Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55

“I’ve spoken to my fiancée,” Joseph said at last, his tone more earnest than before. “She promised she won’t disrespect your wife

again.”

Ethan nodded in acceptatice.

He still didn’t fully trust Ashley, but this was enough for now.

Joseph’s expression turned serious. “I still want you to guard your heart,” he warned softly. “There’s no way Meadow is happy with

the arrangement Mother forced on her.”

Ethan exhaled slowly, a tired, bittersweet sound.

“I’ll have to wait and see,” he admitted. “But… so far, she’s looked beyond my disabilities. She doesn’t even see it.”

Joseph turned sharply, eyebrows raised.

What did that mean?

Something flickered in Ethan’s eyes, a softness Joseph hadn’t seen in years.

“Ethan… did you…?” Joseph gestured vaguely, implying a far more intimate question.

Ethan gave him a flat look and shook his head. He wasn’t the type to overshare, especially about something sacred.

But he didn’t deny there was closeness.

Instead, Ethan said quietly, “Let’s just say… I have a lot to learn.”

Joseph’s eyes widened.

Then his face split into a boyish grin.

He wasn’t stupid. He understood exactly what Ethan meant.

“Well,” Joseph laughed, “I guess she isn’t a live-in nanny anymore.”

Ethan growled playfully, glaring at him.

“She never was.”

They both laughed, actual laughter, the first shared in a long time.

A brief moment of brotherhood untainted by grief or tension.

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Chapter 55

But it didn’t last.

“What do you think about our trip to Ceenas?” Joseph finally asked, steering them back into reality.

Ethan sighed, choosing honesty.

“It’s reckless and stupid. But necessary. We need the treaties to maintain peace. Pack wars are spreading too fast. This is the only

way to ensure we don’t fall into the chaos.”

Joseph nodded, jaw tightening.

“There’s more,” he said reluctantly. “Alpha Malcolm of Ceenas has been expanding his territories.”

Ethan’s head snapped toward him.

That was not small news.

That was concerning news.

“Why didn’t you tell me before we left home?” Ethan demanded, disappointment slicing through his voice. “You withheld vital

information from me.”

Joseph ran a hand through his hair, agitated. “I was busy, Ethan. I’m doing everything, running the pack, handling the warriors, sitting in council meetings. You’re always buried in finances. Adam and I had to make decisions. I don’t enjoy running the pack. I

wish you could take it back.”

The words hit Ethan like a physical blow.

His hands clenched on his lap.

“My wolf has been unable to take over since the accident, Joseph,” Ethan snapped, “How can I run a pack without a wolf?”

His voice cracked, barely noticeable unless one knew him well.

“Do you think I enjoy being in the shadows?” Ethan’s head bowed slightly. “I handed the pack to you so no one would get bright ideas about challenging me for Whitewood. There’s only so much an Alpha who can’t shift can do.”

His sorrow, quiet but suffocating, filled the van like a cold wind.

Joseph closed his eyes, regret flooding him.

Ethan looked out the window again.

He missed running free.

He missed the wind in his fur.

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Chapter 55

He missed Echo, his wolf, more than anything.

Echo had been silent since the accident.

Not gone.

Not dead.

Just… muted.

Sometimes Ethan felt Echo’s presence. A warm pulse. A low growl in the back of his mind. A flash of instinct.

But words?

Thoughts?

Shifts?

Nothing.

Echo had gone quiet the same way Ethan had gone dark.

He hoped, desperately, that his wolf would speak again someday. That he would feel whole again. That something, somewhere,

would bring light back into his life.

But with every passing year, that hope dimmed.

“I’m sorry, Ethan,” Joseph said softly, truly remorseful. “I’ll try to tell you more. I didn’t mean to drag you back into the darkness.”

But Ethan was already there.

He’d been there for years.

Silent.

Wounded.

And afraid the only person who saw him, really saw him, was back at home with tears drying silently on his pillow.

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Underwater: The Silent Luna