ARTEMIS' POV:-

　　I was sitting in the bedroom, biting my nails. Alpha Elijah was inside the bathroom, taking shower. I was debating between the options Tracy gave me and the other one was given by Alpha Elijah. Alpha Elijah asked me to wait for him. He was in the shower. He said he wanted to talk to me about something urgent. Not just important, he especially said the word urgent twice. While Tracy thought it was just a trick Alpha Elijah was using to get me to talk to him. Tracy thought I should sleep before he would even get out. I sighed as I felt like being torn between what my heart wanted me to do against what my brain wanted me to do.

　　Tracy and I were about to engage in another argument when the bathroom door opened and Alpha Elijah stepped out of the bathroom. He was dressed into his PJs. I guess he was ready to sleep. He was drying his hair with a towel as he made his way towards the bed. I sat down in the yoga style on the bed. Alpha Elijah threw the towel on the floor and grabbed both of my hands. "Do you hate me?" Alpha Elijah asked me in a low tone. I was not sure if that was what he wanted to talk about. Hearing that question, my heart almost stopped. I had no idea why that happened. At that moment, I actually cursed myself for not listening to Tracy.

　　If I would have fallen asleep, Alpha Elijah wouldn't have asked me that question in the first place. I was stuck between answering the question or keeping my silence. If I stayed silent, Alpha Elijah would think that I hated him. Which I didn't. I didn't hate him. He didn't do anything that bad. So what if he yelled at me a few times. And if I answered his question, it meant I would break the silence. And who knew, after getting his answer he would even care if I am talking to him or not. I was stuck on a piece of land where at one side, I was supposed to jump into fire and on the other side, the ocean was waiting for me to jump in.

　　To calm myself down, I took a deep breath. It always helped me think thoroughly. I still avoid looking at his face or his eyes. To make sure I would keep my silence and also answer his question, I had to figure a middle way out. I shook my head without uttering a word to answer his question. "Oh! Thank God! I thought you started hating me. But it's not the case. Then what is the case? Tell me. Tell me what is wrong with you? Why are you not talking?" Alpha Elijah asked me in a low tone. Surely, he sounded frustrated and desperate to get an answer from me. Tracy smirked as she heard Alpha Elijah's words. Her whole game paid off.

　　Alpha Elijah was finally asking me the question I wanted him to ask me. Of course, I was not going to answer that easily. "Just tell me! Whatever it is, I swear I will get you whatever you want. But just please! Stop this. Talk to me. I have been dying to hear your voice again." My heart fluttered as I heard Alpha Elijah adding further. Actually, about a week later, it was the first time I couldn't control myself from looking into his eyes. That mean man who sometimes even yelled at me, he was telling me that he wanted to hear my voice. I didn't even care about the promise he just made. The very promise I wanted to hear him make for all this long.

　　My heart started beating erratically inside my rib cage as my mind played his words again and again. I felt butterflies in my stomach. "Get it together, girl. Now is not the time to melt. You will have all the time in the world to melt in his arms. Right now, stick with the plan. We have come so far. After all this time, are you willing to give up just like that? Open your fucking mouth and tell him what you want. And don't you dare get scared this time. If he yells at you, I'll roar at him. I got your back." Tracy shook me again so I wouldn't get off of my track at the last minute. According to Tracy, if he learned about a way to manipulate me, he would always do it to his benefit.

　　I couldn't let him do that. I took a deep breath to calm myself down again. "I want to go back to school. I don't care if you take me to the same school or somewhere else. I just want to graduate like every single person of my age does. I don't care whichever school you have in mind, but you can't make me not complete my studies. Not when I have worked so hard to be where I am right now. I mean my studies." With a brave face, I blurted it out in front of him. Although I was feeling a little shakiness inside my body. But as always, Tracy had my back.

　　Tracy controlled all the shakiness and fears I had inside. While I told Alpha Elijah what I really wanted. "Agh! Fine. You can go to school! But I have some conditions. If you agree with them, you are free to join." I almost felt like dancing when he agreed without giving me a hard time. Abit the conditions, Tracy and I had been expecting that from him.

　　"Fine, what are your conditions?" I asked him in a low but a confident tone.

　　"Condition number 1, you will not walk to school or take the bus. I will drop you off in my car and I will be the one to pick you up. You will not be allowed to get home on your own." He told me his first condition. And I was more than happy to agree with that.

　　"Oh, I agree. Last time I went on a walk, I ended up in a dungeon for a month. I am not expecting that kind of adventure in my life again." I replied to him in a low tone.

　　"Condition number 2, you will not make any friends with boys. I don't want to see you talking to other boys." He told me his second condition. Although it was more of a controlling thing but just a condition. But I agreed anyway. Like I would have had any time to make friends.

　　"Fine by me. I won't have time to make friends anyway." I replied to him in a low tone.

　　"Condition number 3, the most important one. You are not allowed to have a relationship with anyone. Not your school mates, not your teachers, no one. Now tell me, do you agree with this condition too?" He told me his last condition and of course, it was as controlling as the other two were. I was not sure what he was trying to accomplish as he set those conditions for me.