Chapter 90 STRATEGIES
Medea’s Pov
"Medea! Someone help!" a voice shouted.
I kept my eyes closed and stayed limp. People were gathering around me and talking in worried voices. I could feel hands checking my pulse and touching my face.
"What happened? Did anyone see?" someone asked.
"She just collapsed. One second she was standing there and the next she was falling," another voice said.
"Get the Alpha. Someone get Alpha Raphael," a third voice said.
I heard running footsteps and then Raphael's voice close to my ear.
"Medea! What happened?" Raphael asked and he sounded panicked.
I let the panic rise, letting it consume me in full view of everyone. My voice trembled, my hands shook, my chest heaved with every ragged breath. All eyes turned to me instantly, concern and alarm spreading through the crowd like wildfire. Whispers of worry replaced the earlier tension about Celestia. No one dared question her now; their focus had shifted entirely to me. I was fragile, frantic, vulnerable, and it worked. My fear commanded the room, pulling attention, forcing care and caution toward me, leaving her secrets untouched in the shadows. Every glance, every frown, every hurried step around me reinforced that I had become the center of their concern.
"Her pulse is steady. She is breathing normally. I think she just fainted from stress or exhaustion. We should get her back to her chambers so she can rest," someone said and I recognized the voice as Dr Stevens one of the pack doctors.
"Is she alright? Is the baby alright?" Raphael asked.
"I need to do a proper examination. Let's get her inside," Dr Stevens said.
I felt myself being lifted by multiple people. They were being very careful with me and I kept my body limp and my eyes closed. I could hear the crowd murmuring as they carried me through the feast area.
We passed close to where Celestia and the Lycan King were standing, and I fought the urge to open my eyes and see her expression. My heart hammered as I imagined what she might be thinking—did she truly believe my faint, or had she already figured out that it was only partly an act? Every step felt heavier, every breath a struggle to appear weak and helpless. I tried to keep my composure, forcing my body to falter convincingly, my movements trembling just enough to sell the illusion. The room seemed to slow, every subtle glance from her or the Lycan King magnified in my mind. I longed for a hint in her eyes, a flicker of doubt or surprise, to tell me whether my plan was working—or whether she saw right through me.
But I kept my eyes closed and let them carry me all the way into the pack house and up to my chambers. They laid me gently on my bed and I could feel Dr Stevens starting to examine me.
"Should we call for Elder Janice?" Raphael asked.
"Let me finish my examination first. If I find anything concerning we will call for the Elder," Dr Stevens said.
I waited a few more minutes and then slowly started to open my eyes like I was just waking up. I blinked and looked around confused and then focused on Raphael's face.
"Raphael? What happened?" I asked and I made my voice sound weak and scared.
"You fainted at the feast. We brought you back to your chambers. How do you feel?" Raphael asked.
I thought about how to answer. I needed to give them a reason for the faint that would sound concerning enough to end the celebration but not so concerning that they would do tests that might reveal I was not really pregnant.
"Dizzy. And my stomach feels strange," I said.
"Strange how?" Dr Stevens asked immediately and he looked worried.
"Like something moved. The baby moved strangely. It felt wrong," I said and I put my hand on my belly.
That was perfect. I couldn’t actually feel anything moving—because there was no baby—but they didn’t know that. To them, every word I said carried weight, truth, urgency. Claiming the baby moved strangely was just vague enough, just alarming enough, to spark immediate concern. Faces tightened, voices hushed, instincts kicking in. It shifted the mood completely, turning suspicion into protectiveness. Suddenly, I wasn’t someone to question—I was someone to shield, to hover over, to handle gently. Their fear did the work for me, wrapping me in concern while quietly pulling attention away from Celestia and everything she didn’t want examined too closely.
Dr Stevens's expression became very serious and he started pressing on my stomach through my dress. I made sure to wince a little as it hurt.
"I am going to call Elder Janice. She needs to check on the baby," Dr Stevens said.
"Is something wrong? Is the baby okay?" Raphael asked and I could hear real fear in his voice.
"I do not know yet. But given what Elder Janice said about this being a troubled pregnancy we need to be very careful. Any unusual symptoms need to be checked immediately," Dr Stevens said.
He left the room and I was alone with Raphael. I stayed lying down with my hand on my stomach and tried to look scared and fragile.
Raphael sat on the edge of the bed and took my other hand in his. His hand was warm and I could feel it shaking slightly. He was really worried about the baby and me.
I felt a flash of guilt. He loved me so much and I was lying to him about everything. But I pushed the guilt away. I had to keep playing this role. I had gotten too deep into the lies to stop now.
"I am sure everything is fine. You just need to rest like Elder Janice said," Raphael said.
"I hope so. I do not want to lose this baby, Raphael," I said and I let real tears form in my eyes.
The tears came easily, slipping down my cheeks without effort, because the fear was real—just not the kind they thought. I wasn’t scared about losing a baby that didn’t exist; that was fiction I had to sell. My fear was deeper, sharper. I was terrified of keeping this lie alive for months, of threading it perfectly through every glance, every word, every sigh. I was scared of the day the truth came crashing down, of the chaos and anger it would unleash when everyone realized I had deceived them all. Every sob carried that weight, raw and honest, even as it concealed the secret at the heart of it.
"You will not lose the baby. We are going to take care of you. You just need to stay calm and rest," Raphael said.
I nodded and closed my eyes again. I heard the door open and footsteps entering the room. Elder Janice had arrived.
"Alpha Raphael if you could step outside for a moment I need to examine Luna Medea privately," Elder Janice said.
"Of course. I will be right outside if you need me," Raphael said.
He squeezed my hand one last time, a silent reassurance, and then turned and left the room. I listened as his footsteps faded, followed by the soft but final click of the door closing behind him. Only then did I open my eyes. Elder Janice stood beside the bed, watching me closely, her posture rigid, her face carefully composed. Her expression was unreadable—neither kind nor cruel, neither approving nor condemning. It unsettled me more than anger would have. I searched her eyes for any hint of what she was thinking, but she gave nothing away, and the weight of her scrutiny settled heavily over me, thick with questions she had not yet voiced.
"How are you feeling Luna Medea?" Elder Janice asked.
"Dizzy. And my stomach feels strange. The baby moved strangely," I said.
"Did it now," Elder Janice said and there was something in her tone that made me nervous.
She placed her hands on my stomach and closed her eyes. I felt that same warm energy from before during the ceremony. She was using her Elder powers to sense for life.
I held my breath and waited. What would she find this time? Would she tell Raphael the truth? Would she expose me right now?
After what felt like forever Elder Janice opened her eyes and removed her hands. She looked at me for a long moment without speaking.
"What did you find? Is the baby okay?" I asked.
"The situation is the same as before. The life force is weak and unstable. You need complete bed rest and no stress. That means no more public events, no more ceremonies. You will stay in your chambers until this pregnancy stabilizes," Elder Janice said.
Relief flooded through me. She was still going along with the lie. She was still protecting the story that I was pregnant.