[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave":3,"chapter-the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-153":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},923875,1212,"Chapter 153: Traffic & Rain","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-153",153,"\u003Cp>Meredith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The breeze was warm when we stepped outside, but the sky had changed. The sun was gone, swallowed by thick clouds that dragged across the sky like a warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I was too focused on the fluffy tower in Dennis’s hands to care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Here,\" he said, tearing off a bit of the pink cotton candy and holding it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I plucked it from his fingers and placed it on my tongue. It was sweet, light, and even melting before I could even chew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh...\" I murmured, \"More. I want more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis laughed and bought me another—same pink cloud, bigger this time—before purchasing a blue one for himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took another bite of mine, savouring the sugar dissolving on my tongue. But curiosity won over gluttony. I was suddenly interested in trying his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me try yours,\" I said, without batting an eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Straightaway, he held it out, and I took a small pinch of the blue fluff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mm. Not bad,\" I mumbled as soon as I tasted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A smile appeared on his lips as he watched me. \"I should have known you’d want both.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And I should’ve known you’d still give me both.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We laughed, but then the first drop hit my shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis looked up. \"We need to leave. Rain’s coming.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was right. The clouds were sagging now, darker, heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But first,\" he said, \"I need to grab some things for Draven and Jeffery.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked. \"Let me guess, you are buying something for your brother to bribe him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\" He didn’t even try to deny it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I snorted and followed him back into the ice cream shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t take long. Dennis paid for five plates of assorted flavours and a ridiculous ten boxes of pizza.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really?\" I asked, raising a brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He carried everything himself, arms stacked high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m guessing some of that is for the servants?\" I asked, holding the door open for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They deserve to eat too,\" he said. \"And enjoy Duskmoor from home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside, the drizzle had turned sharper. The kind of rain that hit the skin like flicks of cold fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Give me the keys,\" I said quickly, unlocking the car and opening the back passenger door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Quick, get in,\" Dennis told me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ran around and jumped into the passenger seat, breath caught in my chest. My hair was damp, and my shirt clung tighter to my body than I would’ve liked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis tossed everything into the back, slammed the door, and got in beside me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky had darkened. Wipers swept across the windshield, beating away the rain as Dennis pulled the car out of the parking lot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis’s hands stayed firm on the wheel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So,\" he said, glancing at the road ahead, \"The next driving lesson you should prepare for is driving at night, and in the rain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sounds awful.\" I sighed, wishing I could skip that part. I didn’t say it out loud, though, because it wouldn’t change anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is,\" Dennis replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Traffic met us halfway through town. The brake lights ahead formed a sea of red dots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis sighed. \"We’re going to miss dinner.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I groaned. \"Draven’s going to be mad at me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis tilted his head. \"Call him. Tell him we are stuck, so he understands our situation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached into my pocket, pulled out my lavender phone, and lit the screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I saw three missed call notifications. All from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There are missed calls,\" I said. \"From Draven.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis looked over briefly. \"Call him back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There’s no reception.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He checked his own phone and sighed. \"Nothing here either. My brother’s probably worried sick.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worried wasn’t the word I’d use. The image that formed in my mind was darker. His face—cold, sharp. That quiet fury that made you wish he’d just yelled instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t want to cross him tonight, especially not with my swimming test coming up. And especially not with combat training still hanging over my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Send a text anyway,\" Dennis said. \"Once reception returns, it should deliver.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded, tapped out a short message, and hit send.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’We’re stuck in traffic. Will be late. I will explain later.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another ten minutes passed before the red lights ahead began to move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis shifted into drive and rolled forward slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Grab a pizza box,\" he said. \"And one plate of ice cream. If we’re missing dinner, we might as well enjoy the delay instead of starving for no just reason.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached back and carefully opened a box. The smell hit me first—cheese, pepperoni, warm crust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pulled out a slice and set it between us, then opened one of the ice cream containers and handed him a spoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scooped into the ice cream, then tore off a slice with one hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This,\" he said through a mouthful, \"this makes everything better.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two hours later, we finally made it home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rain hadn’t stopped, but it had softened into a steady drizzle. The lights of the estate shimmered through the wet windshield, golden and blurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we pulled up, I saw him. A single figure, unmoving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heart thudded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even before Dennis said anything, I knew who it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seems like my brother is not in a good mood,\" he said, parking the car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven stood by the front entrance, arms folded, face unreadable in the rain—except it wasn’t unreadable. I could read every inch of that fury from here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wipers slowed, then stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis killed the engine. \"Go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will help you carry—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go,\" he repeated. \"Now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew he didn’t want me to get any more drenched by the rain, but honestly, I would have preferred it to being any closer to an angry Draven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hesitated just a moment longer, then pushed open the door and ran through the rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water soaked into my clothes fast. My shirt stuck. My jeans clung to my legs. My heart pounded, not from the cold, but from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven didn’t move as I stepped under the shed beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said nothing, but his eyes travelled slowly down my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I followed his gaze and saw what he saw—my shirt was now sheer and stuck tightly to my skin. A bit inappropriate. A lot humiliating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, quietly, he asked, \"Why didn’t you pick up when I called?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I met his gaze, swallowed once. \"I didn’t hear it ring. By the time I saw the missed calls and tried to call back, there was no reception. So... I sent you a message.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked. \"You didn’t get it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1102,"2026-06-03T06:41:07.525Z","2026-06-03T06:41:13.871Z",1,"novelbin.me","0611407f775ffc608f8dbe2295ce690389660574516df5901e0ff415f392fb4c","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-154","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-152",685,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-cover.jpg"]