Chapter 70 INVESTIGATION ACCELERATE
Lucian's Pov
My investigators came to my office early in the morning and they looked excited about something. I could tell they found something important.
"What do you have for me?" I asked.
"We traced those payments to Dr. Lake that you asked about. The ones from five years ago," Marcus said and he was my lead investigator.
"And?" I asked.
“They came from an offshore account,” Marcus said, his tone clipped as he leaned back in his chair. “It took us a while to crack through all the shell companies and false leads, layers designed specifically to slow us down, but we finally traced the money back and found who actually owns it.” He paused, jaw tightening, eyes dark with implication. “Whoever set this up knew exactly what they were doing—and they never expected us to dig this deep.”
He handed me a folder and I opened it. Inside were bank statements and transaction records.
"Eclipse Greyfang," I read out loud.
"That's right. She's been using this account for years. Payments to Dr. Lake. Payments to some shady people we're still identifying. And here's the interesting part," Marcus said and he pointed to another page. "There are recent payments too. Same account. Different recipients."
"Who?" I asked.
"We don't have names yet but we're tracking them down. What we do know is Eclipse has been very active lately. Meeting with people. Moving money around. She's planning something," Marcus said.
"Have you been watching her like I asked?" I asked.
"Yes. We've had a team on her for the past week," Marcus said.
"And what have you found?" I asked.
“She’s been meeting with a man,” Marcus said, lowering his voice as if the walls themselves might be listening. “We don’t have an ID on him yet, but he’s definitely not from the Brazen Pack. From what we can tell, he looks like a drifter—or possibly a rogue trying to stay off the radar.” He slid a few grainy photos across the table. “They meet mostly at her house, late at night, always careful, always inconsistent. Whatever’s going on, it’s not innocent, and it’s being deliberately hidden.”
"How many times?" I asked.
"Three times in the past week. And here's where it gets more interesting. Luna Medea has also been visiting Eclipse's house late at night," Marcus said.
I sat back in my chair and thought about that. Medea and Eclipse meeting secretly. Eclipse paying some unknown man. All of this happening right around the time Medea announced her pregnancy.
"Do you think the pregnancy is fake?" I asked.
"I can't say for sure. But the timing is suspicious. And Eclipse has a history of manipulating situations to get what she wants," Marcus said.
"What about the man Eclipse is meeting with? Any idea what his role is?" I asked.
“Not yet,” Marcus said, shaking his head slightly. “But we’re working on it.” He leaned forward, fingers steepled as he spoke. “We’ve got surveillance photos—clear enough to work with—and we’re running them through every database we have access to. Local records, pack registries, even off-grid sources. If he’s left a trail anywhere, even under a different name, we’ll find him. It’s only a matter of time before something connects.”
"I want to know who he is and what he's doing with Eclipse. And I want to know yesterday," I said.
"We're on it. There's one more thing though," Marcus said.
"What?" I asked.
"We found gambling debts. A lot of them. This mystery man owes money all over the place. He's desperate," Marcus said.
"Which makes him dangerous," I said.
"Exactly. Desperate people do stupid things. If Eclipse is paying him for something and he needs more money he might try to blackmail her," Marcus said.
"Or she might decide he's a liability and get rid of him," I said.
Marcus nodded.
"That's what we're thinking too. Eclipse doesn't leave loose ends," Marcus said.
“Double the surveillance on her,” I said coldly, already reaching a decision. “I want to know everywhere she goes and everyone she talks to.” I lifted my gaze, making sure the order was understood without question. “If she’s planning something, I want to know about it before it happens—not after the damage is done. We can’t afford surprises, not now, not with everything already hanging by a thread.”
"Already done. We've got eyes on her twenty four seven," Marcus said.
"Good. What about Dr. Lake? Have you approached her yet?" I asked.
"Not yet. We wanted to get more evidence first. If we spook her too early she might run or destroy evidence," Marcus said.
"But if we wait too long Eclipse might get to her first," I said.
"It's a risk either way. What do you want us to do?" Marcus asked.
I thought about it. Dr. Lake was the key to everything. She delivered Asher. She testified that he was Medea’s baby. If we could get her to admit she lied, then we could prove Celestia’s innocence and file for custody.
But if Eclipse found out we were close to Dr. Lake, she would do whatever it took to keep her quiet. The woman had too much to lose, and desperation made people dangerous. One wrong step could turn a fragile lead into a death sentence.
"Approach her but do it carefully. Don't threaten her. Just let her know we have evidence of the payments and give her a chance to tell her side of the story. Make it clear that cooperating with us is her best option," I said.
"And if she refuses?" Marcus asked.
“Then we move forward with what we have and hope it’s enough,” I said after a moment. “But I have a feeling she’ll cooperate.” I exhaled slowly, trying to steady my thoughts. “People like Dr. Lake don’t want to go down for someone else’s crimes, especially not when they realize they’ve been used. When fear shifts into self‑preservation, loyalty disappears. And when that happens, the truth usually follows.”
"Understood. We'll reach out to her this week," Marcus said.
"Keep me updated on everything. And be careful. Eclipse is smart and she's ruthless. She won't go down without a fight," I said.
"We know. That's why we're being extra cautious," Marcus said.
After my investigators left, I sat alone in my office and went through the files they had given me, one document at a time. The evidence against Eclipse was piling up—financial trails, inconsistencies, witness statements—but it still felt incomplete. Circumstantial, fragile. No matter how damning it looked on paper, we needed Dr. Lake’s confession to make everything stick. Without her admission, Eclipse still had room to twist the narrative and slip away.
I thought about Celestia and how badly she wanted to get Asher back. She was going to that blessing ceremony hoping to see her son. I understood why but it also worried me.
Raphael was unpredictable and if he caught Celestia anywhere near Asher he could use it against her. Say she was trying to kidnap him or interfere with his custody.
I made a mental note to have extra security at the ceremony. Not just to protect Celestia but to document everything that happened. If Raphael or Medea did anything suspicious I wanted it on record.
My phone rang and it was one of my council members. I answered.
"Yes?" I said.
“Your Highness, we need to discuss the situation with the werewolf Luna,” he said carefully, choosing his words with obvious caution. “Some council members are growing uneasy about your continued involvement in pack affairs.” He paused, studying my reaction. “They believe your actions could be seen as interference, and they’re pushing for clarity—if not restraint—before tensions escalate any further.”
"My mate was wrongfully exiled and her son was taken from her. This isn't about pack affairs. This is about justice," I said.
"I understand that. But there are proper channels. Going to this blessing ceremony could be seen as provocation," he said.
"Let them see it however they want. I'm going and that's final," I said.