[{"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-43":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},923665,1212,"Chapter 43: The Handsome Man with A Horse","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-43",43,"\u003Cp>Meredith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We walked back to my room, quiet and tense, the air hanging with the weight of everything Wanda had said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the door closed behind us, Azul emerged from the dressing room, her brows slightly raised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My lady, did you see the child?\" she asked, looking between us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sighed—sharp and angry—then crossed the room and sat heavily on the edge of the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kira answered for me, her voice low. \"Miss Fellowes didn’t let us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azul’s frown deepened. \"Does she have the right to do that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deidra sighed from the side. \"She used the Alpha’s name. That’s all it takes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azul looked like she had more to say, but I cut the room into silence with a sharp fist pressed into the bed. The thud wasn’t loud, but it was enough. They all turned toward me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m not going to dinner,\" I said flatly, still staring at the floor. \"Not with them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kira blinked. \"But, my lady... It’s not allowed. Everyone must be present when the Alpha is at the table.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I scoffed. I was about to tell her just how little I cared about her Alpha’s expectations, but Deidra beat me to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not if our lady has a pounding headache and can’t get out of bed,\" she said without blinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kira gasped. \"Deidra! Lying to the Alpha is a punishable offence!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deidra didn’t even flinch. \"How would he know if we don’t talk?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He will send a doctor to check,\" Kira insisted, looking concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then let him,\" I snapped, looking up at them for the first time. \"Let him send an entire hospital. I don’t care. I just don’t want to see him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven’s face was irritating to me at the moment. It was begging to meet my palms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azul sighed deeply and stepped closer. \"My lady, let it be. I’m sure the Moon Goddess will look out for you—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t,\" I said sharply, raising a hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air turned still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood, jaw tightening. \"Don’t say her name in this room or in my presence. As far as I’m concerned, she is dead to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, a low rumble echoed from the sky outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All three of them looked past me, toward the open glass doors leading to the private patio. I didn’t have to turn to know the clouds had gathered. The light had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She’s angry,\" Deidra whispered, glancing nervously at the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good,\" I said coldly. \"That makes two of us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stared at me—Azul, Kira, Deidra—each with silent questions in their eyes. But none dared to voice them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kira approached cautiously. \"My lady... maybe you should take a walk. Just for a bit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked to Azul. She nodded gently. Deidra did the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I exhaled. They wanted me to cool off. I understood. So, I asked quietly, \"Leave me. Just for a while.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They exchanged glances but obeyed, stepping out silently. The door shut with a soft thud, and I stood there alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I made my way toward the patio and let the warm air hit my skin. The flower bed shimmered under the dimming light, and my eyes landed on the lavender. A small smile tugged at my lips, despite everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe Iwillmake lavender oil one of these days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took the short steps off the patio and stepped into the small garden. It was the first time I had actually walked through it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hush of peace moved with the breeze, and for a moment, I appreciated that—this little patch of beauty, Wanda didn’t even realize she had given me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I bent slightly to inhale the soft fragrance. Then a faint sound reached my ears. A horse’s neigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had I heard that right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood straighter, brows furrowed. There it was again—louder now. And then I noticed I could see the lawn on the other side past the flowers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I followed the sound, parting through the lavender until I found myself emerging on the other side of the bed. That’s when I nearly collided with a massive black stallion and stumbled backwards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, watch out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice was male, deep and smooth, with a lilt of amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man stood there holding the reins, tall and striking in a way that made him look like he had stepped out of a painting. Handsome—like Draven or Jeffery, but younger somehow, with a light in his brown eyes that wasn’t dulled by war or power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you okay?\" he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded, still blinking up at him. Something about him felt... out of place. Yet I was certain I hadn’t seen him before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tilted his head slightly, his brows narrowing with curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then I felt it. The scar on my face. His eyes weren’t on it, but still—I couldn’t help the reflexive desire to cover it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gestured behind me. \"Did you come through there?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glanced back at the flowers and nodded. \"Yes. Is that a problem?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled faintly and shook his head. \"Not at all.\" Then, his eyes sparkled with amusement. \"I thought maybe you were hiding from someone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hiding?\" I asked, folding my arms. \"From who?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lowered his voice a notch, leaning in just slightly. \"For example, the Alpha. He’s terrifying.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he was right. But then I raised a brow slowly. \"You are a werewolf, aren’t you?\" He seemed like one to me from the way he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guilty,\" he said, smirking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then how are you riding a horse?\" I inquired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at the stallion, then at me again. \"Well... the Alpha can.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked. \"He can?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded. \"Apparently.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That made no sense. Werewolves and horses didn’t mix. Their instincts were too different, too wild. It was unheard of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We would tear them apart once we shifted, and when in our human form, the horses would never let us ride them either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How did he do that?\" I asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shrugged. \"I guess there’s nothing he isn’t good at.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Except speaking kindly to others,\" I remarked almost immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I take it the Alpha wronged you?\" he asked lightly. \"What did he do?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know why, but I found myself talking. It spilt out of me—everything. The strawberries, the accusations, the shame. All of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Though I made a mistake, it wasn’t my fault,\" I said, breathless with buried emotion. \"Yet he made sure I knew how little I mattered.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man nodded. \"Then don’t forgive him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I frowned. \"You speak like you know him well. Aren’t you afraid of him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chuckled. \"I am.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t look it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" he agreed, meeting my gaze. \"But no one dares speak ill of him to his face. So, yes—we are all afraid. But you... You’re not. You must be new here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I arrived yesterday,\" I said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded slowly. \"I see...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I pointed to the stallion. \"So... how are you going to ride him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled. \"The Alpha will tame him for me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he took a step back, gave me a small wave. \"See you around.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And with that, he walked away with the horse, leaving me there among the lavender, the scent lingering, the wind tugging at my sleeves as I thought about just who he might be.\u003C\u002Fp>",1208,"2026-06-03T06:41:07.231Z","2026-06-03T06:41:13.593Z",1,"novelbin.me","74651c8a83b9a9e0ce8b6fe4441da52a362eb80e964e0bf26e3cd6bc2da80b47","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-44","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-42",685,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-cover.jpg"]