[{"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-514":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},924298,1212,"Chapter 514: Do Not Return","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-514",514,"\u003Cp>[Third Person].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meredith was hurled upward, breaking the surface in a violent gasp, coughing as air tore back into her lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her body shook, and her vision swam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Meredith!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice reached her too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes found the riverbank just as the strength left her completely, and darkness closed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Draven, who had reached the river at a full sprint, felt dread hollowing out his chest as his gaze locked onto the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Meredith!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t slow down or even show any hesitation. The next second, he plunged into the river, the cold biting hard as he fought the current, following the bond’s faint, flickering pull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand brushed her fabric, then her hair, before he seized her and hauled her limp body against his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No—no—stay with me,\" he breathed, panic clawing at his throat as he kicked toward the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dragged her onto the riverbank, his hands shaking as he laid her down. Meredith’s skin was cold, and her lips pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Meredith,\" Draven said again, his voice breaking as he cradled her face. \"Please.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bond pulsed weakly; it was barely still there. But Draven didn’t stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hands moved instinctively, rhythm steady despite the tremor in his arms as he pressed against Meredith’s chest, then tilted her head to keep her airway open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Water spilt from her lips as he breathed for her, his forehead resting briefly against hers between attempts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come on,\" he murmured, voice rough. \"Breathe, Meredith. Stay with me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her body was too cold. But just then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Edith.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The familiar old voice cut through the panic like a blade wrapped in velvet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven looked up sharply. Meredith’s grandmother stood a few paces away, her walking stick planted firmly in the earth as two unfamiliar women flanked her, both silent, both tense with urgency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She moved toward them without hesitation. \"How is she?\" she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Her breathing is shallow,\" Draven replied immediately, tightening his hold around Meredith as if the answer itself might steal her away. \"She was pulled under. I—she isn’t responding.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meredith’s grandmother nodded once, as if she had already known. Then she turned sharply to the two women. \"Quick. Set the fire.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven barely registered the command as his focus returned to his wife’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, the women moved quickly, gathering fallen wood and arranging it with practised ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Meredith’s grandmother stepped closer to the water. She straightened her stance as she tightened her grip around her walking stick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How dare you,\" she said, her voice carrying—not loud, but heavy. \"How dare you touch my bloodline?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The river answered almost immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven felt it before he fully saw it—the water twisting unnaturally, pulling into itself, swirling as if something beneath had been disturbed. The surface churned in a slow, tightening spiral.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven’s breath caught in his throat. He had never seen anything like this in his entire life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Meredith’s grandmother lifted her stick. \"Go,\" she commanded the river. \"And do not return.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She struck the ground, and the sound cracked through the clearing. Immediately, the spiral surged outward like a retreating tide, racing downriver, the surface settling with eerie obedience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven stared, still in shock. \"What was that?\" he asked, unable to stop himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned toward him then, walking back as the fire behind him flared to life without spark or flame, just the wood igniting as if it had always been waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A water spirit,\" she said simply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A... spirit,\" Draven repeated, disbelief threading his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They should not have been able to touch her,\" the old woman continued, her white eyes fixed on Meredith’s still form. \"Not like this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven’s jaw tightened as the answer came to him. \"Her wolf wasn’t with her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That made her stop and shift her gaze to him. For a moment, silence pressed in. Then she nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes,\" she said quietly. \"That explains it.\" Next, she gestured toward the fire. \"Bring her closer. She needs warmth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven shifted carefully, lifting Meredith against his chest and moving toward the fire’s edge. Heat immediately kissed her skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He settled onto the ground, one arm wrapped securely around her waist, the other brushing her wet hair back from her face, thumb stroking her cheek, his fingers lacing with hers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you think she will be alright?\" he asked with a low voice as worry consumed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meredith’s grandmother lowered herself across from them with the aid of the two women, sitting steadily despite her years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She should be,\" she said, then closed her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her lips moved in a soft murmur—words Draven didn’t recognize, syllables that made the air feel heavier, thicker, as if the space itself were listening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A minute passed, then another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alpha!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven looked up and fixed his gaze on the new arrival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeffery emerged from the trees. His face was pale, and his eyes sharp with alarm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he took in the scene—Meredith unconscious but breathing, the fire, the old woman, the two other women, his shoulders sagged with relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that Jeffery had felt Draven’s distress and had quickly come out to look for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven nodded once. Understanding that signal, Jeffery stepped back without further questions, positioning himself nearby, alert, standing guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, Meredith’s grandmother opened her eyes. Her sightless yet unerringly precise gaze found Draven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take her back to the house,\" she said. \"Give her a warm bath. Slowly. The cold reached her lungs. Heat will help drive it out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven didn’t hesitate. He stood, lifting Meredith fully into his arms. Her breaths were shallow but steadier now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he quickly turned toward the trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeffery fell in step beside him immediately. \"What happened, Alpha?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven didn’t answer right away. His eyes stayed on his wife’s face as he carried her through the woods, his hold firm, protective, and unyielding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everything,\" he said finally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draven didn’t stop once he reached the house. The moment he crossed the threshold of their bedroom with Meredith limp in his arms, panic erupted around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azul and Deidra, who had been arranging linens, froze for half a heartbeat before rushing forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Luna—!\" Azul gasped, her hands already reaching out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She is freezing,\" Deidra said shakily. \"We can—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\" Draven’s voice cut through them, sharp and final.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They halted instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>",1049,"2026-06-03T06:41:20.201Z","2026-06-03T06:41:21.983Z",1,"novelbin.me","1d036ce91b8809218e32bfa92b4ede76bc95e29b6d7a5695f97e56c5e043efaf","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-515","the-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-chapter-562",685,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-lunar-curse-a-second-chance-with-alpha-drave-cover.jpg"]