The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven-Chapter 635: Oppositions Arising (V)

[Third Person].

The room shifted slightly as Gabriel hesitated, but Mabel pressed further. "Call one of the Elders or an Alpha who was present and ask them yourself."

A tense pause followed, then finally, Gabriel stood up and stepped away towards the dining area to make the call.

The others strained to listen, but his voice was low. "Yes... I see... In the hall?"

More silence ensued, then his posture gradually shifted. When he came back, his face appeared altered. He seemed as if a heavy burden had suddenly been laid upon him.

"Well?" Mabel demanded.

Gabriel did not answer. He did not need to, and his silence confirmed everything. Gary exploded almost immediately. "How can that bitch have fae powers?"

"Gary!" Margaret snapped. But he was already pacing. Then, she shifted her gaze to her husband and silently called him away, leaving their children alone in the sitting room.

Monique’s face hardened. "That girl has always been trouble," she muttered. "Now this. The people won’t accept her."

"She deserves it," Gary growled. "Always surrounded by controversy."

Mabel smirked, looking satisfied. "She doesn’t deserve to be Queen in the first place. Perhaps this is fate correcting itself."

Monique nodded slowly. "And since she refuses to uplift her own family," she added bitterly, "let her fall alone."

Just then, a thought struck Gary, and he stopped pacing. "We are all pure werewolves. So how is she different? Where did her fae blood come from?"

Mabel shrugged lightly. "That’s for father and mother to answer." Then, she waved it off. "It doesn’t matter."

But it did matter, and everyone in the room felt it.

---

Once alone in their bedroom, Margaret closed the door softly. Gabriel walked over to the window and stood there, staring into nothing.

"It must be my mother," he said finally.

Margaret looked at him.

"She and Meredith look so much alike." His voice carried disbelief. "Could she truly be part fae?" The thought unsettled him deeply.

"I feel betrayed," he admitted quietly. "She hid her identity from me. All these years."

Margaret said nothing, so Gabriel continued, more to himself than to her. "That must be why she left the Moonstone pack. Why she chose to live elsewhere."

Then, he exhaled slowly. "I only hope this revelation does not drag the Carter family into trouble."

Without further hesitation, he grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen, sat down, and began writing a letter to his mother.

His handwriting was firm, almost rigid, as he questioned her for hiding her fae identity from him and when she intended to tell him the truth.

Margaret watched him and felt a little uncomfortable, so she asked gently, "Is this necessary? In the years since, you have not written to ask after her well-being. Now you write to question her identity?"

Gabriel did not look up. "It is necessary. She must answer to me. I am her son."

Margaret didn’t bother to argue with him as she had no energy left for a fight, so she fell silent.

When Gabriel finished, he folded the letter and handed it to a trusted courier, but his face remained troubled.

***

~Fellowes Residence~

Later that night, Wanda entered her father’s study with a composed smile and informed him that her work was done.

"I found the perfect scapegoat."

Reginald looked up. "Who is it?"

"Mabel Carter. She is the Queen’s sister," Wanda explained.

Reginald’s expression sharpened with doubt, but Wanda stepped closer. "She hates Meredith. In fact, all her siblings do."

She let that sink in, then continued, "Mabel didn’t even know about the fae blood until I mentioned it."

Reginald’s eyes gleamed faintly. "And she reacted?"

"Exactly as expected." Wanda smiled coldly. "Now, given the existing hatred, she will spread this without realizing she was being used."

Reginald leaned back slowly. "And when Draven traces the rumour?"

Wanda’s eyes darkened with satisfaction. "He will find his wife’s own sister at the root of it."

A slow smile spread across Reginald’s face. "No matter what," he murmured, "it will be a slap to his face knowing his wife’s family seeks her downfall."

Wanda nodded. "And the Elders are already uncomfortable. This will give them fuel."

Reginald rose and placed a hand lightly on the desk. "Make sure it spreads," he said. "Like wildfire."

Wanda inclined her head. "It will, father." Then, she turned and left, pride swelling in her chest.

The trap had been set.

***

The market was bustling as usual around midday the next day. Vendors shouting prices. Children darting between stalls.

The aroma of roasted meat and fresh bread drifted through the air. But beneath the usual noise, something else was spreading. Something quieter, something poisonous.

Two women stood near a fruit stall, speaking in low voices.

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"The Queen."

The second woman frowned slightly. "What about her?"

The first leaned closer. "They say she isn’t a full werewolf."

The other woman scoffed immediately. "That’s ridiculous."

"I thought so too," the first insisted. "But my cousin’s husband works near the palace. He heard it from a guard."

Now the second woman hesitated.

"He said the Queen used... magic."

A third woman nearby turned her head. "Magic?"

"Yes," the first whispered. "Fae magic."

The word fae hung in the air like a bad omen. And right then, a man arranging vegetables paused.

"That can’t be true," he muttered.

"Why not?" someone replied. "During the vampire attack, people said weapons started floating in the air."

Another voice joined. "I heard the same thing."

Soon, a small circle had formed. Everyone had heard something, but no one had the full truth, which made the rumours grow even faster.

"She saved the palace," someone said.

"Yes," another replied quickly, "but how did she do it?"

"Fae powers." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

A baker wiped his hands on his apron. "That means she is not fully one of us."

Murmurs rose. "That would explain why she was wolfless for so many years."

A woman lowered her voice. "What if the Moon Goddess cursed her because of it?"

Several people stiffened. "That... actually makes sense." Then someone else leaned in. "I heard something worse."

"What?"

"They say she is stronger than the King."

Silence followed, then a nervous laugh. "That’s impossible."

But the man shook his head. "If she has fae magic... what if it’s true?"

Another voice spoke quietly. "What if one day she kills him and rules Stormveil alone?"

The words spread through the group like wildfire. A young merchant shook his head anxiously. "No... no, that can’t happen."

"But how would we stop her?" someone asked.

"She already controls magic."

"And she’s the Queen."

The whispers turned darker, more fearful, and more suspicious.

"What if she has been hiding it all along?"

"What if the throne knew?"

"What if we are being ruled by something that isn’t even a wolf?"

The rumours began to spread beyond the small crowd, moving from stall to stall, from merchant to customer, and from market to tavern.

By the time the afternoon sun climbed higher, the story had changed entirely. Now people weren’t saying the Queen had used magic to save the palace.

They were saying the Queen was dangerous, and danger sitting on a throne frightened people. And very quickly, Stormveil began to whisper the same question:

Can a half-fae truly rule werewolves?