The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven novel Chapter 289

Chapter 289: I Knew She was Hurt

Draven.

Meredith’s expression didn’t shift. But the silence around her was heavy and pressing.

I set the glass aside and leaned forward, steady and deliberate.

"I married you because the Council and all the other older Alphas were already circling me like wolves starved for power. Each of them wanted their daughters on the throne next to me since I hadn’t found my mate. And had I chosen one, the others would have risen against me."

I released a short breath and continued, "It would have torn the clans into war before I had even worn the crown. So, by claiming you, Meredith, I silenced them. You were the only one they could not use as a weapon, the only choice that would not ignite their greed."

A pause stretched between us, the weight of the truth settling into the air.

"That was my reason then, and I will not insult you by pretending otherwise," I said finally. "But I had wanted to tell you myself, in my own time, and not with Wanda ruining this and completely rubbing me of the chance."

I could already tell the content of the letter in Meredith’s hand. Though I never expected Wanda to go back in peace without causing a nuisance, this was the last thing I expected from her.

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~**Meredith**~

The silence that followed Draven’s words pressed heavily against my chest.

I wasn’t angry, not even close to it which was strange. But a dull ache lingered inside me, as if something delicate had cracked without shattering completely.

He had said it without hesitation, without trying to soften the edges. ’You were the only one they could not use as a weapon.’

His honesty was as sharp as the truth itself, and though it stung, it did not surprise me. Why should it?

To me, Draven had never been one to mince words. He had never been a man to cover his choices with pretty lies. So why would I expect him to start now?

I let out a slow breath, lowering my gaze to the folded paper still in my lap. A part of me hated that Wanda’s venom had forced this conversation sooner than Draven had intended.

But another part of me was relieved. Because no matter how much it hurt, he had not hidden from me.

Draven owed me that honesty, and he gave it.

My eyes lifted back to his. His expression was calm, unwavering, as though he had laid down a blade between us and was waiting for me to decide what to do with it.

The silence stretched, thick and unbroken until another question stirred inside me, one heavier than the first.

I licked my lower lip, my voice quieter than I intended. "I can see that you changed your initial intentions or rather, use for me."

I let the words hung there, fragile but certain. But a moment later, I finished, "Why did you do that? What made you change your mind?"

Draven didn’t hesitate long. His answer came low and steady, but it struck deeper than anything Wanda could have written in a hundred letters.

It all made sense now. He hadn’t changed simply because he had grown fond of me. He had changed because he had discovered what I was to him. His mate.

’So he had not fallen for me out of choice, but because of destiny. Because of a bond that tied us whether he wanted it or not.’

Regret slammed into me at once. Why had I asked that question? Why had I demanded a truth I wasn’t prepared to hold?

Because now I knew that if it wasn’t for this bond between us, I might have remained nothing more than a pawn. A shield against power-hungry wolves, and a piece he moved across the board until I no longer served my purpose.

The thought turned my stomach, and for the first time, I wished Draven had lied. I wished he had smiled faintly, told me no, and let me keep my fragile comfort intact.

But he had not lied. He had given me the truth, raw and unpolished, just as I had asked of him.

And now I understood something else: he loved me, yes, but not because his heart had stumbled into it. He loved me because he had discovered that fate had already chosen me for him.

The realization hollowed me out, leaving me caught between gratitude and grief.

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~**Draven**~

Meredith’s silence told me more than her words ever could.

The slight downturn of her lips. The way her fingers fidgeted against the edge of the folded paper. The faint crease forming between her brows as though she were holding something heavy inside her chest.

I didn’t need her to speak. I already knew she was hurt.