Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 194

Chapter 194

Tears streamed down Elaine’s cheeks, but she did not make a sound. That silence hurt him more than crying would have. He gently

let go of her hands, giving her room, and she wiped away the tears with trembling fingers. She looked down for a moment, then

away, as if she needed to gather herself before looking at him again.

Getting back to duty and going to war were two different things. She understood it now. Keith saw the moment the truth settled in her. When he said he had been done with pack matters and fighting, he had not meant meetings, patrols, or helping Ethan sit in hi rightful place again. He had meant blood. He had meant danger. He had meant the kind of life that could make a wife wait by the

door and wonder if her husband would come home.

Elaine breathed in shakily. For a few seconds she looked like she wanted to cry properly, to break, to curse Cynthia and Sebastien

and every renegade wolf who had chosen betrayal over loyalty. But she did none of that. She lifted her chin. Her eyes were wet, but

they were no longer soft.

“If it comes to it,” Elaine managed.

Keith watched her carefully.

“I will fight too,” Elaine said.

He did not know if he should say yes or no. Every instinct in him wanted to refuse. He wanted to tell her no, absolutely not, never,

that she would stay far from danger because he had not married her to watch her walk into war. But another part of him, the part

that had lived long enough inside pack reality, knew refusing would be a lie. If things went bad, everyone loyal would fight. If

Meadow fought, Elaine would have to as well. The women of Whitewood were not ornaments. They were wolves. They loved, they built homes, they healed, they carried burdens, and when war came to the door, they bared their teeth too.

She would need training. That was the thought that came next. Practical. Cold. Necessary. He hoped she would get the amount

required before anything happened. He hated even thinking about it, but he could not protect her by pretending danger would not

reach them.

So he only pulled her back into his arms and held her. He pressed his face against her hair and closed his eyes. For a while, neither

of them spoke. There was nothing to say that would make the truth smaller.

A few hours later, Camila entered the cabin looking happy and glad, and the contrast was almost painful. She came in with the

lightness of someone expecting good news, someone whose mind was still on recovery, healing, and progress. She did not know

what had happened yet. Her husband was with her, so no one was in Whitewood to call her and inform her of the misfortune that

had befallen the pack. No one outside the immediate circle knew Joseph had surrendered either.

The secret sat in the cabin like a hidden wound.

“How is he?” Camila asked, sounding happy.

Keith got up. He had already worn himself down thinking and waiting, but now there was something to do, even if it was small. He

led her to Ethan’s room. They entered quietly, and Keith saw that Meadow had placed a couch by Ethan’s side. The sight of it did

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Chapter 194

something to him. It made the room feel less like a sickroom and more like a place where someone was being loved back to life.

Ethan was awake. More than awake, actually. He looked tired, yes, and pale from the strain his body had endured, but he was smiling. Meadow was beside him, and there was a softness between them that had not been there before. They seemed to be communicating, but Meadow was not using her hands. Keith noticed it immediately. His eyes flickered to her hands, stin and quiet, then to Ethan’s face.

He kept it to himself.

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Underwater: The Silent Luna