Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 213

Chapter 213

The sound was soft, but it held shock and sympathy. Ethan felt his own anger stir. A poisoned blade. Cowards always needed extra

measures when honour would not carry them far enough.

“Yes, the poison almost damaged her liver. She is currently undergoing treatment for her liver,” Joseph explained.

The thought made Ethan go still for a moment. Their mother’s liver was failing. Ashley’s liver had almost been damaged by poison.

Too much of the day had circled around that organ, that fragile hidden thing inside the body that no one thought about until it

began to fail. He did not like the strange echo of it.

“We had broken up before then. She shouldn’t have been in the house, but because she said she was pregnant, mother gave her a

room in the south wing,” Joseph said.

They got to Ethan’s door. Meadow opened it, and the three walked into the room.

Seeing the room made Meadow begin to miss their room in the cabin. Ethan saw it on her face before she said anything. The cabin

room had changed something between them. The pictures of her and Ethan had been placed beautifully there, along with the warm

colours that graced the place. It had felt intentional. It had felt like a room where a marriage was trying to become real, where

affection had been given space to breathe. She had felt married there. She had felt in love there. The atmosphere had set the right

mood.

But their room at the mansion was different. It was not ugly. It was not cold in the obvious way. It was homely enough, perhaps, but

it had no character. It was a bit void of emotion. It looked lived in but not loved into shape. It did not carry their story yet. Not the

tender one they had started building in the cabin. Meadow planned to do something about it when everything was over.

Ethan wanted that for her. He wanted her to fill this room with herself. With warmth. With pictures. With colours. With whatever

made her feel that she belonged here not as someone forced into his life, but as his wife, his Luna, his mate.

“Ashley defied me twice, and I knew she would always do it, so I ended it,” Joseph said, explaining his reasons for breaking up with

Ashley to Ethan.

“How?” Ethan asked.

“She was hanging out with Cynthia even after I had warned her not to,” Joseph explained.

Ethan’s eyes darkened.

“That bitch sold us out and then felt bad about it, so she jumped into the fight,” Ethan concluded.

He did not trust Ashley. He could not put that kind of behaviour past her. A woman desperate enough to lie about pregnancy could

be desperate enough to sell information and regret it only when blood touched the floor. Ethan knew pain could make people do

foolish things, but ambition made them dangerous.

“No, she didn’t. If anything, she fed Cynthia with lies so she could feel important. Cynthia caught on and gave her an ultimatum

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Chapter 213

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that if she did not help her get close to you, she would take me from her. The stupid woman bought it,” Joseph said, annoyed that Ashley would think he could date Cynthia.

Ethan listened, but his anger did not fully settle. Ashley might not have sold them out, but she had still played close to danger because she wanted to feel important. That was foolishness with consequences. Sometimes foolish people opened doors that clever

enemies used.

“I believe it was to throw us off her true intention. Cynthia knew Ashley from the academy. Ashley was her junior. Cynthia was also her mentor at the academy. She knew Ashley wasn’t bright. She also knew we did not trust her, and she knew if I asked Ashley what

they were discussing, Ashley would cave and throw her under the bus. Because one thing they were good at was looking out for

themselves. She knew Ashley would not have her back and would spill. So she behaved in a certain way so we would think she was

after you,” Joseph said.

Ethan remained quiet, letting Joseph lay it out. His brother was thinking clearly. Pain had not dulled him. It had sharpened Kim.

“Meanwhile, she was after something else. I think the actual moles are among our workers and the warriors. Although the warriors have shown their actual colour, we do not know which of the workers are for or against us,” Joseph said, explaining everything to

Ethan.

That matched what Meadow had already feared, and Ethan’s respect for her deepened all over again. She had seen the angle before entering the house. She had warned him that the mansion staff might be compromised. Now Joseph was arriving at the same

conclusion from a different side.

“So, how many warriors do you have left?” Ethan asked.

Joseph shrugged, and that small motion told Ethan the answer would be ugly.

“Barely ten, and that was because they were not around during the attack,” Joseph explained to his brother.

Ethan knew they had a lot of work to do. A lot was an understatement. They had a ruined security structure, suspected workers, an enemy on the surface holding false control, a mother in a coma, a ticking clock before Sebastien verified the document, and an unknown bigger power possibly standing behind the whole mess. Ethan only had twenty-five people from his team that he could call to join him. Even if all of them came, there was no way they could defeat the might of their enemies with just thirty-five warriors. And there was also the possibility that they did not truly have thirty-five warriors because some of them might defect.

“We will need help from outside,” Ethan confessed.

Joseph nodded.

“I doubt Sebastien is the one calling the shots, so we must investigate what is happening, too,” Joseph said.

Ethan nodded. That thought had already been troubling him. Sebastien was dangerous, but the operation was too large, too bold, and too well-timed to be only him and Cynthia.

“I thought as much. The magnitude of the operation is beyond Sebastien and Cynthia. If Sebastien were behind it, he would have taken over River pack first to save face after his brother disgraced him. Those two are working for someone. We need to find out

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Chapter 213

who that someone is. We must also investigate the Alpha that forced Dr James and Dr Mark to place silver shards in my back. The

Alpha wanted me alive but incapacitated. That Alpha must be out there too. We have a lot of investigations and training to do, but

we have to keep our heads down and remain meek,” Ethan said.

Saying it aloud made the task feel enormous, but Ethan did not let that show. He could not. Not in front of Joseph. Not in front of

Meadow. They needed his strength now, even if his body was still fighting to catch up with his mind.

“We mustn’t discuss matters in the presence of the workers and use mind links to communicate important things af all times,”

Ethan instructed Joseph.

Joseph agreed.

The old rhythm between them returned a little in that moment. Ethan gave instructions. Joseph absorbed them and prepared to act. It was not the same as before, not entirely, but it was there. Brothers. Pack blood. Alpha and acting strength standing on the same

side again.

“Meadow, can you remember all the good female fighters of your set at the academy?” Joseph asked her out of the blue.

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Underwater: The Silent Luna