The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven-Chapter 553: Seizing the Opportunity

[Third Person].

Dennis’s biting words came fast. "First, you arrive unannounced. Second, you plan a sabotage against the Luna. Third, you ignore the Alpha’s direct instruction the moment we step out for an emergency—and wander straight to the event he explicitly told you not to approach."

Dennis’s chest rose as he took a breath. "Fourth, instead of apologizing, you lie, you deny your actions, and you twist words."

His finger lowered, but his voice hardened. "Wanda Fellowes, who the fuck do you think you are?!"

The room fell silent. Meredith wasn’t surprised to see Dennis vent—she had seen flashes of his temper before. But this... this was different. It was raw and deep. Years of anger and dissatisfaction laid bare.

And she felt a quiet, undeniable satisfaction that he didn’t spare Wanda at all. In fact, she enjoyed watching him tear her dignity to pieces, leaving no crumbs behind.

Meanwhile, Wanda stared at Dennis, completely stunned. She hadn’t expected this from him. Humiliation burned hot in her throat, resentment curling sharply in her chest.

Being exposed here, in front of Draven, cut deeper than she had imagined.

When she finally looked back at Draven, her breath caught in her throat. His face was calm—too calm. And that was when she understood that whatever he had decided, she was not changing his mind.

Suddenly, a sob rose, half-real, and half-calculated, as Wanda pushed herself to her feet. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Draven," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Please. I didn’t mean any harm. I was only trying—"

She faltered, suddenly unsure how to plead because one thing was clear now. She would be leaving the Oatrun Estate in tears.

And all she could do was beg desperately that the Alpha might still show her mercy for old time’s sake. She has been his childhood friend after all, long before Meredith came into the picture.

At the thought of Meredith, Wanda hid her rage and turned towards her, then, pride screaming in protest even as necessity forced her to bow her head just a fraction.

"I truly didn’t mean any harm to you," Wanda said quickly, forcing sincerity into her tone. "If I had, my actions today would have been very different. I was only playing harmless, childish tricks. Nothing more."

Then she looked back at Draven, pleading. "You know me. I’ve always liked testing people."

Dennis scoffed openly and turned his head away, clearly done pretending she was worth another second.

Meredith, however, was very still. She felt Wanda’s fury deep within her. And as clear as daylight, she heard the resentment, the contempt, and the venom barely contained.

She heard the curses Wanda spewed against her, and her breath slowed.

"So I can actually hear you," Meredith realized, a quiet thrill settling beneath her anger. Wanda’s mental defences, which had been elusive, meant nothing now. She could reach Wanda no matter how tightly she tried to close herself off.

Right there, Meredith made a decision. She will not let Wanda off so easily, and she will also vent her anger just the way Dennis had done so, no stone will be left unturned, and Draven will make the right decision.

But it wasn’t that she didn’t trust him; rather, she felt that aggravating the situation and exposing how disrespectful Wanda had been to her would help him take a harsher stand and deal with Wanda as she deserved.

So, she straightened, her gaze locking onto Wanda with an intensity that made the other woman falter.

"No," Meredith said, her voice steady—but sharp. "You don’t get to reduce what you did to ’harmless tricks.’"

Wanda stiffened.

"You stole the spotlight at my event," Meredith continued, anger finally breaking free. "You lied to the women. You inserted yourself as host, and you repeatedly used my name to legitimize yourself without my consent."

Wanda’s eyes widened, but Meredith didn’t stop. "You deliberately undermined my authority in front of my pack," she said, anger finally spilling free. "And you did it knowing I would not cause a scene for the sake of the women."

For the first time, Wanda looked genuinely shaken.

Inside, Meredith also heard her confusion this time. ’Since when did she dare to openly complain about me?’

Meredith almost smiled. ’You thought I was a pushover,’ she thought coldly. ’You probably rejoiced and became even more arrogant every time I stayed silent and didn’t report you to Draven. That ends today.

Wanda recovered enough to defend herself. "Those lies were harmless," she insisted. "And I used your name because I considered you my friend."

Meredith sneered. "Friend?" she repeated incredulously. "Did you just say I’m your friend?"

She rolled her eyes. "On what grounds did you make that claim? What gave you the confidence to think we could ever be friends?"

Dennis burst out laughing. The sound echoed far too loudly in the room, and the three pairs of eyes snapped toward him.

Wanda looked mortified and furious. Draven shot Dennis a warning look that clearly said, ’Is this funny to you? Now of all times?’

Meanwhile, Meredith blinked once—genuinely wondering if she had said something amusing.

Dennis waved a hand, unabashed as he fixed his eyes on Wanda. "I’m just saying—you should ask for permission before claiming someone as your friend."

Wanda rounded on him. "Are you mocking me?"

Before Dennis could answer, Meredith cut in sharply, "I’m not done with you."

Wanda turned back, cursing viciously in her mind, but Meredith didn’t care, even though she heard them.

"Even if you wanted to be friends," Meredith said coldly, "it wouldn’t happen while you constantly undermine my authority and deliberately belittle me."

She shifted slightly on the sofa, her voice lowering, sharpening. "And besides, I could never be friends with a woman dangerously obsessed with my—"

Suddenly, she stopped. The word remained unspoken. She had wanted to end it with ’my mate’, but out of respect for Draven, since this situation was also humiliating for him, she stopped in her tracks and didn’t finish her words, yet it didn’t stop them from understanding.

After all, they all knew what she was talking about, so no need to spell it out.

The silence that followed was heavy, damning, and final.