1. KNEEL DOWN

The thick rain enveloped all the surface of the wind screen so much that the driver was hardly seeing what was in front of him, the wipers were sweeping the waters pouring endlessly as if their lives depended on it as the car moved through the dark street.

“When did you say we would get there?” a thick voice asked from the car and the silence that was existing in the car shattered to shards. The driver replied “The navigation app showed that we will be there in the next five minutes” with immediate effect and he grunted.

He was getting impatient.

The driver was sticking his eyes widely on the road while holding onto the driving wheel as if it was the key to his life. He wanted to get to his destination safe and sound amidst the pouring rain.

Alfred growled “You should just relax, you are always too anxious and worked up. You don’t have anything to be scared of, it’s not like this is your first time here, so breathe in and out” and Draco rolled his eyes and fired “Did I not tell you this is not the time for you to meddle in? Do you seriously want me to lock you out for the rest of the week? You are being chatty for no reason”, making Alfred zip his mouth immediately.

That is how Draco has always been. He never listens to anyone nor does he take opinions. He does only what benefits him and will never back down when he sets his mind on something.

“That stubborn for nothing and proud airhead” Alfred grunted and Draco howled a thick “I can hear you, do you know that?” at which Alfred scoffed at, and stated “Do your worse” before sticking out his tongue.

****

Helena rolled on her office chair cycling the black fountain pen in between her thin and long fingers. Resting her head on the chair’s head, she stared hard into the ceiling, her gaze was enough to bore a hole into the huge white roof covering her head and a smirk was playing faintly on her face.

Although the heavy rain pouring down outside her window was disrupting the total silence she needed, she still felt it was perfect for the atmosphere of that night. All her plans were going to yield her a positive result that night and she couldn’t wait to see how it would turn out because it was a moment she had worked hard for.

Her right leg dangled as she crossed it over the left, and the white robe she was putting on was flowing over the leg royally. Her face was plastered with makeup that was enough to make her alluring even though she was a beauty in her natural standard.

She muttered a low “It’s going to be a long night”, closing her eyes to feel the effect of the soft music oozing out of the record player in the far right corner of the room as it seeped through her soul to make her relaxed.

Her eyes opened slowly at the clacking sound of heels kissing the glass tiles in the room as Secretary Han walked in with a file in her hand. She was dressed in a wine gown with a mock neck style, her brown trench coat was doing the job of keeping her warm as well as pretty and chic. Her red hair was packed into a ponytail and soft, wispy baby hair edges were clearly mapped out according to the frame of her forehead. She is indeed pretty.

She held firmly in her right hand a black tablet for her official duty and said “Ma’am, the guests will be arriving in the next five minutes”. Helena replied, “I see, lead them into the meeting room as soon as they arrive” with her eyes closed this time around.

Still rotating the chair slowly, she asked further “What of Jerry?” and the secretary answered “He’s fast asleep in his room, ma’am” making her nod before dismissing her.

Different thoughts and scenarios were running through Helena’s head as she sat quietly on the chair. She wondered what the outcome of the meeting that would be held in a few minutes' time would be. She had prepared hard for this for more than a year and now that it is finally happening, she can’t afford to make it flop because it is the determinant of how her life would turn out.

 ****

The huge golden gate leading to a large mansion that was as long as a five minutes’ walk opened as the car pulled in front of it and the driver drove till he got to the entrance of the house. The rain had stopped pouring hard and was only dropping bits by bits at that time, so it was convenient for him to see what was in front without difficulty unlike few minutes ago.

The door was opened by one of the security guards standing in front of the house and an opened umbrella over their heads guarded them as they got out of the car. Draco stood there looking at the huge mansion for a while, marveling at its beauty before marching into the house according to their leads.

They were taken into the huge house with an extra high roof, the golden chandeliers were all donating their shares of light to the room to brighten it up as much as possible.

“This way, sir” the guard said and led him to one of the rooms in the house.

The guard opened the door to the room painted entirely white and golden chairs were arranged around the white table. The overuse of white reminded him of someone he shouldn’t remember, so he shook it off without hesitation.

The guard informed them “The chairwoman will soon be out, I will inform her of your arrival” and they nodded before he left for his job.

A maid brought a golden tray of white cups and a golden teapot to the room and served them both a hot tea to keep themselves warm before the said chairwoman came out to see them.

“It’s been up to ten minutes ma’am” Secretary Han informed Helena, who still closed her eyes on the rotating chair. She mumbled “Ten minutes? That’s a little time compared to how much I waited” and Secretary Han pressed “I think you should join them now”. She snapped at her and grumbled “You are such a nag!” before stopping the chair and rising to her feet.

“Should we then go and greet our precious guests?” she said with a smirk as the gown she was putting on came into its full glory.

The gown was flowing hard behind her with every step she took, it was like a queen’s outfit with the golden belt attached to the waist. She trailed the steps gracefully and dragged her hand along the golden rails with a grin on her face.

Draco, who had been sitting there for ten minutes, was getting impatient and growled “You don’t think she’s delaying us on purpose? This is getting out of hand” as he hit the table in anger.

“Are you going to go out then? Will you walk out? It seems you have forgotten that you are the one in need of something urgent and important, so you had better behave yourself and don’t make some unnecessary fuss”, Alfred warned. He was getting angry at his tantrum.

Draco almost yelled “No one dares make me wait in the pack!” and Alfred scoffed and slammed, “You are now outside the pack you dummy”, just as the door opened to show the panache entering of Helena.

She dramatically graced the room with her golden shoes peeping in first before she showed herself in her full regalia. She moved to the front of the table with full confidence and her shoulders were high up in the sky as she walked to her seat and greeted “You are welcome to H&M Villa” and the guests turned to see who was in front of them.

The cup the driver was holding lost its grip and fell from his hand, the shattering sound was what brought him back to his senses as he jumped at the sight in front of him.

Draco stood there with trembling lips and furrowed eyebrows for some seconds before managing to mutter “It can’t be… you can’t be Helena, right?” with a shaky voice trying so hard not to stammer.

She wanted to catch him unaware and she was successful in seeing his reaction, which made her smile inside, but she only smirked and replied “Yes, I am Helena Marcus. Is there any problem with that?” raising her brows

Draco could not believe her audacity and ended up chuckling unintentionally for a while because of the absurdity of the situation he suddenly found himself. “You must be kidding me, you thought I would be intimidated if you showed up with this grand style? I am sorry to tell you that I don’t fancy all of this” he growled, and Helena shrugged. She was unbothered by his threat, he was the one at the losing end after all.

“I don’t have any reason to keep unwanted guests in my house, show them out” she ordered, and the guards entered to carry out her command and Draco protested “Are you telling your guards to throw me out? In the middle of the night?”. She slammed her hand on the table and the driver jumped in fear for the second time. “It seems you are not ready to negotiate, so why should I listen to more of anything you have to say or house you further?” she fumed angrily and Draco threatened “You shouldn’t be doing this to me Helena, you should know that the pack will suffer for it” but that only made Helena laugh so hard that tears laced on her long eyelashes

“Why should I care about a pack that abandoned me? Why should I care about people who didn’t hold my hand when I needed them desperately? The only reason I am going to grab their hand this time is because I am a businesswoman, which means, I only accept terms that benefit me, so if you are not ready, then get out of my house”. She gritted out of her teeth, her boiling anger was taking the best part of her, she would not have Draco insult her in her house.

The driver, who was tired of their banter and emotional show-offs, quickly pleaded “We will do whatever you want us to do, we really need the vaccine, and we cannot watch anyone die in our pack any longer” desperately and Helena rolled her eyes at his words before asking “You really need the vaccine?” and the driver nodded his head immediately,

“Then kneel” she blurt out and silence swept the room for several seconds. The driver and Draco both glanced at each other to confirm if they heard her well before her voice resonated once more.

“I say you should kneel and beg for it” she repeated her words and the driver got on his knees immediately. She turned to him and waved her finger, “I was not talking to you” she said before facing Draco, “You should be the one to kneel, Alpha Draco” she stated with a grin, and Draco could not believe what he, just heard. How dare she?