Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 32

Chapter 32

He even made her do the parts he could handle on his own.

Ethan wasn’t helpless, far from it. He had mastered dressing, undressing, transferring, and manoeuvring his wheelchair without, assistance long ago. But tonight? Tonight he deliberately handed those little tasks over to her. Tasks he didn’t need help with. Tasks

that guaranteed her soft hands would brush against his skin.

And that was precisely what happened.

Every accidental stroke of her fingers sent sparks racing under his skin.

Every flustered breath she released made him swallow harder.

Her shyness, the way her gaze darted away, the way she tried so hard to be respectful, it was adorable. More than adorable. It tugged at something deep in him. Something he thought had died the day his car went over the cliff.

He almost smiled.

Almost.

But he caught himself. He wasn’t ready for her to see that.

He had told his mother he wanted to “try” so he could buy Meadow time, but as he watched her move gently around him, something

uncomfortable and dangerous crept into his chest.

He wondered if he could truly try with her.

There was no denying the attraction. The sight of her earlier, damp skin, soft curves, the towel slipping, had branded itself into his mind. And she didn’t detest him. He could feel the truth of that through their bond as Alpha and wolf.

But he also knew she wouldn’t have chosen him. Not over Joseph. Not over any of the able-bodied men in the pack. Not if she had

truly been free to choose.

Until he was sure she would pick him regardless of circumstance, Ethan refused to let himself fall. He wouldn’t survive another heartbreak. Not after Cynthia. Not after eight more rejections. Not after a lifetime of being told he was now a “has-been.”

But one thing he was absolutely certain of:

He would never let his mother touch Meadow.

Not with syringes.

Not with contracts.

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Chapter 32

Not with her twisted plans.

“Victoria will be here after breakfast,” Ethan said as he manoeuvred onto the bed.

Meadow immediately went to the nightstand, retrieved his tablet, and handed it to him. He wasn’t expecting that. She remembered

his routine. Observed it. Followed it.

It was endearing, and deeply unsettling.

As amused as Ethan was, the realisation sank in: Meadow still saw herself as the nanny. Not the wife. Not even the partner he

pretended she was.

His mother had succeeded in branding her with that role so deeply that Meadow could no longer imagine being anything else.

She climbed into bed cautiously, lying on the very edge, as if she were a guest in her own marriage. Ethan pretended to focus on his

tablet, but eventually her breathing shifted.

Meadow tossed.

Turned.

Whimpered.

And then she began to gasp silently, her lips parting in terror, hands clutching at something invisible.

Another nightmare.

Ethan leaned over and shook her shoulder gently.

“Meadow. Meadow,” he whispered sharply.

She jolted awake, eyes wide, sweat beading at her temples. When she realised she had disturbed him, she immediately signed an

apology.

“Is this how you have nightmares at night?” he asked quietly.

She nodded once. Small. Fragile. Resigned.

He frowned. Hard.

He knew how she grew up, mocked, bullied, dismissed. And those wounds didn’t heal just because someone grew older. Trauma lived

in the bones.

“Do you want to share?” he asked.

Her eyes widened in panic, and she shook her head quickly.

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Chapter 32

How could she tell him that the figures in her nightmares included the brown wolf from her past… and his mother and Ashley

How could she admit that her mind had placed all her tormentors together?

She couldn’t. So she didn’t.

Ethan exhaled, then did something entirely unexpected, even to himself.

He reached for her. Pulled her gently against his chest.

At first she froze, stiff as a board. Touch wasn’t something she ever expected from him. Certainly not comfort. But his warmth…his steady breathing… his solid arm around her… it melted her tension piece by piece.

He smelled like forest and smoke.

Like cedarwood and winter air.

Like safety.

Her body gradually relaxed into him, and her wolf whimpered softly in her mind, a sound she hadn’t heard in years. If only either of

them had a voice to express what they felt.

Ethan stroked her hair slowly, carefully, as if afraid to break something in her. The repetitive motion lulled her, untangling knots of fear until finally, she went limp against him and drifted off.

This time, there were no nightmares.

No brown wolves.

No strangling hands.

Only warmth.

Only breath.

Only the steady heartbeat of the man holding her.

And Ethan… Ethan didn’t sleep either.

Not because he didn’t want to, but because something inside him stirred. Something unfamiliar. Something he didn’t dare name yet.

Morning arrived quietly, golden light spilling through the curtains. Meadow woke first, cheeks flushed from the warmth of his body. She hurried to help him get ready, gentle and obedient as always.

Ethan acted indifferent, but inside?

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Chapter 32

He was replaying the way she slept against him.

He enjoyed every second of their unexpected cuddle.

He enjoyed the scent of her hair.

He enjoyed the way she fit against him like she belonged there.

And one thing was certain:

There would be more nights like that.

A lot more.

He simply didn’t say it aloud.

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Underwater: The Silent Luna