Underwater: The Silent Luna novel Chapter 118

Chapter 118

Keith felt his chest tighten for Meadow at once.

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That made terrible sense. A body could fail in certain ways, yes, but there had always been something unusual about Meadow’s condition.

something too tangled, too selective, too strange to fit neatly into biology alone. The fact that both she and her wolf seemed affected

made it sadder somehow, more complicated. He wondered, not for the first time, what she must have endured to be like this. What kind of

pain could bind a voice that completely. What kind of damage could sink so deep even the wolf carried it.

He did not ask those questions aloud.

He only hoped the therapist could help her. Sort some of it out. Untangle whatever had been knotted inside her for so long.

By the time they sat down to eat, the mood stayed warm.

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Keith told Elaine about Ethan’s request while they were at the table, and Elaine’s face lit up immediately. She was genuinely delighted by

the idea of staying. That alone soothed some small worry Ethan had not admitted. He had offered because Meadow seemed comfortable

with her, and because he liked Keith nearby, but he had also worried he might be overstepping for Meadow’s sake. So when Elaine reacted

with happiness, Ethan instinctively looked at Meadow to make sure.

He needed to know her face.

Needed to know whether she felt cornered or upset or left out of the choice.

He reached across and squeezed her hand gently under the small noise of the meal. Meadow looked at him at once. He searched her face.

She understood what he was asking without him needing to sign or speak. She smiled and squeezed back, reassuring him immediately.

She was fine.

More than fine.

She liked the company too.

It was different from Victoria. With Victoria there was still awkwardness, too much history between all of them, too many complications

and alliances and shifts in feeling. But with Elaine it did not feel heavy. Meadow sensed no hidden contempt. No false sweetness hiding a

sharp blade. Unlike Ashley, whose presence always made something inside Meadow pull back, Elaine gave her no bad feeling. She seemed

kind. Simple in the best way. The kind of woman Meadow believed could become real company, not just tolerated company.

By the time dinner ended, the plan was settled.

Keith and Elaine would move in the next day.

11

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They helped with the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, moved around the cabin like people already making themselves useful and comfortable,

and when they finally left for the night, the cabin seemed to hold onto some of that warmth even after the door closed behind them.

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Chapter 118

Ethan and Meadow retired to bed after that, tired in a pleasant way and ready for the next day.

The next morning did not begin early.

It was not meant to.

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They overslept, and Ethan had no regret about it at all. That had been the point of coming here in the first place. To step away. To

breathe. To spend time with his wife without schedules and interruptions and people demanding pieces of him all the time. If

oversleeping happened, then good. Let it happen. He wanted those lazy hours. Wanted the slowness. Wanted the feeling of waking beside

Meadow without urgency waiting at the edge of the bed.

They showered.

Then they made love again.

||||

After that, when they finally left the room and stepped out, Ethan was surprised to find Keith and Elaine had already moved in and, more

than that, had made breakfast.

The table was set.

Food everywhere. Real food. Delicious food. The kind that made the room smell rich and welcoming and impossible to ignore. Meadow’s

face brightened the second she saw it. She smiled so openly Ethan nearly laughed. She sat down almost at once, clearly ready to eat

before anyone even finished greeting each other, and that alone amused everyone.

Keith mentioned the doctor then.

“She said she will be here tomorrow.”

Ethan nodded, but inside him two things rose at once.

One was eagerness for Meadow. He wanted her treatment to begin. Wanted answers. Wanted movement. Wanted some chance, any chance,

that her voice could be reached and brought back to her properly. The other was more private. More selfish, maybe. He wanted his wolf

back too.

The sensation in his upper thighs was still there.

Faint, but present. Enough to keep hope alive. Meadow had been helping him with the exercises. Dutifully. Carefully. As she should. That

had to be part of it. The therapy, the stimulation, the consistency. But even with that, Ethan still could not shake what Echo had said.

However brief it had been, he knew he had not imagined it. His wolf had spoken. Weakly. Faintly. But truly. That changed everything,

After breakfast, Ethan wanted more than the safety of the cabin walls,

He wanted Meadow outside.

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Chapter 118

He wanted Nightshade outside.

The urge came from somewhere deeper than curiosity. He had felt Echo stir at the sound of Nightshade’s name before. He had felt the

difference in himself whenever he was close to Meadow in certain ways. He wanted to test that connection. Feel it again. See what it

meant.

So he leaned closer to her, took her hand, and squeezed it with warmth.

“I do not know if this will be too much to ask of you, but do you mind allowing Nightshade to play in the woods? I will be with you out

there. Trust me, the woods are safe.”

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Meadow lit up.

That was the only way to describe it. Her whole face changed. She had missed shifting. Missed it terribly. Because she was mute, because

her wolf had been dismissed as useless, because she had been kept outside too many things, she had never really been invited into the joy

wolves were supposed to know. No one called for her when there were runs. No one looked to her when there was hunting or playing or

those half-wild moments of freedom pack wolves often shared. Even in school activities, shifting had been obligation more than joy. It

had never truly belonged to her the way it should have.

“I would love to.”

She signed it quickly, almost before he finished looking at her.

Ethan nodded and linked Keith, informing him they were heading into the woods. Just in case they took too long. Just in case they needed

anything. Keith already knew the paths and the layout better than Ethan ever would, and Ethan did not like moving into spaces without

making sure someone knew where he was.

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12:01 Wed, Jun 17

Underwater: The Silent Luna