The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven-Chapter 601: Power First, Retribution Later

[Third Person].

The convoy rolled back into the Oatrun estate just as dusk settled over the grounds.

Servants hurried to open the doors, but Dennis was already striding down the front steps before the engines fully died.

Jeffery and Oscar followed close behind, both trying and failing to look less impatient than they actually were.

Dennis didn’t bother with greetings. "Well?" he demanded the moment Draven stepped out. "What happened?"

Randall, for once, did not leave the explaining to his son. He looked pleased and proud. "Inside," he said, already walking ahead. "You will want to hear this properly."

They gathered in the main living room. Randall took a seat first, leaning back as though he were reliving a personal victory. Dennis, Jeffery, and Oscar remained standing for a moment, eyes moving between Draven and Meredith.

"Father?" Dennis pressed.

Randall exhaled slowly, savouring it. "They attempted to block Meredith again after she revealed her wolf to them."

Jeffery’s jaw tightened immediately. Oscar’s expression darkened. Both hid their surprise at Meredith having a wolf, and focused on the more important matter at hand.

"Reginald led the charge," Randall continued. "He rallied more than half the council. They insisted that even though Meredith has a wolf, she must prove her strength in combat..."

Dennis swore under his breath.

Oscar’s voice sharpened. "They went back on their word?"

Randall nodded once. "They did." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The atmosphere turned heavy.

Jeffery folded his arms. "Elder Fellowes has grown bold."

Dennis’s eyes flicked to Meredith. "And?"

Randall’s lips curved. "She accepted their challenge."

Dennis blinked. "Accepted?"

Randall leaned forward slightly. "And she dismantled Wanda in front of everyone."

A brief silence. Then, Dennis burst into laughter. "You’re joking."

"I am not," Randall replied calmly. "Fifteen minutes. Your Luna treated that girl like a training exercise."

Jeffery’s brows rose despite himself. "Miss Fellowes landed anything?"

"Barely," Randall said. "One clean hit, perhaps if we are generous."

Oscar let out a low whistle while Dennis looked at Meredith, his eyes shining. "I bet Wanda’s pride was completely dismantled at the end."

"Yes. She was even carried away." Randall confirmed. "She could not walk out on her own."

That did it.

Dennis clapped his hands once and turned to Meredith with exaggerated reverence. "Luna," he said grandly, bowing slightly. "Allow me to congratulate you properly."

Jeffery and Oscar followed suit, both inclining their heads respectfully.

"Luna," Jeffery said, pride evident in his tone.

"You honoured the estate today," Oscar added.

Meredith only smiled and accepted their words quietly.

Dennis straightened, his grin widening. "But you should have killed her," he said playfully. "This was a are opportunity. You had a public stage, witnesses and everything."

Randall shot him a look. "There were rules."

Dennis shrugged. "Rules are suggestions."

Oscar chuckled. "If Elder Fellowes had known what the Luna was capable of, he would not have stirred the council like that. His greed has brought him nothing but humiliation."

Jeffery nodded. "He went out of his way to secure the crown for his daughter. Instead, he handed you legitimacy before the entire region. By now, the news has spread."

Dennis did not even attempt to hide his disdain. "Good," he muttered. "Let them choke on it. Both father and daughter."

Then, he turned to Draven, all humour fading. "So," he asked, his voice sharpening slightly, "how do you plan to deal with Reginald and the elders who supported him? They openly disrespected you and your mate."

The room quieted. Draven had been silent through most of the recounting, watching, and listening. Now, he was smiling dangerously.

"Let us be crowned first."

That was all he said. No further explanation. But everyone in the room understood that power first, then retribution later.

Dennis’s grin returned slowly, darker this time as Jeffery exchanged a glance with Oscar, while Randall leaned back again, looking completely satisfied.

---

Meanwhile, the doors of the Fellowes residence slammed open so hard the guards outside flinched.

Reginald did not slow his pace. Servants scattered from his path as he stormed through the hallways, cloak still draped over his shoulders, pride shredded, and temper barely leashed.

The humiliation of the afternoon replayed in his mind like a curse. The whispers. The gasps.

The way most of the elders had avoided his gaze when his daughter lost the duel. The way Draven had looked at him.

By the time he reached Wanda’s chambers, his fury had reached its peak.

Inside, the atmosphere was heavy with the sharp scent of herbs and crushed leaves. Wanda lay on her bed, pale, her breathing uneven. Her arm was tightly wrapped, one shoulder bound, bruises already darkening across her collarbone and ribs.

A healer knelt beside her, applying a paste carefully to her side.

Reginald did not knock. He shoved the door open, and it hit the wall.

The healer started in surprise as Wanda’s eyes darted towards the entrance. "Father—"

"Leave," Reginald snapped at the healer.

The woman hesitated. "Elder Fellowes, she requires—"

"I said leave!" The authority in his voice left no room for argument.

The healer bowed quickly and hurried out, clutching her kit.

The door shut.

Silence.

Wanda swallowed. "Father... it was an unfair—"

"Unfair?" Reginald barked out a laugh devoid of humour. "Unfair?" He moved closer to the bed, looming over her. "You assured me she was nothing."

Wanda’s jaw tightened despite the pain radiating through her ribs. "She was nothing. She hid it."

"You did not know that," he snapped. "And yet you spoke with confidence. You stood before me and told me Meredith Carter was empty. Wolfless. Weak."

His voice lowered, more dangerous now. "And because of your arrogance, I lowered my guard."

Wanda’s fingers dug into the sheets. "She deceived everyone—"

"And you were defeated by someone who was ’nothing.’" His words were cutting, deliberate. "You. One of Stormveil’s finest female warriors."

The insult landed harder than any blow Meredith had delivered. But Reginald did not stop.

"Do you understand what you have done?" he demanded. "You have polished her reputation. You have washed away every insult we ever threw at her. The people now chant her name."

Wanda’s lips trembled.

"They cheer for her."

Each word felt like acid.

"And I," Reginald continued, voice tightening, "was forced to watch as my daughter was treated like a training dummy in front of the council."

Then, his hand struck the wooden bedpost beside her head, cracking the polished surface. "You made me bow in humiliation."