Chapter 101 A CRUMBLING LIE
Medea’s Pov
I was lying in bed pretending to rest when I heard shouting coming from outside. At first, I thought it was just pack members being loud but then I heard my name being yelled and I realized something was very wrong.
I got out of bed and walked to the window. Down in the central square I could see a huge crowd of pack members gathered and they looked angry. Raphael was standing on the steps trying to talk to them but they were shouting over him.
Their voices rose in a chaotic wave, a mixture of outrage, confusion, and betrayal. Signs of frustration were everywhere—hands raised, faces twisted in fury, some even pointing toward the council chambers. The tension in the air was thick, almost tangible, like a storm waiting to break. I felt a cold dread settle in my chest, knowing that whatever happened next could either shatter everything or begin the long process of reconciliation.
I opened the window so I could hear what they were saying.
"The Luna knew! She had to know!" someone shouted.
"She pretended that child was hers for five years! She is a liar just like her sister!" another voice called out.
They were talking about me. They were calling me a liar. My heart started pounding, each beat loud and frantic, and panic crawled up my chest until it was hard to breathe. Every whisper felt like an accusation, every raised voice like a verdict already decided.
I threw on a robe and rushed out of my chambers. I needed to find Eclipse and figure out what was happening. She would know what to do. She always knew what to do. She had been my anchor through every crisis, my guide through every lie.
I practically ran through the hallways, bare feet slapping against the stone, dread driving me faster. I burst into Eclipse’s room without knocking. She was packing a bag. When she looked up at me, her expression told me everything had already gone terribly wrong.
"What are you doing? Why are you packing?" I asked.
"Because I need to leave. Now. Before they come to arrest me," Eclipse said calmly.
"Arrest you? What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Dr Lake confessed. She told the Lycan King's investigators everything. She gave them evidence of the bribes I paid her. She gave them the original medical records. She even gave them DNA samples proving Celestia is Asher's biological mother. The tribunal has ruled in Celestia's favor and issued a warrant for my arrest," Eclipse said.
I felt the room spinning around me. Dr Lake confessed. She told them everything. All our secrets were exposed. Every carefully constructed lie, every hidden maneuver, every betrayal lay bare for all to see. The weight of it crushed me, pressing on my chest until I could barely breathe. Eyes darted around the room, whispers erupted, and the air was thick with disbelief. Faces I had trusted, allies and adversaries alike, now looked at me differently—some with shock, some with fury, some with a grim satisfaction that I had finally been caught. My mind raced, trying to calculate the fallout, but there was no escaping the truth now.
"This cannot be happening. You said Dr Lake would never talk. You said she was too scared," I said.
"I was wrong. The Lycan King offered her immunity and witness protection. She took the deal and betrayed us," Eclipse said.
"So what does this mean? What is going to happen?" I asked.
"It means Celestia has been proven innocent. It means the conspiracy to frame her has been exposed. It means I am facing criminal charges for bribery, conspiracy, and perjury. And it means your position as Luna is about to be questioned very seriously," Eclipse said.
"My position? But I am the Luna. Raphael married me. That cannot be taken away," I said.
"It can be questioned. You only became Luna because Celestia was exiled. Now that her exile has been overturned people are going to ask if your marriage to Raphael is even legitimate. They are going to say you took advantage of a wrongful exile to steal her position," Eclipse said.
"But Raphael chose me. He wanted to be with me," I said.
"He chose you based on lies. He thought Celestia was a criminal who tried to harm her own child. Once he learns the truth he is going to realize he was manipulated. And then he is going to resent you for it," Eclipse said.
She was right and I knew it. Raphael had chosen me because he believed Celestia was guilty. If he learned she was innocent and that I had known about the conspiracy all along, he would hate me.
The realization hollowed me out. Everything I had built—my position, my security, my future—rested on a lie that was now collapsing. Raphael’s loyalty had never truly been to me, only to the story I helped protect. When the truth surfaced, so would his disgust, and I would be left facing the consequences alone, with no one left to shield me from his anger or the pack’s judgment.
"What am I supposed to do? How do I fix this?" I asked.
"You cannot fix it. The damage is done. All we can do now is try to minimize the fallout," Eclipse said.
"Minimize it how? Everyone out there is calling me a liar. The pack hates me. And if you leave I will be alone to face all of this," I said.
"Then come with me. Pack a bag and we’ll leave together. We go somewhere far away where the tribunal cannot reach us," Eclipse said.
"Run away? Just abandon everything?" I asked.
"What choice do we have? If we stay we will both end up in prison or worse. At least if we run we have a chance," Eclipse said.
I thought about running away with Eclipse and starting over somewhere new. But that meant giving up everything—my position as Luna, my life with Raphael, the pack, everything I had worked for.
And yet, the thought of staying and facing the fallout terrified me almost as much. Every corner of my life was now tainted with lies. Leaving would be freedom, but it would also be shame. I would have to abandon everyone who trusted me, everyone I had claimed to protect, and step into a world where I was nothing but a fugitive of my own making.
"No. I am not running. This is my home. This is my pack. I am not going to let Celestia take it all away from me again," I said.
Eclipse stopped packing and turned to look at me with cold eyes.
"Again? Celestia never took anything from you. You stole her life. You framed her and exiled her and took her child. She is the victim here not you," Eclipse said.
"I did not steal anything. You came up with this plan. You told me what to do. You are the one who bribed Dr Lake and falsified the records. I just went along with it," I said.
"Oh do not even try that. You knew exactly what you were doing. You wanted Raphael and you wanted to be Luna and you did not care who got hurt in the process. So do not act like you are some innocent victim who was just following orders," Eclipse said.
"You are my sister. You were supposed to protect me. Instead you dragged me into your schemes and now everything is falling apart," I said.
The sting spread like fire across my skin, sharp and burning. My head spun from the force, and I could feel the heat of my own blood rushing to my face. Eclipse’s eyes were cold, unyielding, full of contempt, and I realized in that instant that this was not just anger—it was calculated. She wanted me to feel every ounce of shame, every ounce of fear, every ounce of helplessness, all at once. I stumbled back a step, clutching my face, unable to form words, my body trembling as the world around me seemed to constrict, heavy with the weight of betrayal and looming consequences.
"Listen to me very carefully. I did protect you. I gave you everything you wanted. I made you Luna. I got rid of Celestia for you. I solved every problem you created. And this is how you thank me? By blaming me for everything?" Eclipse said.
"You hit me," I said and tears were forming in my eyes.
"I will do worse than hit you if you do not stop whining and pull yourself together. Yes the situation is bad. Yes we might face consequences. But I am not done yet and neither are you. We are going to fight this," Eclipse said.