The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven-Chapter 44: Dennis Oatrun

Draven.

The gates parted before the black car, and as the engine stilled in the courtyard, a warrior opened the door with a respectful nod.

"Welcome back, Alpha," he said, then added, "Your brother arrived earlier. He is inside."

I stepped out, adjusting the cuffs of my shirt. "Good." I didn’t think he would arrive before my return.

Jeffery rounded the car just in time to hear it. "Should I send for him?"

Before I could reply, my phone buzzed in my inner jacket pocket. I slid it out and glanced at the screen. Mr. Oatrun displayed clearly on it.

I turned the screen toward Jeffery. "This is going to take a while."

He nodded in understanding.

"I will see him after dinner," I added.

"I will inform him," Jeffery said, falling into step beside me as we entered the house.

I swiped the screen to answer. "Good evening, Father."

I took the stairs two at a time, my voice calm but steady as I greeted him. The familiar scent of my quarters—mint, honey, and a trace of cinnamon—greeted me as I entered the master suite. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

"How did the meeting go with the Mayor?" my father asked without preamble.

I slipped off my jacket and draped it across the armrest of the couch. "Brackham was composed as always. Apologetic. He admitted there were human victims too—he is launching an investigation and expects us to stay put until he gives us a proper explanation."

"And you believed him?" came the low growl across the line.

"I didn’t say that."

"Draven, they are toying with our truce," he snapped. "They wouldn’t dare this if they valued the weight of our alliance."

"I know," I said. "That’s why I will continue the investigation on our end. Quietly. If they are hiding anything, we will know before they can burn the evidence."

A beat passed. Then, with a grunt of approval, he said, "Good. Secure everything. Information, trails, witnesses. If you need backup, say so. I will send our best from the royal packs."

"I will keep that in mind."

He paused again. "What of Dennis?"

"Haven’t seen him yet," I said. "But we will talk after dinner."

There was a hum of satisfaction from the other end.

"I will relay my report to King Alderic on today’s meeting with the Mayor."

"No need," he said quickly. "I will speak to Alderic myself. You focus on the ground."

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. "Thank you, Father. Have a good night."

Then I ended the call and tossed the phone onto the bed.

I sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled off my shoes, the fine leather groaning under pressure. A few moments later, I stripped and stepped into the cold shower, the water hitting my skin with a hiss.

The day had been long. Too long to dwell on unimportant matters.

By the time I dried off and dressed again, the evening had sunk into deep amber light.

I headed downstairs and entered my home office, settling behind the desk. The leather chair groaned under my weight as I pulled a stack of files toward me.

I had only gotten through two pages when there was a soft knock.

"Enter."

Wanda stepped in, wearing her usual polite smile. "I heard you were back."

I gave a small nod.

"How did the meeting go?"

"Brackham gave us crumbs," I said simply. "We will proceed with our own investigation."

Her smile widened faintly. "Seems the humans have forgotten what we are capable of."

"And I hope we don’t have to remind them," I said. That would mean war.

The conversation shifted. I asked about my daughter.

She leaned back slightly in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. "Xamira’s fever broke this afternoon. Dorothy said she should rejoin us at breakfast."

I nodded once.

Wanda hesitated. "Meredith came to the second floor earlier... to see Xamira."

I looked up slowly.

"I turned her away," she said. "I told her the child was sleeping, and only the doctor and nurse were allowed inside—for now."

Her tone tried to sound diplomatic, but something in it struck the wrong note. My eyes narrowed.

"In my name?" I asked flatly.

Wanda blinked, caught. "Yes... I mean, I used your name because it felt appropriate in the moment."

"Don’t," I said coldly. "Don’t ever speak for me. Not again. It won’t be tolerated."

Her expression wavered. "I apologize. It won’t happen again."

But I didn’t respond. My thoughts had already moved elsewhere. Meredith.

How must she have felt, standing outside that door, told she wasn’t allowed near the child I had accused of almost killing, and had dragged her dignity through the mud for.

I exhaled sharply and stood, my eyes still on the desk, though my focus was gone.

There had already been enough misunderstandings between us. I didn’t need others adding to them.

Wanda stood slowly. "It’s almost time for dinner. Should I—?"

"You can leave," I said simply.

She left with a slight nod.

Fifteen minutes later, I entered the dining room. Jeffery and Wanda were already seated.

The servants bowed. Jeffery and Wanda began to rise, but I waved them down silently. My eyes swept the table—and landed on Meredith’s empty chair.

The chair she had claimed.

The servant pulled mine out. I sat, my jaw ticking.

I looked up and saw one of her maidservants—Kira—standing among the servers. "Where is your mistress?"

She stepped forward, her tone respectful. "She has a migraine, Alpha. She will not be joining you tonight."

I narrowed my eyes slightly. "Has a doctor seen her?"

"She declined," Kira replied. "She prefers Moonstone’s natural remedies for headaches... and is responding well to them."

I said nothing at first. Just a faint nod.

But Wanda wasn’t satisfied with the arrangement. She turned to Kira, her voice lightly chiding. "We have the best doctors. You should have insisted. We don’t want stories that touch. We will have one of them check her tomorrow."

"That won’t be necessary," I said, tone even as I turned to Wanda. "If she’s comfortable with her treatment, let her be."

Wanda opened her mouth to say something else, but I turned my attention back to my plate.

There were lines I was no longer willing to let others cross, especially not when they concerned her.