Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Everything Ashley had hoped and worked hard for, by scheming, lying, and seducing, had been handed to the mute on a platter.

The thought burned through her veins like poison.

For years, she had played the long game with precision. Every smile had been calculated. Every tear measured. Every flirtation with Ethan’s brothers, cousins, allies, even enemies, strategic. She had endured whispers behind her back, humiliations she swallowed with practiced grace, and nights where she stared at the ceiling convincing herself it would all be worth it in the end.

She had told herself the crown of Luna would make it all mean something.

And now it was gone.

Given to Meadow.

A woman who barely spoke.

Ashley’s chest felt tight, suffocating. She had had the worst week of her life. Nothing had gone according to plan. And she was done, done, playing nice.

“But Luna,” Ashley said suddenly, her voice tight but carefully controlled, “she won’t be able to handle her duty…”

She avoided using the word mute, painfully aware of Ethan’s presence. Even so, the intent behind her words was sharp and

unmistakable.

The room stilled.

Luna Amber turned her head slowly toward Ashley. There was no softness in her gaze now. No indulgence. Only cold authority.

“Being mute has never stopped anyone from greatness,” Amber said calmly.

The words struck like a whip.

The discussion was over.

Ashley bit down hard on the inside of her cheek. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth as she fought the scream rising in her throat. Her nails bit into her palms beneath the table. Her eyes burned, but she did not cry. She refused to give them that

satisfaction.

“I am thinking of taking my wife on a vacation,” Ethan said suddenly. “So I hope the handover can wait.”

Amber’s expression shifted instantly. The stern Luna disappeared, replaced by a mischievous glint in her eyes as she turned to Meadow with a wide smile.

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Chapter 84

“As long as the vacation gives me what I want,” she said playfully, “I can hold the fort while you two love birds go away.”

Her eyes lingered pointedly on Meadow’s stomach.

Ethan stiffened.

“Mother,” he said in a deep warning tone.

Amber giggled like she had been caught being naughty rather than intrusive. “What?” she laughed. “You know how badly I want to see your children. I hope you have twins… or maybe triplets. I want a granddaughter.”

She listed her wishes openly, without restraint, names, imagined curls, tiny dresses, pack celebrations that had not yet come to pass

Listening to her broke Meadow’s heart.

The pain was sudden and sharp, like a blade slipping between her ribs. Amber’s excitement was genuine. So was her longing. Meadow saw the truth clearly, more clearly than anyone else at that table.

You won’t live to see them.

Her throat tightened painfully. Her eyes blurred, but she forced herself to smile, to nod politely, to hide the devastation inside her chest. It seemed she was the only one burdened with that terrible knowledge.

She still hadn’t told the family.

And she didn’t know if Amber ever would.

“Your rings are exquisite, by the way,” Amber said, suddenly softening as she turned her attention back to Meadow. “Palladium suits

you.”

Meadow instinctively rubbed the band and engagement ring gently with her thumb, drawing comfort from their solid weight.

“What surprises me the most,” Amber continued warmly, “is that my son who likes to hide away chose to go out today and spoil his wife. The entire town is talking about you two. I got several calls from people who saw you. I am elated.”

Ethan glanced at Meadow, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“I must commend you for your choice of metal, Ethan,” Amber added. “I am glad you didn’t go for something cliché like gold.”

Her eyes drifted briefly to the golden wedding band on her own finger, the one Levi had given her. And beneath that, the faint memory of another palladium ring from a past life she rarely spoke of.

Levi cleared his throat lightly.

“So,” he said, glancing at Ethan, “how did dealing with Cynthia go?”

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Chapter 84

At the mention of the name, Meadow’s gaze lifted instinctively. Her fingers paused on her ring. Her eyes searched Ethan’s face.

wondering if they were speaking of the same Cynthia.

Ethan’s expression darkened almost imperceptibly.

“There is nothing,” he said firmly. “She wants to live in the pack, and she can, since she is still a pack member. But she is not my

friend, and she is not allowed to address me. I have made that very clear to her.”

His voice hardened. “I am a married man now.”

Levi nodded slowly, satisfied.

Ethan shifted slightly, his hand finding Meadow’s beneath the table. He squeezed gently, as if to reassure her, thinking the mention of Cynthia’s name had unsettled her.

But it hadn’t.

Meadow felt nothing at all.

No jealousy.

No fear.

No doubt.

She understood how dangerous jealousy could be, how it could rot trust from the inside out. And she and Ethan had only just begun their journey together. This fragile, precious beginning deserved protection, not suspicion.

She trusted her husband.

Completely.

Cynthia had made her choice long ago. She had gambled.

And she had lost.

Meadow was Ethan’s wife now.

Meadow was Luna.

And that was all that mattered.

Ashley, on the other hand, felt the final thread of her patience snap.

She sat rigid in her chair, listening to their soft exchanges, to Amber’s laughter, to the ease with which Meadow now occupied the place that had once belonged in Ashley’s dreams. The betrayal tasted unbearable. Every word at the table felt like another nail

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Chapter 84

driven into the coffin of her ambition.

You stole it from me, she thought bitterly, her gaze burning into Meadow’s quiet profile. You didn’t even fight for it.

Her lips curved into a faint, dangerous smile no one noticed.

Dinner dragged on after that.

The food blurred on Meadow’s plate as fatigue and emotion weighed down on her. Conversation drifted from pack matters to town/ gossip, from border patrols to harvest schedules. Meadow followed along silently, nodding when necessary, absorbing everything she could. This was her new reality now. These were the people she would lead.

When the meal finally ended, chairs scraped softly against the floor as everyone rose.

Ethan stood and offered his arm to Meadow.

She took it.

They walked out together.

They finished dinner and headed back

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T Tracy Gordon

how did he stand???

7 days ago

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Underwater: The Silent Luna