The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven

Chapter 198: Bad Timing

Meredith.noveldrama

My hands trembled. Almost by instinct, I tugged at my collar, loosening the robe, and let the cloth slip from my left shoulder.

There it was: the pale, perfect crescent moon mark. The scar of my shame. A cruel reminder that even now, even after finding a wolf, the curse never truly let go.

"Do you see it, Valmora?!" My voice broke, rough with old pain. "Do you see what I’ve lived with every day?!"

"Yes," she whispered. "I see it. But there is more to that curse than you know."

Something in her tone shifted. It was so faint, almost a crack in old marble. But fury still drummed in my ears, and I ignored it.

"Save your riddles," I spat, breath ragged. "I’m not in the mood to listen to them."

Valmora exhaled."The enemies you had before hated you because they believed you were worthless, a disgrace to our kind," she said, slow, heavy with an ancient weariness.

"But those in your future will hate you because you will rise above them all—and jealousy will breed blood."

I nearly scoffed.

Me? Rise above them? I could barely stand up to Wanda, worth more those old men in the council.

Valmora pressed on, her voice growing iron-strong, almost desperate.

"Meredith, you have been chosen by the Moon Goddess for a greater purpose. Do not forget it. You lack mentorship, yes—but if only you will listen, I can help you."

A muscle in my jaw ticked. "Help me?" I repeated, my voice hollow.

This was so funny, yet not so funny. My wolf was seriously cruising with my brains.

"You watched Wanda break my bones today, Valmora! You stayed silent. You could’ve told me what to do. You could’ve warned me!"

"If I spoke to you then, he would know," Valmora murmured. "And if Draven knew, others would find out too. Meredith... what we share is powerful enough to kill us both if it’s discovered too soon."

I wanted to curse at her. Scream until my throat bled, but my rage twisted, tangled in helplessness.

"You’re wasting both our time," I snapped. "Why not tell me everything now instead of waiting until I’m bleeding to death to drop hints?"

Valmora’s silence felt alive, trembling around us.

"Because knowing everything too soon will destroy you, Meredith. Some truths must be carried in stages, or they crush the bearer."

Her words curled, cold and ancient, around my heart.

"That’s a pathetic excuse," I hissed, my voice hoarse. "If you truly cared, you’d trust me enough to share it all."

My head felt so heavy, and my eyes were dizzy.

If I didn’t faint from all those beatings I received from Wanda, then I would surely collapse from conversing with my own wolf.

Valmora was driving me crazy, even to the extent that I felt I was being unreasonable.

Just then, her words dropped into my head, cutting through the throbbing heat behind my eyes and my statement.

"You must be careful, Meredith. Don’t expose me to our enemies. They cannot know about my existence until we regain our powers—and then, no one will be able to kill us."

The way she said it, so calm, so final—it infuriated me.

My pulse spiked. "There you go again!" I snapped inwardly. "Evading my question, throwing out riddles only enough to keep me dancing in the dark!"

But just as I opened my mouth to curse her properly—to tell her to stay out of my head for a week, I felt a sudden jolt ripple through me, and a sharp crack sounded inside my own skull.

Pain, white-hot and vicious, shot through my nose as if someone had slammed it back into place with a hammer.

I couldn’t even scream at first—the air punched clean out of my lungs. Then I did scream, clutching my face, my vision splintering into watery shards.

"Ouch! Damn!"

Stars exploded behind my eyelids. My breath hitched in ragged sobs.

My ribs felt as if something was shifting inside them—bones sliding, knitting together under scalding fire. My skin prickled, burned, then cooled.

The whole thing couldn’t have lasted more than a minute, but it felt eternal, as if I was being torn apart and rebuilt at the same time.

When it stopped, I was left panting, shaking, but—shockingly—without pain.

Slowly, I raised trembling fingers to my nose, expecting to feel fresh swelling, blood, broken cartilage.

Nothing. It was smooth. Whole.

I sucked in a breath—and it didn’t hurt. My chest no longer burned, my ribs no longer stabbed me with every inhale.

In a daze, I tugged at the collar of my training shirt, dragging it all the way down to my waist, staring at my skin.

Where there should have been ugly bruises, welts, purpling marks—there was nothing—only pale, unbroken flesh.

The realization hit me, sharp and heady.

This is the fastest I’ve ever healed. And not only healed, but I felt different. Stronger, somehow.

The ache in my limbs was replaced with a subtle thrumming under my skin, like something coiled and ready.

I barely had time to process it before Valmora’s voice cut in again—but this time, it wasn’t calm. It was panicked.

"Shoot! I’ve been exposed."

My heart lurched. "Exposed? What do you mean? Valmora—"

But before I could finish, there was a sharp knock at my door—and at the same instant, Valmora’s presence vanished completely. Like she had slammed a door shut inside my head.

The knock came again, firmer this time, and then I heard his voice, low, unmistakable:

"Meredith, I know you are in there."

My breath caught in my throat. My heart rattled against my ribs as panic flooded me, tangling with everything I had just discovered.

Now, finally, I understood why Valmora had sounded afraid. She had felt Draven’s presence right outside that door.

And maybe—just maybe—he had felt her presence too.

But what about the evidence of my combat with Wanda today?

My skin was spotless now, and there was no proof left.