Chapter 94 THE DOCTORS DILEMMA
Dr Lake’s Pov
I was at home making dinner when someone knocked on my door. I was not expecting anyone and it was already getting dark outside which made me nervous. Nobody just showed up at my house unannounced unless something was wrong.
I looked through the peephole and saw two men in suits standing on my porch. They looked official and serious. My heart started racing.
I opened the door just a crack and kept the chain lock on.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
"Dr Samara Lake?" one of the men asked.
"Yes. Who are you?" I asked.
"We are investigators working for King Lucian of the Lycan Kingdom. We need to speak with you about a case involving Celestia the former Luna of Brazen Pack. May we come in?" the man said.
Everything inside me went cold. They were here about Celestia. They were here to ask questions about what happened five years ago. Eclipse had warned me this might happen and she had told me exactly what would happen to me if I talked.
My pulse roared in my ears as fear crept up my spine, slow and suffocating. Every threat she had ever whispered replayed in my mind with terrifying clarity. I felt trapped between the truth clawing its way out of me and the consequences of defying her. One wrong word could destroy everything I had left, yet staying silent felt just as damning.
"I do not have anything to say about that. Please leave," I said and I started to close the door.
The second investigator put his hand on the door to stop me from closing it.
"Dr Lake we are not leaving. We can have this conversation here on your porch where your neighbours can see or we can have it inside privately. Your choice," the second investigator said.
I looked at both of them and realized they were not going to go away. If I refused to talk to them, they would just keep coming back, or they would find other ways to force me to cooperate.
Their patience was unsettling, calm and relentless, the kind that came from certainty rather than kindness. I felt cornered, like an animal pressed against the wall with no escape left. Running was no longer an option. Hiding would only make things worse. The truth had already begun to surface, and whether I wanted it or not, I was going to be dragged along with it.
"Fine. Come in," I said.
I unhooked the chain and opened the door to let them inside. They walked into my living room and I closed the door behind them. My hands were shaking.
"Please sit down," one of the investigators said.
"This is my house. I will stand if I want to," I said.
The investigator nodded and both men sat down on my couch. They pulled out notebooks and pens like they were getting ready to take notes.
“Dr Lake, we want to question you about the delivery that took place five years ago. Specifically the delivery of a child born to Celestia and the subsequent claim that the child belonged to Medea. Do you remember this case?” the first investigator asked.
The question landed like a blade. My mouth went dry as memories I had buried clawed their way to the surface—bright lights, hurried signatures, whispered instructions I had pretended not to hear. I nodded slowly, dread pooling in my stomach, because of course I remembered. Some cases never leave you. They wait.
"I remember it," I said quietly.
"Good. We have reason to believe that you falsified medical records related to this delivery. We believe you lied about who gave birth to the child known as Asher. Is that correct?" the investigator asked.
"I do not have to answer that," I said.
"Actually you do. We have evidence of payments made to you by Eclipse shortly after the delivery. Large payments that do not correspond to any legitimate medical services. Those payments look very much like bribes Dr Lake," the second investigator said.
He pulled out a document from his briefcase and handed it to me. I looked at it and saw copies of bank statements showing deposits into my account. Fifty thousand dollars. One hundred thousand dollars. Another seventy-five thousand dollars. All from shell companies that Eclipse controlled.
My hands began to tremble as I flipped through the pages, each transaction dated, timed, and highlighted with ruthless precision. There was no explaining it away, no innocent interpretation. The paper felt heavy, like a physical record of my corruption. I suddenly understood how carefully this trap had been laid, how thoroughly I had been compromised, and how impossible it would be to deny my involvement now.
"Where did you get these?" I asked.
"That is not important. What is important is that we have proof you were paid to lie. And lying on medical records is a serious crime. You could lose your medical license. You could face criminal charges. You could go to prison," the first investigator said.
I felt like I could not breathe. They had evidence. Real evidence that I had been bribed. Eclipse had promised me that the payments were untraceable but she had been wrong.
"I want a lawyer," I said.
"You can get a lawyer if you want. But that will not change the evidence we have. The only question is whether you cooperate with us now or whether we proceed with criminal charges," the second investigator said.
"What do you mean by cooperate?" I asked.
"We want you to tell us the truth about what happened five years ago. We want you to testify that Celestia gave birth to Asher and that Eclipse paid you to lie about it. In exchange for your cooperation we can offer you immunity from prosecution," the first investigator said.
Immunity. That meant I would not go to prison or lose my license. But it also meant betraying Eclipse and telling everyone what I had done.
The word echoed in my head, heavy with promise and threat. Safety on one side. Ruin on the other. Eclipse had protected me, paid me, owned my silence for years—but immunity meant freedom from fear, from looking over my shoulder every day. It meant sleeping without nightmares. It meant finally choosing myself over loyalty forged in lies, even if that choice burned every bridge behind me.
"I cannot do that. You do not understand what Eclipse is capable of. She will kill me if I talk," I said.
"We can provide protection. Witness protection if necessary. You will be safe," the investigator said.
"You cannot promise that. Eclipse has connections everywhere. She has people who do things for her. Dangerous things. If I testify against her I am dead," I said.
The two investigators looked at each other and I could tell they were trying to decide how to convince me.
"Dr Lake let me explain something to you. You are caught between two very powerful forces right now. On one side you have Eclipse who wants you to stay quiet. On the other side, you have King Lucian who wants the truth. One of those forces is going to win and you need to decide which side you want to be on when that happens," the first investigator said.
"Eclipse will kill me," I said again.
"And we will send you to prison if you do not cooperate. So you need to decide which outcome you prefer. Prison or witness protection," the second investigator said.
I sat down on a chair because my legs felt too weak to hold me up anymore. This was exactly what I had been afraid of for five years. That someday someone would come asking questions and I would have to choose between Eclipse and the truth.
The room felt too small, the air too thin. I had convinced myself this moment would never arrive, that fear and silence could hold forever. Now it was here, heavy and unavoidable, demanding a decision I had spent years running from, and I knew whatever choice I made would finally shatter the fragile life I had built.
"What exactly do you want from me?" I asked.
"We want your full testimony about what happened the night Celestia gave birth. We want you to confirm that you falsified medical records. We want you to provide any evidence you still have from that night. And we want you to testify in court if necessary," the first investigator said.
"And in exchange, I get immunity and protection?" I asked.
"Yes. Full immunity from prosecution and we will place you in witness protection until it is safe for you to return to your normal life," the investigator said.
"I need guarantees, real guarantees. Not just promises.”
"We can arrange all of that. King Lucian has the resources to protect you and your family.”