The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven-Chapter 41: He Knew He Was Wrong

Chapter FORTY-ONE: He Knew He Was Wrong

(Third Person POV).

Kira’s eyes were glassy, her throat tight as she watched her mistress staring into the empty space her Alpha had disappeared into. She swallowed hard and took a small step forward.

"My lady..." she called softly.

There was no response. Meredith didn’t even blink. She was so hurt and pained.

Kira looked to Deidra, who nodded silently. Together, they gently took Meredith’s arms and guided her back into the chair next to the leftover bowl of strawberry.

Meredith followed their touch like a puppet—movements stiff, face unreadable.

Azul crouched in front of her next, searching her expression. What she saw made her chest ache. There was a storm in Meredith’s eyes, but her face remained frozen in disbelief, her lips pressed together, her jaw tight with restraint.

"It’s not fair," Azul whispered. "He shouldn’t have blamed you like that. You didn’t know about the allergy. You were only being kind." Her voice cracked slightly. "The child wanted one. She didn’t say no. How is that your fault?"

Kira and Deidra stood nearby, their shoulders heavy with guilt.

"The Alpha was too harsh," Kira said under her breath. "Too harsh."

Deidra looked down at her hands. "I shouldn’t have left," she said, barely louder than a whisper. "If I had stayed by her side like I was supposed to, none of this would have happened. I should have known better."

"No," Kira said quickly. "We both should have. We let our guard down."

She knelt beside Meredith now, her voice low and urgent. "My lady, please don’t take his words to heart. The Alpha... he is not himself when it comes to the child. You must understand, Xamira’s situation is complicated."

Meredith slowly blinked, her expression still distant. Her eyes flicked toward Kira, but her thoughts were far, far away.

"Even though she is his daughter, legally, the government of Duskmoor still has a claim to her," Kira explained softly. "He adopted her, yes. But if anything were to happen to her, they would come after him. Trial him. Strip him of his rights to her. Or worse... A war between us and the humans could break out."

Still, Meredith didn’t speak.

Her fingers, however, curled into trembling fists on her lap. She could feel the weight of Draven’s words like an anchor in her chest.

You are unfit to be a mother.

Everything you touch dies.

His voice had pierced deeper than she expected, for someone she didn’t care about. His words, spoken so publicly—so mercilessly—were far worse than the cruel jabs he had thrown at her in Stormveil, the night before the trip.

He didn’t care that her maidservants were there. That Wanda would smirk at every syllable.

No... he had chosen to shame her. He had chosen to cut where it would hurt most.

And she? She would never forget it.

She would never forgive it.

---

Inside the house, Xamira lay quietly beneath a pastel-pink quilt in her bedroom. Her breathing was shallow but steady.

Dorothy, her nanny who was also a werewolf and a trained nurse who had worked under Draven’s employment for the past two years, hovered over her with swift, practiced hands.

She administered a small injection into Xamira’s thigh to break the fever, then checked her vitals with a gentle touch. Draven stood to the side, arms crossed tightly, jaw clenched. His eyes never left her.

Xamira’s eyelids fluttered open minutes later. Dorothy, relieved, moved to give her a small allergy pill, then connected a saline drip to her arm.

"She’s okay now, Alpha," Dorothy said quietly. "The fever will be down by noon. The swelling and the rashes will clear in two days."

Draven exhaled deeply, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. "Don’t let her out of your sight again. Ever," He warned.

Dorothy nodded at once. "Yes, Alpha Draven. I understand."

Only then did Draven cross to the bed and sit gently beside his daughter. She turned her face toward him with the faintest pout.

"I told you not to eat strawberries," he said softly but firmly. "Why did you do it?"

"I like them," Xamira mumbled. "They taste nice."

Draven’s brows lifted. "Even if they could kill you?"

Her gaze lowered. After a pause, she murmured, "I’m sorry, Daddy."

Draven’s tone softened, though his face remained stern. "No more strawberries. Ever. You have to promise me."

"I promise."

---

Just outside the room, Wanda leaned silently against the wall, her arms folded. Her expression, for once, wasn’t smug.

She was still thinking about something Draven had said to Meredith. ’Unfit to be a mother’. The words had rung too sharp... too specific.

’Why would he say that?’ she thought.

’Did Draven plan to have children with Meredith in the first place?’ The idea made Wanda’s chest tighten. That couldn’t happen. It must not happen.

Shaking her head, she tried to push the thought away. But it stuck like a thorn. She needed to find out why Draven married Meredith.

There was something beneath the surface. Something she didn’t yet know.

And her father had asked her the same question a few days ago. She was almost due to give him the answer.

Though Wanda had succeeded in hurting Meredith. But it wasn’t enough for her yet.

---

The door creaked open as Draven stepped out of the room.

Wanda straightened at once, her eyes following him. "Are you leaving for your meeting now?"

"Yes," Draven replied curtly, his gaze lingering on the closed door behind him.

Wanda, sensing his worry, gave a delicate smile and touched his arm. "Don’t worry. I will take care of Xamira while you are away. You can always trust that she will be safe with me."

Draven gave a single nod. "Thank you."

Then, he turned and walked down the hall, his pace quick and determined.

Halfway down the stairs, Jeffrey met him. "Alpha, the car is ready."

"Let’s go," Draven said.

But as he descended further, the heat in his chest began to shift—cooling just slightly as another image filled his thoughts. Meredith.

Her silence. Her eyes. The weight of her stillness.

Draven frowned, jaw tightening again. He admitted that he was wrong. There was no way she would have known about Xamira’s strawberry allergy.

He knew that now. But there had been no time to think with all that tension.

Still, the way he had spoken... was a bit too much. And he couldn’t help but wonder what Meredith thought of him now.

Whatever it was... it wouldn’t be good. And it wouldn’t be forgotten in a hurry.

Not by her.

Not by him.