*****Alex''s POV*****


    I had not intended to blurt those words to her, they had juste out. I did not know what had prompted me to say it. Maybe it was seeing her again. Watching her move as gracefully and confident as she used to. Though she was confident and graceful in her movement, there was this gentleness that could not be overlooked.


    It was there. In her every step, her poises and stances. I had missed the way she talked and that face of hers. I had no idea what I had been missing until now. I might had sworn to fight her for what she did to Seren, but that had barely registered in my mind as soon as I saw her.


    I found myself staring at her, waiting for her reaction. I was waiting for her response. She had changed, I could see it, I needed no soothsayer to tell me that.


    There was this powerful aura that she exhibited and the authority that oozed off of her in great waves. I could only stare at her in respect and awe. It had barely been three weeks but I could see the changes. Everything that had changed in her and around her.


    "Is this some sort of joke, Alpha Robertson?" She crooked a displeased brow.


    "I''m sorry, it''s not joke." I quickly apologized. I was at her mercy. Without her, there would barely be anything left of my pack. When I had said I missed her, I had not been lying but I really need her regardless.


    The chances of her epting me back was zilch, the way we had separated was not cordial, there had been this coldness already existing between us. And after the incident with Seren, it had gone from worse to worst.


    "Is this why you called me? Is this why you asked to see me privately?" She questioned, her eyes were hardened.


    "No, it''s not. Believe, it was not my intention to say that." I tried to defend myself.


    "Then why did you?" Her expression was stoic and unsmiling. She seemed to be really pissed.


    "I don''t know, it just came out. I''m really sorry."


    "I do not think I can help you if you continue to y un-serious. I am busy, I have a pack to run." She pointed out bluntly.


    Fear took hold a bit, I could not afford losing her help. Iron w was the only hope I had when I came here. I could not afford for leave here without the agreement of her helping me.


    Noir was determined to ruin my pack and I would not let it happen, hence, I needed to be careful with my words henceforth. Feelings aside, I needed to do what I hade to do in the first ce.


    "I''m truly sorry, forgive my manners. I would endeavor to girdle my tongue as we go on. Please, let''s ignore what I had just said like it never happened." I pleaded.


    I had no choice but to plead, that was the only way out for me. I could not afford to annoy her, she was my lifesaver at this point. Her pack was the only pack that could destroy Thunderpaw.


    Her hard gaze was unrelenting. "I think we should make some things clear here, Alpha Robertson. You and I have nothing personal inmon, whatever that used to exist was long gone. It has ended and has been dissolved before the public."


    She adjusted herself on her Alpha seat, before continuing. "You came to me for help, you are in my territory. In my pack. In my mansion. You need to watch what you say to me. I have a legacy to uphold, as I''m sure you do too."


    "I''m..."


    "I''m not done." She cut me off bluntly.


    I nodded, encouraging her to go on. I was beginning to feel embarrassed, like she was doing all of this for show. She was ostentatiously putting on a boastful demeanor, she wanted me to see what she had be and what she now had in her possession.


    It made me wonder how had I not known the person I had married. How had she managed to keep her identity hidden from me? How had she even stayed three years in my abode, under my guidance and not known she was the daughter of the most wealthiest Alpha? Who would had thought that quiet, gentle Erika was the heiress apparent of such prestigious and strong pack.


    Had Pa known and kept it from me? Obviously she had known else she would not have lied...or ording to how Gage had put it, lied by omission. She had simply not said it, just said she was going to see a friend who needed her.


    That friend had turned out to be Erika, my ex-mate and ex-wife. Now I was at her mercy, and this was a very serious matter.


    "As I was saying, we both have a legacy to uphold. You came to ask for help and I am yet to give a stand on that, which of course, you''re dying. Or have you made up your mind, Alpha?" She stared pointedly at me.


    "How can I dy? I came for help and I am ready for the help." I told her.


    Why would I dy when it was I who needed her? I did not leave my pack to this ce only to ruin the opportunity.


    "Are you ready for the terms and conditions?" She inquired.


    Terms and conditions. Those words sounded like a death trap, I had been praying for this not toe up but it had stille up. Saying yes was not the problem, but what was the terms and conditions she wanted? Was it something I could do? What if it was a condition I could not meet?


    "Is there no other way around this?" I stared beseechingly.


    "I''m afraid there isn''t." Her response was crisp and cool.


    Willing nerves away, I decided to give it a try. "What are these terms and conditions?"


    "It''s just one condition."


    "Oh. Name it."


    "If I save your pack and help you win this war, I''ll get seventy percent of your


    pack''s mineral resources and yearly ie."