Fake Heirness. True Luna

Chapter 7: Hatred or Love?

Aiden’s POV

The report in my hand was a dry account of border patrol routes, but my focus was elsewhere. The upcoming Alpha’s Gathering had to take place at my pack. It was a tedious necessity, a circus of posturing Alphas and their simpering Lunas. A waste of time, mostly.

The door to my study swung open without a knock. Only one person dared.

Ethan, my Beta, stood framed in the doorway, his usual lazy grin replaced by a look of sharp interest. He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Alpha, Blue Moon just confirmed their attendance,” he said, his voice a low drawl that hinted at amusement. “The whole happy family. Richard, Rosette, the… replacement daughter, and their precious Beta, Lancer.”

I grunted, tossing the patrol report onto my desk. “And? Why does the composition of Richard’s pathetic entourage warrant an interruption?”

Richard was a sentimental fool, too soft for his own good. His pack was strong despite him, not because of him.

Ethan’s grin widened, a flash of white teeth. “That’s the interesting part. They’re bringing a plus-one. A maid.”

I stilled, my grey eyes narrowing. A cold knot of familiar, bitter contempt tightened in my gut. “A maid?”

“Not just any maid,” Ethan pushed off the doorframe and stepped fully into the room, his boots silent on the stone floor. “They’re bringing her. The impostor. Irina.”

Of course, they were bringing her. Everyone knew what had happened in Blue Moon Pack, and the news spread like wildfire.

The once-loved Alpha daughter had turned into Julie’s personal maid. But to be honest, Irina deserved it. She was always pampered and that turned her into a self-centered and ignorant woman.

I’m sure they call her maid to keep up appearances, but I doubt Richard and Rosette treat her that way. They adored Irina; she was the perfect doll for them. She followed all the rules and knew how to behave.

A harsh, humorless laugh escaped me. “Of course they are. Richard’s too much of a coward to cut the leech loose completely. Probably keeps her around to polish the silver.”

“I doubt it. I was told Richard was furious when he discovered that Irina was only an omega and not his precious daughter.”

I rolled my eyes. Ethan was so naïve. Of course, he was, but after his anger died down, I’m sure he still treated Irina with care. I doubt she does any hard work. If anything, she must be there as Julie’s teacher. At most, she might be on kitchen duties.”

“Still, I doubt it,” Ethan insisted.

“If she were mistreated, she could always turn her back on the pack and leave. If she doesn’t, then she is weaker than I thought. Irina would rather debase herself as a servant in the house that rejected her than face exile with a shred of dignity.”

Ethan watched me, his head tilted. “Word is, the council insisted. Elder Levis himself. Seems the real daughter isn’t quite ready for prime time, but as I said, it doesn’t seem like Richard or Rosette favors her anymore.”

My lips curled. So that was it. They were using her, just as they always had. She was a tool to be picked up when useful and discarded when not. Pathetic. All of them.

“So, our precious Irina is now a mere tool…”

Ethan blinked. “Alpha?”

I turned from the window, my gaze pinning him in place. “The invitation is for the Alpha, his Luna, and their heir. That is all. Since Serim will be the new Alpha, he should be the one to come; that maid can take the place of his Luna and Julie as the daughter, but that is all. I don’t want Lancer setting foot in my territory.”

I didn’t have anything against Serim. He hasn’t found his Luna, so it made sense that he came to the Gathering. I sometimes allow Betas to come as well; they might find their mates among the Alphas’ daughters, but in Lancer’s case…

No, he can’t come.

A flicker of surprise, then understanding, crossed Ethan’s face. He knew my history with the Blue Moon Pack’s Beta was… fraught. “Understood, Alpha. I’ll have the message sent immediately. They won’t be pleased.”

A cold smile touched my lips. “Their pleasure is irrelevant. This is my domain. They attend on my sufferance. Besides, if I let them bring anyone they want, other packs will do the same, and we can stop calling this meeting the Alpha’s Gathering and just choose a different name for it.”

I turned back to Ethan, my grey eyes cold and hard. “Keep an eye on them. I want to know every move they make, every misstep. If the Blue Moon Pack wants to parade their shame in front of the entire region, we will be there to make sure everyone sees it clearly.”

Ethan dipped his head in a slight bow. “If that’s what you want, Alpha. I’ll make sure their stay is not pleasant.”

He turned to leave, but I stopped him with a final thought, the name leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. “And Ethan? Pay particular attention to Irina.”

He paused, glancing back, a question in his raised brow.

“I want to see how well the privileged little princess handles being a servant,” I clarified, my voice a low growl. “I want a full report where she sleeps. What she’s made to do. How she reacts to taking orders instead of giving them. I want to know if there’s even a shred of spine left in her, or if she’s just the hollow, polished doll I remember.”

Ethan shook his head, a infuriatingly knowing glint in his eye. “Alpha, you say you hate her, but do you know the line between love and hate is thin?” He teased.

I was going to kill him.

The air in the study dropped twenty degrees. I squinted my eyes to let him know he had crossed a line he shouldn’t have.

“I think you are exhausted, Ethan,” I growled, my voice a low, deadly whisper. “It is making you say foolish things.”

“You have always been interested in her—"

“My interest is in her humiliation,” I said, enunciating each word with icy precision. “In watching the perfect, polished product of Blue Moon’s hypocrisy finally break. It is a strategic assessment of an enemy’s weakness. Nothing more.”

“You can fool him, but not me,” My wolf, Arlo, grinned.

Still, I continued, not letting Ethan know what was happening inside my head with my wolf.

“Do not confuse my desire to see her crumble with anything but pure, unadulterated disdain,” I finished, turning my back on him to return to my desk, a clear dismissal. “Now, go. And ensure your next report is based on observation, not delusion.”

“Understood, Alpha,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse. He opened the door and left without another word.

I stood alone in the silence, my knuckles white where I had gripped the edge of my desk. Love. The word was a foul taste in my mouth. Ethan’s idiocy made me remember something I had tried to bury all these years.

There was no line. There was a chasm. And on the other side was everything I despised.

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Irina’s POV

The Elder left no room for discussion. I had to accompany them. Alpha Richard’s face was a thundercloud, his fury a palpable heat radiating across the room. Luna Rosette looked torn, her gaze flicking from Julie’s livid expression to my stunned one.

“You are dismissed,” Alpha Richard bit out, the words directed at me.

I bowed, my movements automatic, and retreated from the study. The heavy oak door clicked shut behind me, but I could still feel the weight of their stares. My heart hammered against my ribs.

They are going to kill me. I thought.

“Theia? Why do we have to go? It will be a nightmare.” I said, trying to get another answer from her.

She had been so quiet that I had forgotten I had a wolf inside me.

But my wolf had retreated again, leaving only a faint, stubborn certainty in her wake. She had spoken for the first time in weeks, and her directive was clear. We were going to Shadow Pack.

I was going to see the man who hated me the most.

Aiden Keaton.