forehead with the effort it took to keep the monster in check.
I leaned closer to Aife and lowered my voice so only she could hear me. “I still don’t trust him. I can see the effort, he’s really trying, but he’s still the one who hurt everyone, including us.”
As much as I hated admitting it out loud, I needed to get it off my chest.
Aife hummed and nodded softly. “I understand why you can’t trust him. Believe me, I’m scared about what tomorrow will bring too, but that’s exactly why we’re working on it. I’m absolutely certain that we will get to the point where Bane can’t hurt anyone anymore, including himself.”
Bane shifted slightly and my head instantly snapped in his direction. “I can’t.. Every time he moves and even simply breathes, I can’t help but fear the monster will snap back in control.”
Aife grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently. “If that happens, we’ll step in. We did plenty of running already, it’s about time we act. I wholeheartedly believe the curse wasn’t broken because the previous generations didn’t have support and love they needed, but Bane has it. I believe in him, Kala, even if you can’t.”
Her words put me a little at ease. I glanced down at the blanket and noticed Bane’s thumb brushing over Aife’s ankle, then quickly looked away because the moment felt too personal for me to watch.
As the men kept discussing something and laughing, I leaned closer to Aife and whispered again, “have you seen any change? Real control over the monster?”
Aife grinned at me, “we’ve been practicing. He can hold it back for a pretty long while now and the beast, I believe he’s on our side since so far everything I’ve experienced is protection from him.”
I glanced at Bane again - he wasn’t smiling, but there was no aggression in his posture either.
“That’s a small relief,” I finally muttered.
Aife squeezed my hand again. “He’s trying to do better, Kala, every single day.”
I nodded and swallowed loudly. The brute shifted and a low growl escaped his throat - his massive frame was still tense, but he didn’t attempt to get up or walk away. I really liked how he didn’t try to be intrusive and instead, stuck around while Zion and Bane had their conversations.
After a longer moment of silence between us, Aife finally broke it. “I’m not naive, Kala, I know what you’re thinking. Yes, the monster inside Bane isn’t gone, he’s still there. However, right now, he can push it back and the beast is helping him too.”
I instantly glanced down at my belly and smiled, feeling the faint movements of our son. “I want to believe you,” I told Aife as I gently ran my fingertips over where my son was kicking the most. “But, he’s also so unpredictable and I can’t pretend the past didn’t happen either. We’re still suffering the consequences of the past.”
Aife reached over and placed her hand over mine, squeezing it lightly. “I’m not asking you to forget anything, Kala. All I ask is a chance - just sit back and watch how many times he’s fighting for the right thing instead of giving into the temptation of the monster.”
I let my gaze drift back to Bane, who nodded in agreement to a comment Zion had just made. He still wasn’t smiling, but somehow, he still looked like he fit in.
The brute shifted and growled again as he moved a little closer to me - truly being protective without making me feel like I was suffocating or throwing around baseless accusations, even though Bane deserved them all.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever fully trust him,” I finally admitted to Aife, my eyes still focused on every movement Bane made. “But I promise to watch him and keep hoping that what you’re telling me is true.”
“And that’s all both of us can ask of you for now. It’s hard, I get it, but the more you watch him, the more you’ll see that Bane is stronger than the monster inside him and he’s working on himself every day to prove that over and over again.” Aife muttered, flashing me a soft, encouraging smile.
I let her words sink in fully as the tension slowly left my muscles and for once, I could let out a real sigh of relief.
The setting inside the tent made me feel like I was locked inside a fragile bubble of safety, but compared to the nightmare we had been living so far, this was better than anything I could’ve asked for.
I leaned back, supporting my upper body on my elbows and kept watching the scene. Bane, Zion and the brute continued their conversation, unaware of the one Aife and I just had in a whisper.
Their tones were low, almost like they didn’t want to be overhead, but from where I sat, I couldn’t see any signs of aggression or threats.
I truly hoped that Aife was right and Bane had found a balance within himself that helped him to control himself fully. For as long as he truly could, the danger all of us feared more than anything would stay as far away from us as possible.
“I’ll keep watching him then,” I finally whispered to Aife without prying my gaze away from Bane. “And eventually, maybe I’ll start to believe that he can do this.”
“One step at a time, Kala,” Aife hummed next to me.
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