Fake Heirness. True Luna

Chapter 9: Mate!

Irina’s POV

She allowed Serim to gently guide her back to the car, his movements uncharacteristically careful, as if she were made of glass. He helped her into the back seat, his voice a low, soothing murmur.

I was left standing by the trunk, the keys to the luggage in my hand.

Serim had never done that for me. Even when he believed I was his sister, he would have never gotten outside the schedule to satisfy a whim.

But he had done it for her…

She is his true sister. I reminded myself.

I climbed into the front passenger seat, my body already aching with a fresh wave of exhaustion. As the SUV pulled back onto the dark highway, the only sounds were the hum of the engine and Julie's occasional, delicate sniffles from the back seat.

Serim didn't speak another word. He just stared out the window into the darkness, lost in thoughts of guilt and a past he couldn't change, completely unaware that the sister he sought to protect was expertly pulling every single one of his strings.

As the city lights faded behind us, I wondered what fresh hell awaited us in Shadow Pack. Aiden would not fall for her tricks. He may not like me, but he isn’t stupid.

The drive through the night was a special kind of torture. Every mile was a battle against the heavy pull of exhaustion. My eyes burned, and my head throbbed in time with the rhythm of the tires on the asphalt. Julie’s sniffles had eventually subsided, replaced by the soft, even breathing of deep sleep. She had gotten exactly what she wanted and was now comfortably dozing, no doubt dreaming of further manipulations.

Serim remained a silent, brooding statue in the driver's seat (he had changed with the warrior because he was falling asleep), his knuckles white on the steering wheel. His guilt was a thick, suffocating fog in the car. I could almost taste his self-reproach for his earlier harshness. He believed he had failed her when in reality, he was the only one playing by any rules at all.

I kept my gaze fixed on the unspooling road, the yellow lines hypnotic in the headlights. My thoughts, however, were not on the road. They were fixed on Shadow Pack. On Aiden Keaton.

Aiden’s pack was one of the biggest in America. Despite his young age, he was a feared Alpha.

The thought was a flicker of hope I still held. Aiden’s disdain for me was legendary. Even though I haven’t done anything to him. Something changed when I turned fourteen and everyone knew that the Alpha of Shadow Pack had something against me.

But that very disdain was now my only hope. He wouldn’t be swayed by Julie’s tears or her tragic backstory. He would see a poorly performed act. He valued strength, cunning, and ruthlessness above all else. Julie’s particular brand of manipulation—reliant on pity and emotional blackmail—would be a foreign language to him, and one he would have no patience for.

A small, grim smile touched my lips in the darkness. For the first time since my world had ended, I was almost looking forward to something. I was looking forward to watching Julie try to work her magic on a man made of stone.

We crossed into Shadow Pack territory just after noon the next day. The change was immediate and palpable. The air itself felt different—sharper, colder, charged with a latent, predatory energy. The forests were denser, the shadows deeper. The road narrowed, winding through imposing granite cliffs and under canopies of ancient, gnarled trees that blocked out much of the sun.

Checkpoints manned by stern, silent warriors appeared every few miles. They would step into the road, their eyes flashing wolf-gold for a moment as they assessed our vehicle and scented the air. They recognized Serim, offering him curt, respectful nods before waving us through. Their gazes would slide over me in the back seat, dismissing me as insignificant, before briefly landing on Julie, who now sat primly, pretending she hadn’t been snoring hours before.

We finally reached the heart of the pack just as the sun began its descent. The pack house wasn't a house; it was a freaking mansion, but considering how big they were, that was expected.

Julie looked at the pack in awe, almost like she couldn’t believe the scenery right before her eyes.

Warriors trained in a vast courtyard, their movements efficient and brutal. There was no laughter, only the grunts of effort and the sharp crack of sparring sticks meeting. Everywhere I looked, I saw strength and discipline. It was the absolute antithesis of Blue Moon’s warmer atmosphere.

A tall, buff man with an easy grin and arms crossed over his chest leaned against the massive front doorframe. He pushed off as we pulled to a stop. I had met him before during one of our gatherings. He was Ethan, Aiden’s Beta.

His eyes, however, weren't on Serim. They weren't on Julie. They were fixed directly on me, sitting in the back seat. His grin didn't reach his eyes; it was assessing, curious, and deeply unnerving.

Serim got out first, stretching the stiffness from his limbs. "Beta Ethan. We appreciate your pack's hospitality."

"Alpha Heir Serim," Ethan said, his voice a smooth, friendly baritone that felt entirely out of place here. "Welcome to Shadow Pack. Your rooms are prepared." His gaze flicked to Julie as she emerged from the car, looking around with a poorly disguised expression of distaste. "And you must be the Alpha's daughter. Julie, is it?"

Julie immediately slipped into her role, offering a shy, tremulous smile. "Yes. Thank you for having me. Your pack's lands are so... strong."

…

Strong?

She could have said beautiful, vast, colorful, but… strong?

Ethan's smile widened a fraction, but his eyes remained sharp. "We find strength to be useful." Then his attention returned to me as I slowly got out of the car, my body protesting every movement. "And you. You must be the maid."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement, laced with a subtle, unspoken challenge. He knew exactly who I was.

I kept my eyes downcast, my posture subservient. "Yes, Beta."

"Alpha Aiden has been... eager... for your arrival," he said, the pause deliberate, loaded with meaning I couldn't quite decipher.

Before I could process it, a wave of power, cold and absolute, washed over the courtyard. The training warriors stopped mid-motion. The air grew still.

I didn't need to turn around to know he was there. Every hair on my arms stood up. Theia, dormant and grieving deep within me, let out a faint, involuntary whimper.

I forced myself to turn, to lift my gaze.

Aiden Keaton stood at the top of the stone steps leading to the mansion’s entrance. He was taller than I remembered, his shoulders broader. He was dressed simply in black, his grey eyes like chips of ice under a fringe of dark hair. He wasn't looking at Serim. He wasn't looking at Julie.

He was looking directly at me.

His expression was utterly impassive, devoid of any recognition, any warmth, any emotion at all. It was the look one might give a stain on the floor.

Then, his eyes—those cold, merciless grey eyes—flicked down, taking in the coarse fabric of my maid's uniform, the dust on my shoes, the utter lack of the polish and privilege he so despised.

A single, almost imperceptible eyebrow twitched upwards.

And in that tiny, minuscule movement, I saw it. Not pity. Not sympathy.

It was satisfaction.

Then he spoke, his voice a low, cold rumble that carried across the silent courtyard and froze the blood in my veins.

"Welcome to Shadow Pack, Omega."

———————————————————————

Aiden’s POV

“Alpha, the Alpha heir of Blue Moon Pack has arrived. He brought a warrior, Miss Irina and another woman I couldn’t recognize,” The gate guard informed me.

The only person he couldn’t recognize must be Julie.

“Let them pass,” I ordered.

A sharp, throbbing pain lanced through my temples. I clenched my jaw, my fingers curling into fists on the polished surface of my desk. The financial reports I’d been reviewing blurred into meaningless lines and numbers.

"Control yourself," I growled inwardly.

Arlo was pacing and growling nonstop, making it hard to focus, and I couldn’t afford that right now. Irina would arrive anytime, and I had to make sure she understood her new position.

I wanted to see the look on her face as she realized she was no longer the pampered princess she was just months ago.

Ethan’s presence at the door was a welcome distraction. He didn’t need to speak; his raised eyebrow was question enough.

“They’re here,” I said, my voice colder than intended.

“So I heard.” He leaned against the doorframe, that infuriatingly knowing glint in his eye. “Do you want to meet the fallen princess first, or should I?”

“You can go first,” I said, but that only worsened my headache because Arlo tried pushing against my conscience to get control.

“Okay, Alpha, then I’ll go greet them. The rooms for Alpha Serim, his warrior, and Julie are ready, but where do I place Irina?” He asked.

The sound of her name coming out of his mouth made my skin crawl for some strange reason.

Fuck. What is wrong with me?

“She is maid,” I stated, pushing back from my desk and standing. “And a fraud. She should sleep where the rest of the maids sleep.”

Ethan nodded and left the office.

I waited a few minutes until I was certain that Irina and the rest of her group had already exited the car. Then, I walked to the main door and opened it.

The moment I stepped outside, the most enticing scent hit my nostrils.

“Mate!”