Ch 2- A sacrifice for the pack

Maya’s POV

The peace between werewolves and vampires had always been fragile. The hatred between our species ran deep, rooted in centuries of bloodshed and betrayal. Although our kingdoms had managed to coexist for years, the threat of war had never truly disappeared.

I had grown up listening to horrifying stories about vampires. My brothers and the servants loved frightening me with tales of young women being offered as sacrifices to prevent vampire attacks on our villages. They described how those unfortunate girls were drained of their blood and, in some cases, transformed into the same soulless monsters that had tormented them.

Those stories had haunted my childhood and now, I was expected to marry one of them.

But why would Lord Draken want a werewolf for a wife? Did he have a particular taste for werewolf blood? Was marrying me merely an elaborate way of securing his next meal?

Would he feed on me like some gigantic, bloodthirsty gnat?

A shudder ran through me as I tried to dismiss the absurd comparison, but the terror tightening around my ribs made it difficult to think clearly. My lungs seemed to have forgotten how to function, and I struggled to draw even a shallow breath.

I was going to marry a vampire. A creature that was supposed to be dead.

How was I supposed to share a home with something that might consider me nothing more than a walking blood bag?

“I will take my leave now,” Lord Draken announced, interrupting my spiraling thoughts. “It has been a pleasure, gentlemen.”

Thank the Moon Goddess!

Perhaps if he left quickly enough, I could find a way to escape this nightmare before anyone came looking for me.

My father rose from his chair. “I will escort you to your coach, Lord Draken.”

He fell into step beside the vampire, and the two headed toward the grand entrance. As Lord Draken passed beneath the light streaming through the windows, I caught another glimpse of his towering frame. He stood almost a full head taller than my father, his long, lean body moving with effortless grace.

There was something undeniably attractive about him, something in the way he carried himself that seemed designed to draw the eye. For one treacherous second, I understood why someone might find him handsome.

Then I remembered what he was.

A dead body, Maya.

The thought sent another shudder through me.There was absolutely nothing appealing about that.

I waited until my father and the vampire disappeared through the doorway before allowing myself to breathe again. Then a familiar voice shattered the silence.

“You can come out now, Maya.”

I froze as my head snapped toward the table. Mateo was still sitting in his chair, his head slightly bowed as he held his chalice with both hands.

He knew! He had known I was hiding behind the curtains the entire time.

With trembling fingers, I shoved the heavy curtain aside and stepped out of the dusty shadows. My legs felt weak as I crossed the room, and by the time I reached the table, I felt as though I were moving through a terrible dream.

I sank into the chair Lord Draken had occupied moments earlier.The seat felt hard and lifeless beneath me, without the slightest trace of warmth.

Of course, vampires were dead. Why had I expected anything different?

Desperation clawed at my throat. I grabbed his untouched chalice and swallowed a large gulp of wine, hoping it would steady my nerves.

It was a terrible mistake. The taste was revolting, bitter and strangely metallic. The liquid burned the back of my throat as I forced myself to swallow.

“Mateo…” I gasped, lowering the goblet. “Mateo, what has Father done?”

He sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead.“Don’t blame Father,” he said.

I stared at him in disbelief. “Don’t blame him? Who am I supposed to blame, then? The vampire who wants to marry me, or the man who agreed to hand me over to him?”

Mateo’s expression hardened. “He had no choice. What do you think Lord Draken would have done if we had refused him?”

I lowered my gaze to my hands. Several of my fingernails were broken, and some were bleeding. I hadn’t even noticed when I injured them. I must have clawed at the wall while listening to their conversation.

I pressed my fingers together, trying to ignore the sting. “Then find someone else for him,” I pleaded. “There must be other women he could marry. Why does it have to be me?”

Mateo snorted. “You are so ignorant, Maya. Lord Draken isn’t someone we can simply dismiss because his request makes us uncomfortable. He would have considered our refusal an insult and retaliated against the pack. Who knows what he would have done to us?”

He shook his head. “You know we don’t have the strength to fight him if he launches a full-scale attack.”

I wanted to argue, to scream that none of this was my fault and that I shouldn’t have to surrender my future because my family feared a vampire.But the words died on my tongue.

Mateo wasn’t entirely wrong.

Over the past three years, our pack had suffered devastating losses from a rogue attack. Many warriors had died, leaving our defenses weaker than they had been in generations. Then came the drought, draining our financial resources and leaving our people struggling to recover. 

We barely had enough resources to maintain our defenses, let alone prepare for war against a powerful vampire lord. If Lord Draken attacked, the consequences could be catastrophic.

I understood that.

But understanding my father’s reasons didn’t make his decision any less cruel.

“There must be another way!” I cried, slamming my hands against the table. “Some other way to appease him besides offering me up as a sacrificial bride!”

My voice echoed through the grand hall. Before Mateo could respond, another voice drifted in from the doorway.

“Who’s offering you as a sacrificial bride?”

I turned sharply as Kai strolled into the room, wearing the carefree expression he always seemed to have, as though the world had never given him a single reason to worry. He was my elder brother by less than a year, a fact he never allowed me to forget. He enjoyed teasing me about it whenever he wanted to remind me of his supposed superiority.

His gaze moved between Mateo and me.

“Does someone actually want to marry my unappealing sister?”

Under normal circumstances, I would have thrown something at him but I didn’t even have the energy to be offended.

“Not someone,” I sobbed.

Kai laughed and I hated that he was joking when my entire world was falling apart. Then the words burst out of me.

“They have married me off to a fucking vampire!”

“Mind your words!” Mateo scolded, as though I were still a child who needed to be reminded of proper manners.

I rounded on him. “Are you serious right now?”

“A fucking what?” Kai burst out laughing.

He walked over and took the goblet from my hand, casually sipping the wine.

“You must be joking! Mateo, I didn’t know you had such a sense of humor.”

Mateo stared at him without smiling. Gradually, the amusement disappeared from Kai’s face. He lowered the goblet, his eyes moving between us.

“You aren’t joking?”

“Lord Draken came here specifically to ask for her hand in marriage,” Mateo explained flatly. “Father tried to persuade him to consider someone else. He even offered him his choice of eligible daughters from the ranking families.”

For a brief moment, I wondered whether I should feel grateful that my father had at least tried to redirect the vampire’s attention.

Perhaps he hadn’t immediately agreed to the arrangement.

Perhaps he had considered my feelings, even if only for a moment.

But that small flicker of hope disappeared as Mateo continued.

“Lord Draken refused. He insisted that it must be Maya.”

Kai stared at him thenhe pulled out a heavy wooden chair and dropped into it.

“But why?”

It was the same question that had been tormenting me since I first heard Lord Draken speak.

Why me?

What did he want from me that he couldn’t get from another woman? Was there something special about our bloodline, or had I somehow offended him without realizing it?

Mateo had no answer. He merely shrugged one thin shoulder.

“We can’t marry her off to a fucking bloodsucker!” Kai shouted.

“We can, and we will,” Mateo replied sternly.

Kai shot to his feet. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Enough, Kai! I know it’s difficult to accept, but sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the good of the pack.”

I clenched my fists beneath the table. It was easy for Mateo to talk about sacrifice when he wasn’t the one being sacrificed. He wasn’t the one being sent to live in a vampire’s fortress, surrounded by creatures who might consider his blood a delicacy. He wasn’t the one whose freedom was about to be taken away. 

I was.

My entire future was being ripped from my hands, and my family expected me to accept it without complaint. And there was something else that hurt almost as much as the thought of marrying Lord Draken.

My hope of finding my fated mate had just been crushed.

For as long as I could remember, I had dreamed of the day I would meet the person the Moon Goddess had chosen for me. I had imagined the connection, the recognition, and the overwhelming certainty that I had finally found the one person who belonged to me as much as I belonged to him.

Now, unless Lord Draken was somehow my fated mate, I might never experience that dream. I would be tied to a man I didn’t know, a vampire I had been taught to fear, and a future I had never chosen.

“No!” Kai insisted, shaking his head. “There has to be another way!”

Mateo exhaled impatiently. “Well, if you can think of a better solution, I’m listening, brother.”

He pushed back his chair and rose to his feet. I looked up at him, silently hoping he might show some trace of sympathy. Anything. A reassuring word or a promise that he would help me.

Instead, he looked down at me with dull, exhausted eyes, as though my distress were simply another burden he had been forced to carry.

“Just be obedient, Maya,” he said. “Do what is required of you.”

I stared at him.

Just be obedient, Maya.

The words followed me as he turned and walked away. Mateo was tall and painfully thin, with long arms, bony shoulders, and a perpetually miserable expression. He had always seemed older than his years, weighed down by the responsibilities of becoming the next Alpha.

I knew those expectations were heavy, but did that give him the right to dismiss my suffering? He was supposed to protect the pack one day. Yet he couldn’t spare a moment to consider what his own sister was about to endure. All he could tell me was to obey.

I watched him disappear through the doorway. I had spent my entire life obeying my father and brothers, keeping my head down and accepting whatever little affection my family was willing to offer. I had convinced myself that being good and obedient might eventually earn me their love.

But where had it gotten me?

My father was giving me away to a vampire, and my eldest brother was telling me to accept it.

Kai, however, remained beside me. He finished the remaining wine and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth.

“Don’t worry, Maya. I’ll think of something.”

I lifted my eyes to his. His expression had softened, and for once, there was no trace of mischief in his face.

“No way am I going to allow Father to hand you over to that cold, dead bloodsucker.”

Despite everything, a small smile tugged at my lips.

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe Kai could somehow find a way out of this nightmare, that he would convince Father to call off the marriage. But hope was dangerous when I knew how little power Kai possessed within our family.

He was the second son, and unless something happened to Mateo, he would never become Alpha. Father had tried to push him into military training, hoping to turn him into a disciplined warrior.

Unfortunately, Kai had always been allergic to discipline and hard work. He preferred laughter, freedom, and avoiding responsibility whenever possible. To Father, he was little more than an overindulged second son. And although I loved him dearly, I knew he couldn’t simply command Father to change his mind.

He had neither the authority nor the influence to challenge the Alpha’s decision.

Still, he cared and at that moment, that meant more to me than anything else. Overwhelmed by emotion, I rose from my chair, leaned forward, and kissed the top of his head.

Then I hurried out of the grand hall because I didn’t want him to see me cry. I sprinted through the corridors, ignoring the startled looks of the servants I passed. By the time I reached my chamber, tears had blurred my vision, and I was trembling so badly that I almost stumbled against the door.

Valerie was inside, pacing anxiously near the window and twisting her hands in her apron. The moment she saw me, she rushed forward.

“What is it?” she demanded, shutting the door behind me. “What did you hear? Is it bad?”

I stared at her, struggling to find the words then a broken laugh escaped my lips.

“It’s heart-wrenching.”

My knees felt weak, and I collapsed into the upholstered chair beside the cold chimney. The afternoon was warm, so Valerie hadn’t bothered lighting a fire. Yet I felt as though an icy wind had settled inside my chest.

She hurried toward me and dropped to her knees.

“What happened?” Her hands closed around my thighs as she searched my face. “Is the pack in danger?”

I covered my face with both hands and the moment I did, the tears came. Hot, unstoppable tears streamed down my cheeks, and my shoulders shook with the force of the sobs I could no longer contain.

“Maya, please! Tell me what’s wrong. Is someone hurt?”

I shook my head.

“Not the pack.”

She looked confused. “Then what is it? Did someone die?”

She gently pulled my hands away from my face as I tried to speak, but my throat felt painfully tight.

“About to.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

I tilted my head back, desperately trying to blink away the tears blurring my vision. I needed to calm down, but how could I when my entire future had been decided without my knowledge?

I drew a shaky breath. “Father has found a husband for me.”

For a moment, Valerie didn’t move then the color drained from her face.

“Husband?”

I nodded miserably.

She shook her head, her eyes widening in horror as the truth began to settle over her.

“Don’t tell me it’s that man.”

I looked away.

Valerie’s lips parted, but she seemed unable to finish the sentence. Her gaze dropped to the floor, and she bit down on her lower lip as tears began spilling down her cheeks.

“He is a…” Her voice broke.

“Say it, Valerie.”

I slumped deeper into the chair, feeling utterly drained.

“Say what he is.”

She looked at me helplessly.

“He is a vampire,” she whispered. “A dead bloodsucker.”

Her hands tightened around my legs. “You can’t marry him, Maya.” She shook her head violently, as though refusing to accept what I had told her. “He will kill you!”

For a moment, I wanted to agree. I wanted to scream that I would rather run away, fight my father, or face the consequences of defying Lord Draken than willingly walk into a vampire’s fortress. But then I remembered the pack.

Our weakened defenses.

The warriors we had lost.

The innocent people who would suffer if Lord Draken decided to retaliate.

And Valerie was one of them.

She was more than my servant. She was my best friend, the person who had stood beside me through years of loneliness and rejection. I couldn’t bear the thought of her being caught in the middle of a war because of me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to meet her eyes.

“Valerie, I have to.”

She stared at me in disbelief.

“If I refuse, the entire pack could be in danger.” My voice trembled as I continued. “Everyone, Valerie. Including you.”

Her face crumpled and for several seconds, neither of us spoke.Then I reached for her hand and held it tightly in mine. I wanted to reassure her. I wanted to promise that everything would be all right, that Lord Draken wouldn’t hurt me, and that I would somehow find a way to survive whatever awaited me in his fortress.

But I couldn’t make those promises because I was just as terrified as she was.

I had no idea what Lord Draken wanted from me. I didn’t understand why he had insisted on marrying me when my father had offered him other women, and I certainly didn’t know what he meant by a bridal inheritance.

All I knew was that, before the next Pearl Moon, I would be leaving everything I had ever known behind.

My home.

My freedom.

My dreams.

Perhaps even my life.

I squeezed Valerie’s hand, fighting back another wave of tears.

I was expected to sacrifice myself to protect my family and my pack.

But as I stared into the terrified eyes of the only friend I had ever truly known, one question haunted me.

What if Lord Draken didn’t want me as his wife? What if he wanted something far more terrifying?