The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven - Chapter 365

Chapter 365: Not A Single Hit Connected
Meredith.

I spent the rest of the morning reading.

Then, as soon as lunch was over, I spent the rest of my time pacing between my room and the balcony, unable to focus on anything because of my duel with Draven.

I had been waiting for this moment for a long while, and finally it was here. Still, a nervous energy kept tugging at me.

The memory of the vampires, their speed, their strength, their hunger remained etched in my mind.

I could still feel the moment my hand had closed around that creature’s heart. It had changed something in me.

“You are thinking too much again,” Valmora’s voice murmured in my head, smooth as silk but edged with knowing.

I frowned. “You would be nervous too if you were about to fight someone like Draven.”

She chuckled. “I would be thrilled. You have already fought death and won. What is one wolf compared to that?”

I sighed, brushing my fingers over the cool stone of the railing. “You make it sound easy. Besides, you said he was the real deal, not the vampires.”

“Well, you are not fighting to win this time,” Valmora replied softly. “You are fighting to understand him—to learn what kind of strength truly leads a pack.”

Her words lingered with me. She always had a way of twisting fear into something sharper and useful.

By the time I left the balcony and went back inside, my hands were steadier.

I went to my wardrobe and pulled out a black sleeveless top and fitted combat trousers—something I could move easily in.

I tugged my hair into a tight ponytail and fastened it with the small silver clasp.

Finally, I stepped out of my bedroom and descended the stairs, the faint hum of evening settling across the estate.

The marble steps were cool beneath my feet, the soft light of the chandeliers spilling down like liquid gold.

As I reached the ground floor, the moment I came into view, my maidservants lit up.

“My lady!” they chorused almost at once.

Deidra and Cora, standing near the end of the hall, exchanged eager glances.

“If only we could watch the duel!” Deidra said dreamily, her hands clasped together as if she were about to witness a royal event.

I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips. Just after breakfast this morning, I had told them about my duel with Draven.

And ever since then, the whole house had been buzzing about it as if it were some kind of festival.

Looking between Deidra and Cora, I shook my head lightly. “It’s not a serious battle,” I told them with a teasing smile. “No need for you to come and watch me embarrass myself.”

That made them laugh as I walked past them, and I could hear Azul’s cheerful voice from behind me. “Good luck, my lady!”

“Thank you,” I replied over my shoulder, still smiling as I caused my way outside the house and headed straight for the training grounds.

The closer I got, the quieter everything became. The air smelled faintly of iron and grass — the scent of the grounds after an evening of sun.

When I finally stepped into the open field, my smile faltered. The entire space was empty. Not a single warrior in sight.

I looked around, scanning the far ends of the grounds where the training dummies stood motionless, their shadows stretching long under the orange sky.

A small frown crept onto my lips. “Draven?” I called softly. But I got no answer.

I crossed my arms and tapped my foot against the ground. Was he playing games with me again?

Just as I was beginning to think he had changed his mind about the duel, his deep voice rolled through my head, smooth and amused.

“What are you thinking now, my love?”

I froze and looked around instinctively, though I knew I wouldn’t see him since he was deliberately hiding from me.

I folded my arms tighter and replied through the link, “That if you don’t show up right now, I will ban you from entering my bedroom for an entire week.”

For a moment, there was silence. Then, his laughter echoed inside my mind, low and rich, like the sound of thunder wrapped in warmth.

“A whole week?” he teased. “You wound me, wife.”

“Then show yourself,” I muttered aloud, scanning the vast expanse of the training grounds again.

The wind shifted, rustling the grass, and that familiar pulse of energy—that powerful, commanding aura that could belong to no one else, brushed against my senses.

I turned sharply toward the far end of the field just in time to see him step out of the shadows.

He was dressed in black, his sleeves rolled up, his eyes glowing faintly under the fading orange light of the evening.

His presence alone seemed to make the air grow heavier, the earth hum beneath my feet.

And still, that slight, knowing smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You called for me, wife,” he said, his tone lazy but edged with that dangerous confidence that always made my pulse quicken.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, pretending not to notice the amused glint in his eyes. “You enjoy making me wait.”

He stepped closer, his gaze never leaving mine. “Only when it makes you look at me like that.”

I scoffed and turned my head slightly so he wouldn’t see the smile tugging at my lips. “You are impossible.”

Draven’s smirk deepened, but his tone shifted when he finally spoke again. “Let’s begin.”

I straightened instinctively, my heartbeat quickening.

He nodded once toward the open space between us. “Remember what I told you,” he said, circling me slowly. “Don’t rush. Read the movement. Follow instinct, not panic.”

“I know,” I replied, keeping my voice steady.

“Good,” he murmured.

I steadied my stance, squaring my shoulders, every muscle in my body braced. Then I struck first.

A jab to his ribs, but he blocked it. Then I spun round, feinted, and aimed a direct punch at his jaw, but he easily brushed them aside.

Again and again, I tried, testing his rhythm, my breathing sharp and uneven, but every time my hand reached him, his body moved like smoke. Not a single hit connected.