A non-compliance acquisition was a calmer way of saying illegal seizure. From what it meant, Damon’s business was fundamentally dirty apart from being very hostile. Quickly, I separated I followed the chain of and saved the information on a privately encrypted folder I created.

I plan to use it in the future. If intelligence was The Alpha’s Debt that I owed, then The Alpha’s Debt to his own pack would serve as something I would fall back on.

That was something I could use against him in the future. A soft sound, nearly inaudible jerked me back to reality as I had been concentrating on the work in front of me.

The door that connected my suite to Damon’s suite had been opened just a bit. Adrenaline surged through me as I looked up to Damon. The no-contact contract that we had agreed on was being tested every time by Damon.

I called out to him, ‘’Alpha?’' I didn't get up from my seat while I expected to see the dominating figure of Damon. I was not going to make anything easy for him.

Damon was not fully dressed when he entered the room. He wore a pair of black tracksuit pants; he was bare chested, revealing his masculinity that seemed to be something out of this world, as if he did not have the regular human anatomy.

Under the dim light, the tattoos he had on looked fiercer and more pronounced. With him was a mug made of porcelain, filled with coffee with a rich fragrance that filled the air.

His eyes scanned the tablet as he walked towards me and digested my analysis concerning the issue at hand in a matter of seconds.

With an even more unsettling voice than his growl, Damon quietly said to me, ‘’have you found the loopholes in the bonds? The exposure.’’

‘’Alpha, this is catastrophic. It is such a liability nobody will ever want.’’ Without looking at him, I confirmed what he said as I pointed at the screen.

‘’It will be a clean kill and Falcon Group will sink if by the third quarter, there is a crisis in liquidity.’’

I sensed a note of approval in his voice, though he spoke grudgingly. ‘’I have always been aware of the weakness, I didn’t just know where, or to what extent the damage was.’’

‘'You need to refuel,’’ he said as he placed the coffee mug on the bedside beside that tablet. ‘’It’s two in the morning,’’ he added.

Damon’s closeness to me felt like an assault even though he had not even touched me. Now that he was bare, the Bond was tugging helplessly at me after being in close contact with such an Alpha Male.

I had to control myself from leaning towards the Alpha. His power emanated so much; the Bond screamed with eagerness.

‘'Judging from the contract signed, I ought to work. I’m not a mere servant.’’ I don’t know how thick my voice became, but I had to speak up.

He locked his eyes into mine as he knelt beside me. His face was the same level as mine, and he left only the smallest space between us.

‘’You are my investment, Elar. I am checking on my investment.’’ His breath oozed of liquor and wildness. ‘’You are such a skilled and professional analyst. Should I allow you to die of exhaustion? Take the coffee, drink it.’’

He fixed his eyes on my lips. ‘’Little birdie, tell me one thing. Does the Mate Bond give you a break when you are drowning in all these numbers? What do you think? Or does it scream for you to be with your mate? Does it bother you more while working?’’

The way he invaded my mental space made me coil into myself. The question he just asked was very intimate, making me cautious, and causing me to create space between both of us.’’

My heart was thudding violently against my ribs. A distraction, that is what The Bond is. It is a biological distraction I cannot get rid of, but my mind belongs to me, and what my mind has done for me is to buy me more time. Now that I have found the loophole, I want my extension for the no-contact contract.’’

Damon smiled slowly; a slow and possessive smile formed on his face. It was one more anticipation than triumph.

‘’One week extension per loophole found,’’ Damon said, confirming it. You can continue working. When you buy more time, it will become more expensive for you when you dare to run away.’’

He gazed over my face one last time as he got up. Then he went across the room and through the connecting door in our rooms. This time, he did not lock the door; he left it slightly ajar so that I could feel his chilling presence around me, constantly tormenting me.

The fact that the door was unlocked tormented me. I bet Damon did it deliberately as a psychological weapon. It was ajar, very slightly ajar with about one or two inches, and it let out a ray of darkness that caused dread to ooze out of the Alpha’s domain.

It was both an invitation and a trap. The Alpha was daring me to cross over to his threshold, to see if my so-called contract will save me at such a time.

Don’t look at it.

I held on to the blanket tighter than ever as I made sure not to leave the lounge. I could perceive Damon’s clean and sharp scent which possessed me in an overwhelming way.

It subtly invited me through the slightly cracked door, making the Mate Bond become very restless with anticipation.

Go to him. Warmth. Safety.

The Bond was tormenting me, but I held back. I had to do the one and only thing that could completely distract me from The Bond, and that was to drown myself back into work. The finance world, cold and calculated, offered a way out for me.

I opened a file that was far from the acquisition files. The non-compliance of mineral rights folder, that was what I was interested in working on now.

The document was filled with codes, nothing but codes. It became clear to me at once that it was designed for communication strictly within the Pack. It was not about the mundane, like stock and other forms of finance. Instead, it was filled with information about assets that had been seized directly within the Pack’s border territories.