Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Amber saw it.

The light in his eyes.

The subtle shift in his scent.

The way something long asleep inside him had stirred because of Meadow.

It unsettled her, and healed her at the same time.

For seven years, she had watched her son fade quietly. Still breathing. Still commanding. Stil! enduring. But never alive. Today, for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, she saw echoes of the man he had once been, the Alpha born of strength, fire, and

impossible will.

She did not want him to retreat into himself again.

So she softened.

“I need to rest, Ethan,” she said gently.

The admission was calculated. True, but also protective. She needed to de-escalate what she could feel building behind his eyes. That stubborn gleam that meant he was ready to defy destiny itself if it came between him and the fragile joy he had just

reclaimed.

He frowned slightly. “That’s not reason enough.”

His voice carried worry beneath the challenge.

“Ashley will do a good job holding the pack temporarily,” he added.

Amber turned slowly toward him and shook her head firmly.

“You are Alpha. And you have accepted your Luna. I will begin delegating my duties to her starting next week. Spend as much time

as you will,”

“I don’t think so, Mother,” Ethan interrupted calmly but with resolve. There was no heat in his voice. No rebellion. Just certainty. “Joseph and I have decided to hand the pack to Levi. You will remain Luna. Levi will jump at the offer.”

Amber froze.

Her shock was visible.

The room stilled around her.

OG

GO

|||

O

1/4

12:00 Wed, Jun 17 DO

Chapter 78

“Why?” she demanded.

The single word carried suspicion, disbelief, and wounded authority all at once.

And in that moment, Ethan realised something important.

Joseph had not told her what truly happened in Ceenas.

So he did.

He told her everything, Malcolm’s arrogance disguised as diplomacy. The predatory patience in his smile. The veiled threat beneath his words. The outrageous demand that would have chained Whitewood beneath Ceenas. The crushing pressure Joseph had bucked beneath. And the moment they finally chose defiance instead of survival.

He did not soften the truth.

He did not protect her from it.

Amber listened in stunned silence.

Her face did not change.

Her breathing did.

Then,

Snap.

The pencil in her hand broke clean in two.

“That bastard!” she roared, surging to her feet. “If it weren’t for your condition, who is he? A bloody underdog who tasted a little fame! I will destroy him if he dares step foot here, destroy him!”

Her rage was volcanic.

Years of restrained fury poured through her all at once.

Her heart began to race.

Her breath shortened.

Dizziness swept in without warning.

The world tilted.

She dropped back into her chair slowly, gripping the armrest for support. Ethan caught the shift instantly.

930

G

O

<

2/4

Chapter 78

“Are you alright?” he asked sharply.

She reached for bottled water and sipped it carefully, steadying herself with practiced restraint.

i

“Yes, dear. I’m fine.”

He wasn’t convinced, but he let it go.

“You must take over the pack again,” she said firmly. “Levi can support you. He was your father’s Beta. He will do anything you ask

Call Keith back.”

Ethan shook his head. “Levi is an Alpha too, mother. He can handle it. It would be like having a father again.”/

The mention of Cain hit her like a blade.

It pierced through anger, strategy, and control in one clean strike.

“No one can ever be like your father, Ethan,” she said, fiercely defensive.

The words came faster than she could temper them.

He fell quiet.

The memory of Cain hung between them like a ghost neither dared to invite fully back into the room.

“If your father were alive, he would have retired by now, and you would still be in charge. I will allow Levi to fill in temporarily. But you and Meadow will take over again. That is final.”

The iron in her tone left no room for negotiation.

Ethan knew it then,

He had lost this battle before it began.

The crown always chose its moment.

They spoke of trivial things after that.

Small things.

Safe things.

The weather. The servants. The stores. The lake. Anything but destiny.

Anything but succession.

|||

O

Г

3/4

Chapter 78

Eventually, he took his leave.

Meadow would be at the lake.

He had ordered it.

The thought of her waiting there, of her laughter by the water, of her quiet joy, pulled at him like a tether tied directly to his heart.

While his face remained unreadable as he wheeled through the halls, his heart was anything but still.

It was restless.

Hopeful.

Alive.

His Luna was waiting for him.

And today,

He planned to make her smile.

He whispered a prayer to the goddess for strength.

For grace.

For the power to protect what he had finally been brave enough to love.

Then Ethan turned toward the lake, pushing away the weight of crowns and destinies for just a little while, so he could reclaim joy

beside his wife.

Comments

LIKE

Write Comments

<SHARE

WO

|||

O

4/4

Underwater: The Silent Luna