Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Amber did not want to overthink the shift she felt stirring in her heart, but after breakfast, she knew she could no longer ignore it.

Something had changed between her and Meadow.

Something fragile.

Something real.

Something that frightened her more than it comforted her.

For the first time in years, Amber found herself hesitating, not because she was unsure of her authority, but because she was, was

suddenly unsure of her own heart.

So she decided to take a walk in the garden.

“Come with me,” she told Meadow quietly. “Bring a notepad and pen.”

They would have to settle for written words today.

Rashel’s face fell immediately.

It was only a flicker. Barely noticeable. But Amber noticed it.

And that alone unsettled her.

Amber had learned long ago that danger rarely announced itself loudly. It lived in hesitation. In subtle resistance. In unsaid

thoughts behind obedient faces. She had Levi investigate countless employees over the years, this would be no different. If Rashel meant Meadow well, there was nothing to hide. But Amber would not allow even the smallest crack in her walls where danger could

slip through.

Not now.

Not when everything was so delicately shifting.

As they stepped outside the mansion, the garden greeted them with quiet elegance. Dew clung to petal edges. Birds stirred gently in

the hedges. The world looked peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Ashley hurried after them.

“Luna,” she called.

WED

17

|||

O

く

1/5

Chapter 63

Amber turned slowly.

The irritation in her eyes was sharp enough to cut.

“What do you want?”

“I was hoping to join you both,” Ashley said quickly. “It’s lonely in there without Joseph.”

It was a lie.

A calculated one.

She couldn’t allow Amber and Meadow to bond. If they did, Meadow’s mutism would no longer be a liability. It would become irrelevant. And once that happened,

The Luna position would be at risk.

Amber studied her coldly.

“And what makes you think I would want you to join me?” she asked.

Ashley faltered.

Her mouth opened, then closed again.

“I didn’t see Meadow begging to follow me when I spent time with you,” Amber continued calmly. “Watch yourself. Now, if you’ll

excuse me, I have private matters to discuss with Ethan’s wife.”

The words landed like a slap.

Ashley searched for something, anything, to say.

But nothing came.

Amber turned away with quiet finality, walking forward with Meadow beside her.

Meadow knew exactly what had just happened.

And she had to bite back her laughter.

They walked silently for a while.

The garden stretched wide and lush around them. Roses climbed stone trellises. Lavender brushed their ankles as they passed. The air was thick with damp earth and blooming life.

“Did you enjoy the outing?” Amber asked finally.

17

10

|||

O

Г

2/5

11:46 Wed, Jun 17 O

Chapter 63

Meadow nodded eagerly, her smile bright, too genuine to be strategic.

“That’s good,” Amber said. “I do that every month. I want you with me each time. I want people to get used to seeing that you are a

McCloud.”

Not just Ethan’s wife.

A McCloud.

A name that carried weight. Blood. Power.

They walked several more steps before Amber stopped abruptly and faced Meadow.

“I know you are surprised by my sudden change,” she said.

Meadow’s fingers trembled slightly as she clutched the notepad to her chest.

“What you said during tea touched my heart,” Amber continued softly. “I saw it in your eyes. The fire you carry for Ethan.”

Something in Amber’s posture shifted.

Her spine bowed just slightly.

Her composure cracked.

“I have tried for years to bring light back into my son’s life,” she said. “After Cynthia destroyed him, after she took his heart and

soul and left him empty, I tried everything.”

Her jaw tightened.

“I curse that woman every day.”

Her voice trembled now, not in weakness, but in restrained fury.

“When they were together, you would have thought she’d stand by him no matter what. But the moment he lost his wolf, his power,

his title, she ran. With another Alpha. People call it ‘overwhelmed.””

Amber’s eyes burned.

“I call it betrayal.”

Seven years of bitterness poured out like a wound finally cut open.

“I tried for seven years, Meadow. Every woman I brought to him wanted Joseph. Every single one. From being the most powerful

man in the pack to being forgotten, it shattered him.”

VED

17

000

|||

O

3/5

11:46 Wed, Jun 17

Chapter 63

Her breath hitched.

“I came for you out of desperation.”

She closed her eyes briefly.

“I am sorry for how everything began.”

She placed her hand gently on Meadow’s shoulder.

“The day he went to the lake with you,” Amber said quietly, “I saw something in his eyes that had been dead for years.”

Hope.

Desire.

A reason to wake up.

“You brought it back.”

Her gaze sharpened.

“The tea party was a test. When you defended him, when you didn’t retaliate for yourself but fought me for calling him a cripple, I

knew.”

Her voice broke.

“You didn’t care what it would cost you. You only cared about him.”

Her voice softened completely.

“That is the woman I want for my son.”

She inhaled shakily,

“I may seem cruel, Meadow. But many people have tried to take everything from me. I protect what is mine.”

She stepped closer.

“I am asking you to share that burden with me.”

Then the truth fell.

“I am ill,” Amber whispered. “Two years at most.”

The words struck like thunder.

WED

17

|||

O

Г

4/5

Chapter 63

The world tilted for Meadow.

“All I want before I die is to hold my grandchildren,” Amber said. “You may be mute, but you have the heart and strength of a Luna.”

Her eyes searched Meadow’s face desperately.

“I watched you survive this pack. I watched you warm Ethan. You will be a great Luna.”

Her voice broke completely.

“I will slowly hand my responsibilities to you. Love him. Protect him. And when I’m gone, you and Joseph will be all he has.”

She gripped Meadow’s sleeve with trembling fingers.

“Do not abandon my son.”

Meadow’s vision blurred with tears.

The notepad slipped from her fingers.

She couldn’t speak.

So she did the only thing she could,

She stepped forward, wrapped her arms around Amber, and wept for her.

Comments

1

Write Comments

#00

WED

17

B

<SHARE

|||

О

Г

5/5

Underwater: The Silent Luna