Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Morning came quietly.

Too quietly.

The light slipped through the curtains in pale bands, brushing softly over the bed where Ethan and Meadow lay tangled in one another. For a brief moment, he allowed himself to pretend that nothing waited beyond this room, no danger, no investigation, no

vanishing witness, no unanswered murder that had haunted their lives for seventeen years.

He wanted to stay.

He wanted to pull the covers over them both and hide from the world.

But he couldn’t.

Duty pressed in from every side.

The witness was now at large.

And the pack was watching.

They dressed in silence, the kind that wasn’t awkward but heavy. Meadow noticed it first. Ethan moved slower than usual, his expressions distant, his eyes fixed on thoughts he hadn’t voiced. She stepped closer to him, trying to catch his gaze, waving gently in his line of sight until he finally blinked and looked up at her.

Are you alright? she signed softly.

He hesitated, just a second too long, then nodded and smiled, the practiced calm returning like armour sliding back into place. He reached for her hand, pressed his lips to her knuckles.

“I am fine, darling,” he said.

She studied him closely.

Then she leaned down and kissed his forehead, slow and lingering, as if pouring her strength into him.

They left the room together.

The dining room was already full when they arrived.

Every seat was occupied.

Which meant, unusually, that everyone had come early.

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Meadow felt the shift immediately. The air was tense, expectant, too carefully controlled. She took her place beside Ethan and/

lowered her gaze to her plate, choosing not to question it aloud.

Luna Amber broke the silence.

“Meadow, how are you feeling this morning?” she asked gently.

Meadow lifted her hands and signed that she was okay. Then, moved by the memory of yesterday’s fear and the way they had all rushed to her side, she added a quiet thank-you, to Amber, to Levi, to Joseph, and even to Ashley.

They accepted her gratitude politely.

Each in their own way.

And then they ate.

Silently.

Utensils scraped softly against plates. Cups were lifted and set down. No one spoke until most of the food had already been consumed, until the question hanging over the table could no longer be avoided.

Levi cleared his throat.

“So,” he said, glancing between Ethan and Joseph, “how did it go? Amber and I did not get any feedback when you returned last night. Did the witness not give useful news?”

Joseph answered calmly, though the weight in his chest had not eased.

“We did not give feedback because we returned late. The witness never showed up.”

Levi swore under his breath.

Amber’s shoulders slumped, sorrow washing across her face once more as if the old wound had been reopened yet again.

“This is exactly why I never made headway in this investigation,” Levi muttered bitterly. “People lie. People disappear. Truth never wants to be found.”

Ethan pushed his chair back.

The quiet scrape of the wheels against the floor cut through the room,

He had no desire to relive the failure. No patience for Levi’s bitterness. He turned away from the table.

“Meadow, come on,” he said firmly.

Levi’s eyes darkened at the dismissal, but before he could speak again, Ethan was already guiding Meadow toward the exit.

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As they crossed the threshold, Amber’s voice brushed against Ethan’s mind through the bond.

Make sure she sees a wolf therapist, Ethan.

He did not respond.

He simply left with his wife.

Behind them, Levi turned his sharp gaze on Joseph.

“What happened?” he demanded. “You’re holding something back.”

Joseph stood slowly. “What I told you is all there is. The man didn’t come. We waited. We left. I’d rather not discuss it further.”

With that, he turned and left the dining room.

Ashley watched him go with narrowed eyes.

Joseph headed straight for his office.

The corridors felt colder than usual. The walls tighter. His mind replayed the empty tavern, the untouched beers, the slow realisation that something had gone wrong before they even arrived. The frustration sat heavy on his shoulders.

Halfway down the hall, his phone rang.

Adam.

He answered instantly.

“Alpha,” Adam said, his voice tight.

Joseph’s heart stilled. “What is it?”

“It’s about Mr Alan Wilde.”

Joseph stopped walking.

The name struck him like a blow.

“Go on.”

“He was murdered en route to the tavern,” Adam continued. “Mauled terribly by wolves. Then his body was dragged into the woods along the side of the road, hidden, like someone wanted time before he was discovered.”

Joseph’s breath left him in one sharp exhale.

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Chapter 92

“Mauled?” he repeated slowly.

“Yes, Alpha.”

“Why would anyone kill him?” Joseph asked, even though the answer already loomed in the silence between them.

Adam didn’t hesitate. “Someone who does not want to be caught. I believe your father’s killers are still at large, and they are watching the investigation. This could be why Beta Levi never cracked the case.”

The pieces slid together with brutal clarity.

The witness hadn’t vanished.

He had been hunted.

Joseph closed his eyes briefly. “Thank you, Adam.”

He ended the call.

Then he dialled Ethan immediately.

Ethan was in the corridor outside his wing when the call came through.

Joseph’s voice was tight when he spoke. “The witness is dead.”

Silence.

Then, quietly, “Dead how?”

“He was mauled by wolves and dragged into the woods. His name was Alan Wilde.”

Ethan’s grip tightened on the arm of his chair.

“So he didn’t stand us up,” Ethan said slowly. “He was killed trying to reach us,”

“Yes.”

The truth hit harder than the disappointment ever had.

“He had the truth,” Ethan said grimly. “And they silenced him.”

Joseph swallowed. “What do we do now?”

Ethan’s voice hardened. “Henceforth, do not discuss witnesses with anyone, not even at the table. The moment anyone comes forward, they get immediate protection. Armed. Discreet. No delays. No announcements.”

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He paused.

“They are watching us.”

Joseph exhaled slowly. “Understood.”

He ended the call.

Elsewhere in the mansion, Meadow stood at the window of Ethan’s room, watching the morning unfold outside.

She didn’t know what had just happened.

But the unease inside her deepened.

And somewhere far beyond the pack walls…

The truth continued to bleed into the dark.

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Underwater: The Silent Luna