The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven-Chapter 40: Draven Lashes Out at Meredith

(Third Person POV).

Wanda’s heels clicked softly against the marble floor as she rounded the second-floor corridor, eyes scanning ahead. She spotted Xamira’s nanny fumbling with her hands near the stairwell.

"Where is Xamira?" Wanda asked, her voice calm but edged with sharpness.

The nanny stiffened. "She—she ran off on her own, ma’am. I went to the kitchen to get her a chocolate bar. When I returned... she was gone."

Wanda gave her a long, measuring stare. "Find her. Now!"

The woman nodded quickly and rushed off in the opposite direction. Wanda’s expression darkened. She didn’t wait. Her steps carried her forward, up the grand staircase, past the wide windows where sunlight streamed in like a spotlight. She reached the third floor just in time to see Draven pulling a door closed behind him.

Draven, dressed in a tailored navy coat over a steel-gray shirt, looked up and blinked when he saw her. "Wanda?" he said, voice clipped. "Something wrong?"

Wanda didn’t miss the tension in his brow. Perfect. She exhaled shakily, lacing concern into her voice. "We can’t find Xamira. She isn’t in the house."

Draven’s posture changed immediately. His gaze sharpened, and he stepped toward her. "What do you mean? What about her nanny?"

"I just met her. She said she left for a minute, and Xamira ran off on her own."

A pulse throbbed visibly in Draven’s jaw. Without another word, he strode past her, his footsteps quick and deliberate down the stairway. Wanda hurriedly chased after him, though with joy in her heart that things were still going according to plans.

"Maybe she’s hiding. You know she likes to play a lot," Wanda suggested lightly. "Or she’s outside. Kids do that sometimes—"

"This isn’t funny, Wanda," Draven said sharply.

On the ground floor, they entered the vast living room. Draven stopped a passing servant. "Have you seen my daughter?"

The servant nodded politely. "Yes, Alpha. She is outside. With your wife."

Wanda blinked, feigning surprise. "Oh... why would Xamira run off alone without telling her nanny?" She shook her head. "Thank God she is with Meredith. Draven, I think you should speak to her."

---

Outside, under the shaded pergola, Meredith handed another strawberry to the small girl standing beside her.

Xamira accepted it with a bright smile and took a small bite, shifting on her feet. Meredith relaxed a little, amused by how easily the child’s mood had lifted. Azul stood a few feet behind them, arms crossed as she observed the moment.

But then she frowned.

"My lady," Azul said, stepping forward. "There’s something wrong with the child."

Meredith blinked. "What?" She looked totally lost.

Azul moved to Xamira’s side and gently turned her toward her. "Look at her face."

Red blotches had started to bloom across Xamira’s cheeks and forehead, spreading fast. The child swayed a little, then gasped suddenly—her tiny hands flew to her throat as the half-eaten strawberry slipped from her fingers and hit the ground.

Meredith froze. It was all happening so fast, and she didn’t know what to do. She could only leave everything to Azul at that moment.

Azul grabbed Xamira by the arms and asked with panic laced in her tone, "Xamira, dear? Are you okay?"

Just then, Kira and Deidra returned, each holding a small clay pot filled with garden soil. Their smiles vanished when they saw Azul crouched beside the gasping child.

They had left earlier to get some soil since Meredith mentioned something about trying to plant strawberries.

"What happened?" Deidra asked, rushing forward.

Kira’s eyes darted to the fallen strawberry, then to Xamira’s red mouth. She turned sharply to Meredith.

"My lady... did you give her a strawberry?"

Before Meredith could speak, Azul answered quickly, "Yes. Why? Is that the reason—"

"She’s allergic to it," Deidra said, eyes wide with alarm. "Deadly allergic. Even a single bite could—"

Meredith shot to her feet, panic washing over her. "I didn’t know," she breathed. "I didn’t know that was even possible—"

How could she have known that someone could be allergic to fruits? She had never heard about a condition like that back in Stormveil.

Azul shook her head in disbelief, her attention still on Xamira. "But why would she eat them if she’s allergic—?"

"We have to get her to the Alpha. Now," Kira said, lifting the barely-conscious child from Azul’s arms.

That’s when they heard the approaching footsteps.

Draven emerged from the house with Wanda beside him. His eyes instantly found the scene unfolding in the garden, and he froze.

Xamira, in Kira’s arms. Red. Puffy. Struggling to breathe.

Wanda gasped. "What did you do to her?" Her voice was horrified, but her eyes glinted as they shifted to Meredith.

Draven moved fast, snatching Xamira into his arms. "Xamira," he called urgently. "Pumpkin, talk to me. It’s Daddy."

But she was limp, her breaths shallow.

He took one sniff, and his expression turned murderous. "Did she eat strawberries?" he growled, turning to Kira.

Kira was too shaken to respond, but Meredith stepped forward.

"I gave them to her," she said quickly. "Kira wasn’t here. It’s not her fault. I—I’m sorry. I didn’t know—."

Wanda cut her off, not waiting for her to finish explaining, her voice sharp. "Xamira is allergic to strawberries. How could you feed them to her?"

Meredith flinched. "I didn’t know—"

Draven’s voice dropped to a low, furious growl. "You are unfit to be a mother!"

Silence dropped like a blade.

"Anything you touch dies," he said, his eyes burning with venom. "That’s why the Moon Goddess cursed you."

Soft gasps rippled quietly across the group. Azul went still. Kira’s mouth parted, but no words came. Meredith stood there, frozen.

"Pray nothing happens to my daughter," Draven spat at last.

And then he was gone, turning on his heel, Xamira clutched tightly in his arms, storming across the garden toward the carport. Xamira’s nanny, who had just come out, ran after him, nearly tripping over her own feet.

Wanda lingered for a beat, folding her arms with satisfaction.

"You should learn to stay out of trouble here," she hissed. "Keep to yourself... or you will be sent away."

Then she turned and marched off, leaving behind Meredith, who was still reeling, still shaken, still clutching the weight of her mistake.