[{"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-359":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},923731,1212,"Chapter 359: The Comfort I Had Denied Her","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-359",359,"\u003Cp>Draven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The drive back to the estate was quiet. Meredith didn’t say a word the entire time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She just stared out the window, her reflection faint in the glass. She appeared calm on the surface, but I could hear her heartbeat through the hum of the car. Still fast and uneven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sat beside her, my hand resting loosely on my knee, fighting the urge to reach out and take hers. But I didn’t because I knew she needed space to process what had just happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had killed two vampires, and she was still standing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time the car pulled into the driveway, my chest was tight with something between pride and awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped out first, rounding the car, and opened the door for her. She blinked as if coming out of a trance, then took my hand. Her fingers were cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis and Jeffery followed behind us, speaking in low tones about the clean-up, but the rest of their conversation barely reached me. My entire focus was on Meredith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I placed my hand at the small of her back steadily and guided her inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few servants along the hallway bowed and greeted us, their voices echoing softly off the marble walls, but Meredith didn’t respond, and I didn’t blame her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was probably still caught in that scene in the ice cream shop, but I decided not to intrude on her thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We climbed the stairs, our footsteps falling in rhythm, until we reached the third floor. My room was quiet when I opened the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air inside was still, carrying her scent and faint traces of the lavender and vanilla.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as we stepped inside, I shut the door behind us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, finally, I let myself do what I had wanted to do since we left that cursed ice cream shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pulled her into my arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her body stiffened at first, then melted against me, her head resting just beneath my chin. She didn’t cry, and I didn’t expect her to. But I could feel the tremor in her chest, the silent weight of what she had done pressing down on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I held her tighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You did well,\" I murmured against her hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers curled into my shirt, and she breathed out, shaky and soft. I felt her heartbeat slow, just a little, syncing with mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In public, I had held back because showing any affection to her in that moment would have been a good thing for her image in front of the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To me, I thought it would point to her being weak. But here, in the privacy of our room, she was my mate, my wife, my woman, and my Queen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she needed the comfort I had been denying her all day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I gave it fully, without restraint and whispered, \"You made me proud today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few moments later, I guided her toward the bed, keeping my arm around her as if she might break apart if I let go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sat at the edge, and I followed, keeping her close. For a while, she said nothing, just stared down at her hands, the same hands that had ended two lives today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When her voice finally came, it was quiet and brittle at the edges. \"This was my first time... killing anything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her words hung in the air between us, fragile and trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve trained so much, fought, practiced—but that...\" She swallowed, her gaze still fixed on her hands. \"I feel guilty. I don’t even know why. They were monsters who wanted to kill me, but I still feel it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached out and lifted her chin gently, forcing her to look at me. Her violet eyes shimmered with a mixture of confusion and weariness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because you have a conscience,\" I said softly. \"And that’s not something to be ashamed of.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her brows drew together, faint lines of worry creasing her forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Meredith,\" I continued, brushing my thumb along her jaw, \"you didn’t kill out of cruelty. You killed to survive. To protect yourself, and in a way, to protect others as well. That doesn’t make you heartless. It makes you humane.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her throat worked as she breathed in, the guilt in her eyes dimming, replaced by thoughtfulness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. \"If you ever stop feeling anything after taking a life, then I will start to worry. But for now, feeling guilty means you are still you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, but all that came out was a quiet sigh. I pulled her back against my chest and held her again, letting silence wrap around us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minutes passed like that, as her breathing slowed, and her tension gradually eased. Then, I stood to my feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked up, looking a bit confused, but I only smiled. \"Stay here,\" I said. \"I will be back soon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I crossed into the bathroom and turned the tap. The sound of rushing water filled the space. I poured in the soothing vanilla oil I liked, watching the scent rise like warm breath through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, I scattered dried rose petals across the surface, along with a few drops of sandalwood essence. The smell was calming, earthy and sweet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time I returned to the bedroom, the faint steam from the bath had already curled into the air behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meredith was still sitting there, her expression softer now, her shoulders slumped in exhaustion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The bath is ready,\" I told her quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she looked up at me, I added with a small, teasing smile, \"And I will help you bathe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes widened just a little, giving that familiar mix of surprise and shyness I had always loved seeing in her, but she didn’t protest. So, I extended my hand to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come,\" I murmured. \"Let me take care of you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when her fingers slid into mine, I could feel that the tremor from earlier had finally faded.\u003C\u002Fp>",1009,"2026-06-03T06:41:07.525Z","2026-06-03T06:41:13.871Z",1,"novelbin.me","f0480a8e0f15fd0f6842cbdb3562fd69584e6332d6896ecd18e27f8a2d0fdd4d","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-360","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-358",685,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-cover.jpg"]