The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven novel Chapter 193

Chapter 193: My Decision

Draven.

The door clicked shut behind Wanda, and the silence that followed felt heavier than it should have.

I leaned back in my chair, the wood creaking faintly under the shift of my weight.

My gaze drifted over the scattered parchments and a half-emptied crystal glass on the desk, but none of it held my attention now.

Wanda’s words still hung in the air like the echo of a blade drawn in challenge.

"Let me train her. Just one session."

I steepled my fingers, pressing them lightly against my lips.

I could already see the truth behind Wanda’s smooth, honeyed tone. She didn’t want to train Meredith. She wanted to break her—to humble her, humiliate her. Maybe even worse.

And yet... I couldn’t dismiss the thought so easily.

Wasn’t that, in a way, what Meredith needed too? 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

I sat in silence, wrestling the conflicting thoughts.

Meredith had been showing fire lately at the training grounds—standing her ground, pushing past pain, even trying to throw a punch back at me.

But that was just a goal.

She hadn’t yet faced someone truly ruthless, someone who wouldn’t hold back. And Wanda... Wanda had cruelty carved into her bones like a second nature.

With a quiet exhale, I reached inward, brushing the restless presence coiled deep in his mind.

"Rhovan," I murmured across the link. "What do you think of Wanda’s offer?"

He stirred, his growl soft but edged with dark amusement.

"Our mate won’t like it," he replied, voice like gravel against steel. "But perhaps it’s what she needs. To finally awaken something inside her."

"A reality check, then?" I prompted.

"Call it whatever you like," Rhovan rumbled. "Fear can temper steel, Draven. And she must become steel if she is to stand beside us in the storms ahead."

My jaw tightened as I let Rhovan’s words settle in.

I thought of Meredith’s face: the soft stubbornness in her gaze, the quiet way she clenched her fists when pushed, the unspoken fear behind her determination. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

A part of me—too large a part, perhaps—wanted to protect that spark. To keep her fighting, but never truly bleeding.

And yet...

For someone like Meredith—someone without a wolf, still learning her body’s limits—she should train even harder than anyone else.

To compensate. To survive.

"Perhaps I have been too soft with her," I admitted silently.

It wasn’t indulgence; it was instinct. But instinct, as Rhovan had reminded me before, could also be a weakness.

It was a surprise that he stepped back from pushing me to protect Meredith on this one.

Wanda’s suggestion burned like acid in my mind, but even poison could serve a purpose in small doses.

I thought about what Meredith would see in Wanda’s eyes on the training ground: contempt sharpened to a blade.

What it would force her to do.

How it might strip away illusions, reveal gaps in her strength, her resolve.

"She won’t understand at first," I reflected, lowering my gaze. "But better for her to bleed under watchful eyes than to fall in battle unprepared."

Another sigh slipped from my lips, rougher this time as I raked my fingers through my hair, then let it fall to the polished wood.

"Very well," I told myself, voice quiet.

I will let Wanda train her. But not yet... first, I will watch Meredith today. See if it’s truly needed.

The decision settled on my shoulders like a heavy cloak.

~Several Hours Later~

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