[{"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-193":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},923915,1212,"Chapter 193: My Decision","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-193",193,"\u003Cp>Draven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door clicked shut behind Wanda, and the silence that followed felt heavier than it should have.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I leaned back in my chair, the wood creaking faintly under the shift of my weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My gaze drifted over the scattered parchments and a half-emptied crystal glass on the desk, but none of it held my attention now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanda’s words still hung in the air like the echo of a blade drawn in challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me train her. Just one session.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I steepled my fingers, pressing them lightly against my lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could already see the truth behind Wanda’s smooth, honeyed tone. She didn’t want to train Meredith. She wanted to break her—to humble her, humiliate her. Maybe even worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet... I couldn’t dismiss the thought so easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t that, in a way, what Meredith needed too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sat in silence, wrestling the conflicting thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meredith had been showing fire lately at the training grounds—standing her ground, pushing past pain, even trying to throw a punch back at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was just a goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn’t yet faced someone truly ruthless, someone who wouldn’t hold back. And Wanda... Wanda had cruelty carved into her bones like a second nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a quiet exhale, I reached inward, brushing the restless presence coiled deep in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rhovan,\" I murmured across the link. \"What do you think of Wanda’s offer?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stirred, his growl soft but edged with dark amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our mate won’t like it,\"he replied, voice like gravel against steel.\"But perhaps it’s what she needs. To finally awaken something inside her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A reality check, then?\" I prompted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Call it whatever you like,\"Rhovan rumbled.\"Fear can temper steel, Draven. And she must become steel if she is to stand beside us in the storms ahead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My jaw tightened as I let Rhovan’s words settle in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought of Meredith’s face: the soft stubbornness in her gaze, the quiet way she clenched her fists when pushed, the unspoken fear behind her determination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A part of me—too large a part, perhaps—wanted to protect that spark. To keep her fighting, but never truly bleeding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For someone like Meredith—someone without a wolf, still learning her body’s limits—she should train even harder than anyone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To compensate. To survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Perhaps I have been too soft with her,\" I admitted silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t indulgence; it was instinct. But instinct, as Rhovan had reminded me before, could also be a weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a surprise that he stepped back from pushing me to protect Meredith on this one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanda’s suggestion burned like acid in my mind, but even poison could serve a purpose in small doses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought about what Meredith would see in Wanda’s eyes on the training ground: contempt sharpened to a blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What it would force her to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How it might strip away illusions, reveal gaps in her strength, her resolve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She won’t understand at first,\" I reflected, lowering my gaze. \"But better for her to bleed under watchful eyes than to fall in battle unprepared.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another sigh slipped from my lips, rougher this time as I raked my fingers through my hair, then let it fall to the polished wood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very well,\" I told myself, voice quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I will let Wanda train her. But not yet... first, I will watch Meredith today. See if it’s truly needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The decision settled on my shoulders like a heavy cloak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not cruel, I reminded himself. Necessary. It was better to be hardened by an enemy than destroyed by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rose from my seat, the quiet scrape of wood on stone grounding me in the moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My gaze swept over the papers—plans, notes, dark strategies on my desk and I crossed the room and went for the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pulling it open, I stepped out into the corridor where pale sunlight spilt across the stone floors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost at once, I spotted Azul carrying fresh linens in her arms, her steps measured and careful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Azul,\" I called.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned at once, bowing slightly. \"Yes, Alpha?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go to your mistress,\" I instructed. \"Tell her to be ready for combat training by 5 this evening.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azul bowed again. \"Yes, Alpha. Right away.\" Then, she turned and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I waited until she disappeared down the hall, the scent of fresh laundry trailing faintly behind her. Then I exhaled, slowly, deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though I had made my decision, it did nothing to erase the coil of tension in my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This evening, I would observe Meredith closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she showed the readiness I’ve been hoping for, perhaps Wanda’s cruel little game could be avoided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if not...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then it was time for her to face something uglier than drills and soft correction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something that might finally awaken the wolf’s spirit within her, even if no wolf answered back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>~Several Hours Later~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meredith looked determined. Too determined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her brows were drawn tight, and her mouth was straight like a hard line. Every inch of her seemed to be wound around a single goal: landing a hit on me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I saw it instantly. The single-minded focus that blinded her to everything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I circled her slowly, letting my boots crunch over the packed dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Again,\" I ordered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lunged at me aiming a punch my chest. I shifted aside easily, her fist cutting through empty air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Left side. Wide open,\" I said flatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meredith spun, throwing another punch and I immediately blocked it with a flick of my wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Right rib. Exposed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frustration burned in her eyes, but still, she pushed forward, trying to throw a kick to my face with her right foot and then trying to land another punch after failing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped aside again, my hand brushing against her arm to guide her past me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Back. Completely open.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She breathed harder now, sweat dripping down her temple, but her gaze stayed locked on me, still chasing that single moment where she could land a hit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Again,\" I ordered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She came at me, faster this time, swinging wide. I deflected, barely moving. I could have struck her throat, ribs, or stomach a dozen times over, but I didn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meredith kept pushing, anger flashing across her face every time I blocked her. And she hadn’t even noticed the change in my mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, I raised a hand. \"Stop.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She froze, chest heaving, sweat staining her shirt. \"What? I almost had you,\" she shot back just like in our last training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the difference with today was that I wasn’t in that same mood.\u003C\u002Fp>",1084,"2026-06-03T06:41:07.525Z","2026-06-03T06:41:13.871Z",1,"novelbin.me","4eb74f6cdd3d91b591382327c3a661de035372e194f242025386b1694ea56fae","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-194","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-192",685,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-cover.jpg"]