ELIJAH'S POV:-

　　Ever since I was told that Artemis was my mate, I was on cloud nine. I was so happy. But at the same time, I was worried as well. I was never good at doing relationships. I never dealt with one woman for so long. I only had one night stand all my life. And being with one woman was actually something very difficult for me. Or maybe I was just scared of fucking everything up. Either way, I just couldn't think of a way to make it all work. Artemis was busy with her final exams. And that brought more distance between us. I couldn't blame her because she was just trying to build up a strong career for herself. She was not at fault.

　　I also couldn't help but feel like she was going away from me. I was afraid of the fact of her being distant from me. I sighed and stopped the car in front of her school. I was five minutes late. I was just thinking too much. I got out of the car and went into her school, looking for her. She was sitting on the grass with a book on her lap. My heart clenched as I saw her weeping about something. I was by her side in the blink of an eye. "Hey, baby girl! Why are you crying? Did something happen? Did someone say something to you?" I asked her in a low tone. I was rubbing her back to comfort her a little.

　　Hearing my voice, she turned her head towards me and started crying hard. I grabbed her book from her lap then helped her back up on her feet. I knew she wouldn't say a single word in that crowd. I helped her towards my car. I helped her in the car first. Then I also hopped into the car and drove away. Instead of taking her to my apartment, I drove the car towards the beach. I wanted to be alone with her for a while. I couldn't drive properly because all the way, she was sobbing quietly. I thanked God as I stopped the car at the beach. Then I scooped her up in my arms and placed her on top of my lap.

　　She quickly placed her head on my chest but she didn't stop crying. "Baby girl, at least, tell me what is wrong with you. Maybe, I can help you. Talk to me. If you don't tell me anything, how will I know what is going on with you?" I asked her in a low tone while patting her head gently. I wrapped my other arm around her body and pulled her in a tight hug. Hugs always work out in situations like those. She pulled away from me and grabbed her book from the dash. She held the book in front of my eyes as if that book was the very reason she was crying. I really wanted to rip that little book at that moment.

　　I was glad I kept myself in control. I didn't want her to cry more. "I have a mathematics exam next week. And I was hardly able to cover half of the book. The teacher refused to help me because she has some kind of thing against me. I am not sure why she is doing that to me. I wanted to complain about it to the principal but she already told the principal that I was about to cheat in the exam. I don't know what to do. I am scared, Elijah." She finally spilled the beans and I gritted my teeth. Whoever her teacher was, she had the audacity to scare my baby girl that much. She was shaking as she told me the truth.

　　I felt an urge to murder the principal and her math teacher for scaring my baby like that. Just then, an idea popped up in my mind. The opportunity I was searching for was finally in front of me. "Well, if she is not going to help you, then I will. I can help you with your maths exam tomorrow. But it will be a trade. In exchange, you will be giving me something. If you agree, I can tell you my condition." I told her something she might not be expecting. It was true, I was a maths genius. And I could help her. But I wanted that opportunity to benefit me as well. I felt bad for using her hard time in my favour. But we all have demons inside us.

　　As she heard that I was willing to help her, her eyes lit up. A wide smile appeared on her face. Then she heard that I had a condition. That's when a confused frown appeared on her beautiful face. "What is your condition?" She asked me in a low tone while staring into my eyes. That cute pout on her face was making me lose control. But I somehow managed to keep myself in control. Dean was aware of this perfect plan I had inside my head. And he was also very excited to know if she would agree with my condition. It was not like I was not going to help her even if she said no. But I was not going to tell her that.

　　"I am going to help you with that exam. And in exchange, you have to cuddle up with me every night. In my bed, in your bed, I don't care. I just want to cuddle up with you at night. And in exchange, I can promise you a hundred percent marks in your exam. Do we have a deal, baby girl?" I replied to her question in a low tone then asked if she agreed. Hearing my condition, her pout became even cuter. She was biting her nails while staring at my face. I was sure she was talking to her wolf, asking for her thoughts about the offer I had made.

　　I already knew what her wolf was going to do. At least, that's what I felt. I couldn't say anything as the last time I tried to have a deal with her wolf, she pissed me off. It felt like she hated me. "If I say no, will you help me or not?" She asked me in a low tone. I could see that she was going to cry again. I didn't want her to cry but I also wanted to cuddle with her. I wanted to hold her in my arms and snuggle my face in her neck every single night.

　　"Then there will be no deal. If you say yes, I will even talk to the principal to let you attend the exam right in front of him. So you can prove your teacher wrong." I replied to her and added another benefit for her in our deal.

　　She thought about it for a while. Then she placed her head back on my chest. "Okay, fine. I will do it. Please, help me." She replied in a low tone and it took my everything to keep myself from dancing right in front of her. Victory tasted so sweet when it was against her.