The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven-Chapter 43: The Handsome Man with A Horse

Meredith.

We walked back to my room, quiet and tense, the air hanging with the weight of everything Wanda had said.

As soon as the door closed behind us, Azul emerged from the dressing room, her brows slightly raised.

"My lady, did you see the child?" she asked, looking between us.

I sighed—sharp and angry—then crossed the room and sat heavily on the edge of the bed.

Kira answered for me, her voice low. "Miss Fellowes didn’t let us."

Azul’s frown deepened. "Does she have the right to do that?"

Deidra sighed from the side. "She used the Alpha’s name. That’s all it takes."

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.

"I’m not going to dinner," I said flatly, still staring at the floor. "Not with them."

Kira blinked. "But, my lady... It’s not allowed. Everyone must be present when the Alpha is at the table."

I scoffed. I was about to tell her just how little I cared about her Alpha’s expectations, but Deidra beat me to it.

"Not if our lady has a pounding headache and can’t get out of bed," she said without blinking.

Kira gasped. "Deidra! Lying to the Alpha is a punishable offence!"

Deidra didn’t even flinch. "How would he know if we don’t talk?"

"He will send a doctor to check," Kira insisted, looking concerned.

"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."

Draven’s face was irritating to me at the moment. It was begging to meet my palms.

Azul sighed deeply and stepped closer. "My lady, let it be. I’m sure the Moon Goddess will look out for you—"

"Don’t," I said sharply, raising a hand.

The air turned still.

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."

Just then, a low rumble echoed from the sky outside.

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.

"She’s angry," Deidra whispered, glancing nervously at the sky.

"Good," I said coldly. "That makes two of us."

They stared at me—Azul, Kira, Deidra—each with silent questions in their eyes. But none dared to voice them.

Kira approached cautiously. "My lady... maybe you should take a walk. Just for a bit."

I looked to Azul. She nodded gently. Deidra did the same.

I exhaled. They wanted me to cool off. I understood. So, I asked quietly, "Leave me. Just for a while."

They exchanged glances but obeyed, stepping out silently. The door shut with a soft thud, and I stood there alone.

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.

Maybe I will make lavender oil one of these days.

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.

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.

I bent slightly to inhale the soft fragrance. Then a faint sound reached my ears. A horse’s neigh.

I paused.

Had I heard that right?

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.

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.

"Hey, watch out."

The voice was male, deep and smooth, with a lilt of amusement.

I looked up.

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.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded, still blinking up at him. Something about him felt... out of place. Yet I was certain I hadn’t seen him before.

He tilted his head slightly, his brows narrowing with curiosity.

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.

He gestured behind me. "Did you come through there?"

I glanced back at the flowers and nodded. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

He smiled faintly and shook his head. "Not at all." Then, his eyes sparkled with amusement. "I thought maybe you were hiding from someone."

"Hiding?" I asked, folding my arms. "From who?"

He lowered his voice a notch, leaning in just slightly. "For example, the Alpha. He’s terrifying."

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.

"Guilty," he said, smirking.

"Then how are you riding a horse?" I inquired.

He looked at the stallion, then at me again. "Well... the Alpha can."

I blinked. "He can?"

He nodded. "Apparently."

That made no sense. Werewolves and horses didn’t mix. Their instincts were too different, too wild. It was unheard of.

We would tear them apart once we shifted, and when in our human form, the horses would never let us ride them either.

"How did he do that?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I guess there’s nothing he isn’t good at." freeweɓnovel.cѳm

"Except speaking kindly to others," I remarked almost immediately.

"I take it the Alpha wronged you?" he asked lightly. "What did he do?"

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.

"...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."

The man nodded. "Then don’t forgive him."

I frowned. "You speak like you know him well. Aren’t you afraid of him?"

He chuckled. "I am."

"You don’t look it."

"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."

"I arrived yesterday," I said.

He nodded slowly. "I see..."

Then I pointed to the stallion. "So... how are you going to ride him?"

He smiled. "The Alpha will tame him for me."

Then he took a step back, gave me a small wave. "See you around."

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.