Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Joseph had no answer.

He swallowed hard.

What answer could he offer? Fate? The accident? The gods? None of it would undo the truth.

“Let’s go home,” Joseph said quietly. “Let’s talk to Levi. Let’s hear what he thinks before we decide anything.”

Ethan studied him for a long moment. He could hear the delay in those words, could feel the uncertainty behind them, but he also knew Joseph wasn’t wrong. Levi had always been the firm ground when their world tilted. Deep down, Joseph already believed Malcolm would never honor a deal. Malcolm would take, and then take more.

“Do you know what I think we should do?” Joseph asked carefully.

Ethan looked up.

“I think… we should let Levi run the pack.”

Ethan’s blood ran cold.

“No,” he said immediately.

The word tore from his chest before logic could restrain it.

“He’s the only one strong enough for this,” Joseph insisted. “He’s the only one who can go toe-to-toe with Malcolm if we ever have

1. Ethan, we have to let Levi lead.”

“And what happens to us?” Ethan demanded quietly.

Joseph dropped his gaze.

“We remain Alpha,” he said, but the words sounded hollow even to his own ears.

There was a silence so heavy it crushed the air.

“I do want to fight, Ethan,” Joseph added bitterly. “But I am not you. I am not built like you. If I stay in charge, someone will challenge me and wipe us out completely. It won’t just be our rights on that paper, it will be our lives.”

Ethan closed his eyes.

For the first time, he saw the future clearly, and hated it.

Joseph’s voice cracked slightly when he finally said the truth that had poisoned every decision he’d made:

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“Ashley is pregnant.”

Ethan froze.

The world seemed to tilt on its axis.

“I will soon be a father,” Joseph confessed.

Understanding hit Ethan like a brutal wave.

Fear wasn’t Joseph’s weakness.

Love was.

The fear of loss.

The need to protect.

The terror of failing someone who had done nothing but exist.

“I’m sorry,” Ethan said softly. “I understand.”

“I will agree to whatever you want,” Ethan added quietly. “I won’t fight you on it.”

It was the first time he had said those words without bitterness.

They both looked down at the document Malcolm had left behind on the table.

The words on it gleamed with poison.

Thirty minutes later, Malcolm returned, with a smug smile already tailored to victory.

“That was a lengthy discussion,” he said pleasantly. “So, have you finally signed it?”

Joseph stood.

Slowly, deliberately, he handed the document back.

Malcolm eagerly flipped to the signature page.

His smile faded.

“Whitewood will remain neutral,” Joseph said firmly. “My brother and I will not sign off our rights. There will be no deal. And we

would like to take our leave.”

For the first time since their arrival, Malcolm looked genuinely shocked.

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He had expected submission.

He had expected fear.

Now he saw defiance.

“What if we adjust the terms?” Malcolm offered quickly.

Joseph shook his head. “We asked for synergy. You asked for ownership. That tells us everything.”

Malcolm opened his mouth to argue,

But Ethan cut in coldly.

“I think Alpha Joseph has made his point very clear.”

The emphasis was deliberate.

Then Ethan turned his wheelchair and rolled away.

Joseph followed without another word.

Malcolm was left standing in stunned silence beneath his own gazebo.

Minutes later, Joseph linked their aides and driver.

They would be leaving Ceenas immediately.

They had overstayed.

Five full days away from their pack.

It was time to go home.

And for the first time since the negotiations began…

For the first time since Joseph uttered the word submission…

Ethan felt something dangerous and bright in his chest,

Anticipation.

All he could think of now was Meadow.

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Chapter 67

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Underwater: The Silent Luna