Chapter 292

Enlisting Dennis’s Help

Draven.

Meredith’s gaze flicked to me for a moment. And without hesitation, she reached down, lifting the folded paper from her lap, and placed it in my hand.

The weight of it was light, but I could feel the venom laced inside already. I folded it once more and set it

aside with quiet finality.

She exhaled, a long, weary sound, then leaned back against the sofa. “Draven,” she said softly, her voice stripped of its earlier edge. “I feel mentally exhausted. Can I sit out my training this evening?”

I studied her for a heartbeat, the faint pull in her shoulders, the honesty in her tone. Our conversation had

wrung her dry, and she was trying to admit it without looking weak.

Without a second thought, I nodded. “Of course, you can rest this evening.” My voice dropped to a gentler

note. “You need it.”

A few minutes later, I walked Meredith to the door. Her steps were slower now.

I paused just before the doorframe and leaned down, pressing my lips gently against her forehead.

“Rest well,” I murmured, my voice steady but soft enough to add hints of comfort.

She gave me the faintest nod before I opened the door. I stood there, watching her retreating figure as she

disappeared down the corridor.

Only when she was gone from sight did I let the door close behind her with a quiet click.

I turned, heading back toward the sitting area. The calm that had briefly settled in me shifted the instant my

eyes landed on the folded paper lying on the table, exactly where I had set it.

My jaw tightened.

I picked it up slowly, unfolding the letter. My gaze ran over Wanda’s sharp, venomous strokes, each line digging deeper than the one before.

By the time I reached the end, my hands curled tight around the edges of the paper.

Fury seared through me like wildfire.

I hadn’t expected Wanda to be this cruel, to lace her spite into something so personal–something she had no

right to touch.

This wasn’t honesty. This was pure poison, crafted to corrode everything Meredith and I had built.

Of course, Wanda hadn’t written this out of concern. She had written it out of anger–anger at me. She had wanted to leave behind one last scar before departing, to ruin Meredith’s trust in me and watch it all unravel.

I exhaled slowly, forcing my temper back into its cage. Still, my chest tightened with the weight of it. Now I understood more clearly how Meredith had felt when she first read this filth.

Folding the letter again, I set it down with deliberate care, though my mind was still ablaze. I thought of

Meredith’s eyes earlier, the doubt, the hurt.

If left alone, she would think about this letter, dissect every venomous word and let it burrow deeper.

An idle mind was dangerous. Negativity fed on it. Especially hers which was still raw from learning truths that

should never have been delivered this way.

‘No. I wouldn’t let her sit in that.‘

I straightened, reaching for the bond of the mind–link, sharp and fast as a blade.

“Dennis,” I called, my voice clipped but steady. “I think your friend needs a drive.”

Two seconds later, his voice slid into my mind, laced with suspicion. “You just arrived back. Did you two have

a fight, already?”

I wasn’t surprised by my brother’s guess. The first time he had taken Meredith for a drive was when she and I

had fought. He knew the pattern.

“Not that,” I quickly dispelled his idea. “She

found out about my initial plans to use her as a pawn,” I admitted,

my tone even but edged with regret.

Silence hung on the link for a beat, heavy and sharp. Then Dennis’s voice came, low and shocked. “How in the

heck did Meredith find out about that?”

Almost immediately, he pressed again, sharper this time. “Draven, did you tell her?”

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I exhaled through my nose, steadying my thoughts. “No. Wanda told her. She wrote a letter. Laid everything

bare… By the time Meredith brought it to me, she already had questions.”

I shifted my gaze to the folded paper in my hand and felt like crumbling it into a ball and dumping it into a

bin, as fury simmered just beneath the surface.

“So yes, I confirmed the truth and explained everything. I owed her that much.”

For a moment, Dennis didn’t speak. Then the bond pulsed with his sudden snarl. “That vile bitch!

” His fury

cracked like a whip across the link. “She dared? She actually dared to do that before leaving?”

I felt the force of his anger echoing mine. His next words spat venom. “I really wish the Moon goddess would

curse her tongue to rot for trying to turn your wife against you, and ruin your relationship.”

I let Dennis’s curses burn through the link, the venom of his words matching the rage I’d already felt reading

Wanda’s filth. But this was no longer important. My wife was.

“Leave Wanda to rot in her own bitterness,” I cut in, my tone like steel. “She is no longer my concern. My wife

is.”

The silence on his end shifted, the heat of his temper cooling under the weight of my command.

“So this drive,” Dennis said finally, more measured now. “You want me to take her out? Keep her distracted?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. She’s exhausted, Dennis. Her

mind has been through enough this morning. And if she is left

idle, she will keep circling back to that damned letter. I won’t let her dwell in it.”

Dennis gave a sharp exhale. “Understood. I will take care of it.”

“Don’t press her,” I added. “Just give her the air that she needs and keep her laughing if you can.”

His chuckle came faint but sincere. “That, brother, is the one thing I know how to do. Don’t worry, leave it to

me.”

I felt the bond settle as he withdrew, my hand tightening briefly on the letter before I set it down for good.

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