Chapter 104 THE ARREST
Eclipse’s Pov
I was in my room packing the last of my important documents into a bag when I heard heavy footsteps in the hallway outside. Multiple sets of footsteps moving quickly and with purpose.
My stomach dropped. I knew what those footsteps meant before the pounding on my door even started.
"Eclipse open this door immediately. We have a warrant for your arrest," a deep voice called out.
Tribunal guards. They were here to arrest me just like I knew they would be eventually. I had hoped to be gone before they came but I had waited too long.
The cold certainty settled in my chest as their boots echoed closer, heavy and final. There would be no running this time, no shadows left to hide in. Every choice I had made led to this moment, and whether I was guilty or not no longer mattered. The tribunal had decided, and mercy was never part of their justice.
I looked around my room frantically for an escape route. There was a window that led to a balcony and from there I could maybe climb down and run into the woods. It was a long shot but it was better than being arrested.
I grabbed my bag and ran to the window. I threw it open and climbed out onto the balcony just as I heard my door being broken down behind me.
"She is escaping through the window! Go around to the back!" someone shouted.
I threw my bag down to the ground below and started climbing over the balcony railing. The drop was about fifteen feet and I would probably hurt myself but at least I would be free.
I was halfway over the railing when strong hands grabbed me from behind and pulled me back. I struggled and tried to break free but there were too many of them. They slammed me against the cold stone, voices shouting orders over each other. Fear clawed up my throat as restraints bit into my wrists and ankles. I searched the faces around me for mercy and found none, only duty and disgust. The night air smelled of rain and iron, and I realized escape was no longer an option, only survival. My heart hammered wildly as the crowd closed in around.
"Let go of me! You have no right to arrest me!" I screamed.
"We have every right. We have a warrant signed by the tribunal charging you with conspiracy, bribery, perjury, and child abduction. You are under arrest," one of the guards said.
They dragged me back into my room and forced my arms behind my back. I felt cold metal close around my wrists as they put chains on me. Heavy chains that were meant for dangerous criminals.
"This is ridiculous. I have not done anything wrong. This is all a misunderstanding," I said.
"Save it for your trial. You have the right to legal representation and you will be held in tribunal custody until your hearing," the guard said.
They started pulling me toward the door and I dug my heels in trying to resist. I was not going to let them take me without a fight.
My claws scraped uselessly against the stone floor as panic and fury surged through me. Every instinct screamed to run, to break free, to survive. I twisted and lashed out, ignoring the pain as rough hands tightened around my arms. Even if I lost, I refused to go quietly.
"Medea! Medea help me!" I screamed.
I could see Medea standing in the hallway outside my room. She was wearing her nightgown and her face was pale and shocked. She just stood there staring at me like she could not believe what was happening.
"Medea do something! Do not just stand there!" I shouted.
"I cannot help you Eclipse. I do not know what to do," Medea said and her voice was shaking.
"You can tell them this is all a mistake! You can tell them I did not do anything wrong!" I said.
"But you did do things wrong. You bribed Dr Lake. You framed Celestia. You did all of it," Medea said quietly.
Her words felt like a betrayal. My own sister was already turning on me and I had not even been arrested for five minutes.
The sting was sharper than the iron cuffs biting into my wrists, because this was not just fear talking—it was choice. She was choosing distance, choosing safety, choosing herself. I realized then how alone I truly was. Blood meant nothing when survival was on the line, and loyalty was the first thing everyone was willing to sacrifice.
"I did it for us! Everything I did was to protect us and give us better lives! How can you just stand there and let them take me?" I screamed.
The guards were pulling me down the hallway now and I was fighting them every step of the way. Other pack members had come out of their rooms to see what was happening and they were all watching me get dragged away in chains.
"Eclipse please stop fighting. You are just making it worse," Medea called out.
"Do not you dare testify against me! I did everything for us! Everything!" I screamed back at her.
"I am sorry Eclipse. I am so sorry," Medea said and she was crying now.
"Sorry does not help me! You need to stand by me! You need to support me!" I shouted.
But Medea just stood there crying and watching as the guards dragged me away. She was not going to help me. She was going to let me take the fall for everything while she pretended to be an innocent victim.
They pulled me down the stairs and out the front door of the pack house. There was a prison transport vehicle waiting outside with bars on the windows. They opened the back door and shoved me inside.
I stumbled and nearly fell to my knees on the cold metal floor as the door slammed shut behind me with a final, echoing clang. The sound felt like a verdict. Through the barred window, I caught a glimpse of pack members watching in silence, their faces blurred by shame, fear, or satisfaction.
"Get in and sit down," one of the guards ordered.
"Where are you taking me?" I demanded.
"Tribunal custody facility. You will be held there until your trial," the guard said.
"I want to speak to a lawyer. I have rights," I said.
“You will be given access to legal representation once we arrive at the facility. Now sit down and be quiet,” the guard said.
His tone made it clear this was not a promise meant to comfort me, but a formality recited out of obligation. I lowered myself onto the cold bench, anger and fear twisting together in my chest. Whatever waited for me at that facility, I knew it would not be fair, and it would not be gentle.
The door slammed shut and I was locked in the back of the transport vehicle. The guards got in the front and started driving. I looked out the barred window and saw pack members gathered outside watching me be taken away.
I saw Medea standing on the steps of the pack house still crying. She looked lost and scared without me there to tell her what to do. Good. She should be scared. She had just betrayed her own sister.
The drive to the tribunal facility took about two hours. We left Brazen Pack territory and drove through several other territories until we reached a large stone building that looked like a fortress.
The guards pulled me out of the vehicle and marched me inside. The building was cold and dark and smelled like mildew. They took me to a processing area where they removed my chains long enough to take my photograph and fingerprints.
"Name," a guard behind a desk asked.
"Eclipse," I said.
"Full name," the guard said.
"Eclipse Winters," I said.
"You are being charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, bribery of a medical professional, perjury before a tribunal, and child abduction. Do you understand these charges?" the guard asked.
"I understand them but I do not accept them. I am innocent," I said.
"That is what they all say. You will have an opportunity to present your defense at trial. Until then you will be held here in custody," the guard said.