~Kaida Orion POV~
The snow crunched beneath my boots as I stepped forward, the cold air burning in my lungs. Every instinct screamed at me to rush to Lupus, to tear him from their grasp, but Elder Han's smirk held me in place. It wasn't just the blade at Lupus's throat... it was the calculated stillness in Han's eyes, the certainty that he already had the upper hand.
"What do you want?" I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.
Han chuckled softly, the sound brittle against the wind. "I want what was promised! Fourteen years ago, your father made a deal, one he never intended to keep."
My jaw tightened. "My father is dead."
"His debt isn't," Han replied, tilting his head toward Lupus. "And now, you'll pay it."
Biat stepped in front of me, his voice sound dangerous. "You're using an Alpha as a bargaining chip? Do you have any idea what this will do to the pack?"
Han's gaze flicked to Biat, bored. "The pack will follow strength, not titles, not vows."
