The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven novel Chapter 478

Chapter 478: Something Frightening

[Meredith].

Dennis narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew exactly what I was doing.

"You don’t need me," he said. "Just take my brother."

My shoulders dropped a little. His refusal was firm. Then Randall spoke.

"Dennis," he said, with a cool but persuasive voice, "You should listen to her. You haven’t seen your mother in years. Use this opportunity. Take a look at her."

I glanced at Dennis. He didn’t even flinch at his father’s words. He lifted his glass, took a sip of water, then said flatly:

"You can’t convince me otherwise."

And just like that, he returned to his breakfast as if nothing had been said at all. My chest tightened.

I understood him—truly. He didn’t want to walk into that room, see a woman who didn’t know him, and pretend it no longer hurt.

He didn’t want hope, not even a flicker of it, because hope was the thing that disappointed him the most.

Even so, I still wished he would try.

My appetite vanished. I set down my fork and picked up my glass of water instead. The coldness didn’t help.

Draven glanced at me. "Eat more."

"I’m alright," I murmured.

He studied me for a moment but didn’t press.

Just when I thought the matter was over, Dennis suddenly looked at me, then at my barely touched food.

"You haven’t even eaten anything," he said.

I didn’t respond. I wasn’t in the mood for conversation, and certainly not in the mood to emotionally explain myself.

Dennis tilted his head slightly, watching me too closely. "Did you lose your appetite simply because I refused to go with you?"

I kept my gaze on my water glass. If I opened my mouth now, I would say something selfish—about how this wasn’t for me, but for him. And I didn’t want to weaponize my concern.

I expected him to drop this matter, but he didn’t.

"Fine," he said with a small, lopsided smile. "If it will make you happy... I will go with you."

My eyes lifted sharply. A warmth lit in my chest so quickly that my eyes, traitorously, glowed. "Don’t go back on your word," I whispered.

"I wouldn’t dare." He snorted softly. "If I did, my brother would make me pay for it."

Draven didn’t deny that.

A quiet chuckle escaped me, and I picked up my cutlery again. The food tasted lighter now, easier to eat, though my heart felt heavier knowing exactly what Dennis was walking into, willingly, for my sake.

I hadn’t pushed him for pity. I hadn’t even expected him to bend. But he did. And I was grateful, more than he knew.

After breakfast, Draven and I left the dining hall together. The corridors were quiet, the air warm with morning light, and yet, something tugged at me.

I finally asked the other question that had been sitting in my chest for a few days now since I didn’t get the chance to mention it this morning.

"Why hasn’t Xamira joined us at the table since we returned to Stormveil?"

Draven didn’t look surprised at my question. If anything, he simply exhaled slowly.

"I’m protecting her," he said. "This is Stormveil, Meredith. Our people hate humans, especially with what happened. So, I won’t expose her to that."

I stopped walking. That explanation wasn’t enough for him, not for the man who once looked at me and promised he would shield Xamira when we returned to Stormveil.

"Protecting her," I repeated quietly. "You told me you could do that. And you have. So why does it suddenly feel like you think you can’t?"

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he reached for my hand and guided me toward the small private sitting area near along the hallway. Then he shut the door behind us.

My stomach tightened at his actions. Why did he need privacy?

I stared at him, my pulse thundering. "How? When?" And why didn’t I know about it?

A fall?

Off a balcony?

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