Fake Heiress True Luna (Irina) novel Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Finally Free… or Perhaps Not.

Irina’s POV

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This is it; I can finally leave Blue Moon. I tried to avoid Aiden all day while I finished preparing everything for tonight’s event.

Still, I could feel someone staring a hole through my head. I was sure it was him, but he never approached me.

After I finished with all my duties, I slipped out of the staff quarters to grab my notebook. I wanted to talk to Serim, show him my book, and finally leave. Everything I own is packed, since I don’t have many things, I just need one bag.

“This is it,” Theia said, and I nodded.

This was it; my whole life was not just a bag. After I lost everything, I’m still amazed I still had some things I could consider mine.

I exited my room, book in hand, and returned to Serim’s office. I can’t believe this is finally happening. The hallway felt longer than usual, each step echoing my mixed emotions-relief, fear, and a strange, hollow ache. I reached Serim’s office and knocked softly.

“Enter.”

I push the door open. Serim is at his desk, looking over some papers. He glances up; the moment his eyes meet mine, they harden.

He now looks at me like this, without an ounce of kindness.

“Irina,” He says. “I don’t remember calling you.”

I place the ledger on his desk with a quiet thud. The sound feels monumental. “It’s all there, Alpha. Every single entry. My debt is paid in full.”

He quirks an eyebrow. “Your debt?”

I nodded. “The pack spent money on my education, clothing, food, and shelter. I still don’t feel I’m responsible for what happened to Julie. I was a baby myself, but I don’t want to owe the pack anything.”

“Meaning?” His voice lowered; it was cold, nothing like the voice he had once used with me when he thought he was my brother.

“Meaning,” I said, my voice steady despite the frantic beating of my heart, “that I have

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Chapter 35: Finally Free… or Perhaps Not.

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calculated the cost of every resource the pack ever invested in me. Every lesson, every dress, every meal. And I have worked off that debt, with interest. It’s all itemized in that book.”

pushed the ledger closer to him across the polished wood of his desk. “My debt is paid. I am leaving the Blue Moon Pack.”

Serim’s face, which had been a mask of cold indifference, finally cracked. A flicker of surprise, then disbelief, and finally, a slow-burning anger. He didn’t even glance at the book. His eyes remained locked on me.

‘Leaving?” he repeated, the word a low, dangerous rumble. “You think it’s that simple? You think you can just… settle a tab and walk away?”

‘Yes,” I said, meeting his gaze without flinching. Theia, for once, was silent and steady inside me, watching what I was doing. “That is exactly what I think. I am not a prisoner. I am an Omega who has repaid a perceived debt. There is nothing holding me here.”

‘Nothing?” He stood up slowly, his Alpha aura beginning to press down on the room, a suffocating weight meant to force submission. “You have duties. To this pack. To my sister.”

‘My duty to Julie was part of the repayment,” I countered, holding my ground. The training he himself had referenced-the training that was a ‘resource of this pack’-was the only thing keeping me upright under his pressure. “It’s in the ledger. Personal servitude to the Alpha’s heir. It’s accounted for, down to the last insult and the last slap.”

His eyes widened slightly at my bluntness. He had never acknowledged the specifics of Julie’s treatment, always hiding behind the vague notion of her ‘struggle’. To have it laid bare like this, as a line item in a financial transaction, clearly unnerved him.

‘You ungrateful little-” he began, his voice rising.

‘What is there to be grateful for?” I interrupted, my own composure finally beginning to fray at the edges. “For being lied to for eighteen years? For being publicly disgraced and beaten? For being treated as less than nothing by the people who claimed to love me? I am not being ungrateful, Serim. I am being free. The ledger is the proof. I owe you nothing.”

turned to leave. I had said what I needed to say. The evidence was in his hands. My bag was waiting. I would walk out the front gates and never look back.

‘Irina, stop.”

The command in his voice was absolute, woven with Alpha power that made my muscles twitch with the instinct to obey. I forced my feet to remain rooted to the spot but did not turn around.

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“You are not leaving,” he stated, his tone final. “Your… accounting is a fantasy. You cannot quantify a life. You will stay and you will continue to serve this pack, in whatever capacity I see fit. That is my decision as your Alpha.”

The world seemed to tilt. I had been prepared for his anger and dismissal, but not this outright refusal, not this blatant denial of my basic right to leave. I would have expected this from his father, but not him.

Rage, hot and pure, erupted within me. Theia surged forward, and for the first time since my first shift, I felt her power ripple just beneath my skin.

“I won’t let him use his power with you!” She snarled.

I wasn’t sure how she would be able to go against an Alpha’s order, but somehow she did. I didn’t feel the same oppressive weight I usually felt when he used his Alpha command.

I slowly turned to face him, my blue eyes blazing with a fire he had never seen in them before.

“You are not my Alpha,” I said, my voice dangerously quiet. “Not anymore. I denounce my ties to the Blue Moon Pack. As of this moment, I am a rogue.”

Serim’s face contorted in fury. “You would dare-”

“I, Irina Johnson, reject you, Alpha Serim Johnson, as my Alpha. From now on, I sever ties with Blue Moon, becoming a rogue.”

I felt pain, it was similar to the one I felt when Lancer rejected me, but this time I didn’t fall to my knees; I could withstand it.

Just when I was about to leave, the door to his office burst open.

Lancer stood there, his face pale, his chest heaving as if he’d been running. His eyes darted from Serim’s furious expression to my defiant one, to the ledger on the desk.

“Alpha,” he gasped, his voice tight with urgency. “You need to come. Now. It’s Julie.”

Serim’s attention snapped away from me. “What about her?”

“She’s… she’s having some kind of fit, in the grand hall. She’s screaming about Irina, saying she’s stolen something else from her. She’s making a scene in front of everyone-the guests

are starting to gather.”

My blood ran cold. Of course. Of course, she would choose this moment, my moment of freedom, to orchestrate her grandest spectacle yet.

Serim shot me a look of pure venom, as if this were all my doing. “This isn’t over,” he snarled,

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shoving past Lancer and striding out the door toward the commotion.

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In’t stay here; I had to leave, or I wouldn’t be free. I exited his office and tried to run to om, but I was captured before I could reach it.

Johnson, you are under arrest for harming the Alpha’s daughter.” That was what the said before dragging me to the dungeon.

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ion, confronts him. Their heated exchange reveals deep-seated animosities and misunderstandings, with Aiden acknowledging that he has hurt Irina by letting Lancer’s provocations get under his skin.

The confrontation escalates as Aiden asserts his authority as an Alpha, warning Lancer to respect boundaries or face consequences. Although he wins the verbal battle, Aiden is haunted by the realization that his own actions have contributed to the rift between him and Irina. As she prepares to leave and become a rogue, Aiden struggles with feelings of helplessness, knowing that his status and power mean nothing to her now.

Debbie, a representative of the Shadow’s Pack, interrupts Aiden’s brooding with tough love and practical advice. She challenges him to stop fighting as an Alpha and instead fight for Irina as a devoted mate. Debbie encourages Aiden to show humility, patience, and genuine affection—actions that go beyond power and dominance. She suggests a slow, heartfelt approach to winning Irina back, including giving her space, sending thoughtful letters, and respecting her choices.

Though initially overwhelmed by the daunting prospect of a long, quiet battle for Irina’s love, Aiden begins to see hope. He recognizes that repairing their bond will take time and effort, but he commits to the challenge. The chapter ends with Aiden ready to fight for Irina in a new way, embracing vulnerability and persistence rather than force.

The fire in his eyes showed he was ready to keep fighting, but if he did, he’d lose far more than he could gain.

“Get out,” I repeated, my words final, leaving no room for argument.

The door clicked shut behind him, plunging the room into deep silence.

Though I had won this confrontation with Lancer, the victory felt hollow.

He was right—I had mistreated her.

I had made mistakes I couldn’t undo, and now Irina hated me.

I walked over to the window, resting my hands on the sill as I gazed out at the dark, unfamiliar terrain of Blue Moon. Tomorrow, she would leave. She was determined to venture into the wild forest rather than come with me to my pack. And the only person to blame for this… was me.

I could tell her to go to Silver Fang; at least then I would know she was safe.

Suddenly, the door burst open, jolting me from my thoughts. I tensed, ready to confront whoever had interrupted my solitude—until I recognized the scent.

“Aiden! I know you’re the Alpha of the strongest pack in the region, but what the hell?” Debbie stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, her face a mask of frustration and anger. “I just had to smooth things over with Serim because Lancer looked like he’d been through a meat grinder! What did you do?”

I didn’t turn from the window. “I reminded him of his place.”

“By rearranging his face?” she snapped, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. “We’re guests here, Aiden!”

Finally, I faced her. “I didn’t hit him, if that’s what you’re implying. I just stated some facts. If his face looks like that, maybe he fell somewhere.”

“Yeah, that sounds very convincing,” Arlo chimed in from the corner.

I ignored him.

“You’re going to get us into a war with Blue Moon,” Debbie muttered, “something I might accept, but only once we’re out of here.”

I had no energy left to argue, so I turned back to the window.

Debbie noticed my closed-off stance but didn’t leave.

“Something happened with your mate, didn’t it?” she asked softly.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“If you got angry at Lancer because he did something to your mate, then I understand why you punched him.”

“I already said I didn’t punch him,” I snapped. “Leave my room. I want to be alone.”

She rolled her eyes. “Peachy.” But she stayed, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. “So that’s it? You’re just going to stand here and brood? I’m guessing things didn’t go well with your mate.”

“She’s leaving tomorrow. I told her to come to our pack, but she’d rather be a rogue.”

“So you’re giving up? Letting her walk away?”

“What choice do I have?” I growled. “She made it clear that being with me is worse than facing rogues and starvation. Should I drag her to Shadow Pack in chains? Would that make me worthy of her?”

“No,” Debbie said firmly. “But giving up so easily doesn’t sound like the Aiden I know. The Aiden I know fights for what he wants. He doesn’t surrender just because the battle gets hard.”

“This isn’t a battle I can win with force!” I snapped, spinning to face her. “Don’t you get it? My strength, my title, my power—they mean nothing to her! It’s exactly what she’s running from!”

“Then stop trying to be her Alpha!” Debbie shot back, pushing off the doorframe and stepping closer. “For Moon’s sake, Aiden, think with your brain—not your d**k!”

That stung.

“She doesn’t want you to act like an Alpha; she wants you to be a loving mate. That shouldn’t be so hard, right? All you have to do is admit you were a jerk and chase her like a gentleman for a while.”

“I kneeled before her,” I mumbled.

“What?” she asked, laughing nervously. “I must be hallucinating—I just heard you say you kneeled before someone.”

“I did,” I said firmly, leaving no room for doubt.

Debbie’s smirk vanished, replaced by a look of stunned respect. “Well, I’ll be damned. The great Aiden Keaton on his knees.” She whistled low. “Okay, so you’re capable of humility. That’s a start. But one grand gesture won’t erase years of being a jackass.”

“I know,” I said, frustration creeping back into my voice. “What else can I do? She’s leaving.”

“So?” Debbie challenged, eyes shining with a familiar strategic gleam. “Since when does physical distance stop a determined Alpha? You know where she’s headed—woods or Silver Fang. Let her go. Give her the space she’s begging for.”

“And then what?” I asked, a flicker of the old, calculating Alpha stirring within me.

“Then you court her, you idiot!” she exclaimed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Not as her Alpha—as the man who’s desperately in love with her and stupidly messed it up. Send her letters. Not commands—actual letters. Tell her about your day. Ask about hers. Send her things she likes. Not gold or jewels. Did she ever mention a favorite food? A book? Find it. Send it. If she goes to Silver Fang, visit on ‘diplomatic business’ and just happen to run into her. Show her you respect her choice to leave, but that you’re not giving up on her.”

“It could take years,” I murmured, the thought both daunting and strangely invigorating.

“So?” Debbie shrugged, a slow, knowing smile spreading across her face. “You have years. True mates aren’t built in a day. You broke it; now you have to be willing to fight the long, quiet war. The question is, are you ready to fight it?”

I looked out the window again. The darkness no longer seemed so absolute. I could make out the silhouettes of trees, the path she would take. I didn’t see an ending—I saw a beginning.

“Yes,” I said quietly. “I am.”