The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven-Chapter 531: Event Planning

[Meredith].

For a brief, horrifying second, an image crossed my mind—Xamira pushing her nanny over the balcony, but I rejected it immediately.

That didn’t fit. Not with what I knew of her. Not with the child who curled into my side and asked me to draw with her.

’No,’ I said softly to myself, shaking my head. ’It wasn’t like that.’

Then, I looked back at Draven. "Xamira might be human," I continued, my voice steadier than I felt, "but there is something else she is. Something shocking enough that her nanny saw it... and couldn’t believe it."

Something so impossible that fear stole her breath before she could even scream.

Silence fell between us. It stretched heavily, layered with things neither of us wanted to say out loud yet.

Draven finally shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I don’t even know what to believe anymore," he admitted.

I didn’t blame him. After another moment, he straightened, resolve settling into his expression.

"We will have to find out who Xamira really is."

I nodded immediately. "Yes." Then, before he could speak again, I added, "But until then, everything stays the same."

He turned fully toward me.

"We can’t let our suspicions show," I said firmly. "Our attitude toward her cannot change. Not even a little."

Because if we were wrong, or even if we weren’t, Xamira was still a child. So, I thought.

Draven held my gaze for a long moment, then he nodded. "Agreed."

And it’s not like Valmora seemed eager to help me on this matter. Seeing how quiet she was now, I could feel it in me that she no longer wanted to hand me candies so easily.

She wanted me to make an effort to discover the truth... maybe because I didn’t listen to her and doubted her when she warned me about Xamira that one time.

---

A few hours later, I moved to the sofa where I stayed long after my conversation with Draven ended, my phone resting loosely in my hand as I scrolled through channel after channel.

Yet, I saw nothing. No updates from Duskmoor. No emergency broadcasts. No fragmented human reports the way they used to after every skirmish.

It was as if the city had been swallowed whole, and the world had quietly agreed not to speak of it.

My thumb slowed, then stopped. I hated the hollow feeling that came with that silence. And just as I was about to lock the screen, the bedroom door opened.

Draven stepped inside.

I lifted my head instinctively, and the tension I hadn’t realized I was carrying eased when I saw him. He looked tired, but composed.

He had left earlier for a meeting he had with Oscar and the others.

Draven smiled when his eyes met mine. Crossing the room, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead, lingering just long enough to ground me, before settling beside me on the sofa.

"What are you doing?" he asked calmly.

I tilted my phone so he could see the dark screen. "I was checking for news from Duskmoor."

His jaw tightened slightly. "And?"

"There’s nothing," I said. "It’s like all their channels vanished overnight."

He released a slow breath, leaning back. "Then it’s either the vampires have completely taken over the humans... or the destruction they caused is too severe for the humans to even recover enough to report it."

The bluntness of his words made my stomach twist.

I locked my phone and set it aside. "I don’t want to think about it anymore," I said quietly. "I just want some peace."

A corner of his mouth lifted. "Unfortunately for you, you won’t be getting any of that."

I shot him a look. "Moons. What now?"

He turned toward me fully, his expression shifting from teasing to deliberate. "You need to start leaving your mark in Stormveil."

I frowned. "That sounds ominous." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Necessary," he corrected. "Especially your image."

I crossed my arms. "Don’t tell me this has something to do with my past reputation of being useless and a disgrace."

He nodded without hesitation.

I scoffed. "Of course."

"Meredith," he said evenly, "you are going to be the next Queen of Stormveil. People need to see you. Hear you. Trust you. They need proof that you’re worthy—not because you’re my mate, but because you are you."

I studied him, waiting.

"I want you to host an event," he continued. "For women and children. A gathering. You speak to them, listen to them. Let them feel seen. And at the end, you give them something—food, supplies, whatever you decide—before sending them off."

Almost immediately, the idea settled in my chest just right.

"That’s... actually a good idea," I said slowly. "It gives me a chance to connect with them directly."

"And change the narrative," he added.

I nodded, already thinking. "Since I’m from the Moonstone pack, I could also share my knowledge of herbs and healing. It’s something practical and useful."

His eyes softened with pride. "Exactly why you are perfect for this."

I felt warmth spread through me at his words.

"You will need to set a date," he continued. "Start planning. Send out invitations. I will assign Madame Beatrice and a few others to assist you."

I straightened, resolve settling in. "Alright," I said. "Then I will do it properly."

Draven leaned back against the sofa, his tone shifting into something lighter. "You can even assign Dennis some tasks," he said casually. "Have him run errands for you."

I blinked, then smiled. "Are you sure he will like that kind of work?" I asked, already picturing Dennis’s dramatic protests.

Draven didn’t even hesitate. He turned his head toward me, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his face.

"He doesn’t have a say," he said flatly. "Or a choice. Put him to work."

I burst out laughing, the tension that had been sitting in my chest finally easing. "Oh, moons," I said, shaking my head. "I almost feel sorry for him."

But as I leaned back into the cushions, amusement still lingering on my lips, I realized something important—this was exactly how things should be.

Me planning, Draven backing me, and Dennis, suffering productively.

Strangely, the thought made me feel at peace.