The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven novel Chapter 469

Chapter 469: The Easiest Woman to Bruise

[Meredith].

The pairs formed quickly. Jeffery with Oscar. Levi with one of the warriors nearby.

Then, Wanda turned toward Vivian with a soft, innocent smile that didn’t fool me.

"Vivian," she said sweetly, "shall we?"

Vivian blinked, looking startled for a second. Then she accepted. "O-oh. Yes, of course."

My jaw tightened. Wanda chose the easy win, a target she could crush without breaking a sweat.

Though Wanda hid her malice beautifully beneath elegance and charm, I saw straight through it. She wanted to hurt someone, and Vivian was simply the easiest woman to bruise.

And this left me with Draven.

"There will be ten seconds for each pair," Dennis announced loudly, stepping to the centre of the training field. "Hit the target as many times as you can."

Everyone straightened slightly with different reactions.

Dennis pointed to the row of wooden targets. "You get ten knives," he continued. "One point per hit."

Then, he lifted the little brass stopwatch in his hand and flashed a smug smile.

The first round began, and he lifted his hand for Jeffery and Oscar to start.

Jeffery was fast and calculated, calm as always. Oscar was erratic, muttering under his breath as he threw.

Then Dennis blew the whistle and checked the board. "Jeffery, seven points. Oscar, three points."

Next up was Levi and the warrior he was paired with. The game ended with six points for Levi and five for the warrior.

That was a close call for Levi.

Vivian swallowed hard as it got to her turn with Wanda.

"Don’t worry," Wanda said sweetly. "I will make it quick."

I rolled my eyes.

"Begin!" Dennis ordered.

The match was brutal. Vivian barely got one clean throw. But Wanda? She moved like she had been waiting for this exact opportunity.

Her knives flew one after another, the sharp thuds hitting dead centre repeatedly. In the end, Dennis announced the results.

"Wanda, nine. Vivian, two."

Vivian managed a weak smile. Wanda stood tall, glowing with confidence and smugness.

My stomach twisted in irritation.

Finally, it got to my turn, and I stepped up next to Draven.

Wanda looked at me with thinly veiled satisfaction, expecting my humiliation.

Knives flew as the air cracked with speed. Draven moved like a force of nature—precise, calm, and ruthless.

I matched a steady rhythm, though not too fast or too accurate, just enough to look competent without drawing attention.

My arm stung by the eighth second.

Then Dennis blew the whistle, checked both targets, and grinned. "Draven, eight." Then he looked at mine. "Meredith, four."

I had a fair, modest score.

"You did well," Draven smirked. I returned the gesture with a small smile.

Behind us, Wanda forced out a tight smile. "Impressive, Luna," she said, though I was sure the compliment didn’t come from her heart.

I simply nodded. Inside, however, I hated that I had to hold back, especially after watching her crush Vivian just to feed her ego.

But caution was necessary for now.

"And that concludes round one!" Dennis declared. "Congratulations to the victors. But now—" He spun the stopwatch around his finger as if he had just been crowned emperor of chaos.

"We do the real fun. Speed-Throw Round Two, with punishments included."

Wanda smiled like she had been waiting to hear those words all afternoon.

Then, Dennis wagged his finger dramatically. "And because we are now playing with stakes, there will only be two throws each per pair. The fastest and most accurate wins."

Vivian exhaled as if she were preparing for execution.

"Remember what I said, my love. Don’t push your limits."

"I won’t," I promised, though my irritation with Wanda still simmered underneath.

"Yes, yes," Dennis sighed. "Lighthearted fun. I’m not trying to get murdered."

Then, he straightened and pointed at Oscar first. "Oscar, you missed the target earlier. Your punishment is simple. Do ten push-ups while reciting how handsome I am."

Oscar stared at him. "I would rather die."

"You will manage."

Next, Dennis turned to Levi. "Your penalty is mild. You are to fetch everyone’s drinks after this."

Levi groaned. "I’m not your servant."

"Punishment," Dennis sang the reminder.

Levi sighed.

Then Dennis turned to Vivian gently. "Vivian, because you are new to our little chaos circle, your punishment will be very light. You will, uh... give Draven’s horse a pat later and say something nice about it."

Vivian blinked her lashes repeatedly. "That’s... all?" She asked, looking around.

Even I didn’t expect that light punishment. Dennis was so considerate.

"Yep," Dennis chirped. "Because Wanda already punished you enough."

Vivian laughed softly, not realizing how true that was.

Then Dennis turned to me. "And Luna..." He grinned. "You must say one nice thing about me."

I stared at him. "That’s the punishment?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The surprising thing was that we had all expected Dennis to play foul, given the right he held to set the punishment.

But while the rules were ridiculous and a bit pride-provocative, they were harmless and straightforward.

"Yes," Dennis said proudly. "Because for some reason, it pains people more than physical labour."

Draven gave a faint smirk. But when I turned to Wanda, she had her gaze elsewhere with a neutral expression on her face.

"Alright! Punishments will be done after all rounds are complete. Next—" He swung the stopwatch once more. "Strategy Game! The grand finale!"