The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven

Chapter 205: What I Learnt

Meredith.

It’s been two weeks since that horrible day—since Draven threw me to the wolves, quite literally.

Two weeks since we last spoke to each other.

Two weeks of silence.

Two weeks of pretending the other didn’t exist.

And two weeks since he so conveniently "forgot" about my training.

Not a single word. Not a single look. Not even a flicker of concern from him.

The first two mornings after the Wanda incident, I’d dragged my sore body to the training grounds, determined not to let my anger stop me from doing what I needed to do.

I’d waited there like a fool, clenching my teeth with every second that passed in the emptiness. Just dust and wind and no Draven.

And when I finally saw him that evening at dinner, sitting tall and composed at the head of the table, spooning food into his mouth like everything was perfectly fine, I didn’t ask a damn thing.

Neither did he.

The next morning, it was the same story. Empty training grounds.

That was the last time I humiliated myself like that. If he wasn’t going to show up, I wasn’t going to chase him. Period.

Valmora, of course, wouldn’t shut up about it.

"Be smart, Meredith. Just go back to Draven. He doesn’t need to beg you before you get what you need."

Easy for her to say. She wasn’t the one who stood there bleeding and humiliated while the man she trusted the most watched it happen. And did nothing.

Now I refused. I wouldn’t step back onto those grounds unless Draven came to me first. He had to.

My secret wasn’t half as bad as his betrayal. He broke something in me that day, and I didn’t know if I wanted to fix it.

I was still furious to even consider that possibility because at the moment, death felt easier than going to Draven.

I would rather what was left of my pride remain intact than give it to that big-headed, arrogant man I had for a mate and as a husband.

For the first time in a long while, I felt like the Moon Goddess was terrible at pairing couples.

Maybe Draven and Wanda did deserve each other.

This morning, as I descended the stairs for breakfast, my fingers ran lightly down the polished bannister. My feet were light, but my chest still carried the weight of unresolved rage.

At the base of the stairs, I spotted Dennis.

He stood with his back half-turned, murmuring something into his phone, his voice low and businesslike.

Then, just as I reached the final step, I heard him say something under his breath before pulling the phone from his ear and sliding it into his pocket.

"Dennis," I called gently.

He turned to me with his usual boyish smile. "Good morning, dear friend... And you look so happy this morning."

I walked the remaining steps toward him, the corner of my mouth twitching into a half-smile.

"Morning. You’re the only familiar face in this place, apart from my maidservants, that still makes me happy."

Dennis winced dramatically, peeking around the hallway as if someone would pop out from the walls.

"Are you trying to get me killed?" he asked, grinning. "My brother’s got the ears of a bat."

I shrugged. "Then maybe he should try using them next time someone’s crying out in pain."

We started walking down the hallway side by side, our steps falling into an easy rhythm. It was strange how natural it had become—talking to Dennis, leaning into him like a lifeline.

"Are you free this evening?" I asked.

He glanced sideways at me. "Why? Got a hot date in mind?"

I rolled my eyes. "No. I just thought maybe we could continue the driving lessons."

"You passed those lessons three months ago," he said, chuckling. "What’s this really about? Boredom?"

I sighed, then gave in with a reluctant nod. "And because Draven’s decided to ditch training me altogether."

"Are you sure that’s not because you broke one of his combat rules?" he teased lightly.

I narrowed my eyes at him, only for something in my chest to clench with an awful realization. My heart kicked once—hard.

Did I?

Had missing those two days been that much of an offense?

No. No, that couldn’t be it. But at the back of my mind, I knew it was.

"If he’s punishing me for not showing up the first two days," I said tightly, "then that makes him a cruel man."

My anger started bubbling again, hotter than before.

I’d spent those two days nursing a shattered spirit from a fight he had orchestrated.

"I used those days to heal... to forget how badly he betrayed me. And if he’s mad about that, then maybe he should stop pretending he ever cared about training me at all."

Dennis let out a long breath and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah... He didn’t do right by letting Wanda train you like that. He should have told you. At least prepared you."

"Exactly," I said, grateful for his voice of reason. "You’re the sensible brother."

But then, Dennis lowered his tone and gave me a wary look. "Don’t be mad at me for asking this, okay?"

I blinked. "Depends. What are you asking?"

He didn’t wait. "Did you learn anything from that training?" noveldrama

I stopped walking. My jaw tightened. My entire body stiffened.

"I didn’t get trained," I snapped. "I got beaten."

Dennis held up his hands, chuckling nervously. "Okay, okay, bad phrasing. But hey, you did learn something, right?"

I glared at him. "Yes. I learned that I need to destroy Wanda next time I get the chance."

He laughed, and just like that, the fire inside me dimmed slightly.

We reached the dining hall, and I pushed open the doors, suddenly feeling lighter.

If Draven was going to keep playing silent, I was going to move on and enjoy what little I could. Starting with Dennis. At least he made me feel seen. Heard. Valued.

And with how long it had been since I felt any of those things, I was ready to take whatever I could get.