Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Even without a smile, Ashley saw it.

Luna Amber was developing a soft spot for Meadow.

It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t obvious. It lived in the smallest of details-the way her gaze lingered on Meadow a heartbeat longer than necessary, the way her voice softened by a fraction when she addressed her, the way her posture shifted whenever Meadow entered room. To anyone else, it would’ve seemed insignificant.

To Ashley, it was a declaration of war.

And she hated it.

“I thought it would be the two of us,” Ashley said quickly, forcing disappointment into her voice. “I already made reservations at the

restaurant for just two.”

It was a lie.

A calculated one.

There had never been a reservation. There had never been a restaurant. What existed was a precise, narrowing plan-one that did not include Meadow anywhere near Luna Amber without Ashley standing between them like a gatekeeper.

She simply did not want Amber and Meadow anywhere near each other without her control.

“Then make it for four,” Amber said without hesitation. “Include Meadow and her interpreter.”

Ashley’s lips pressed together in irritation. Her jaw tightened before she could stop it. A faint, irritated grumble slipped out-soft, but sharp enough to be unmistakable.

Unfortunately, Amber did not miss it.

“Must I remind you that you are not yet married to Joseph?” Amber snapped sharply.

The shift in her tone was immediate. Cold. Commanding. Final.

Ashley stiffened.

The room seemed to tilt slightly, as though the air itself had shifted its loyalty.

“Meadow is my daughter-in-law,” Amber continued coldly. “She is Ethan’s wife and has more rights in this house than you do at the

moment.”

Meadow froze.

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Chapter 58

The words landed on her like a sudden gust of wind-unexpected, unbalancing. Her chest tightened painfully. Daughter-in-law Rights. The words felt foreign. Heavy. Protective in a way she had never experienced before.

“I may not fully trust her intentions toward my son,” Amber went on, “but she has gotten Ethan to do things I have tried to get him to do in seven years.”

Ashley’s nails dug into her palm.

Her smile never broke. But something ugly passed through her eyes.

“I will not allow you to disrespect her because she is mute,” Amber said firmly. “Even when you marry Joseph, remember this-

Joseph is Alpha because Ethan placed him there.”

The words fell like stones.

The room went silent.

Victoria sucked in a sharp breath.

Ashley felt the weight of that sentence like a slap to the face. Not just a reminder-but a warning.

“You will accord her respect as long as she remains Ethan’s wife.”

Amber turned her gaze to Meadow.

Her eyes were unreadable now. No warmth. No cruelty. Only authority.

“We leave by ten tomorrow,” she said coolly. “We won’t return until evening.”

Meadow stood frozen.

Her mind struggled to catch up with what had just occurred, Luna Amber had defended her. Publicly, Sharply. Without hesitation.

Meadow had gone from invisible to protected in the span of a single conversation.

Her hands trembled faintly as she signed her thanks.

Thank you, Luna.

Victoria translated softly.

Amber inclined her head once-brief and exact-then turned away as though the moment had already passed.

Meadow left the dining room in a daze.

The moment they entered Victoria’s room, the silence shattered.

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Victoria began to pace.

Rapid. Agitated. Worried.

Her steps cut sharp lines across the floor. Her hands dragged through her hair. Her breathing was uneven.

“I think you should text your husband about this outing,” she said quickly. “I don’t trust her. I really don’t.”

Meadow touched her hands gently in reassurance.

Calm down, Vicky. I doubt Luna Amber would hurt me.

Victoria stopped pacing and stared at her.

The look in her eyes wasn’t disbelief.

It was fear.

“I wish I were an optimist like you,” she sighed. “Please promise you’ll let me know if anything happens.”

Meadow nodded.

She didn’t trust her optimism either.

They stayed up talking until late-voices lowered, fears whispered softly into the dark. Victoria spoke of Ashley’s ambition, of pack politics, of women who smiled too sweetly and meant something far darker beneath it. Meadow spoke of Ethan, of missing him, of how strange it felt to be defended by someone who had once terrified her.

Eventually, fatigue won.

Victoria fell asleep first.

Meadow returned to Ethan’s room alone.

The hallway was silent. Empty. Too long.

She closed the door behind her softly and moved through the darkness by memory alone. She changed slowly, deliberately, as

though every movement carried weight. Then she sat on the edge of the bed for a moment before lying down.

The ceiling stared back at her.

She missed him.

Not loudly. Not dramatically.

In the quiet, aching way that refused to soften with time.

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Chapter 58

Then-

Her secret phone rang.

Her heart leapt violently.

Panic and excitement collided in her chest at once. Her fingers trembled as she reached for the phone on the nightstand-and froze

when she saw the caller ID.

Ethan.

It was a video call.

Excitement exploded in her chest so hard she forgot herself.

A squeal escaped her lips.

The sound shocked her.

Her eyes widened in terror as she slapped her hand over her mouth-pure reflex, conditioned deeply by years of silence. Her breath

hitched violently. When she tried to make the sound again, nothing came out.

The phone stopped ringing.

Her heart dropped into her stomach.

Then she noticed-

Three missed calls.

Her throat tightened sharply. She hurried to press call back-

And before she could, the phone rang again.

She answered immediately.

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Underwater: The Silent Luna