Fake Heirness. True Luna

Chapter 8: She Always Wins

Irina’s POV

The following days were a masterclass in Julie’s petty vengeance. My chores doubled. The tasks became more demeaning. I was sent to scrub the kennels, a job usually reserved for the lowest-ranking Omegas who had committed an infraction. The stench clung to my skin and hair long after I’d finished. She “accidentally” spilled an entire tureen of soup on the floor I had just mopped, forcing me to clean it again under her critical gaze.

Lancer was a constant, painful presence at her side. He never looked at me, but his aura of cold disapproval was a constant chill in the air. He was her devoted knight, reinforcing her status and my lowliness with every silent, shared glance.

The only thing that kept me going was the thought of the pack. Elder Levis was right. Julie’s ignorance wasn’t just her failure; it was a threat to Blue Moon’s reputation. If she embarrassed us at the Gathering, it could weaken our alliances and encourage our rivals... the consequences could be severe. My personal hell was one thing; the safety of hundreds of wolves was another.

The night before our departure, I was on my hands and knees in the great hall, polishing the floorboards by hand—another of Julie’s “special requests.” The pack house was quiet, with everyone else asleep or getting ready for our departure.

Alpha Richard threw a fit the other day, but I’m not sure what happened, and I’m not in a position to ask.

A shadow fell over me. I looked up, my polishing rag stilling in my hand.

Serim stood there, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. In the month since my fall, he had been a ghost, absent from the pack lands on extended patrols. He looked older, wearier.

“Irina,” he said, his voice a low rumble.

“Alpha Heir,” I replied formally, dropping my gaze back to the floor. I could not afford to presume a familiarity that no longer existed.

He was silent for a long moment. I could feel him studying me, the calloused maid in a stained apron, a world away from the sister he’d teased on the grand staircase.

“I heard you’re coming to Shadow Pack,” he finally said.

“Yes. To serve Miss Julie.”

Another pause. “Look at me.”

I hesitated, then slowly lifted my head. His green eyes looked at me, and I couldn’t tell what was going on inside his mind. I could feel his anger, frustration, and a flicker of something that might have been pity, but there was something else…

“Keep your head down there,” he instructed, his tone gruff. “Shadow Pack’s Alpha… Aiden… he’s not like Father. He’s ruthless. He has no patience for weakness or drama. He will seize on any sign of it.”

Like Alpha Richard didn’t slap me right before everyone…

It hurt, I won’t lie. Serim and I were close—very close—and now he was treating me like a complete stranger.

“I am well acquainted with weakness and drama now, Alpha Heir,” I said softly, unable to keep the bitter tinge from my voice. “I doubt I could provide any more than I already have.”

His jaw tightened. “I’m not talking about Julie’s theatrics. I’m talking about you. Don’t give him a reason to look at you. Don’t give anyone a reason. You’re a maid. Act like one. Be invisible.”

It was the closest thing to concern I would get from him. He wasn’t defending me, but he was offering a strategy for survival in a den of wolves far more dangerous than our own.

Before I could form a response, he turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing in the vast, empty hall.

He didn’t need to remind me who I was now. I was well aware that I was no longer Irina Johnson, the Alpha’s daughter.

I was only a maid.

The next morning, we set out. The journey to Shadow Pack territory was so tense that I wanted to get out of the car. Alpha Richard and Luna Rosette didn’t come. They didn’t tell us why.

The revelation had come just as we were preparing to leave. A warrior from the border patrol had arrived, speaking in hushed, urgent tones with Serim. My brother’s face had darkened, and after a brief, tense exchange with Elder Harden, the plans had changed.

Alpha Richard and Luna Rosette were staying behind. And that was that.

The official excuse was that some rogues had tried to enter our territory and required the Alpha’s immediate attention, but to me, that was a flimsy excuse to hide the truth.

So, it was just us. Serim, as future Alpha, Julie as the Alpha’s daughter who went there to find her mate, and me, the maid.

I was hoping we would still use two cars, but my dreams didn’t come true.

I kept my gaze fixed on my lap, my hands folded neatly over the coarse fabric of my maid’s uniform.

The landscape outside shifted from the familiar rolling hills and deciduous forests of Blue Moon to the stark, imposing grandeur of skyscrapers and huge houses as we entered human territory. Shadow Pack was a two-day trip.

That was without stops.

But stops were necessary. We were not wolves running through the wilderness; we were traveling in a sleek, black SUV that felt like a cage. The first day was a long, silent haul through human cities, the endless concrete and glass a monotonous blur. Julie complained incessantly—her back ached, she was hungry, she needed to use a restroom that wasn't "disgusting." Each demand was a tiny dagger, a reminder that I was there to serve.

Serim tried to reason with her. If we kept stopping, we would never reach our destination, and that would give a bad impression from the start.

Did that get through her skull?

No, but at least he tried.

As dusk began to paint the sky in shades of orange and purple, Serim finally spoke. "We'll stop for the night at the next town. We need to feed and rest. We'll cross into Shadow Pack territory by midday tomorrow."

The town was a small, sleepy place on the edge of a vast national forest—a common stopping point for packs traveling incognito. We pulled into the parking lot of a modest, clean-looking motel. It was a far cry from the luxury Julie was accustomed to.

Or had grown to get accustomed to.

"I'm not staying here," she declared, her nose wrinkled in disgust as she eyed the two-story building. "This is where rogues sleep."

"It's safe and discreet," Serim said, his voice leaving no room for argument. He turned to the warrior. "Get three rooms."

“I won’t stay here,” She said.

Serim's jaw was a hard line, his patience visibly fraying after hours of her complaints. The warrior, stood frozen by the motel office door, caught between his future Alpha's order and the hysterics of the Alpha's daughter.

"I said I'm not staying here!" Julie's voice climbed another octave, sharp and grating. "It's filthy! It smells of humans and... and desperation! Get back in the car. We'll find a proper hotel."

"That's enough, Julie." Serim's voice was low, a warning rumble that usually made even seasoned warriors straighten up. "This is not a negotiation. We stop here. We rest. We move on at dawn. Your comfort is not the priority; the schedule is."

Tears of pure frustration welled in her eyes. For a moment, I thought she might actually scream. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, and her body trembled—but this time, it wasn't with rage.

The change was instantaneous and masterful. The petulant fury drained from her face, replaced by a terrifying, vacant fear. Her shoulders slumped, and her trembling intensified, becoming a full-body shudder that looked utterly genuine. The fight left her eyes, replaced by a welling horror as she stared past Serim at the motel's flickering neon sign.

"You... you don't understand," she whispered, her voice cracking, so small and broken it was almost inaudible. A single tear traced a path through the light dusting of travel grime on her cheek. "It... it looks just like the place they kept me."

The air in the parking lot went cold. Serim's stern expression faltered.

"The... the rogues," Julie choked out, wrapping her arms around herself as if warding off a chill. "The windows were barred, just like that one. It smelled of mold and... and blood." Her breath hitched, a ragged, painful sound. "I can't go in there. Please, Serim. Please don't make me. The memories... they're too much."

She began to cry earnestly now, not the loud, performative sobs she used during her tantrums but silent, heart-wrenching tears that shook her entire frame. She looked fragile, like a bird with broken wings, and the story she wielded was a shield no one could pierce.

Serim was utterly disarmed. His Alpha-in-training demeanor melted away, leaving behind the brother who had just been brutally reminded of the immense suffering his real sister had endured. Guilt washed over his features. How could he prioritize a schedule over her trauma?

He took a hesitant step toward her, his hand half-raising as if to offer comfort, then dropping awkwardly. "Julie... I... I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't," she wept, her voice muffled by her hands. "No one does. No one knows what it was like."

Serim's shoulders slumped in defeat. He turned to Kael, his voice heavy. "Find another place. Something... better. On the outskirts of the next city. We'll drive through the night."

The warrior nodded swiftly, relief and pity warring on his face. "Right away.”

As Kael hurried back to the SUV, Julie lifted her head. Her eyes, still glistening with tears, met mine over Serim's shoulder. The mask of terrified victim was still in place for him, but for that split second, just for me, her gaze was clear. And in it, there was no pain, no fear. There was only a glittering, triumphant malice.

She had won. Again.