Chapter 285
That Vile Woman
Meredith. 1
I also remembered the confessions Draven gave me when I least expected them.
And yet, Wanda’s words slithered over all of it like venom.
‘Had I been too quick to confess my love to him? To believe every tender word he spoke?‘
Heat flared in my chest with anger, doubt and humiliation all at once. My mind refused to be still, questions
clawing at me, each one sharper than the last.
‘Was it all a game? Was I a fool for trusting him? Was I nothing more than a piece to him, just as Wanda said?‘
“Calm down, Meredith.” Valmora’s voice slid into me like cool water over a flame.
I swallowed hard. “I’m not overreacting. You read that letter with
me, and you saw what Wanda wrote.”
“You are thinking too much,” Valmora answered, her tone firm but not unkind. “This is exactly what Wanda
wanted. She wanted to twist your mind against Draven, and to make you question everything good that has
blossomed between you.”
I dragged in a sharp breath, my hands curling into fists on my lap. “But what if she isn’t lying? What if
everything I’ve been living in these past weeks is just an illusion?”
Silence hummed inside me for a moment before Valmora spoke again.
“Why do you think Draven
forcefully claimed and married you in the first place? You already know he did not
love you at the start. Or have you forgotten so soon?”
My breath pivoted harsh as the memories hit me like a slap. Memories of our bitter arguments in Stormveil,
the coldness in his gaze, the way I used to wonder endlessly why he wanted me at all.
I had asked him, more than once, both in Stormveil and here in Duskmoor about the reason he married me,
but he never gave me an answer till date.
A shiver ran through me as the ugly truth pressed against my chest. Wanda was right.
My heart stumbled, twisting painfully as doubt seeped deeper. Did Draven like me now? Or was it all still part
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of whatever plan he had from the beginning?
I pressed a hand to my forehead, fighting to steady my breath. Then Valmora’s voice slipped in, quieter this
time: “Do you trust me?”
I didn’t answer. My lips parted, but no sound came.
“Meredith,” she continued gently, “I am your wolf. From the moment we connected, have I ever given you
reason to think I would harm you?”
Her words echoed in the fragile silence of my heart.
Then I let out a deep, shaky breath and muttered under my breath, “No… you haven’t. At least not yet.” 2
Valmora exhaled inside me, her voice softer now and threaded with more patience.
“I know how you feel, Meredith. It is understandable. But don’t let your emotions blind you from what is truly
important. Don’t let them hinder your visions.”
I pressed my lips together. I didn’t want to hear any of that now. My chest was too heavy, and my thoughts
too tangled.
But Valmora didn’t stop. I knew she wouldn’t until she had achieved her aim to calm me.
“Draven owes you an explanation. That is something only he can give, and I will not take that right away from
him. But I want you to know this, Draven did what was right given the situation, the circumstances, and his role
as a strategic leader at that point.”
I blinked hard, swallowing down the sting of tears that threatened to rise.
“You will understand that side of him one day,” Valmora went on, “when you step into the court fully and take on a true leadership role of your own. Then you will see yourself making similar decisions.”
Her words pressed against me, but I couldn’t find any reply. Too many questions swirled in my mind, colliding with Wanda’s venomous words, with Draven’s silences from the past, with my own fragile hopes.
Valmora’s voice sharpened a little. “Don’t let this rage–this bitterness swimming in your heart spill beyond today.”
I let out a humorless laugh and whispered, “Do you… care about my emotions now?”
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“I care about your emotions if that is what will make you happy,” Valmora replied. “But my true concern is this; would you really allowed Wanda leave so happily after what she has done to you?” 1
The question burned through me like fire. My fingers curled tight into my palms. I let my voice drop,
sounding low and venomous. “That bitch must have left already.”
“No.” Valmora’s answer came quickly, almost like a smirk I could feel in my bones. “She is still here.”
Before I could move, the door opened. Cora and Arya stepped inside, each balancing baskets of fresh
beddings.
“Good morning, my lady,” they chimed respectfully.
“Good morning,” I answered absently, ready to side from the sofa. My eyes locked on Cora. “Is Wanda still
around?”
“Yes, my lady,” Cora replied.
And that was all the confirmation I needed. Immediately, I stood to my feet and smooth my blouse and pants.
The next second, I strode toward the door.
I could feel Deidra’s quiet presence as she began to follow me, but I didn’t turn or ask her any questions.
My jaw clenched as I articulated inwardly, “What should I even say to her, Valmora? Because right now, all I feel like doing is pulling every last strand of hair out of her thick head.”
Valmora chuckled darkly. “Wanda doesn’t think Draven is your mate. Tell me, Meredith, how do you think that
truth will ruin the little happiness and false victory she clings to after giving you that letter?”
My lips curled into a slow smirk as I descended the stairs, already imagining Wanda’s face shattering when t
told her.
My anger didn’t vanish, rather, it shifted. I sharpened it into something colder to be used on that vile woman.
The morning air was crisp, laced with the faint scent of dew and burning fuel. My slippers crunched lightly
on the gravel as I stepped outside.
There, just ahead, Wanda was striding toward the black car waiting with its headlights on, probably
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wallowing in whatever emotion she had chosen.
“Wanda.” Her name left my lips like steel.
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