Fake Heiress True Luna (Irina) novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44: What Am I?

Irina’s POV

The resolve that had solidified under the moonlight held firm through the night. The next morning, I walked into Derek’s office with a newfound steadiness. Aiden was already there, standing by the window, his posture radiating a calm, focused energy that hadn’t been there before. He turned as I entered, and his gaze was like a physical touch-assessing, protective, and filled with a silent promise.

Derek sat behind his desk, his expression grim. “They’ve made their first move,” he said without preamble, sliding a single sheet of paper across the polished wood. “This was presented to the Council this morning.”

I picked it up. It was a photocopy of a letter. My eyes scanned the familiar, looping handwriting-a near-perfect imitation of my own.

‘I can’t stand the sight of her. She parades around like she’s the victim, but she stole my life. Every time I see her, I wish she would just disappear. If I ever get the chance, I’ll make sure she pays for what she’s done to me. I hate her. I will kill her.’

It was signed with my name.

The blood drained from my face. “This is a lie,” I whispered, my voice trembling with a fresh wave of outrage. “I never wrote this. I would never-”

“I know,” Derek said, his voice tight. “But it’s convincing. I’ve only seen your handwriting twice and can’t see the difference.”

“If I’m being honest, I can’t tell the difference myself,” I admitted. “Julie must have an excellent forger.”

A cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck. My hands started to shake, the paper rattling softly.

Then, a warm, calloused hand covered mine, stilling the tremor. Aiden had crossed the room without a sound. He didn’t look at me; his focus was on Derek, his expression granite.

“It is still a forgery,” Aiden stated, his voice leaving no room for doubt. “Even if it is almost perfect, that’s all it is-a forgery. The council is conducting its investigation, but we can do the same. I can pull a few contacts and see how real it actually looks. To me, it is a clumsy one, once you know what to look for.” He gently pried the paper from my frozen fingers, his thumb brushing against my knuckles in a fleeting, reassuring gesture. “The pressure on the downstrokes is inconsistent. Irina’s handwriting, under stress, is much more forceful and

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even.”

How…

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My heart gave a sudden, traitorous flutter, a quick, light beat against my ribs. I had no idea Aiden knew so much about me.

Derek’s eyes narrowed, looking from the letter to Aiden. “You’re sure?”

He nodded. “I’ve known Irina for a while. I’ve seen her handwriting. This is a fake. We’ll get our own expert to confirm it, but I’m certain. I still think Julie and whoever is helping her will have someone testify that this is real, so we need to conduct our own investigation.”

“I can’t believe it,” Theia mumbled.

“Me neither,” I replied.

Aiden finally glanced down at me, his grey eyes holding mine for a heartbeat. The fluttering in my chest intensified. I’ve never seen him react like this. I’ve never felt so calm because he was holding my hand.

If anything, back at Shadow Pack, I felt like I was walking on eggshells every time he showed

“You may be right, Aiden,” Derek said. “And considering how much they are pressuring for the trial to be held as soon as possible, they must have a witness under their sleeve. Do you know who could testify against you, Irina?”

I shook my head. “Many omegas hated me back at Blue Moon. I can’t pinpoint who had the biggest grudge.”

“Did Lancer have anyone after him?” Derek asked, and I sensed how much Aiden tensed.

Even hearing his name makes him react like this, hmm?

“Plenty,” I replied honestly. “Just like Serim did. They were the future Alpha and Beta of that pack. I’m sure you two have your own circle of fans.”

Aiden and Derek blushed at my words, a rare and comical sight that almost made me smile despite the gravity of the situation. Two powerful Alphas, momentarily flustered by the mention of their admirers.

“Focus,” Derek cleared his throat, the blush fading as he regained his composure. “The point is, their witness could be anyone with a motive to lie. We need to anticipate who they might produce.”

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Aiden’s hand, which had still been resting near mine, finally withdrew. I immediately missed its warmth. His expression was dark once more. “I am a witness too, I was with Irina at that

moment.”

“The problem is, Alpha Keaton, that nobody will believe that story,” Derek said adamantly.” Everyone thinks you hate Irina.”

“I second that!” Ethan said from behind.

Both Betas were here, but they had avoided interrupting the conversation; the fact that everyone in the room except me glared at him proved why they should have remained silent.

Ethan rolled his eyes and mumbled something I didn’t understand.

“Anyway, that proves my point. If you say you were with her, the council won’t believe

you.”

Aiden didn’t even flinch; he looked so confident that his statement would be enough to prove my innocence.

“They will if I tell everyone Irina is my mate.”

The room froze. Ethan’s jaw dropped to the floor. Kael’s eyes looked like they were about to come out of their sockets. The only one who was unfazed by Aiden’s comment was Derek.

Aside from me, of course.

“It looks like he is dead serious about accepting the bond,” My wolf cheered.

I got her enthusiasm, but contrary to Aiden, I don’t think that is the right path.

“I don’t think that will benefit Irina,” Derek mused, which, of course, gained him a low growl from Aiden.

“You don’t want anyone to know she is actually my mate, do you?” Aiden snapped back.

He felt like his claim on me was being threatened, but I could understand Derek better.

“He is right, Aiden,” I said, hoping to bring his attention back to me. “I don’t think it is the right choice to say I’m your mate.”

His face fell, his grey eyes dulled for a second. “If you tell the Council I’m your mate, they will think you are helping me because of the bond, and remember there is a law where you can abstain from declaring in a trial if you think your mate is guilty.”

“But you are not guilty,” He countered. “And you are mine, I have the right to claim you as my Luna, and even if they fail in favor of Julie, I’ll challenge Serim.”

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“And kill him?” I questioned.

“He is helping Julie, and he is trying to turn you in

,” Aiden finished, his voice

dropping to a deadly whisper. “Yes. I would kill him or that alone.”

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Again, my heart flipped, my body started tingling. For some reason, I felt the pull between us grew stronger with each passing second.

“He’s right about the law, Aiden,” Derek interjected. “If you declare the bond, the Council could rule your testimony biased and dismiss it. They could even use it against her, arguing she used the mate bond to manipulate you into providing a false alibi.”

Aiden’s jaw tightened, a muscle ticking. I saw the frustration war with the desperate need to protect in his eyes, but if we wanted to win this, we had to be smarter.

“So what do we do?” he ground out, his fists clenching at his sides. “We let them present this forgery and their lying witness without our strongest counter?”

“No,” I said, my mind racing, piecing together a new strategy. “We use the truth, but we use it smarter.” I looked from Aiden to Derek. “Aiden, you don’t declare the bond. Not yet. You simply state, as Alpha of Shadow Pack, that you were with me during the time in question. You stick to the facts. Your word as an Alpha should carry weight on its own.”

Aiden’s eyes narrowed, listening.

“And we,” I continued, turning to Derek, “we find their witness. We discredit them before the trial. We prove the letter is a forgery with expert analysis. We make their entire case look like a house of cards.” I took a deep breath. “The mate bond is our last resort. If they rule me guilty, Aiden could declare I’m his mate before everyone and challenge whoever he wants.”

The room was silent as they processed my plan, which was riskier and relied on finesse and investigation, not brute force.

“We still have one point we could exploit,” Ethan pointed out, his comment now welcomed. Nobody interrupted him; all we did was wait. “The wolfsbane supplier.”

Kael hummed in agreement. “They claimed that Irina tried to poison Julie, right?” I nodded, so far that was what I knew. “If that is the case, they might present someone as the supplier. We need to find out who that person is and make sure they either disappear or their testimony benefits us.”

I should have expected that from a Beta. “Anyway, if we find the person, it could help us, but please refrain from killing anyone; that could be worse for us.”

Ethan folded his arms over his chest as he pouted like a kid who was just told he couldn’t

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play with his favorite toy.

“Why don’t we prove something that Julie didn’t thi

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Kael suggested. “If she says Irina

put the wolfsbane in her room, she should have had marks, considering her wolf was weak because of her previous rejection.”

Aiden growled. “What is your plan?” He demanded.

“We could show the Council that Irina doesn’t have marks, and for that, we should make a video now. If she still shows the scar until the day of the trial, it would prove our point, wouldn’t it?” Kael finished.

Aiden looked like he wanted to kill the poor Beta, but his plan wasn’t so far-fetched.

“Let’s do it.”

Aiden’s head snapped toward me, his expression a storm of protest and possessiveness. “Irina-”

“It’s evidence,” I cut him off, my voice firm despite the heat rising to my cheeks. “Physical, undeniable evidence that contradicts their story. If Julie were truly poisoned with wolfsbane, even a small amount, I would have a scar on my body; even if I used gloves, they would have to find them. If I didn’t, there would be a mark, a scar, something. Many people saw that I didn’t, so they will realize she lied if I go to the trial with a mark.'”

Derek didn’t comment, but he didn’t look convinced either.

“I think this is our best shot,” My voice was a plea. It would hurt, I knew, but I could handle it.”

Please?”

Derek and Aiden sighed.

“Irina, even if you think this is the right plan, we don’t have Wolfsbane available at the moment. You know how hard it is to come by,” Aiden reasoned.

“But we do,” Kael said, catching my mate’s attention. “We confiscated some a month ago.”

The air in the room went from tense to electric. All eyes swung to Kael.

“You have wolfsbane?” Aiden’s voice was dangerously quiet. “Here?”

Kael nodded, his expression grim. “From a rogue we intercepted near the eastern border. It’s in the secure vault. Untreated. Highly potent.”

Aiden looked like he was going to be sick. The idea of bringing that poison anywhere near me was clearly his worst nightmare. “Absolutely not. It’s out of the question.”

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“But it’s the proof,” I insisted, my heart hammering against my ribs. This was it. The most direct, undeniable way to dismantle their entire accusation

“Irina, it’s too dangerous,” Derek said, finally speaking, nis voice heavy with concern. “Even a single particle… if you inhaled it…”

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