Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Ethan wasn’t a light sleeper.

Before the accident, nothing could wake him.

After the accident, pain often did.

But tonight, something else stirred him.

Movement.

Soft at first, then frantic.

He opened his eyes and blinked into the dim room. At first, everything looked the same, the shadows, the stillness, the soft hum of the air

conditioning.

Then he noticed.

Meadow.

She was twisting violently in her tiny bed, legs tangled in the blanket, breath coming out in sharp, panicked bursts. Sweat rolled down her temples. Her fists clenched and unclenched as though she were fighting something he couldn’t see.

He sat up straighter.

A nightmare.

A bad one.

A sudden wave of guilt twisted in his stomach.

Was he the cause?

Was it the silence of the house?

The rules?

Amber?

The marriage?

Him?

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Chapter 14

He hated that he didn’t know.

He hated that he felt responsible.

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He switched on the side lamp, flooding the room with soft yellow light. She gasped in her sleep and jerked hard, whimpering silently, the soundless cry more heartbreaking than any scream.

She was too far for him to reach.

So he used the only tool he had left.

His voice.

“Meadow!” His tone carried authority, the Alpha command he couldn’t switch off instinctively. “Meadow!”

She woke with a jolt, eyes wide and disoriented. Her breath ripped out in shaky, uneven bursts. She sat up, trembling, sweat beading on her forehead despite the cool air.

She wiped her tears quickly, panicked, terrified that she had disturbed his sleep.

Ethan watched her, jaw tightening.

“What is the matter with you?” he snapped, not out of anger, but out of helplessness he didn’t know how to mask.

She bowed her head instantly, shoulders curling inward like she expected punishment.

It irritated him, not at her, but at the conditioning this house had forced on her.

“Talk to me,” he ordered.

And then he paused.

Idiot.

She couldn’t.

She lifted her eyes to him, confused, scared, apologetic, and Ethan felt something sharp pierce beneath his ribs.

So he did something he had practised for three months.

He asked her again… using sign language.

He signed imperfectly, rigidly, but clearly enough.

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Chapter 14

WHAT HAPPENED?

Meadow’s eyes widened so sharply they glistened, and for a split second, her mouth opened in pure shock. She looked as though someone

had handed her a piece of the world she lost as a child.

Surprise. Gratitude. Relief.

They all collided in her expression at once.

Ethan felt heat rush up his neck.

He hated this.

He hated that her reaction made something flutter in his chest.

“Tell me,” he repeated aloud, impatience slipping into his voice because vulnerability always disguised itself as irritation with him.

She looked at the clock.

2:00 a.m.

Then she signed with trembling fingers:

NIGHTMARE.

He studied her carefully, his gaze scanning her red-rimmed eyes, her shaking hands, the way her breath still stuttered.

He didn’t like it.

Any of it.

Without warning, he said, “Come to bed.”

Meadow froze.

She hadn’t heard him correctly. She couldn’t have. She stared at him as though he had spoken in tongues.

He looked impatient.

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

He switched off the lamp.

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Chapter 14

And it happened.

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Meadow rose gently from her small bed and crossed the space between them. Every step was hesitant, unsure. She lay down on the far

edge of the king-size mattress, barely touching the covers, barely breathing, as if afraid her presence would offend him.

The mattress embraced her instantly, soft and warm. Exhaustion hit her like a wave, and within seconds, the nightmare faded from her

bones.

She fell asleep.

Ethan remained awake a little longer, listening to her breathing slow.

He felt calmer knowing she wasn’t twisting in fear anymore.

And for the first time since their unwanted marriage began…

He didn’t feel entirely alone.

In the morning, they went to breakfast together.

Meadow felt something flutter in her chest, a fragile, unfamiliar warmth. She didn’t want to name it, but gratitude tingled through her like a spark. She wondered why Ethan had never shown her he understood sign language. Why he had chosen silence until now.

But she didn’t push it.

Maybe he didn’t want to communicate.

Maybe he regretted learning for her.

Maybe he didn’t want her to depend on him.

So she made herself a promise:

Don’t overstep. Don’t intrude. Don’t take advantage of his kindness.

Breakfast was silent, the usual oppressive air filling the dining hall, but this time, Meadow felt less small.

Until Luna Amber cleared her throat sharply.

“I will be taking you to the doctor today, Meadow,” she said.

Her voice was harsh enough to curdle milk.

Meadow’s stomach twisted instantly. Knots formed so tight she felt dizzy.

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Chapter 14

She knew why.

Pregnant virgin.

Her fate was about to worsen.

“What for?” Ethan demanded, his tone icy.

:

Amber sighed dramatically, placing a hand on her chest as though she were the victim.

“We both know you would never have settled down, Ethan. So technically, I own her. And according to the contract she signed, she is to

carry your babies.”

Meadow’s vision blurred.

She wasn’t ready for this.

She wasn’t ready for motherhood.

She wasn’t ready to be used like livestock.

“What?” Ethan’s voice cracked like thunder. “Are you out of your mind? I agreed to donate my sperm after the accident only for emergencies. Not for you to use however you wish!”

Amber’s eyes glistened with performative tears.

“When you were fighting for your life in the hospital, how do you think I felt? You could have died and left nothing behind. Why do you think I chose her? Because she can give you children.”

Ethan looked sick.

“No one is asking you to fuck her, Ethan,” Amber snapped. “If I wanted consummation, I wouldn’t have picked the mute of the pack.”

Meadow felt the words slice through her.

Ashley, Joseph’s girlfriend, giggled under her breath.

Meadow dropped her gaze, heart shattering, humiliation burning through her invsible wounds.

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Underwater: The Silent Luna