Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Ethan did not have sleep in mind.

And he proved it.

The night stretched long and slow beneath whispered breaths and quiet desperation. They made love most of the night, not rushed, not restrained, but threaded with urgency that neither of them could quite explain. It was as though something deeper than desire pushed him forward, something fierce, restless, unfinished. He touched her as though anchoring himself to the present, as though afraid if he stopped, the ghosts would find him again.

Meadow clung to him just as fiercely.

Not out of fear.

Out of choice.

They moved together in silence broken only by breath, by soft gasps, by the sound of skin meeting skin. There was no awkwardness left between them now. No uncertainty. Only the fragile certainty of two people choosing to stay, again and again, even in the dark.

They did not fall asleep until early morning.

And throughout their time together, Ethan felt Echo.

Not fully.

Not rising.

But present.

Stirring.

A warmth beneath his skin that answered Meadow in ways it never had before. Each time she gasped his name, each time her body arched against his, Echo pressed closer to the surface, watching, listening, waiting. It was not hunger. It was recognition.

And Ethan wondered why his wolf still refused to emerge.

It haunted him.

His marriage had made him more determined to get his wolf back because he knew, deep in his bones, that was the only way he could genuinely claim Meadow and her wolf.

Not just as a husband.

But as an Alpha.

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That was the only way Ethan could truly protect and defend her.

From outsiders.

From enemies.

From what was coming.

He wasn’t ready to get his hopes up on the matter, not after everything he had lost to hope. But he planned on seeing some specialists quietly, those versed not just in medicine, but in the ancient instinct of wolves. If there was a way to trigger Echo to surface, he would find it.

Whatever it cost.

Their sleep, when it finally came, was deep and peaceful.

For the first time in a long while, Meadow did not have her usual nightmare.

No shadows.

No running.

No silent screams trapped behind her lips.

Only warmth.

Only rest.

They woke in the early hours of the morning feeling refreshed in a way neither of them quite trusted yet. Sunlight stretched lazily through the curtains. Their bodies ached pleasantly. Their hearts felt… lighter. The kind of lightness that frightened them both with how unfamiliar it was.

They dressed together quietly.

Soft laughter.

Small touches.

Lingering looks.

The kind that promised more than words ever could.

They were almost ready for breakfast when Joseph’s voice sliced through Ethan’s mind.

“Do you mind coming to the office? Cynthia is here, and she is demanding to see you and know why you have not signed her papers,” Joseph said, sounding worried.

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But Ethan wasn’t concerned.

Not even a little.

Ever since Joseph had told him on their way back from Ceenas that Cynthia was returning to the pack, he had prepared his mind for this moment. He had braced himself for her voice, her face, her accusations, her tears.

He was ready.

More than ready.

And for the first time, he was not afraid of what she still represented.

Ethan was glad he was carrying Meadow’s scent.

It wrapped around him like armour.

It steadied him.

It reminded him who he was now.

He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Meadow’s temple.

“Excuse me,” he said softly.

She nodded, concern flickering briefly across her expression, and he wheeled himself out of the room toward the Alpha’s office.

The halls felt different today.

Lighter.

But also charged.

As though the pack itself sensed the return of something unfinished.

When he entered, Cynthia was already seated on the couch.

Waiting.

She looked almost exactly as she had seven years ago.

Just a bit older.

A bit sharper.

A bit more careful with her smile.

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Chapter 81

Her beauty was still there, but it was polished now. Controlled. Wielded like a weapon rather than worn like skin.

She stood halfway when she saw him, relief lighting her face as she gave him a familiar smile. But his expression remained hard.

Cold.

Unmoved.

“How may I help you, Miss Davids?” he asked as he wheeled around the desk and placed himself firmly behind it.

The way he addressed her struck like a slap.

It hurt her.

She saw it in his eyes, no warmth, no nostalgia, no tenderness. Still, she swallowed it down. This was the man she had walked out on years ago. She hadn’t expected kindness.

But she had expected something.

Anything.

“Ethan,” she began.

“It is Alpha McCloud to you,” he cut in sternly.

The absolute finality in his tone stunned her.

For a second, she only stared at him.

They hadn’t seen each other in years. They had ended badly, yes, but she had not expected this level of ice. It was almost as though he had erased her from his memories entirely.

Joseph leaned against the wall, arms folded, watching with open amusement now.

She chose to ignore Ethan’s mood.

“I would like to return to Whitewood and be a pack resident,” she said calmly, forcing strength into her spine. “I put in my application three weeks ago, and there has been no response. As a member of this pack, it is my right to be allowed to settle.”

Joseph bit the inside of his cheek.

Barely holding back laughter.

“You left with Alpha Sebastien,” Joseph said. “Did he not absorb you into his pack?”

She shook her head quickly.

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“The biggest mistake of my life,” she said, her voice trembling on the edge of tears. “And I want to forget all about it.”

“So what do you want?” Ethan asked flatly.

His disinterest cut deeper than anger ever could.

She was stunned by it.

He did not ask about her years away.

He did not care what she had endured.

He did not wonder where she had been or why she had returned.

He was only here because she had summoned her Alpha.

“I want to be let back in,” she said finally, looking between them with pleading eyes.

The silence that followed stretched.

Heavy.

Measured.

Even Joseph stilled.

Then,

“Very well, Miss Davids,” Ethan said calmly. “I do not have any issues letting you back in.”

Hope flared instantly in her eyes.

“But,” he continued smoothly, “there are certain rules you must abide by. Not only the pack laws, but my own.”

Her breath caught.

Yet joy still pulsed through her.

She would be allowed back in.

Whitewood would be hers again.

And so would the past she thought she had escaped.

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Underwater: The Silent Luna