[{"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-228":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},924150,1212,"Chapter 228: Council Meeting with the Elders (I)","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-228",228,"\u003Cp>Draven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An hour after breakfast, I was halfway through reading an old scroll on interspecies treaties—something I hadn’t bothered to look at in years—when the door to the study opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeffery stepped in, his tone calm as always, but his words broke through the quiet like a pebble hitting glass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"King Alderic is here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked up, startled. \"Here? In this castle?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeffery gave a small nod. \"Just arrived. He’s with your father in the main sitting room.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I closed the scroll with a soft thud. \"It seems the vampire corpses couldn’t wait for today’s council.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeffery smirked faintly. \"That’s what I figured, too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We left the study together and headed for the main living room. Sure enough, King Alderic was already seated comfortably, deep in discussion with my father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their low voices carried across the space, interrupted only when Alderic caught sight of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah, Draven!\" Alderic rose with a wide smile, hands extended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped forward and grasped his arms in greeting. \"You should have sent word ahead, Your Majesty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No formalities between us,\" he said with a wave of his hand, brushing away the title like lint. \"Besides, I couldn’t wait. You know how long it’s been since I’ve laid eyes on one of those cursed things?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe two centuries,\" I said, smirking slightly. \"And I brought you four.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes twinkled. \"A generous offering.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gestured to Jeffery. \"He will take us to the vault. The bodies were preserved—barely. Not pleasant, but still intact.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeffery nodded and left to prepare the viewing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, Alderic turned to my father, still smiling. \"I knew your son was tenacious, Randall, but this? He’s outdone himself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My father only chuckled. \"You’ve only seen the bodies yet. Wait until you hear the rest.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Jeffery returned, we led Alderic down the stone corridor that curved beneath the estate toward the cold vaults.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air turned colder as we descended—intentionally so. I had insisted years ago that Oatrun’s underground storage could double as war containment if necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was glad now that we’d made the investment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, the temperature dropped further. Frost glistened faintly on the pipes above, and two of my guards stood flanking the large steel vault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeffery opened the heavy door, and a wave of cold air rolled out. Inside were four sealed body bags, laid atop long marble slabs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pungent scent of chemical preservation and death mingled thickly in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the guards unzipped the first bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alderic stepped forward and looked down at the ashen, lifeless vampire face. He exhaled slowly, almost reverently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Moon goddess,\" he muttered. \"I never thought I’d see one again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Their eyes are still red, even in death,\" my father noted, stepping beside him. \"And look at those fangs. Like ivory needles.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They attacked my estate two nights ago,\" I began. \"Ten of them. We killed eight and two escaped.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alderic looked up sharply. \"They were organized?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Coordinated,\" I said grimly. \"One led the others, issuing silent commands. This wasn’t a rogue act—it was recon. A test, maybe. But they failed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Barely,\" Jeffery added. \"We lost two guards. Three injured.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alderic’s expression hardened, his earlier smile gone. \"Then they’re hunting again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My father folded his arms. \"Let them. They chose the wrong prey this time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alderic didn’t say much more. He just stared a while longer, as if memorizing the faces of the dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once we escorted him back up to the sunlit entrance hall, he stopped just before stepping outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will see you at the council, Draven.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will be there,\" I replied. \"And I will make sure they listen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We followed his convoy out to the courtyard, watching as the black cars pulled away toward the other wing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only once the dust settled did I finally turn to Jeffery with a low breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That went better than expected.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeffery shrugged. \"Hard to argue with four corpses and a first-hand account.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By 2 PM, I rode in the lead car beside Jeffery. Oscar and my father were in the vehicle behind us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The convoy pulled into the Council Quarter, a towering circular building carved from old stone and draped in crimson banners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guards posted outside bowed deeply as we passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, the grand hall was already buzzing. Dozens of Elders filled the room with low murmurs and old perfume.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most turned when they saw me enter, some rising in greeting, others simply watching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t care for either of them. Those old men have always been at odds with me for whatever stupid reasons best known to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I disregarded their gazes and thoughts and walked to my seat, sat, and crossed one leg over the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeffery sat beside me, arms folded. Oscar joined him, silent and sharp-eyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reginald Oatrun—Wanda’s father—remained seated across the hall. He hadn’t so much as blinked in my direction since I entered Stormveil. And again, I found I didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My father took his place beside Alderic’s empty seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, at last, the King entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He made no announcement, simply walked to his seat, and sat. The room hushed instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alderic opened the meeting with a brief formal address, then gestured toward me. \"Alpha Draven Oatrun has brought proof of what we all feared. Vampires... have returned.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rose, my gaze sweeping across the semi-circle of high-backed chairs. And then, with a quiet nod, the guards wheeled in the sealed cases—each one containing a vampire body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gasps followed. Some Elders recoiled, others leaned forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"These creatures are no myth,\" I said, my voice cutting through the silence. \"They are not stories. They are walking, killing memories. And they’re back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Murmurs surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the elders, his beard white and eyes sunken, leaned forward. \"Where were these bodies found?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At my estate in Duskmoor,\" I said. \"They attacked two nights ago. There were a total of ten. We killed eight, and two escaped.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the humans?\" another asked. \"Do they know?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They’re chasing ghosts,\" I said. \"Brackham and his faction planted cameras in the woods—watching shadows they don’t understand. They think these creatures are something new. But they are wrong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1019,"2026-06-03T06:41:07.525Z","2026-06-03T06:41:13.871Z",1,"novelbin.me","0601af0bd0e008535bd4bccc26c37ae536d2e9c9a30b80aa899a98f311da55d5","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-229","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-227",685,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-cover.jpg"]