The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven novel Chapter 178

Chapter 178: Peace Offering

Meredith.

The moment I limped back into my bedroom, Azul flew to my side, her face etched with the usual worry.

"My lady, are you alright?" she breathed, her eyes scanning me like I was a shattered vase.

"I’m barely breathing," I groaned, dragging each word past a dry throat. "My whole body aches... like he personally hated every bone in me."

Azul slipped an arm around my waist and helped me fully into the room, moving with that soft care that always made me feel relieved.

Before I could catch my breath, Kira appeared from the inner room, her hands still damp from testing the water.

"The hot bath is ready, my lady," she announced, her voice gentle, eyes brimming with sympathy.

Between the two of them, I was half-guided, half-carried to the bath. Steam curled around me, thick with the floral notes of essential oil.

The moment I lowered myself into the water, a hiss escaped my lips, and my bruised muscles sang with both relief and fresh pain.

Azul’s hands hesitated at my back, then she spoke, her voice tinged with pity. "My lady, your back... and your arms... they’re all bruised. Deep purple already."

I sucked in a breath, glancing down to see the dark smudges blooming over my pale skin. "He really did go all out today," I muttered, memory flashing of Draven flipping me onto the sand like I weighed nothing.

He should have let me win him.

"And he didn’t even pity me just a little," I grumbled louder, sinking further into the warmth. "Not even as his wife."

Kira, the traitor, let out a small laugh. "My lady... you were the one who went to the Alpha yourself and asked him to train you. Did you think it would be all flowers and gentle words?"

I narrowed my gaze at her, lips pursed. "Are you for me or against me, Kira?"

Azul stifled a giggle, and Kira shook her head quickly, lips still curved. "For you, my lady. Always."

"You’d better be," I threatened half-heartedly. "Or I’ll discharge you to Draven himself."

We all laughed at that, even if it hurt my ribs. The bath didn’t erase the pain, but the heat worked its way into my bones, coaxing out some of the worst of the ache.

Afterwards, they helped me out, wrapping a towel around me before guiding me to the bed. I lay face down, eyes closed, as Azul and Kira began their gentle work with the massage oil.

Fingers worked carefully over bruises, teasing out knots and tightness until my body felt limp with exhaustion.

I couldn’t help the complaints tumbling from my lips, muffled by the pillow. "One day," I mumbled, "I will be so strong and powerful that I will beat Draven’s ass on that training ground."

Kira hummed encouragingly. "And we will be here to cheer you on, my lady."

Azul, ever the cautious one, leaned closer and whispered, "But don’t let the Alpha hear that, my lady. He might double your training tomorrow."

"I don’t care," I retorted into the pillow. "He can come and force me to stop dreaming if he dares."

After the massage, I changed into a soft cotton dress, my limbs heavy but grateful for the care.

Just then, the door creaked open and Deidra stepped in, balancing a tray that smelled faintly of sugar and something warm.

"The Alpha asked the kitchen to prepare something sweet for you, my lady," she said, her voice soft, but her eyes dancing.

My heart, traitorous thing, lifted instantly. Deidra set the tray on the side of the bed and uncovered it: a pint of ice cream starting to melt at the edges, two golden meat pies, and delicate pastries dusted with sugar.

"So he thinks this will buy my forgiveness," I scoffed, though my hand was already reaching for a meat pie.

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