Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Ethan and Meadow remained in the living room for a while after their conversation, each sitting in their own silence. Ethan kept his gaze fixed on the crackling fireplace, pretending to be absorbed in the flames. But every so often, his eyes drifted to Meadow.

She was an enigma.

Soft yet strong.

Quiet yet honest in a way that cut cleanly through any façade.

A puzzle he was afraid to solve.

He told himself understanding her was dangerous. Emotional proximity had been a death sentence once, he wasn’t eager to taste

that pain again. He admired her, yes. She was beautiful, delicate, but not fragile in the way people assumed. And peaceful, so

unbearably peaceful that her presence soothed the jagged edges inside him. It terrified him.

Better to keep his distance.

Better not to want anything.

The sound of tires crunching gravel outside broke the quiet. Ethan glanced through the window and saw the van pulling up.

It was time.

Meadow rose immediately, instinctively going to fetch her bags. Ethan stopped her.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

She turned, signing calmly, “To get my bags. They’re packed.”

He shook his head. “The delta will bring them. Unless you need something upstairs.”

Her lips parted slightly, surprised by the consideration. She shook her head. Thank you, she signed with a small smile.

Ethan looked away quickly, as if the sight burned him.

They headed outside. Meadow assisted him gently from the porch to the van, mindful not to overstep. His wheelchair was automated, sleek and modern, but Ethan preferred to wheel himself manually. He didn’t say it aloud, but she suspected he needed

to feel control somewhere, anywhere.

Her heart warmed at the quiet strength he carried, even when no one acknowledged it.

She didn’t let herself hope for romance. Ethan had never shown even a fraction of that interest. But she appreciated him… respected

him… and she hoped maybe, just maybe, he could be her friend.

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When the van doors shut, the reality of returning to the mansion hit her like ice water.

Her heartbeat thudded painfully in her chest.

Luna Amber.

Meadow tried to swallow the fear, but it lodged in her throat like a stone. Even in Ethan’s presence, terror crept through her body. The Luna’s hatred was too intense, too deliberate.

Could Ethan truly protect her?

She wished she could believe it completely.

She wished she could trust Joseph’s promise.

But Meadow had lived a lifetime in silence, she knew when someone was doomed.

Amber treated Ashley like royalty, though Ashley had not yet married Joseph. The difference was glaring. Amber didn’t see Meadow

as a Luna, or a daughter-in-law, or even a woman. She saw her as a womb. A servant. An inconvenience packaged as a blessing.

No wonder the woman dismissed her worth so easily.

The van rolled along the forest road, bumping over the uneven ground. Meadow stared at her hands, twisting her fingers to keep

from trembling. Her head felt heavy with dread.

Ethan noticed everything.

Her stiff posture.

Her tense shoulders.

Her eyes avoiding the window.

The way her foot tapped nervously against the floor.

He felt her turmoil through their faint pack bond. She was his wolf now, he couldn’t ignore what her fear felt like.

“Tell me,” he said quietly.

She blinked, startled.

She signed, “There is nothing, Alpha.”

He frowned. “We’ve established that you’re brutally honest and incapable of lying. Don’t change that.”

She swallowed, looking away. He wasn’t angry, but his tone made it clear he expected truth.

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Chapter 27

So she gave it to him.

Slowly, she signed, “I am afraid of your mother… but I don’t want you to confront her because of me.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened. He lowered his head, frustration pulsing through him. Because she was right. And he was worried too.

Very worried.

He doubted Beta Adam could control Amber. Joseph had promised to manage the situation, but Ethan knew his mother’s power her

cunning, her manipulation, her ruthlessness.

She didn’t bend.

She didn’t wait.

She didn’t forget.

Ethan closed his eyes for a moment.

“How the hell,” he thought bitterly, “am I supposed to keep her safe from the one person I can’t challenge?”

He looked at Meadow again, watching the fear she tried to conceal, and his frustration deepened.

Because she wasn’t wrong.

Because he wasn’t sure he could keep his mother away from her.

Because he hated feeling helpless, especially now, when Meadow depended on him more than anyone ever had.

The mansion loomed ahead.

And the wolf’s den awaited.

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11:18 Wed, Jun 17

Underwater: The Silent Luna