Whispers of Guilt
Cleopatra's POV
I sat in the backseat, my body stiff with tension as the car rumbled down the city streets. The passing lights of the buildings felt distant, a blur of motion that barely registered in my mind.
Two days had passed since the door to my room had opened, and Beta Jack stood in the doorway, Lucien right behind him. But the weight of our conversation still clung to me like a thick fog.
My heart pounded against my chest as I replayed the moment I revealed the truth about Alpha Kane, about Alpha Pete's death. I had laid it all bare to beta Jack but he didn't flinch.
Beta Jack had listened, his eyes dark with concern. He hadn't condemned me, hadn't turned his back, but his final words before we parted lingered in my mind. “There's more to this, Cleopatra,” he'd said, his voice heavy with meaning.
He had hesitated before admitting that something had felt wrong along the line. “At some point, I began to have this feeling that the mission wasn't about protecting the realm or our pack,” he had said. “From the shady alliances he formed along the way, I began to suspect it was more personal for him.”
“Why is he doing this? What does he really want?” I had asked but Beta Jack didn't know either, although I could tell from his expression that he had guesses on what Alpha Kane could be after.
Beta Jack had revealed how Alpha Kane had been terrorizing the pack members, growing more unpredictable by the day. “We believe he's keeping someone….chained in his quarters but the entrance is heavily guarded by his special squad. It's only gotten worse since the Alpha King denied his request to seek the council's audience.”
I remembered the cold knot of fear in my gut. We had agreed to meet again secretly, to figure out how to bring Alpha Kane down. When I confessed to killing Alpha Pete, Jack had given me a sorrowful look. “I'll dig deeper and find out what really happened,” he had said.
Now, two days later, I sat in the backseat with Alex. My fingers traced the scar at my side and I winced softly. Rob drove us in silence, his eyes distant. We were heading into the city to return Alex to Renee. She had been calling nonstop, texting and pleading for him to come back.
And at the end, the mate-pull had conquered.
I wasn't ready for the next part of this journey. The thought of seeing Alpha Williams again after everything, sent waves of nausea rolling through my stomach. Would he ever forgive me for betraying him?
He has not called since that night. Not even once and somehow, the realization twisted my heart.
We had driven past Alex's old home first. The house was dilapidated, the paint peeling, weeds overtaking the yard. He stood there for a moment, staring at the place he once called home. “I'll sell it,” he said quietly. “Fix it up, sell it off. There's nothing left here for me anyway.”
Now as we pulled into the hotel’s parking lot, Rob and Alex climbed out of the car. “We'll head up. Stay put, I'll be back before you know it.”
I nodded and watched as Alex and Rob walked towards the hotel entrance. My heart pounded in my chest, every step they took pulling me further into a whirlwind of doubt.
The thought of seeing Williams again made my chest tighten painfully. He didn't deserve what I did to him. How I betrayed him. But the thought of not seeing him again crushed my soul. I had to see him, even if it's just from a distance.
I hesitated for a long moment before pulling a face mask and shades. I slipped them on, trying to steady myself. I couldn't let Williams see my face, not yet.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the car. My legs felt shaky beneath me as I walked towards the hotel, each step heavy with dread. My heart pounded harder with each floor the elevator took me up.
When the doors slid open, I stood in front of the conference room. The knot in my stomach twisted tighter. I moved closer, my hands trembling, my breath shallow as I prepared myself for what was to come.
But as I neared the door, I froze. Through the narrow glass window, I saw Williams standing inside.
And he wasn't alone.
My breath hitched in my throat, my body going cold as I watched him locked in a passionate kiss with someone else, their bodies pressed together.
My vision blurred, the scene before me twisting painfully in my chest. I stepped back, my mind reeling. Pain stabbed through me, sharp and raw, but it wasn't just jealousy. It was something deeper.
He had moved on. Of course, he should. Why wouldn't he? I had betrayed him, and had walked away without looking back, without reaching out to explain.
And now, standing there, watching him with someone else, I realized how foolish I was to step out of the car.
A surge of emotions gushed in —guilt, shame, regret, anger. I wanted to turn away, to run. But my legs felt rooted to the spot. I shouldn't be feeling this way. I'm Cleopatra. This shouldn't hurt me. But it did.
The door creaked open wider, and Alpha Williams pulled away from the kiss, his gaze lifting. His eyes locked onto mine through the small crack in the door.
For a brief second, time seemed to stop. His face shifted from confusion to recognition, his eyes widening in shock.
“Cleopatra?”
My heart lurched in my chest, my breath catching in my throat. I took a step back, my hands trembling slightly. I didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do.
Before I could react, the door swung open fully, and Alpha Williams stood there, staring at me, his lips swollen and his expression unreadable.
“Cleopatra.” His voice was low, but there was something in his tone that made my stomach twist even further.
The woman he had been kissing stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she looked at me with anger. She looks somewhat familiar for some reason. I couldn't bear it. The thought of them together seemed so cruel to me, so I did the first thing that came to my mind the moment I saw them. I ran.
But before I could get to the elevator, a low growl escaped my throat as the most intoxicating scent filled my nostrils.
Mate.
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