A new home

Maya POV

The SUV rumbled down the mountain road as we left Silver Moon territory behind. I pressed myself against the window, watching my pack lands disappear into the distance.

My small cloth bag sat in my lap, containing everything I owned in the world.

Alpha Damon sat across from me in the spacious vehicle, his dark eyes focused on something outside his own window. He hadn't spoken a single word since we'd left the pack house, and his silence felt heavier than any conversation. I kept stealing glances at him, trying to understand the man who was about to become my husband.

He was even more intimidating up close. Everything about him screamed danger,Yet he'd defended me against Sarah's cruelty. That single act of protection had been more kindness than I'd received from anyone in my own pack in years.

After what felt like hours of driving through dense forest, we finally arrived at Bloodmoon territory. The landscape was wilder here. The pack house itself was massive - built from dark stone and timber, it looked more like an ancient fortress than a home.

When the SUV stopped, Alpha Damon got out first. I hesitated, clutching my bag tighter, until his Beta opened my door.

"Come," the Beta said - I thought I remembered his name was Garrett. His tone was neutral but not unkind.

I followed them through the entrance hall. The interior was all polished wood and stone, with high ceilings. Everything felt so different from the Silver Moon pack house.

Alpha Damon led me to what appeared to be his study - a room lined with bookshelves and dominated by a large desk.

"Sit," he said, gesturing to a leather chair.

I perched on the edge, my bag still clutched in my hands. The silence stretched between us until he finally turned to face me directly.

"I didn't ask for this arrangement," he began, his voice low and rough. "I don't know what promises Kane made you, but I want you to understand the truth of your situation."

I nodded, though my throat felt too tight to speak.

He moved to lean against his desk, arms crossed. "The Elders of my pack demanded I take a mate to produce an heir. That's the only reason you're here. This isn't a love match or even a partnership. It's a necessity."

"I understand," I managed to whisper.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you? Because here's what's going to happen - we'll be mated tomorrow night during the full moon. You'll live in the east wing of this house, separate from my quarters. In public, we'll present ourselves as Alpha and Luna. In private, you'll stay out of my way."

The words stung, but they weren't surprising. "What about... producing an heir?"

Something dark flickered across his expression. "That will happen when it needs to happen. Nothing more."

I swallowed hard and found the courage to ask the question that had been haunting me. "The stories about your previous mates... are they true?"

Alpha Damon went very still. When he spoke again, his voice was cold as winter. "What stories?"

"That they... that they died. All of them."

His jaw clenched so tightly I could see the muscle jumping. "Yes. They died."

"How?"

"Does it matter?" he snapped. "You're here now. The past is irrelevant."

But it wasn't irrelevant to me. If I was walking into a death sentence, I deserved to know why. "Please. I need to understand what I'm facing."

He stared at me for a long moment, and I saw something almost like pain flash in his dark eyes. "My bloodline is cursed," he said finally. "Every woman who bears children to an Alpha in my family dies within a year. It's been that way for generations."

My heart nearly stopped. "Cursed how?"

"The details don't matter. What matters is that it's real, and it's absolute." He straightened, his expression becoming cold and distant again. "So now you know. You'll serve your purpose, provide an heir, and then..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but he didn't need to.

I sat there absorbing this information, my mind reeling. Kane had essentially sentenced me to death by trading me to Alpha Damon. Not only had my fated mate rejected me, but he'd made sure I wouldn't survive long enough to find happiness elsewhere.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked quietly.

Alpha Damon looked surprised by the question. "What?"

"You could have hidden it from me. Let me believe I had a chance at a normal life here. Why tell me the truth?"

He was quiet for so long I thought he wouldn't answer. Finally, he said, "Because you deserve to know what you're walking into. I won't lie to you about your fate."

There was something almost honorable in that brutal honesty, even though the truth was devastating.

"Do I have any choice in this?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"No." His response was immediate and final. "The alliance between our packs depends on this mating. My Elders won't accept anything less than a bonded mate and an heir."

I nodded slowly, trying to process everything. A year to live. Maybe less if the curse worked quickly.

"Is there anything else you need to know?" Alpha Damon asked.

I looked up at him - this powerful, dangerous man who would be my husband and the father of my child and ultimately my death sentence. "Just one thing."

"What?"

"What's your favorite meal?"

He blinked, clearly not expecting that question. "What does that matter?"

"If I'm going to be your Luna for whatever time I have left, I should probably know something personal about you." I managed a small smile. "Unless you prefer to eat alone always."

For just a moment, his harsh expression softened slightly. "Venison stew," he said quietly. "With herbs from the mountain meadows."

"I'll remember that."

Alpha Damon stared at me like I was some kind of puzzle he couldn't solve. "Garrett will show you to your rooms," he said finally. "Tomorrow we'll discuss the mating ceremony details."

I stood up, still clutching my bag. As I reached the door, his voice stopped me.

"Maya."

I turned back to face him.

"I'm sorry," he said, and for the first time, he sounded genuinely human instead of just coldly powerful.

"I know," I replied softly. "So am I."

I watched him as he turned away, my heart beating faster despite everything he'd told me. He might be cursed and dangerous, but he hadn't locked me in a cell or treated me like garbage. That was already better than what I'd experienced at Silver Moon.

As Garrett appeared to escort me out, I stood up slowly, my legs feeling shaky. Somehow, I'd survived learning about my death sentence, but I had a feeling my time here was going to be complicated.

Suddenly, my stomach rumbled loudly in the quiet room.