---- his expression-shock, fury, maybe even... guilt? "you mated with me to reclaim your birthright," he said slowly, as if the pieces of my plan were clicking into place. "And to make Alpha David suffer." I raised my chin. "Exactly." Silence stretched between us like tension before a battle cry. Then Alpha Michael let out a slow breath and stepped back. "I misjudged you." I blinked. "What did you say?" His gaze softened, the edge in his tone dulling. "I thought you were another one of Alpha David's pawns. But now..." His voice trailed off before he shook his head. "I see you're not." I hesitated. "Are you actually apologizing?" He smirked, but it lacked the usual arrogance. "I ---- suppose I am." I stared at him, thrown off balance. Then his expression hardened again. "Let me help you." I narrowed my eyes. "Help me do what?" "Destroy Alpha David." The weight of those words hit like a winter wind. " Why?" His jaw clenched, the beast beneath his skin bristling. "Because I have reasons of my own to tear his legacy apart." There was something chilling in the way he said it. It raised the hairs on my neck. "T don't know if I can trust you." His eyes gleamed, almost glowing in the dim light. "T won't harm you, Becky. That's not what this ---- bond is." For the first time, I saw past the polished facade- the calculated charm, the swagger. Beneath it all was a wolf nursing old wounds... and maybe, just maybe, wanting to protect something again. "T take over my pack tomorrow," I said finally, my voice firm. "That comes first." Alpha Michael nodded once. "And I need to keep playing the cripple." I raised a brow. "Still faking your injury?" His lips twitched. "Yes. We're going to have visitors soon... and I can't show my claws yet." I scoffed. "Great." Then I crossed my arms. "Since we're both getting something out of this alliance, I suggest you keep your hands to yourself from now on." The smirk returned to his lips, more wolf than