[{"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-470":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},924042,1212,"Chapter 470: Wanda’s New Tactic","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-470",470,"\u003Cp>[Meredith].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis’s announcement for the last game was followed up by the warriors coming to clear the training grounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, black tiles were arranged in a seven-by-seven diamond that shimmered beneath the late sunlight, each tile carved with faint runes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From above, the board formed an obsidian star—beautiful, ominous, and strangely alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We gathered around the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis clapped his hands once. \"Alright. The final game is Obsidian Path. It requires strategy, intuition, and nerve. Perfect for ending the day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone seemed eager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, Dennis tapped the board with two fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The objective is to reach the centre tile. On your turn, you may move your token one square or place a trap to block someone’s route.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, he lifted a small black tile edged with sharp silver markings. \"Step on a trap, and you lose a turn.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis continued, \"Last thing... traps stay where they are. Once placed, they are permanent.\" Then he looked between us all. \"Everyone understands?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanda stood across from me. Her face was now arranged into a pleasant, unreadable calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She even smiled at me. And that alone set my instincts on edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven stood slightly behind my right shoulder, his hands loosely folded. I felt the warmth of his presence like a shield pressed to my spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis announced that we pair up. But before I could turn to Draven, he let me know that I was not allowed to play against Draven this time, so Wanda happily turned to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I bet she had been waiting for this opportunity, more so when she learned that we would play last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Remember,\" Dennis said, \"this game is about reading each other. Predicting each other. Outsmarting each other.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his grin flicked toward Wanda and me. \"So, I’m expecting fireworks.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanda’s smile remained perfectly serene. Mine didn’t change either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minutes later, Wanda and I finally stepped onto the board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our wolf tokens were placed at opposite ends—hers was obsidian black, while mine was silver with a faint lilac sheen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Dennis raised a wooden baton. \"Begin.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanda moved first, tapping a central tile. I studied her posture, her eyes, her breath, but she gave away nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her composure was impeccable—elegant, steadfast, like a woman raised in discipline and politics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, I placed my first trap tile quietly, shaping the board in the opposite direction of hers. I wasn’t trying to fight her yet. I was rearranging the field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeffery murmured thoughtfully from the sidelines, clearly impressed. While Oscar, who rarely complimented anyone, nodded once. \"Interesting start.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanda’s eyes flicked to him with polite acknowledgement before returning to me, still smiling calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when she placed her next tile, her wrist stiffened for half a second—a tiny crack in the mask. She was playing aggressively yet trying to appear relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I adjusted my path accordingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanda subtly guided her traps toward the centre, hemming me in. That was a sophisticated tactic, one that required patience and foresight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis murmured approvingly. \"Someone’s confident.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanda didn’t react. She simply placed her next piece, graceful as poured silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could respect that. But I wasn’t going to lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I moved my token diagonally, diverting towards the outer arc—a feint. One that forced her next move into a predictable corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could almost feel Oscar’s attention sharpening. He was analyzing me now, not the board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, Wanda placed a trap to block what she thought was my intended path. That was a smart move, but incorrect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had already rerouted myself two turns earlier. And she hadn’t noticed. But by the time she realized the mistake, it was already too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her own trap grid boxed her in, gently, subtly, but undeniably restricting her wolf token’s next legal move. Her lashes lowered for a single blink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t sense any atom of panic or anger or frustration from her aside from the measured breath she released.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the tightening of her fingers around her last tile told me everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dennis stepped forward. \"Final moves now,\" he announced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanda placed her tile with exquisite poise, but it was a dead play—just a formality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped my token onto the centre diamond—the winning star, with quiet certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the winner is,\" Dennis declared. \"Luna Meredith.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost immediately, applause erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar actually smiled faintly, but it was real. \"That was... skillful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeffery nodded once with a soldier’s respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven’s pride rolled down the bond like warm thunder, his hand brushing my lower back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But contrary to my expectation of Wanda, she did not scowl. Her facial expression did not falter, not even a blink was seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, she smiled—a slow, elegant, perfectly composed smile. And she clapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Beautifully played, Luna Meredith,\" she said gently. \"Your strategy was impressive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a heartbeat, I forgot how to breathe because her voice carried no malice. There was no strain or hint of jealousy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was diplomacy at its finest, the kind of poise only someone raised in power could wield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the split second before she lowered her eyes, I caught a sharpness—something calculated, flickering beneath the calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I dipped my head politely. \"Thank you, Miss Fellowes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But inside, my instincts whispered. \"This isn’t peace.\" And that unnerved me more than all her past hostility combined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The late afternoon sun softened into gold as we all left the training grounds. And the excitement of competition gradually settled into a quieter, contented energy among the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Levi and Oscar walked ahead, discussing something about the old sparring pits near the northern woods. Vivian trailed lightly beside them, her laughter gentle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeffery stayed near Draven, speaking in low, clipped tones about patrol rotations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Dennis, as usual, was trying to convince everyone he hadn’t actually been the worst at knife-throwing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We moved together through the Oatrun estate grounds, following the stone path that wound past a few open fields, tall pines, and the long shadow of the training hall. It felt calm, almost pleasant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I didn’t miss how Wanda kept a graceful, measured distance from me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike other times, she didn’t approach me or send a glare. Instead, she acted perfectly normal. Polished. Controlled, but too controlled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This has to be a new tactic,\" I thought quietly. And that made her more dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>",1040,"2026-06-03T06:41:07.526Z","2026-06-03T06:41:13.871Z",1,"novelbin.me","6a2b050435780c700079f6e5b49bf66b9b47630d8613681eff0735620b88cbda","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-471","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-469",685,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-cover.jpg"]