Fake Heirness. True Luna

Chapter 2: Sudden Intrussion

Irina’s POV

Did I hear that right?

“Yes, you did!” My wolf exclaimed, wagging her tail.

I…

“Hi! My name is Theia, I’m your wolf. It is a pleasure to meet you, and I would love to talk more after we talk to our mate!” Her excitement was evident.

My prayers had been heard, I met my mate, and he was the man of my dreams.

“Mate,” Lancer declared in front of the pack.

At first, everyone remained silent. I was still in my wolf form and realized I should probably change. Usually, everyone else would shift, and we would go on a night run to howl at the moon, but considering I had met my mate, things might be different.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Theia. Can you please tell me how to shift back?” I asked softly, the anticipation of finally holding Lancer’s hand as my mate coursing through my body.

“Don’t be so formal with me, girl. I’m your wolf!” She said, but I had talked this way to everyone all my life. It took me a while to warm up to anybody. “Okay, think of your human form.”

I did as she said and focused on my golden curls, white skin, and blue eyes. Just as Theia had said, my body started shifting back. Before I opened my eyes, I felt someone put my ceremonial robe over my shoulder. The tingles that erupted from my skin told me who it was.

My blue eyes met his hazel ones. The blush on his face made every feature pop even more, which made me avert my gaze.

“Irina, is Lancer your mate?” My father asked as he realized I was too flustered to do anything.

I lifted my head. This was not the time to act weak. I had to prove to them I was an Alpha’s daughter. I couldn’t let them see that all my training had been for nothing.

“Yes, father, Lancer is my mate,” I declared, a smile appearing on my face as I looked at the man I loved.

The pack erupted into cheers, the sound washing over us like a warm wave. I could see the genuine happiness on most faces, the relief that their Alpha’s daughter had been blessed with a strong, worthy mate from within the pack.

Lancer’s hand found mine, his fingers lacing through mine with a certainty that made my heart soar. His thumb stroked the back of my hand.

“Then this is a night of double celebration!” my father boomed, his Alpha aura flaring with pride. “My daughter has found her wolf and her destined mate! The Moon Goddess has truly blessed our pack!”

The cheers grew louder. My mother rushed forward, pulling us both into a tearful embrace. “I knew it! I just knew it!” she whispered, kissing my cheek and then Lancer’s. “My beautiful, strong girl and her perfect match.”

I thought I was blessed, I thought this would be the perfect night. Lancer and I hadn’t kissed yet, but considering the way he was looking at me, his gaze dropping to my lips, I knew it was only a matter of moments. The world had narrowed to the space between us, the cheers of the pack a distant hum. His free hand cradled my jaw, his thumb stroking my cheek. He leaned in slowly, giving me every chance to pull away.

I didn't. I rose onto my toes to meet him halfway.

The kiss was soft at first, a tentative, breathtaking exploration. It was sweet and gentle, a promise. Then it deepened, fueled by years of longing and the explosive truth of the bond. It was everything I'd ever dreamed and more.

When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathless. The pack howled their approval, the sound echoing under the moon.

“I’m going to make you mine tonight,” He whispered against my lips, his voice a husky promise that made my knees weak. My entire body flushed with heat, and Theia let out a happy yip in my mind.

“Yes! Yes!”

But before I could respond, a commotion at the edge of the clearing shattered the moment. A warrior, his face grim and streaked with dirt, pushed through the celebrating crowd. He wasn't just any warrior; he was from the border patrol. And he wasn't alone.

Behind him walked Elder Harden. His usually gentle face was now the opposite. My father’s smile vanished the second he saw them.

My stomach dropped. Border patrol didn't interrupt a first shift ceremony for anything less than a full-scale attack.

And then I saw the third figure.

Trailing just behind Elder Harden was someone completely covered in a heavy, black tunic. The hood pulled so far forward that I couldn't see even a glimpse of their face. They moved silently, a shadow given form, and a cold, sharp, and sudden dread slithered down my spine.

“I don’t like that,” Theia growled, her earlier joy replaced by instant suspicion. Something’s wrong.

The crowd’s cheers died into a confused murmur as the trio reached my father. The warrior gave a sharp, respectful bow. “Alpha, my apologies for the interruption. Elder Harden insisted it was urgent.”

My father’s gaze swept over the Elder and then lingered on the shrouded figure. “Austin? What is the meaning of this?”

Elder Harden’s face was a thundercloud, his bushy white eyebrows drawn together in a fierce scowl. I couldn’t understand why he was so angry.

Every time I met his gaze, his dark brown eyes would harden.

“I need to speak to you, Richard. In private,” He bit out. “If you could kindly take me and my companion to your office, you’ll understand why I came here.”

My father’s eyes widened. An Elder never used an Alpha’s name unless it was something urgent.

He recovered quickly, but I saw the unease in the tight line of his mouth. He gave a sharp, jerky nod. “Of course. Let’s go.”

I wanted to follow them. For some reason, I felt uneasy, but then my father turned around and said, “Please, keep celebrating.”

The command in my father’s voice was absolute, a thread of Alpha power woven through the words that compelled obedience even as my every instinct screamed to follow. He, Elder Harden, and the silent, shrouded figure melted into the treeline, heading toward the pack house, leaving a vacuum of silence in their wake.

“Don’t worry about them, baby,” Lancer whispered in my ear. “I’m sure it's just some pack business; your father will return soon.”

I smiled at his reassuring words, even though the cold knot in my stomach refused to loosen.

I forced myself to nod, to lean into his side as if drawing comfort. “You’re right,” I said, my voice thankfully steady. “I’m just… on edge. It was all so sudden.”

He squeezed my shoulder, his touch both possessive and protective. “It’s your night. Nothing should spoil it.”

My mother began to gently herd the pack’s attention back to the feast table, her laughter a bright, artificial sound that somehow worked to ease the lingering tension. The music started again, softer now, and a few couples began to dance under the moonlight, though their movements were hesitant, their eyes still occasionally darting toward the pack house.

I tried to focus on Lancer, on our recently found bond as we engaged in our conversation.

“It seems the Moon Goddess heard my prayers,” He whispered, his hazel eyes burning with an intensity that made my breath catch. "All of them. For years, I've dreamed of this. Of you." His thumb traced the line of my jaw, sending shivers through me that had nothing to do with the night air. "I've dreamed of the moment I could finally call you mine."

The world, with its worries and the ominous interruption, began to fade again, shrinking to the space he occupied.

"I've dreamed of it too," I confessed, my voice barely a whisper.

He leaned closer, his forehead resting against mine. "Let's get out of here," he murmured, his breath warm against my lips. "Let's go back to your room. I want to—"

A roar of pure shattered the night.

It wasn't just a sound; it was a wave of crushing Alpha power that slammed into the clearing, so potent it stole the air from my lungs. The music died instantly. Glasses stopped clinking. Every wolf froze mid-motion, some cowering instinctively under the onslaught of rage and pain that radiated from the pack house.

My head snapped toward the sound, my heart hammering against my ribs. That was my father. But I had never, ever heard him make a sound like that. It was the roar of a beast betrayed.

The front door of the pack house exploded outward, splintering off its hinges. My father stood in the wreckage, his form trembling, his features contorted in a mask of grief and fury so profound it was terrifying. His eyes, usually warm and commanding, scanned the frozen crowd, wild and unseeing for a second before they locked onto me.

The cold knot in my stomach turned into a block of lead.

He moved, a blur of Alpha speed, stomping across the clearing. The crowd scrambled out of his way, a sea of shocked and frightened faces. In three heartbeats, he was standing before us, his chest heaving, his aura so oppressive it felt difficult to stand.

"Father?" I managed to choke out, my voice small and scared. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

His hand moved faster than I could track.

Slap!

My head snapped to the side, a stinging, fiery pain exploding across my cheek. The force of it sent me stumbling back, and I would have fallen if Lancer hadn't caught me, his own body rigid with shock.

Tears of pain and utter confusion sprang to my eyes. I brought a trembling hand to my throbbing cheek, my mind reeling. He had never, ever raised a hand to me.

He leaned in, his face inches from mine, and the words he spat out were laced with a venom that felt like a physical blow.

"Don't you dare call me that," he snarled, his voice a low, guttural tremor of hatred. "You are not my daughter.”