Page 27 of Betray Me
Luna goes absolutely still—not the reaction I anticipated. Most people would flee, break down, or explode in defensive anger. But she transforms potential humiliation into something else entirely, her spine straightening as shame transmutes into cold rage.
Nicolas smirks beside me, leaning over to whisper, “Looks like the Queen isn’t as royal as she pretends.”
I offer a slight smile in response, but my attention remains focused on Luna’s reflection in the window beside her. She’s not crumbling. If anything, she’s becoming more dangerous.
Austin fumbles with his computer, face burning red as he struggles to stop the video. “I… I apologize for that inappropriate content. Someone seems to have gained access to my computer. Rest assured, we will find out who’s responsible.”
This is the moment that determines everything. Will Luna crumble under the weight of public exposure, or will she—
“No need,” her voice cuts through the chaos, clear and commanding. She stands slowly, gathering her things with deliberate precision. “We all know who did it. The question is—what are they going to do when it backfires?”
Her emerald gaze sweeps the room before landing directly on me. Something cold crawls down my spine as recognition flashes in her eyes. She knows. Somehow, impossibly, she knows this was orchestrated.
The look she gives me isn’t accusation—it’s acknowledgment. One predator recognizing another.
“Thanks for the free publicity,” Luna continues, her voice carrying clearly across the shocked silence. “Now everyone knows what they’re missing.”
My carefully maintained smile falters for just a moment as she transforms my attack into her advantage. This isn’t shame or defeat—it’s a declaration of war. The other students aren’t laughing at her anymore; they’re looking at her with new interest, new respect.
As she stalks from the classroom, head high and smile sharp enough to cut, I feel something shift in my chest. Not quite admiration—I can’t afford such luxuries—but recognition. She’s playing the same game I am, using the same weapons of manipulation and control.
The difference is that she’s doing it instinctively, without years of training or handlers pulling her strings.
She’s a natural predator, just like me.
“Damn,” Jessica breathes beside me. “She’s kind of badass.”
Nicolas laughs, but there’s something uncertain in the sound. “She’s psychotic, is what she is.”
I remain silent, my mind racing through implications. Luna Queen has just turned my carefully orchestrated attack into a triumph. She’s not the broken victim, my intelligence suggested—she’s something far more dangerous.
My phone buzzes with an urgent message from Dominic:Footage shows public humiliation backfired. Subject gained sympathy and status. Explain immediately.
My fingers tremble slightly as I type back:Miscalculation. Subject more resilient than anticipated. Require new strategy.
The response comes within seconds:No more miscalculations. Your father is displeased. Escalate to direct psychological warfare. Use any means necessary.
Any means necessary. The phrase sends ice through my veins as I think of the small vial hidden in my cosmetics case, the one designed to erase inconvenient memories.
That afternoon, I compose my report with clinical precision, each word carefully chosen to buy time while I process what just happened:
Subject demonstrates advanced psychological warfare capabilities. Direct confrontation inadvisable without additional intelligence. Recommend deep cover approach to gain trust before exploitation.
It’s a lie, of course. Luna isn’t someone to be manipulated through friendship or false trust. She’s too smart, too experienced in the games people like us play. But the report gives me breathing room to understand what I’m really dealing with.
Because for the first time since becoming Belle Gallagher, intelligence operative, I’m questioning whether the girl I was sent to destroy might actually be someone worth studying rather than breaking.
The thought terrifies me more than any threat my father could make. But as I sit in Professor Austin’s classroom, watching him frantically try to regain control while students whisper about Luna’s defiant exit, I can’t shake the image of her emerald eyes blazing with recognition.
She saw right through me. Saw the calculation behind my innocent question, the orchestration behind the “accident.” And instead of being intimidated, she declared war.
Luna Queen is stronger than they anticipated. Stronger than I anticipated.
And perhaps—just perhaps—strong enough to survive what’s coming for both of us.
The game has just become infinitely more dangerous. The question is whether I’m still playing for my father’s team, or if I’ve unconsciously found myself respecting the enemy.
Time will tell which instinct wins: the predator I was trained to be, or the girl who’s beginning to question everything she’s been taught about power, control, and survival.
