Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23

There was an awkward silence after Meadow left. It sat thick and uncomfortable between the three of them, crowding the air with unspoken judgments. Elaine shifted, smoothing her dress more times than necessary before standing abruptly.

“I should… go. I have chores waiting,” she said politely, but Keith caught the tightness in her voice. Her eyes avoided Ethan’s completely.

He knew Elaine was irritated by Ethan’s cold dismissal of his wife. But he also knew better than to challenge an Alpha, especially a wounded one, so he stayed quiet as she kissed his cheek and slipped out of the cabin.

When the door closed behind her, Keith sank back onto the couch beside Ethan with a long sigh.

“I hope you aren’t being cruel to your wife,” Keith said gently.

Ethan exhaled heavily, rubbing his temple. “I didn’t ask for one. My mother decided I needed a live-in nanny who would not quit.”

His voice held no emotion, just blunt, exhausted truth.

Keith leaned back, studying him. “Still… she must mean something to you if you brought her here. To your sanctuary.”

Ethan’s reaction was sharp and immediate.

His jaw clenched. His shoulders stiffened. His fingers curled tightly around the armrest.

His sanctuary?

The cabin that held the ghost of every betrayal? The four walls that reminded him of every breath he took before the accident? The bed where Cynthia had told him he was worthless?

Ethan’s temper flared hot and dark.

Keith raised his hands. “Wow, okay. I didn’t mean it like that.”

He corrected himself quickly. “I mean, you came all this way with her. You could have stayed at the mansion.”

Ethan shook his head, looking away. “My mother was going to take her for artificial insemination today.” His voice broke slightly, a crack he tried to hide. “I had to think of something.”

Keith gasped. “So soon? That’s beyond cruel.”

“Snuck the clause into the prenuptial agreement she signed,” Ethan said bitterly. “I’m trying to figure out how to get her out of it.”

Keith rubbed his face. “Your mother hires the best lawyers on the continent. Ethan… I doubt you’ll be able to overturn anything.”

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Chapter 23

“I know,” Ethan snapped quietly. “But I have to try.”

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He stared at his own hands, scarred knuckles, veins tense beneath the skin. “I can’t let her ruin the girl’s life. She’s untouched. Forcing

her into this… it’s beyond cruelty.”

Keith softened. “Maybe it’s time you… open up a little. She’s beautiful. Quiet. Gentle. Peaceful. You’ve never complained about her, not

once. Maybe the goddess is giving you… a second chance.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened. His voice was low. Final.

“I can’t. Look at me, Keith. I can’t give her anything. I can’t do anything for her. She’s better off without me.”

Keith swallowed whatever argument he’d been forming. The wall had come down, the one Ethan rarely let anyone see, and Keith knew

better than to keep pushing.

So they sat together in silence for a while, letting the tension soften. Eventually they turned on a sports channel and buried their awkwardness in competitive banter. When they finally got hungry, Keith suggested they break into Elaine’s casserole.

Ethan linked Meadow to come downstairs.

She appeared quickly, footsteps light, expression calm despite the havoc inside her chest. She greeted them with a small bow and began serving the casserole in neat portions. Ethan found himself watching her hands, slender, steady, careful. She moved with the soft grace of someone always trying not to take up space.

He wondered, briefly, if her heart was as fragile as her movements.

They ate mostly in silence. Keith, knowing she was mute, didn’t try to make small talk, which Meadow silently appreciated. When they finished, she reached for the dishes, but Keith stood abruptly.

“No, Luna,” he said respectfully. “I’ll do that.”

She froze, awkward, uncertain, then stepped back and allowed him.

Keith washed the dishes, dried his hands, and kissed Ethan’s shoulder before leaving with a cheerful goodbye.

When Ethan wheeled towards his room, Meadow followed him just far enough to sign:

“Let me know if you need anything.”

His only response was to shut the door quietly.

Inside the room, the silence hit him like a blow.

She had cleaned everything.

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Chapter 23

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The broken frame was no longer scattered across the floor. The shards were gone. Cynthia’s picture was back in the frame, even without

the glass, Meadow had handled it with care.

The sight of that woman’s smiling face snapped something inside him.

Ethan struck the dresser violently, knocking the frame to the floor. It clattered loudly, rolling until it collided with the leg of the bed. His growl was low and raw, vibrating through the room.

He hated this.

Hated the memories.

Hated how easily Cynthia’s ghost could rip him open.

Hated that he cared.

Hated himself most of all.

Tears stung his eyes as a second growl tore from his chest. His wolf, usually fierce, the embodiment of strength, remained silent.

Exhausted. Defeated.

“How much more must I endure?” he whispered to the darkness. “What did I do to deserve this life?”

He collapsed forward, shoulders shaking, silent tears burning down his face. He hated how broken he felt. Hated how far he had fallen, from the most powerful Alpha of his generation to a cripple alone in a dark room, haunted by what he lost.

Just then, his phone rang.

Joseph.

Ethan stiffened. He knew why his brother was calling. He could already feel Amber’s hand behind it, pulling strings.

He didn’t want to answer, but he had to.

Because no matter how much power Joseph wielded publicly, Ethan still owned the pack.

He wiped his face roughly, forced his breathing steady, and answered the call.

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Underwater: The Silent Luna