The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven-Chapter 559: She Finally Caught You

[Third Person].

"They didn’t say," Meredith replied. "But I think the middle one was a bully."

Draven chuckled, nodding. Meredith smiled too. She was just about to mention her plan to visit his mother that evening when footsteps approached.

Turning, she saw Xamira’s nanny walking towards them, and the memory of her promise to draw with Xamira suddenly jolted.

The nanny bowed deeply to both of them. "Alpha. Luna. Forgive me for intruding."

Then she turned to Meredith. "The little miss sent me to remind you of your promise to spend some time with her this morning. She asked when you might be coming."

Meredith sighed inwardly. Left for her, she didn’t want to visit Xamira, but she had given her word.

"I will be there shortly," she said, forcing a polite smile.

The nanny bowed again and departed.

Meredith took in a sharp breath, already bracing herself as the morning took yet another turn.

Meanwhile, Draven watched her for a moment, noting the faint reluctance she didn’t bother to hide.

"If you don’t want to go," he said gently, "then don’t."

Meredith exhaled, then pushed herself to her feet anyway. "If I don’t go now, I won’t go again," she replied honestly. Then, more quietly, she added, "Besides, if I want answers, I need to spend time with her and observe her."

Draven nodded, understanding more than she said aloud. He rose as well. "Then let me walk you back."

They returned to the house together, their pace unhurried. Once inside, they parted ways—Draven heading toward his duties, Meredith turning down a familiar corridor.

A few minutes later, she stopped before Xamira’s bedroom door and knocked once.

When she opened it slightly and peeped in, she found Xamira sitting on the rug, drawing materials already spread out neatly.

At the sight of Meredith, Xamira’s face lit up. She jumped to her feet and hurried over as Meredith stepped inside.

"Good morning, my lady," Xamira greeted brightly before throwing her arms around her. "You came!"

Meredith smiled and returned the hug. "Promises are meant to be kept."

Xamira pulled back, still smiling.

As Meredith studied her more closely, she noticed the faint sheen of sweat on the girl’s forehead and the slight rise and fall of her chest.

"Did you go for a run?" Meredith asked lightly. "You are sweating."

Xamira chuckled and tugged Meredith toward the rug. "No. I was just nervous because I wanted to impress you with my drawing."

Valmora stirred sharply at that, but Meredith brushed it aside for now.

"What are we drawing today?" Meredith asked as they sat.

"A garden," Xamira said promptly.

Meredith smiled. "I’m not very good at drawing, as you already know, but I will try." Then she glanced around and asked, "Where is your nanny?"

As if summoned, the door opened. The nanny entered carrying a glass of milk and a plate stacked with pancakes.

Meredith frowned slightly. "You haven’t had breakfast?" She asked Xamira.

"She has, my Luna," the nanny replied quickly. "This is just something light—an appetizer while she draws."

Meredith nodded, then reached out and pinched Xamira’s cheek gently. "You eat quite a lot for someone so small."

Xamira giggled in return. A moment later, she looked up at her nanny. "You can go now. The Luna will stay with me this morning."

The nanny hesitated and glanced at Meredith. Meredith inclined her head in approval, so with a curtsy, the nanny left, closing the door behind her.

The room fell quiet. Only Meredith and Xamira remained.

Then, Xamira slid a plain drawing sheet toward Meredith, her small fingers careful as she lined it up beside her own.

"Here, my lady," she said brightly. "So we can draw together."

Meredith picked up a charcoal stick and nodded. "All right. A garden it is."

They began in companionable silence, broken now and then by soft laughter. Meredith sketched uneven flowerbeds and looping vines that stubbornly refused to look symmetrical.

Xamira, on the other hand, drew with surprising confidence—her grass flowing naturally, her flowers detailed and lively.

Meredith leaned over to peek. "That’s much better than mine."

Xamira glanced at Meredith’s page and shook her head quickly. "Yours is nice too."

Meredith smiled. "You should be the one teaching me how to draw."

Xamira’s cheeks flushed at the praise. "It’s just practice."

Meredith studied her small face as she spoke—those clear, innocent green eyes.

Something tugged at her memory. ’I seem to have seen that shade before...’

Her thoughts flicked briefly to Wanda, who had green eyes as well—but colder, sharper, and nothing like this. Still, the resemblance unsettled her.

"Luna?" Xamira called, waving a hand.

Meredith blinked. "Yes?"

"I said I need to use the restroom."

"Go on," Meredith said at once, offering a small smile. "I will be right here."

Xamira hopped to her feet and ran toward the bathroom.

Meredith exhaled slowly and stood. Drawn by an impulse she didn’t fully understand, she walked toward the balcony doors and stepped outside, her gaze lifting instinctively toward the sky as the morning light spilt over the estate grounds.

A few moments later, her eyes caught something lying near the edge of the stone floor. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she bent and picked up the green feather.

She turned it between her fingers, studying the sheen, the subtle play of brighter hues along its edge.

Then her lips parted. "This colour..." she murmured. "It’s the same as the birds from earlier."

"It is the same one," Valmora confirmed immediately.

Meredith’s frown deepened. "How did it get here?" she whispered.

Her thoughts raced back to the moment when that fierce bird had broken away from the others and flown toward the house.

"Did it come inside?" Before she could think further, a small voice called out behind her.

"My lady."

Meredith turned sharply and saw Xamira standing near the doorway with wet hands. Then she asked, in an even voice, as she stepped toward her, "You are finished."

Xamira nodded, but her gaze had dropped straight to Meredith’s hand—to the feather.

Meredith stopped in her steps and followed the little girl’s line of sight and felt her nervousness, the subtle tightening of breath, and the way her pupils sharpened just a fraction.

Just then, a memory from Duskmoor slammed into her. A quiet day on her balcony, a green bird flew in. The eyes were unnaturally green and intelligent. She had fed it and even spoken softly to it.

’Those eyes...’ Meredith’s breath caught in her throat. ’That’s why they felt familiar.’

The sudden realization hit with terrifying clarity. Her hand opened, and she flung the feather away as if it burned.

In the same heartbeat, Meredith’s eyes blazed—violet light flooding her pupils, the air around them humming with suppressed power.

Next, she crossed the distance instantly, one hand snapping up to Xamira’s throat and lifting her off the ground with effortless strength.

Xamira gasped, her eyes wide as her feet dangled in the air.

In a voice stripped of warmth, low and deadly calm, Meredith spoke, "She finally caught you."