Chapter 4 Blood Debts

*Maya's POV*

Night threats haunted me, each word burning in my mind. By dawn, I couldn't stand not knowing. I found Dad in his study, coffee in hand. It smelled of dark earth and firm bonds.

"Dad, we need to talk," I said, closing the door. My hands shook a bit. "Those messages-from yesterday. What debt?"

He froze, his cup in the air. We stood in a thick silence, his face shifted from caring dad to a wary leader.

"Maya," he said, voice tight. "Please sit down."

"No." I stood strong, arms crossed, my wolf uneasy inside. "No more secrets. What debt?"

He put down his mug with care, the sound sharp on the desk. "Your mom made a deal."

It hit hard. "What kind of deal?"

"She was ill, Maya, very ill. Cancer was everywhere. She has weeks left, at most." His voice broke a little. "She wanted more time to watch you grow."

My throat hurts. I was only five when she left us, not old enough to grasp her loss, but feeling the emptiness.

"What about it?"

"She talked to Cyrus Drakemoor."

I didn't know the name, but Dad's look said I should. "Who is Cyrus Drakemoor?"

"A lone Alpha. Strong, old, no heart." He stared away. "He trades in dark magic, Maya. The kind most packs left behind long ago."

"Dark magic?" Chills ran through me. "Dad, what did she do?"

He faced me, years of sorrow in his eyes. "She agreed to a blood pact. Six more months of life for..." He hesitated. "For a vow to him over her first daughter's hand."

The room spun. "She said I'd marry him?"

"She was ending, Maya. She wasn't clear. She thought she'd have more time to find a way out."

"But I was five!" I yelled, hurt. "She set my future when I was just five!"

"She thought she could end it. She spent her last months looking for a way." He looked so tired. "She died before she could."

Inside me, Luna howled with my pain. "The deal with Kane-"

"It was to keep you safe. A love bond is stronger than a blood pact. We hoped it would end the old vow."

"But it failed."

"Yes."

I dropped into a chair, emptied. "How long have you known he would come for me?"

"He told us when you turned eighteen. Still gave you some time before he claimed you." Dad was worried. "I wanted your match with Kane sooner."

"What if I deny the pact?"

"He will come anyway. He'll ruin all who try to stop him."

A knock came. Marcus walked in, face drawn. "Alpha, problem."

"Now what?" Dad was sharp.

"Some guy at the edge. Claims an old debt."

"Cyrus?"

Marcus nodded. "With about twenty wolves. Looks like a rogue. Alpha, he's got papers."

"What papers?" Dad was quick.

"The pact, signed by your mate."

I shook, trying not to throw up. "He's here."

"He wants Maya. Will talk terms, but only with her," Marcus added.

"No way." Dad's tone froze. "She's not meeting him."

"Dad." I stood, voice more solid than I felt. "I have to see it. Know what Mom agreed to."

"No, Maya. Too risky."

"I'm not a kid. I'm an Alpha's daughter, and I must face this. But not by myself."

My dad looked at my face, and I knew he saw how set I was-just as set as he was when he became the top Alpha around.

"Okay. But we do it our way. He must come to our pack house. A place with no sides."

Marcus nodded. "I'll set it up. But Alpha, there is more."

"What?"

"The papers... They aren't just a marriage deal. The pact says Maya's first kid will be his too."

My world spun. Not just my life, but my kids' lives. My mom hadn't just given me away-she'd given away all my kin too.

"That can't be," I said slowly.

"Blood magic lasts through families, Maya," my dad told me softly. "The stronger the family, the more the pact is worth as time goes on."

I thought of Kane, of us maybe having kids. Kids who would be owned by a rogue Alpha I never knew.

"There's more," Marcus said, hard to get the words out. "He's not here just for the pact. He knows about your... thing. The Moonborn words."

"What of it?"

"He says that makes you even more key. Says a Moonborn's kids would be the top wolves ever."

The room went quiet but for the tick of the old clock. I heard my heart, felt my wolf move uneasy.

"When?" I asked.

"When what?" my dad answered.

"When does he want to meet?"

"Now. He's at the edge of our land."

I took a big breath, ready for what was next. "Then let's go see the man who thinks he has me."

As we went to the door, my phone rang. A text from Kane: *On my way. Something's wrong. I feel it in our link.*

I looked at the words, Kane's need to look out for me showing even from far. But as we got outside, I saw a man by the trees-tall, wide, with silver hair and eyes like cold storms.

Cyrus Drakemoor had come to get what he thought was his, and he wasn't asking to come in.