Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Amber paced her wing of the Mansion, her mind swirling with equal parts hope and doubt.

As much as she wanted to believe Ethan meant what he said, that he would try with Meadow, his sudden declaration unsettled her.

Was it sincerity?

Desperation?

Or a calculated lie to buy the girl time?

She wondered if the mutism attracted Ethan to the girl or if it was something else entirely. Silence was safe./Silence did not challenge. Silence did not reject. Silence did not leave.

Maybe that was why he tolerated Meadow.

But attraction? No. That was something time would reveal.

Amber was certain of one thing: Meadow would never choose Ethan if she had a choice.

And because of that, Amber refused, absolutely refused, to allow the girl to remain in Ethan’s life after giving birth unless she was

certain Meadow was genuine.

She returned to her wing, heels tapping against polished marble, and entered her bedroom.

Levi sat at the computer desk, his posture straight, his fingers drumming lightly as he read through documents. He looked up as she entered, his eyes immediately catching the residual anger on her face before it softened.

“Who did you take out your frustration on this time?” he teased lightly, smiling because he could see her temper had cooled.

Amber exhaled, stripping off her jacket as she walked further into the room.

“Ethan returned,” she said, unclasping her necklace with practiced precision. “And apparently, he says he will try with the nanny.”

Levi frowned. “The mute?”

She nodded.

“And you believed him?” he asked, scepticism dripping from every syllable.

Amber shrugged as she slipped out of her blouse.

“Honestly? I don’t know,” she admitted. “He seemed sincere… but Ethan has learned to mask pain well. Time will tell. I just want him back to where he was, back to the man he used to be. He should be leading the pack, not hiding while Joseph handles

everything. Ethan is the true Alpha.”

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Chapter 30

Levi nodded slowly. “Yes. And that would make the mute the true Luna.”

Amber paused.

Technically, Levi was right. If Ethan took back complete control and stepped fully into the Alpha role again, Meadow, mute or not, would automatically become the Luna of one of the strongest packs in the region.

Amber’s eyes hardened.

“Technically, her contract is with me,” Amber said calmly. “Unless he marks her and claims her, she’is nobody.”

She turned and smiled lightly at her husband.

“And I don’t care. You and I should be on vacation by now. We should have been holidaying all over the world after Ethan took over fully. But finding Cain’s murderer was paramount. Everything else was put on hold.”

A shadow crossed Levi’s face at the name.

Cain.

His friend. Her first husband. Ethan and Joseph’s father.

Amber saw the shift and instantly softened, walking over to him. She rested her hands gently on his shoulders.

“We both miss him,” she said softly. “And I’m glad we can console each other and preserve his memory. Thank you, Levi… for

helping me heal.”

She bent and kissed his forehead.

Levi closed his eyes briefly, the pain flickering through him.

“I still can’t understand how anyone could get close enough to Cain to kill him,” he said quietly. “He was a powerful man.”

Amber swallowed. The memory stabbed her every time she allowed herself to think of it.

The image was burned into her, the day they found Cain’s body in the general pack area near the town residence.

A silver blade embedded deep in his chest, the hilt broken off so he couldn’t pull it out. His body mauled by wolves.

The brutality still haunted her.

It had been years, and yet no answers. No clues. No justice.

Amber stepped away from Levi to change into her nightdress. The soft fabric slid over her skin as she lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, her mind refusing to rest.

…

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Chapter 30

She prayed, desperately, for Ethan’s words to be true.

That he really would try with Meadow.

That he would open up again.

That he would allow himself to feel something.

That he would give her grandchildren, not out of force… but out of genuine connection.

But Amber also planned ahead.

She would keep the artificial insemination option open. If Ethan was only lying to buy Meadow time, if this was all an act to pacity her, she would not hesitate to move forward with her original plans.

She would watch them closely.

Every gesture.

Every interaction.

Every sign of intimacy… or lack thereof.

Until Ethan marked and claimed Meadow, something Amber strongly doubted, she would continue to treat the girl as what she

believed her to be:

A live-in nanny.

A contractual surrogate.

A temporary solution.

Not a true wife.

Not a true Luna.

And certainly not someone worthy of her son’s future.

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Underwater: The Silent Luna