Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Meadow was overjoyed about her ring and could not stop staring at it.

The band of silver and moonstone caught every flicker of passing light inside the van, scattering soft reflections across her trembling fingers. She lifted her hand again and again, as if afraid it might vanish if she stopped looking. Her chest felt too full, her breaths shallow with the kind of happiness that ached.

Ethan noticed.

Of course he did.

He saw the way her lips curved into that quiet, disbelieving smile. The way her shoulders kept lifting with silent, shaky breaths. The way her eyes glistened with emotion she couldn’t quite contain. And with every mile that passed between them and the city, a heaviness pressed against his heart.

Not because he regretted the bond.

But because he knew she had been denied the wedding she deserved.

In the van, as the pack escort drove them back toward the Whitemoon mansion, Ethan teached across the narrow space between them. His large hand closed around hers, warm and steady, and he rubbed slow circles across her knuckles with his thumb.

“I am sorry I didn’t do this sooner,” he said gently, his voice low so only she could hear.

Meadow’s eyes lifted to his. The emotion that surged through her at those words broke free at last. Tears of joy spilled down her cheeks, unrestrained and shining. She shook her head softly, her lips trembling into a smile.

It’s okay, she signed.

He smiled back at her, a rare, unguarded smile that made his eyes soften.

They sat the rest of the journey in quiet closeness, her hand still in his, the world outside blurring past the tinted windows. Meadow leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest, the grounding reality of his presence. Whatever storms waited for them at the mansion, this moment, this happiness, was real.

When they arrived in the evening, the sky was already deepening into shades of indigo and silver. The mansion lights glowed warmly through tall windows, a welcoming illusion Meadow both trusted and feared. They separated to shower and change.

Ethan took his time, unconcerned with schedules or ceremonial precision. Meadow, on the other hand, moved with anxious purpose. She washed carefully, braided her hair with trembling fingers, chose a modest but elegant dress in pack colours. Every movement was deliberate. Every breath carried the silent vow she had made to herself.

I will not give them a reason to doubt me.

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Chapter 83

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She slid her wedding band and engagement ring back onto her finger and held her hand up to the light once more before leaving

the room. The sight gave her courage.

Together, they walked to the dining room.

Luna Amber was not yet seated.

The long polished table stretched through the room like a river of dark wood, chairs lined in rigid order. Usually, Amber and Levi ̧ were already in place long before anyone else arrived. Tonight, only Ashley and Joseph sat near the far end.

The absence felt wrong.

“Where is Mother?” Ethan asked as they approached.

Joseph lifted his head. “She wasn’t feeling too well,” he replied. “But she said she is coming.”

Ethan’s brow furrowed instantly. His thoughts returned to the office, to the moment when Amber’s skin had paled and she had nearly collapsed. The image clung to him with unease.

The duties are wearing her down, he thought.

He resolved then that once the tension of the announcement passed, he would insist she go for a full check-up. Luna or not, she

was still mortal.

“Good evening, Alpha,” Ashley greeted.

Her eyes never flicked toward Meadow.

The silence that followed was sharp.

Ethan didn’t respond.

Joseph noticed it at once. He glanced between Ethan and Ashley, sensing the shift in the air. “What is the matter?” he asked quietly.

Ethan’s gaze stayed fixed on Ashley. His voice, when he spoke, was calm, but iron-hard beneath the surface.

“It is unacceptable that your fiancée continues to disrespect my wife,” he said. “Meadow and I are a complete package.”

The word wife landed with unmistakable weight.

Ashley’s jaw tightened. She turned reluctantly toward Meadow, irritation flickering through her carefully maintained composure.

“Good evening, Meadow,” she said stiffly.

Before Meadow could respond, the doors to the dining room opened.

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Chapter 83

Luna Amber entered with Levi beside her.

Conversation stopped.

Amber moved with her usual authority, though there was a faint tightness around her mouth tonight, a touch of pallor/she hadn’t

completely concealed. Her eyes swept the room, and landed on Ashley.

“Luna Meadow, Ashley,” Amber corrected coolly. “You are to address her as Luna.”

The title rang through the room like a bell struck against stone.

Ashley’s breath caught.

The air shifted.

Ethan’s hand curled protectively around Meadow’s at his side. Meadow’s heart slammed painfully against her ribs. Luna Meadow.

She hadn’t been prepared for it to feel so heavy.

Amber took her seat, Levi settling beside her. The entire table followed suit in obedient silence. Then Amber spoke again, her voice

steady and unyielding.

“Ethan has finally accepted Meadow as his wife. And after much deliberation on the matter…” her gaze sharpened, “…even though Ethan is not active, Meadow will be the active Luna of Whitemoon.”

The words fell like thunder.

Ashley’s hand shook violently.

She shoved both hands beneath the table, clenching them in her lap so no one would see the tremor. Her heart pounded so hard it felt as though it might tear through her chest. A storm of emotions ripped through her, anger, fear, resentment, disbelief, and a bitter, crushing disappointment that left her breathless.

Active Luna.

The title she had always believed was hers.

The position she had prepared for, dressed for, endured humiliation for.

Gone.

The room seemed to tilt, shifting beneath her as if the very foundation of her world had cracked open.

It felt like the earth shifted beneath her.

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Chapter 83

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Underwater: The Silent Luna