The Game of Trust
Cleopatra’s POV
I led Renee to her room and sat her on the bed. I helped her out of her clothes. She had already healed from the marks and the blood was already dried up, sticking to her body.
She groaned when I asked her to raise her hands so I could peel off her shirt. I felt guilty but they deserve it for all they’ve done to other innocent and vulnerable packs. But I didn’t expect that the spies would be killed as well.
The guilt became like a heavy sack on my shoulders. I had offered to help Renee to ease the guilt but seeing her had made it worse.
Why did they attack? They could have just not shown up at all. No! They had to. We can’t win this fight if we don’t cripple them with any opportunity we get.
I tried to convince myself, to assure myself that there was a justification for the outcome. Why does it matter anyway? I did my job! That’s why I’m here in the first place.
Just then, Renee grabbed my hand, her grip tightening with every second. “Did you do this?” she growled, her voice firm and cold.
“What do you mean?” I asked, feigning innocence.
Renee’s grip tightened even more, her eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my pulse quicken. There was anger, doubt and suspicion in her gaze. My heart raced as I tried to keep my composure.
“You know exactly what I mean, Cleopatra,” she said, her voice low and dangerous. “The ambush. The way they were waiting for us, as if they knew we were coming.”
I swallowed hard, trying to stay calm. I had rehearsed the lies in my head while I walked her down here, but now that I was facing her, the look in her eyes dared me to mess up.
“I had nothing to do with that. How could you even think that?” I replied, keeping my voice steady, masking the guilt that weighed me down. “What would I gain from betraying Alpha Williams?”
Her eyes narrowed. She didn’t let go of my hand. “It’s all you. It has always been you. Since you arrived here, it’s been one chaos or mishap. Someone definitely compromised our plans and I can’t help but wonder who,” she said, looking me dead in the eyes.
Renee was smart—-too smart. Right from when I first arrived, she had been on to me. She was always putting the pieces together and she had been right all along. I tried to pull my hand away and succeeded, putting a distance between us.
“Renee, I…”
“You did this, didn’t you? You set us up.”
I shook my head furiously and masked the guilt with anger. “No I didn’t! Why would I do that to Alpha Williams when he has been nothing but kind. How can I do that to him when he wants to make me his Luna? Isn’t that as good as betraying my own family?” I knew I had struck a nerve.
The look of betrayal and disappointment on her face told me that the news shocked her to the bones. But I had to give her a reason to believe me.
“No,” she muttered.
“Remember when you accused me of trying to steal the book you left carelessly and I told you that you owed me a favor?” I asked and her brows furrowed in concentration.
When I saw her eyes light up, I knew she had remembered. “Now I’m telling you to return that favor, Renee. I need your trust. I would never betray Williams.”
She stared up at me and got up from the bed, her posture rigid. I put her hand around my shoulders, supporting her to the bathroom. I helped her into the bath and filled it with warm water.
As I closed the door to leave she called me. I turned to her and she stared at me for a long time, as if searching my face for the truth.
“Cleopatra,” she whispered in a resigned tone. “Don’t betray Williams. Don’t give me a reason to kill you.”
Yes! I screamed internally. Know I have her trust. I forced a calm smile and squeezed her hand gently. “You won’t have to, Renee,” I said, my voice soft yet firm. “I’ll never betray him or this pack.”
That was a lie. That’s exactly what my mission is.
But as I left the room, closing the door quietly behind me, the weight of her words pressed down on me. I leaned against the wall in the hallway, closing my eyes for a moment.
It’s too late for second thoughts now. I can’t back out of this mission. I’ve made my choice and I will stand by it.
I began walking down the hallway, trying to shake off the unease crawling up my spine. Maybe I could take a ride into the city and clear my head.
The lies, the betrayal, they’re all necessary for this mission to succeed. And once Alpha Kane’s plan is complete, there won’t be anything left for him or Renee to fight for.
Yet Renee’s words echoed in my mind over and over again.
Don’t give me a reason to kill you.
She wasn’t bluffing. I knew that. Renee was as loyal to Williams as I was to my mission, and she would do anything to protect him. Somehow, it made me jealous.
I couldn’t afford any more mistakes. Everything hinged on keeping Renee and Williams in the dark for just a little while longer. My pack epidural soon strikes again and I’m hoping it will be the last strike.
But until then, I had to stay close and do my part. Closer to Williams than ever.
With a final glance back towards Renee’s room, I steeled myself and headed towards the meeting room. Williams and his men are probably planning their next move. It’s better to strike while it’s still hot.
The game wasn’t over yet…not by a long shot.
And in this game, betrayal is just another move on the board.