Fake Heiress True Luna (Irina) novel Chapter 12

Chapter 12: I Can’t Stay Here

Aiden’s POV

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I didn’t want to cross paths with Irina again. After last night, I realized I couldn’t trust my own. control. The sight of her, crumpled and broken at the base of that tree, had ignited a feral rage in Arlo that had taken every ounce of my will to suppress. The coppery scent of her blood had been a poison in the air, and the silent tears on her cheeks had felt like a personal

accusation.

So I’d thrown myself into the tedium of hosting. The first day of the Alpha’s Gathering was a circus of posturing and politics, set in the sprawling gardens under strings of lanterns. I moved through the crowds, exchanging hollow pleasantries, my smile a cold, sharp thing that never reached my eyes. I nodded at boasts of territory and strength, I listened to plans for alliances, all while my mind was elsewhere.

Where is she?

The thought was an unwelcome intrusion, a constant, nagging pull at the edge of my awareness. I hadn’t seen her once. She was not serving. She was not lurking in the background. It shouldn’t have mattered. She was beneath my notice. But her absence was silence where there should have been noise, and it was putting me on edge.

My feet carried me toward a table where three Alphas I tolerated more than most were seated, along with a young, unfamiliar Beta who looked like he’d won a contest to be there. They greeted me with respectful nods.

“Keaton,” grunted Alpha Thorin, a bear of a man from the northern packs. “Fine gathering. Your gardens are… extensive.”

“Thank you, Thorin,” I said, my voice flat. “I trust your travels were uneventful.” I took a sip of the whiskey I’d been carrying as a prop. “What were you discussing?”

There was a beat of tense silence. The Alphas exchanged glances. It was clear I’d interrupted

something.

The young Beta, eager to please and clearly lacking in social awareness, blurted it out. “We were just talking about the view, Alpha Keaton! This pack has so many… sights.” He grinned, a lewd, stupid expression on his face. “Especially that new maid. The one with the golden hair. Everyone’s talking about her. She’s… hot, I can’t believe I hadn’t seen her before.”

The glass in my hand stopped halfway to my lips. The air around our little group went very still. Arlo went from a low growl to a snarling, snapping frenzy in my head.

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< Chapter 12: I Can’t Stay Here

“He speaks of our mate! Tear his throat out!”

Claim

I forced my hand to complete the motion, taking a slow sip, using the moment to school my features into icy indifference. “A maid?” I said, my tone dripping with disdain. “You traveled all this way to gossip about servants? How… mundane.” I aimed to shut down the conversation, to dismiss it-and her-as utterly beneath our notice.

But then Alpha Gideon, a shrewd wolf from the eastern territories with a taste for drama, chuckled. “Oh, come now, Aiden. Don’t pretend you haven’t noticed. She’s not just any maid. That’s the Johnson girl. The one who was supposed to be Blue Moon’s heir.”

Even if I had my doubts before, now I knew for sure. They were talking about Irina.

Before I could formulate a cutting response, the third Alpha, Silas, a cruel-faced man known for his mistreatment of Omegas in his own pack, snorted into his drink. “Was being the key word, Gideon. Don’t forget she’s a fraud. Nothing but a jumped-up Omega now. Pretty face, though. I always did have a thing for blondes.” He took a swig of his drink. “With her status gone, I doubt anyone would raise much of a fuss if someone were to… tap that. Half the Alphas here had their eyes on her for a potential alliance match before her little fall from grace. Now she’s just a pretty prize without the politics. Wouldn’t be surprised if one of them tries their luck before the gathering is over.”

The world narrowed to a pinprick. The sounds of the feast-the laughter, the music, the clinking of glasses-faded into a dull roar. All I could hear was the thundering of my own blood as it raced through my body.

Arlo was pushing forward, ready to pick a fight with all of them.

“Mine! She is OURS! He will die! They will all DIE for even looking at her!”

A vision, stark and horrifying, flashed behind my eyes: Silas’s hands on her. Any Alpha’s hands on her. The idea of it, of any of these men touching what was mine, sent a wave of possessive fury through me so violent I felt my canines and claws threaten to elongate.

I saw red.

I wanted to start a war with them for even looking at her, but… I shouldn’t feel like that.

I didn’t want Irina, right? I was going to reject her, once I…

Wait…

Why didn’t I reject her yesterday?

I slowly set my glass down on the table, the click of crystal on wood sounding unnaturally loud.

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Chapter 12 Can’t Stay Here

Claim

“An interesting perspective, Silas,” I said, my voice so quiet it was barely a whisper, yet it carried a lethal chill that wiped the smirk off his face. “But you are in my territory. Under

my roof. And the staff under my protection, regardless of their… previous status… are not entertainment for guests. We don’t manhandle omegas like you do in your pack.”

I shouldn’t be showing interest in Irina. I shouldn’t care what they say about her, but I do. This bond makes me feel things I don’t want to, but at least they haven’t noticed.

My words were the ones of an Alpha concerned about his pack’s reputation. That was it.

The table had gone utterly silent. Silas’s face was a mottled red, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. My aura pressed down on them. They knew they couldn’t fight me.

I held his gaze for a second longer, ensuring the message was seared into his brain, before turning on my heel.

I needed to get out of there. I needed to find a dark, quiet corner and wrestle Arlo back into his cage. The possessive fury was a live wire under my skin, threatening to erupt. Why hadn’t I rejected her? The question was a taunt. Because a part of me, a part I refused to acknowledge, already knew she was mine. And mine alone.

I was about to step into the mansion, intending to escape the crowd and clear my head, when it hit me.

Strawberries.

Her scent was sweet, intoxicating, and laced with a unique, heartbreakingly familiar note that was purely hers. It cut through the myriad smells of the feast-roasted meat, perfume, sweat -like a knife.

My head snapped around, my eyes scanning the crowd with a predator’s focus. And there she

was.

Irina. She was carrying a large silver tray laden with empty glasses, her head bowed, trying to be invisible. She was weaving through the tables, heading toward the makeshift service area. And trailing behind her like a malevolent shadow was Julie, who was preening under the attention of a few young warriors, clearly using Irina’s servitude to elevate her own status.

But my gaze wasn’t on Julie. It was locked on Irina. And on the dozens of other eyes that followed her.

Even in her worn clothes, even if her hair was not styled to perfection, even if she wasn’t wearing any makeup at all.

She was still beautiful.

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< Chapter 12 1 Can’t Stay Here

And the worst part is that everyone in this f*****g reunion noticed it.

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