Chapter 64 THE STRANGER UPSTAIRS
Medea's Pov
I followed Eclipse up the stairs and my stomach felt like it was full of rocks. She told me to come over because she had a solution but she wouldn't tell me what it was over the phone and now I was getting really nervous about what she meant by solution.
We stopped at a bedroom door and Eclipse looked at me with a serious face.
"Just listen to everything before you say anything okay?" Eclipse said.
"You're scaring me. What's going on?" I asked.
She opened the door and I saw Derek sitting on the bed. The same guy from before was looking at me but didn't say anything and I felt my skin get all cold.
"Why is he here?" I asked, then started backing away.
Eclipse grabbed my arm, pulled me into the room, and shut the door.
"Sit down Medea," Eclipse said.
"No. Tell me what this is about first," I said.
"Derek is going to father a child that you'll pass off as Raphael's," Eclipse said, as if she were telling me what was for dinner.
I just stared at her because I couldn't believe what I just heard.
"What? Are you completely insane?" I said and my voice came out really loud.
"Keep your voice down," Eclipse said.
"I'm not doing that. That's the craziest thing I've ever heard," I said, my pulse spiking as panic crept in. I turned sharply and tried to get to the door, desperate for space, for air—but Eclipse stepped in front of me, blocking the exit with effortless precision. His presence was calm but unyielding, a silent wall of authority. The room suddenly felt smaller, the stakes clearer. Whatever this was, walking away was no longer as simple as I’d hoped.
"You don't have another option," Eclipse said.
"Yes, I do. I'm leaving right now," I said.
"And then what? The blessing ceremony is in less than a week. The Elders are going to put their hands on your stomach, they're going to know there's nothing there. What do you think happens after that?" Eclipse asked.
I felt my throat get tight because I knew she was right but I didn't want to admit it.
"I'll tell Raphael the truth. I'll explain that I made a mistake," I said.
Eclipse laughed but it wasn't a nice laugh at all.
"You'll explain that you lied about being pregnant with his heir? Do you even know what they do to people who lie about something like that?" Eclipse asked.
"Stop it," I said.
"They'll exile you if you're lucky. If you're not lucky they'll execute you for treason. You lied about carrying the future Alpha, that's not a small thing Medea. That's the kind of lie that gets you killed," Eclipse said.
I looked over at Derek, but he hadn’t moved at all. He was still sitting there, arms relaxed, posture loose, watching the exchange unfold with detached interest. His expression was almost bored, like this kind of confrontation was routine entertainment rather than a surprise. It unsettled me more than anger would have. The way his eyes flicked between us suggested he already knew how this would end, as if he’d seen the same argument play out countless times before and knew exactly which pressure points would be hit next.
"There has to be another way," I said and I heard my voice shake.
"There isn't. I've thought about this from every angle. This is the only way," Eclipse said.
"But I can't do this to Raphael. He's my mate," I said.
"Raphael is going to find out you lied no matter what if you don't fix this. At least this way you actually get pregnant and nobody has to know the truth," Eclipse said.
"This is wrong. You're asking me to cheat on my mate and lie about whose baby it is," I said.
"I'm asking you to survive. That's all I'm asking," Eclipse said and she grabbed my shoulders. "Do you want to lose everything? Do you want to die?"
"Of course not," I said and I felt tears start to come.
"Then you need to do this. It's the only way to save yourself," Eclipse said.
I looked at Derek again and he just nodded at me like he was saying it was okay but nothing about this was okay.
"What if I say no?" I asked.
"Then you go to that ceremony and the Elders expose you in front of everyone. Raphael rejects you. The pack turns on you, you lose everything, and maybe your life too. Is that really what you want?" Eclipse asked.
"You know it's not," I said.
"Then stop fighting me on this," Eclipse said.
Derek finally stood up and walked over to us.
"I can be discreet. Nobody will know. You pay me and I disappear after," Derek said and his voice was rough.
"How much money?" I asked and I hated that I was even asking.
"We'll talk about payment later. Right now we need to focus on timing. You need to actually be pregnant before the ceremony," Eclipse said.
"That's only a few days away. That's not enough time," I said.
"Which is why we need to start tonight," Eclipse said.
My whole body felt cold and I thought I might throw up right there.
"I need time to think," I said.
"There is no time. Either this happens tonight or it doesn't happen at all and you deal with what comes next," Eclipse said.
I stood there and thought about everything I would lose. I thought about being dragged out of the pack house, stripped of my rank and my name. I thought about Raphael hating me, his disappointment cutting deeper than any punishment they could give. I thought about dying alone, abandoned, with everyone believing I was a liar and a traitor. The fear wrapped around my chest, heavy and suffocating, but beneath it was something sharper—defiance. Because if I stayed silent now, I would lose myself too, and that loss felt worse than any exile or death they could threaten me with.
"Okay," I whispered.
"What?" Eclipse asked.
"I said okay. I'll do it," I said louder even though saying it made me feel sick.
Eclipse smiled and touched my shoulder.
"You're making the right choice. The smart choice," Eclipse said.
But it didn't feel right or smart. It felt like I was doing something terrible that I could never take back.
Derek walked closer and held out his hand to me.
"Ready?" Derek asked.
I looked at his hand and then at Eclipse and she nodded at me like I should take it.
I took his hand and it felt wrong—cold, unfamiliar—and in that instant, a chill crept up my spine. The touch carried no comfort, no reassurance, only a sharp sense of inevitability that made my stomach twist. I knew then, with terrifying clarity, that this single choice had set something irreversible in motion. Whatever fragile safety I still had was slipping away, replaced by consequences I couldn’t yet see but already feared. Everything was about to change, and this time there would be no going back, no second chance to undo what I had just agreed to.
Eclipse walked to the door.
"I'll be downstairs. Take your time," Eclipse said, then she left and closed the door behind her.
I was alone with Derek and I wanted to run but my feet wouldn't move.
"We don't have to do this if you really don't want to," Derek said but the way he said it made me think he didn't really mean it.
"My sister says this is the only way," I said.
"Your sister is usually right about these things," Derek said.
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"Because she hired me before. She knows what she's doing," Derek said.
That made me feel even worse because it meant Eclipse had done stuff like this before and I wondered what other secrets she was keeping from me.