[{"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-199":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},923921,1212,"Chapter 199: Unmistakable Doubts","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-199",199,"\u003Cp>Draven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every hit Wanda landed on Meredith, I felt it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not on my body—but somewhere deeper, coiled tight in my chest where it hurt worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And not just the physical blows: I felt her frustration, the rising panic, the sharp sting of betrayal she turned on me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I stood my ground. Forced myself not to move, not to stop Wanda or speak up again. Because that was the only way she’d see the truth: the difference between sparring with me—who pulled every punch—and facing someone who wanted to see her break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the session ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Meredith... she didn’t look at me like I was her husband. Or even her Alpha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked at me as though I was something vile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You might be the greatest King our people will ever have,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you shouldn’t have anything to do with marriage. You’re unfit to be a husband—and you’ve failed in that duty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those words replayed in my head long after her back turned. They cut deeper than any silver blade could. And damn me, I deserved it—even if my intent had been for her sake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As her form grew smaller, I felt something in me twist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d meant to make her stronger. Instead, I had reminded her what it felt like to be alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I kept silent. I let her walk away. Because if she could do that on her own feet, after what she’d taken... then maybe she was already stronger than she realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Meredith was gone, I turned to Wanda.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was wiping a smear of dust from her sleeve, and though she tried to hide it, I saw the slight, victorious smirk tugging at her lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes widened the moment they met mine, and the smirk vanished, swallowed by the usual cool composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t feel anger toward her. I’d known exactly what she’d wanted the moment she’d asked to train Meredith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Satisfied?\" I asked, my voice low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanda’s mouth twitched. \"Not quite,\" she confessed, lifting her chin. \"She isn’t a worthy opponent. It felt like sparring a child.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I exhaled. \"But at least you proved your point to her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tilted her head, studying my face. \"You’re not angry with me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Being angry would mean I regret letting you train her,\" I said. \"And I don’t.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanda walked beside me as we turned toward the house. For once, she kept quiet, her steps measured to match mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the hall, we parted ways silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I headed straight for my study, closing the door behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Meredith’s image refused to leave my mind: the blood at her nose, the way her shoulders hunched as if something heavy sat on them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I leaned against my desk, jaw tightening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You did this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, even through the guilt, something else stirred—a begrudging pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d stayed conscious. She’d walked off the field under her own power. Weeks ago, she wouldn’t have managed that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her stamina and endurance were growing, though she probably didn’t see it yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only she knew...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that didn’t erase the bruises or the hurt in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped over to a tall shelf in the corner and pulled free the old iron-latched first aid box. The white paint on its side was chipped, but the contents inside were fresh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Perhaps this would be a start,’ I thought, ’asmall step to make peace.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the back of my mind, Rhovan stirred—heavy, restless. \"It will take time for our mate to forgive us,\"he mumbled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know,\" I told him silently. \"But we owe her at least this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rhovan huffed, the sound like wind rustling through bone-dry leaves.\"She has a stubborn heart. But I’d rather see it stubborn than broken.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I left the study, the box tucked under my arm, and headed toward the stairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Halfway up, I paused. Descending from above, Meredith’s five maidservants appeared in a single file.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their heads were bowed, their faces pale, uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They nearly walked straight into me before freezing and lifting their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alpha,\" Azul breathed, bowing first. The others followed instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why aren’t you with your mistress?\" I asked, my voice coming out sharper than I’d meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azul swallowed. \"My lady asked us to leave her alone, Alpha.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small pulse of worry thudded beneath my ribs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meredith had never sent them away before, not that I know of. Not these girls, she kept closer than anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant she was in a worse mood than I thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go,\" I ordered them quietly. \"I will see to her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They scattered, skirts whispering against the marble as they fled past me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the third floor, I stopped outside her door. My hand curled around the brass handle, but I didn’t open it yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knocked once and waited, but I was met with silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds later, I knocked again, this time more slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Meredith,\" I called, forcing calm into my voice. \"I know you’re in there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Rhovan’s senses were sharper than mine. And mine were sharper than any human’s, so I tilted my head, listening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The quick rustle of cloth, the scrape of fabric. Her breath—a hitch in her lungs, quickened. Panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My brow furrowed. Meredith was angry with me—she should have been furious, defiant, but not afraid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet what I heard was unmistakable: her heartbeat, erratic and ragged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell is she hiding?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My pulse tightened. I pressed down on the handle and opened the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meredith stood in the middle of the room, her back just turned, but she spun around at the sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hand clamped over her nose. On the floor beside her feet, I saw droplets of dried blood, dark and ugly against the polished wood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what struck me most wasn’t the blood. It was the way she stood: perfectly straight. Too perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, when she’d walked off the training ground, she’d clutched her ribs on the left side, her posture bent by pain. Now, there was nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And even the bruising on her nose—was it gone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My eyes narrowed slightly, searching her face, her shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She should still be hunched over, barely able to breathe. How is she...?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took one careful step forward, scanning every subtle tremor in her expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something about her scent was different, too. Just faintly—but enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell happened in the few minutes since she left me?\u003C\u002Fp>",1060,"2026-06-03T06:41:07.525Z","2026-06-03T06:41:13.871Z",1,"novelbin.me","d0910f9e6e2bfae8eb8c4e6f17c628197886b187668754413f2ad4811df2d2dd","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-200","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-198",685,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-cover.jpg"]