SEVENTY TWO

SEVENTY TWO
CAMILLE'S POV

"Amity, isn't it? I've been expecting you."

Facing someone just as volatile as Eva, I couldn't throw caution to the wind. Everything about Amity told me she was trouble.

She seemed a lot like Eva, perhaps even worse. I watched the maid's face morph from fear to curiosity.

"You planned this?"

"I cannot plan the actions that people take, but I can do my best to predict them. My prediction just happened to be dead on."

The girl nodded, taking one look at the guard, who still had his gun ready for her before returning her gaze to me.

"And why were you expecting me? Am I the card you want to use against your sister?"

"You are no ace to me. You are probably just as bad as her," I retorted. "You knew the sins that Eva had committed, and you stood by her side? Where was your loyalty to your Alpha and your pack?"

"Loyalty?" The girl scoffed. "Where was the pack's protection for those of us that were deemed runts? They demand from us when they give us nothing? I do not think so. My loyalty is to myself and myself alone."

I got what I needed to hear. She was capable of betrayal.

"So you think you are better? Keeping silent and aligning yourself with a criminal? A murderer?"

Amity scoffed, fixing her ruffled hair back in place. "The universe taught me quickly what I needed to do to live a good life. If aligning myself with a murderer and a genocidal maniac was going to make it happen, then so be it."

"You are unrepentant. Maybe you should fall with her."

Amity chuckled. "There was a tremble in your voice. You don't mean that. Of course, you don't. Regardless of what you have found on Eva. You know her well. She is a slippery eel. She will probably wriggle her way out of this. Unless you get a witness. Me."

She was a quick thinker too. But could I trust her? I expected to be the one to convince her. I had the whole conversation prepped in my head. I would force her to see reason why she should join my side. But Amity was already leaning towards betrayal. It made me wonder if this was another of Eva's games.

"You are cocky. What makes you think you are an important piece to me? I have enough to pin Eva down. A toxicology report from the Lycan Salutary and an eyewitness who will reveal that Eva is the accomplice in the Lily of the Valley accident is all I need."

"I am not cocky. I know when I am necessary. A skill I had to learn from all the neglect that came with being born a runt of the barrel. Nothing you would understand, Princess. Ripping apart the dead is not one of them. Plus, do you really want to tell the devastated Lycan king and your mate that the woman he rejected for your sake was murdered? Imagine the trauma he would have to carry. And about your eyewitness, no one in this kingdom will believe a word Hector Menard is saying. Not even his father does."

Like I had thought. She was so much like Eva. They had a crippling victim complex that they refused to grow from. The complex that now caused them to hate on anyone who dared to be better.

"You are not wrong," I conceded.

"I do think you would be useful in putting down Eva. You know how she works. What makes her tick. But you are not an asset. What I am offering you is a symbiotic relationship. If you think Eva can survive what I plan to do to her, then you are free to refuse. But trust me, she will not, and you will fall with her. You said it yourself. Nobody cares about the runts. Despite all the terrible crimes that Eva had committed, she will probably get a slap on the wrist. What is life in a cage compared to death by decapitation or wolfsbane? When Eva falls, she will end up in a cell. Fate, however, will not be kind to an Omega." I paused, letting my words sink in. "Fall with her or stand by me."

"Are you threatening me, Luna Camille?" she asked.

I stepped forward, my anger boiling within me. It was a strange feeling, being angry at Amity. The Lily of the Valley pack had treated me horribly, but no one deserved to die because of it. Yet, here I was, considering compromising my morals just to bring down Eva. The thought sickened me, but what other choice did I have?

"I am giving you an opportunity to evade justice if you join hands with me. Neat deal, don't you think?" I replied, trying to keep my tone steady despite the rage bubbling beneath the surface.

"Not neat enough for me," she retorted.

Somehow, her selfishness brought me a twisted sense of satisfaction. Maybe Eva wasn't responsible for this. Maybe Amity was just cunning enough to know when to cut her losses.

"Really? What do you want?" I asked, though I already dreaded her response.

"Swear to me that my father will be returned to his position as Sentinel, along with immunity on all crimes associated with Eva Dumont, and you have yourself a deal. That is neat to me."

Her demands were outrageous. To rise from the rank of Omega to a position of power, and to be absolved of all her crimes? It made my blood boil. Amity must have known about the attack on the Lily of the Valley. She could have stopped it. My biological father would still be alive if she had made the right choice. But she hadn't. And now, to help me take down a greater evil, she didn't want to face the consequences of her actions. She even dared to ask for more. The audacity of it all grated on my nerves.

"That is a tough ask," I finally spoke, struggling to keep my composure. "A clean slate for your crimes is more than enough."

But Amity remained defiant. "You are different now. Daring. But you are not all-powerful. Not yet. Joining hands with you is a risk, and risks are only worth it in my books if there is interest to be won. If Eva deals you her cards, and trust me, she always has one, you might not win. If I stand with her and she wins in this clash, I still get immunity. Give me something worth risking my heaven for."

I clenched my fists, struggling to contain my frustration. Amity's arrogance and self-serving attitude grated on my nerves, but I couldn't afford to let it show. I needed her cooperation, no matter how distasteful it was.

"I understand your concerns," I replied, my voice strained. "But my priority is bringing Eva to justice and ensuring the safety of this kingdom and everyone in it. A woman that is capable of murder is capable of much worse. I cannot make any promises regarding your father's position. What I can offer is protection and support if you choose to cooperate with me."

Amity's eyes narrowed, her expression betraying her disappointment. "Protection and support? That's hardly worth risking everything for."

I took a step closer to her, my tone firm. "Think carefully, Amity. If you choose to stand against me, you will be aligning yourself with a murderer. Your loyalty to Eva may cost you everything. But if you stand with me, you'll have the chance to make amends for your past mistakes and ensure a better future for yourself and our pack."

I wished she would hesitate, weighing her options. I wished I could see the conflict in her eyes, the struggle between self-preservation and loyalty to Eva.

But there was none of that. She was cold and calculating, as if she were dealing with figures.

"What I am doing is ensuring a better future for myself. The Lily of the Valley doesn't care about me. Why should I care about it?"

"Because I will be Luna," I retorted.

"That is not enough. You ascending to the throne is only grand for you. What changes are you going to make? No rankings? No mistreatment of Omegas? The rank is there for a reason, and Omegas are the lowest of that rank for a reason too. You can't change a system that works, even if many have to suffer. What you can do is elevate me by elevating my father. Why is that harder for you to give in to than immunity?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's because I don't think you will be that useful in the long run. You talk a lot of smack. But if I make your father a sentinel, how do you help me bring down Eva? The way you talk makes me believe you want to play for both teams. You have no loyalty. So why should I trust you?"

A chuckle left her mouth before Amity leaned in close. "Toxicology takes a while and a lot. Why don't I just tell you what was mixed into Milana's drink to poison her? Maybe even get the vial for you?"

Amity's offer caught me off guard. It was a tempting proposition, one that could potentially give me the upper hand in exposing Eva's crimes. But could I trust her? Could I trust anyone in this twisted game of deceit?

Fuck it! I needed cards against Eva and if Amity was going to get them for me, I would play. HARD.

"Tell me," I whispered back. "What did she feed Milana with?"

Amity pulled away and smiled. "Silvermist. A concentrated version. Enough dosage to kill two grown Lycans."