[{"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-269":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},923953,1212,"Chapter 269: What Took Me Long","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-269",269,"\u003Cp>Draven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I waited for a beat before revealing, \"Wanda has been feeding information to her father—information about my affairs. She betrayed this house.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, silence fell heavy in the room. Wanda’s breath hitched, but she didn’t dare speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis and Jeffery’s eyes widened, a flash of shock they couldn’t fully hide. But beyond that brief lapse, they betrayed nothing more—no outrage, no pity. They only listened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tomorrow morning,\" I continued, my tone flat, final, \"she will be leaving for Stormveil. For good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weight of my words settled in the air like a blade driven into the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I caught the briefest glance exchanged between Dennis and Jeffery, the barest flicker of surprise again—but, as expected of them, they schooled their features into calm professionalism almost instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let the silence stretch, heavy as stone. Wanda stood rigid, eyes wet, hope clinging to her like a dying ember. I didn’t indulge her. Instead, my voice cut through the stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wanda,\" I said evenly, \"submit every credit and access card of mine in your possession. And your Duskmoor ID. Now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her lips parted, disbelief flashing across her face, but she didn’t dare protest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I shifted my gaze to Dennis. \"Follow her. Collect them from her personally. And instruct someone to keep eyes on her until she leaves tomorrow morning.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt her stare on me—pleading, desperate. I turned, meeting her pitiful gaze head-on, and finished, \"I no longer trust her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words stripped her bare, and she flinched as though struck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning next to Jeffery, I gave my next command. \"Arrange a car and chauffeur. She departs for Stormveil at first light.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No!\" The word broke out of her before she could stop it. Wanda took a small step forward, trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Draven, please—listen to me. I’ve been faithful to you. I’ve worked tirelessly at your side, supported you when no one else would. Don’t cast me out like this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I regarded her without warmth. \"Then you should have continued to be faithful,\" I said, voice flat as steel. \"Do you even understand the extent of what you’ve done?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She shook her head faintly, as if unable to form the words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Betrayal,\" I continued, \"isn’t a mistake. It’s the breaking of trust. And once trust is broken, the relationship is over.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her shoulders trembled, her eyes brimming again. Finally, she whispered, \"I’m sorry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I fixed her with a gaze sharp enough to flay. \"If you can stab me in the back,\" I said quietly, \"you can kill me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes widened—truly widened—as if only now grasping the magnitude of her actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for me, there was nothing left to say. I turned away, dismissing her entirely, and addressed Jeffery once more. \"Escort her out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeffery inclined his head. \"Yes, Alpha.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanda stood frozen for a beat, her face pale, her mouth parted in disbelief. But she didn’t fight when Jeffery moved to guide her out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She only cast one last, hollow look in my direction—searching for some sign of softness, some hint of reprieve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I made sure she found none.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just like that, the door closed behind Jeffery and Wanda, leaving silence in their wake. Only Dennis remained with me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leaned back in the chair opposite mine, a slow exhale escaping him before his lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At last,\" Dennis muttered, satisfaction clear in his tone. \"Finally, you’ve given Wanda the punishment she deserves.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lifted my gaze to him, studying his expression. His words carried weight, but I didn’t rush to agree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis tilted his head, eyes narrowing. \"What took you so long, brother?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I held his stare for a long moment before answering. \"I didn’t have a valid reason to send her away until now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis shook his head, almost in disbelief. \"You are too kind and patient\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" I said flatly, my voice steady, \"I don’t think so.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patient was understandable, but kind? I wasn’t. That word was too soft for a man like me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, we sat in silence, the tension in the study pressing against the walls. Then Dennis leaned forward, his voice lower now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tell me, brother—how did you find out she’s been feeding her father information about Duskmoor?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My jaw clenched as I recalled the council chamber back in Stormveil, the questions that pierced too close to home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"During the meetings,\" I said. \"It was in the way Reginald and a few others pressed me with their questions. Questions they couldn’t have asked unless someone here had been whispering in their ears.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis’s brow furrowed. \"And that was Wanda.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gave a single nod. \"What made me furious wasn’t just that. Reginald suddenly exposed my past plan to use Meredith as a pawn.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis’s head snapped up, his eyes wide. \"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let out a humorless laugh. \"Yes. After one of the elders called for me to divorce Meredith, Reginald decided it was the perfect time to bring it up. In front of everyone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis swore under his breath, disbelief painting his features. \"But... how on earth did Wanda even find out about that? You never told her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I fixed my gaze on him, my tone sharp. \"I asked her that very question.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis leaned forward, anticipation in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She admitted she eavesdropped,\" I said, each word weighted with contempt. \"On us. Right here in this study. Months ago. She overheard everything I told you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shock flickered across Dennis’s face, followed quickly by disgust. His hands curled into fists on the armrest of his chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That snake,\" he spat. \"All this time, she’s been waiting—holding on to that knowledge, just so she could sink the blade when it would hurt you most.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t answer. My silence was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But inside, my fury deepened. The betrayal burned anew—Wanda had listened in silence, waited in silence, and then chosen her moment to betray me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she thought tears would move me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would have to rethink the kind of man I was since it was now obvious that being close to me, had blinded her thought process.\u003C\u002Fp>",1014,"2026-06-03T06:41:07.525Z","2026-06-03T06:41:13.870Z",1,"novelbin.me","d70723fe11519a388e7ed5297ff0b5a6105aa57219413e044780b3cb31ebc637","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-270","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-62",685,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-cover.jpg"]