[{"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-167":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},923889,1212,"Chapter 167: There Was Nothing","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-167",167,"\u003Cp>Meredith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The walk back to the main house felt longer than it should have.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My arms still trembled faintly from gripping the training sword, and the weight of Draven’s words settled like an ache between my shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I stepped into the hallway, cool stone under my boots, I nearly collided with Wanda.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was pacing—phone pressed tightly to her ear, red-painted lips parted in sharp, clipped words I couldn’t quite catch. Her free hand twisted the edge of her dress, a gesture too raw for the perfectly polished witch I’d grown used to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked up, caught me watching. For a moment, something flickered in her eyes — annoyance, maybe, or something closer to fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she stopped pacing, turned her back slightly, and muttered something low into the phone before hanging up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without missing a beat, she brushed past me, perfume sharp in the air between us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t move or speak. Things were better off this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the day I had warned her at breakfast, Wanda hadn’t said a single word to me. I had no idea that my threats would affect her and keep her away from me for an entire week.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence was easier, cleaner and safer for both of us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upstairs, my room felt like a refuge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door had barely clicked shut before my maidservants descended, eyes wide, voices overlapping:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My lady, how was it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Was it very hard?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did the Alpha go easy on you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I set the practice sword gently against the wall and shook my head. \"He didn’t. And it was... hard,\" I admitted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though I hadn’t expected Draven to easy on me. There was still Valmora watching my actions and attitude towards this training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t afford to slack off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their faces fell a little, worry pooling in their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will shower first,\" I added quickly, peeling off the damp training top. \"On my own.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deidra opened her mouth to protest, but Azul gently tugged her arm, nodding once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warm water stung against the raw patches on my palms and the bruises blossoming along my arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time I stepped out, the steam had settled, and my limbs felt heavy—but lighter, too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azul waited quietly with a small jar of pale ointment. Her hands were careful, cool, and gentle as she dabbed them over each bruise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"These will fade soon,\" she murmured, almost to herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They will,\" I agreed softly, though in truth, I knew they had be gone by evening. My wolf would see to that — even if Valmora still refused to speak most of the time, or show herself fully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I didn’t tell them. I couldn’t until I got a signal from the Wolf Queen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some secrets needed to stay caged a while longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lunch was brought up on a tray: warm bread, roasted meat, a small bowl of broth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My stomach growled louder than I liked to admit, and I cleared the plate quickly, barely tasting each bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deidra, eyes amused and faintly worried, tilted her head. \"My lady... shall I ask for more?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wiped my mouth, nodding, the last of the broth warming my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, but later,\" I murmured, rising unsteadily and walking to the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azul pulled back the covers, and as I lay down, muscles still sore and heart oddly light, I let out a slow breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will eat more... when I wake up,\" I whispered, voice already fading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last thing I felt was Deidra gently tucking a stray lock of damp hair behind my ear before everything went quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>~**Draven**~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The morning sun had risen higher by the time I turned from the training grounds, wooden sword still in hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis fell into step beside me without a word at first, his boots crunching lightly over the gravel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meredith had done better than I had expected. At least she hadn’t dropped the sword. It was a good impression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis cleared his throat lightly, hands tucked in his pockets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Father called me yesterday,\" he said, his voice carrying just enough weight to show it wasn’t a casual mention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My gaze shifted toward him. \"And?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He asked if there was any progress with our plan,\" Dennis replied, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What did you say?\" I asked, my voice even.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I told him there was nothing yet,\" Dennis answered. \"And that we would reach out to him when there was something worth sharing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded once. \"Good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis tilted his head. \"He didn’t sound pleased. But when does he ever?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He can wait,\" I muttered, the words low. \"Rushing it won’t change the outcome. And he was the one who told me to protect you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We reached the steps leading up to the main house. Dennis paused, resting one hand on the stone railing, the smirk he wore earlier replaced by something closer to thoughtfulness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now, he is treating me like some incompetent teenager who can’t handle himself,\" he said, his voice quieter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I met his gaze fully. \"He is only worried about you. And besides, you are his last child.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis nodded once, then his expression lightened. \"Well, brother, try not to break your little wife before you finish training her,\" he teased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go away,\" I muttered, though my voice lacked real bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chuckled, stepping back, and I continued up the steps alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In my bedroom, I stripped off the training shirt, which was damp with sweat and clung to my skin. Then, I turned the water in the shower to cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shock bit into my muscles, washing away heat, sweat, and something heavier: the frustration that lingered under my skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meredith was too thin and too easily winded. Her body wasn’t yet prepared for this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While drying off the water from my body with the big towel, a thought settled into place, sharp and clear:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I wanted her to keep up, it wasn’t just the training. Her diet had to change as well. More strength, more stamina.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would finish a certain portion for every meal of the day. And she would keep eating until her body caught up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d likely argue, but she would do it since the training seemed very important to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I dressed quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time I buttoned the last cuff, the plan had already taken shape: meals were calculated, and training sessions were balanced between strength and technique. Pushing her, but not to breaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would break if I pushed too far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Downstairs, I walked into my home office, morning light falling across the desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Papers waited, reports and requests from the estate, and somewhere among them, the unspoken weight of what came next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shut the door behind me and walked straight to sit behind my desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, I picked up the landline on my right and dialled Jeffery.\u003C\u002Fp>",1146,"2026-06-03T06:41:07.525Z","2026-06-03T06:41:13.871Z",1,"novelbin.me","bfb2cda0f729ab8d59cd2831e8145fc1dcc3ed7407df757321eaf487f5f8dcfe","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-168","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-166",685,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-cover.jpg"]