The Lunar Curse: A Second Chance With Alpha Draven
Chapter 152: A Milestone

Chapter 152: A Milestone

Meredith.

I kept my hands steady on the wheel, but my fingers were tense, as though gripping too tightly might help the car understand how important this was to me.

The engine hummed quietly beneath me. The road was mostly clear, the trees on either side looking more like blurs than real things. I was driving. Actually driving.

And for the first few minutes, my speed stayed below the limit of confidence. But slowly, it grew. Not recklessly. Just... enough.

Dennis leaned back in the passenger seat, one arm resting on the window. "So," he said casually, "how many pints of ice cream are you going to inhale once we get there?"

"Three," I replied without thinking. "Maybe four if I still feel like celebrating."

"Bold. Dangerous. I like it."

I smiled, but the curve faltered when I glanced at him, and the wheel veered slightly to the left.

"Whoa," Dennis said quickly, straightening. "Eyes on the road. You want to flirt with death, do it after we park."

I adjusted the car gently back into the lane. "You’re distracting."

"You’re not supposed to look at me when I talk. You’re supposed to respond like a proper driver—with fear and silence."

I huffed. "I’m fine."

"You veered off your lane twice."

"Minorly."

Dennis leaned back again and stretched. "Alright. I’m going quiet. The last thing I want is to die because I couldn’t shut up."

I glanced at him with mock offence. "Coward."

"Alive, coward," he muttered.

For a few minutes, we drove in silence. The wheels rolled smoothly, the road stretching ahead in a calm line. Then—

"This drive is long," I mumbled. "I’m bored. I might sleep off."

Dennis turned his head sharply. "Don’t you dare. I am not trained in vehicle CPR."

I grinned.

"Do you want to put on music?" He asked,

"No," I said immediately. "Too noisy."

Dennis blinked. "You don’t know music. That’s why."

"I know silence," I countered.

He reached for the console anyway. I swatted his hand away and put both hands firmly back on the steering wheel.

"Eyes," he warned.

"I’m aware."

He sighed and turned the music off again. "Fine. What do you want, then?"

I smiled without looking at him. "For you to keep talking."

He groaned dramatically. "You’re exhausting. I wish my brother could get half the trouble you give me."

"Believe me," I said sweetly, "you don’t get a quarter of what he has to deal with me."

Dennis chuckled, shaking his head. "It’s no wonder he’s grumpy most of the time."

"Your brother has always been grumpy," I said. "And arrogant. From the first day I met him."

"Sounds like love at first growl," Dennis smirked.

I rolled my eyes. "I’m choosing to ignore that."

"Well," he said, stretching his arms behind his head, "let’s just hope our relationship stays like this. I’d like to keep my sense of humour intact."

I chuckled under my breath.

He kept talking after that—random things, some jokes, a few sarcastic remarks about my posture behind the wheel—but he kept the mood light. And I liked that. It made the road feel shorter.

Somewhere past the tenth bend, I asked quietly, "Do you have a mate?"

I had realized that we have never talked about that subject because I’ve never asked about it.

He turned his head slowly, the humour in his face softening.

"No," he said, voice more subdued. "Not yet."

"Oh. I’m sorry."

He shrugged. "Don’t be. My brother went all his life without one... and then he found you. So, there’s hope."

I smiled gently. "You will find her. When the time’s right."

He didn’t say anything for a second. Then he nodded. "Yeah. Maybe. And I hope she won’t be as stubborn as you."

I turned and glared hard at him.

"Meredith," he called, eyes growing wide. "Eyes on the road, please," he begged.

I listened, mostly because I didn’t want to die yet.

---

By the time we reached the outskirts of town, the nerves were gone. All that remained was focus—and an overwhelming sense of pride.

I parked the car in the open lot beside the familiar ice cream shop. It was the same spot from the last time Dennis dragged me here during a breakdown.

Now I walked in with no breakdown. No need to be pulled. Just... confidence.

As we stepped out of the car, I turned to Dennis. "How long did I drive?"

He checked his watch. "Thirty minutes."

I raised my brows. "Seriously?"

"Impressed with yourself, aren’t you?"

I smiled. "Just a little." In fact, I was pretty proud of myself for driving for that long on my first attempt.

We walked into the shop together. The same soft chimes rang above the door, and the same pastel pink walls greeted us like old friends. The air was cool and sweet with the smell of syrup and frozen cream.

We ordered different flavours. Mine: Double Strawberry with Rainbow Toppings and a Syrup Swirl. His: cookie crumble and vanilla with caramel drizzle.

We carried our bowls to a table by the window, settled in, and let the town move around us like background noise.

"I’m proud of you," Dennis said around a spoonful of his.

"I’m proud of myself, too," I replied, mouth full of strawberry.

We laughed.

I leaned forward slightly and whispered, "It’s a good thing we didn’t get caught. Imagine the headlines. ’Alpha’s wife arrested for illegal driving in town.’"

Dennis grinned. "It would’ve been troublesome. Especially for me."

He tapped his spoon on the edge of the bowl. "Now that you’ve learned, though... you need to take the Duskmoor driving test. Get a real license. Then you can drive without breaking the law."

I slumped back in my seat. "My life is just tests, tests, and more tests. I’m tired."

Dennis gave me a soft look. "Don’t give up on your vision. You’ve started something. See it through."

I let out a slow sigh.

Then I decided to joke. "You know what would really make me happy right now?"

"What?"

"If Draven gifted me a car."

Dennis coughed into his spoon. "Stop dreaming."

"I’m serious."

"My brother could buy you one. But he probably won’t. Duskmoor’s too dangerous. He will probably let you drive his car instead. Around the estate, but with supervision."

"How generous."

"That’s Draven."

I opened my mouth to change the subject, my thoughts drifting toward the killings, toward the strange quiet we’d been living in—and then Dennis pointed out the window.

"Cotton candy," he said.

I turned.

A man was walking by with a small paper stand of it—pink, fluffy, and almost glowing in the light.

"Is it nice?" I asked.

Dennis smirked. "You will like it."

We stood, finished the last bites of our ice cream, and headed outside.