A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 100

FAYE

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The damp chill of the dungeon seeped into my skin the longer I sat there, the rough stone pressing into my back like it wanted to remind me where I was. My hands trembled, not from fear…at least, that’s what I told myself…but from the cold.

The silence was worse than the cold though. It was thick, suffocating, broken only by the occasional drip of water echoing from somewhere deep within the walls.

I pressed my knees to my chest and tried to steady my breathing. It still felt unreal…one moment I had been sitting through a council meeting, irritated and bored as always, and the next, I was being dragged out like some criminal. A traitor.

The elders had spat the word at me like it explained everything, like it justified the humiliation of being seized without even a chance to defend myself.

My lips pressed into a thin line. I should have screamed. I should have fought back, said something, anything…but shock had stolen the words from me, and by the time I found my voice, it was too late. They had already branded me guilty.

I leaned my head against the damp wall and closed my eyes. Alexander. Everyone could believe whatever they wanted, what I really cared about was his opinion.

My chest tightened at the thought of him. Did he know by now? He had to. Cole was there…he wouldn’t have just stood by. He must have called him immediately. But what good would that do me? I wasn’t sure what was worse–the thought that Alexander might not believe me or that he would.

If he believed me, if he stood up to the elders on my behalf, then he would be going against them. The same elders who had guided him since childhood, who saw themselves as the keepers of the pack’s traditions, the guardians of its stability. To defend me meant to divide himself from them, maybe even to divide the pack. Would he do that? For me?

And if he didn’t…if he believed them instead…then what did that say about me? About us?

The air grew heavier, and I rubbed at my arms as if that could warm me. They never wanted me here…not really. From the very beginning, the whispers had followed me through the hallways of the pack house, the stares that lingered too long, the smiles that never quite reached their eyes.

I had told myself I could endure it, that I would prove them wrong over time. That if I stood by Alexander, if I showed my loyalty, then eventually they would see me as one of them.

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But sitting here, caged like some dangerous beast, I realized just how wrong I’d been.

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It was too easy for them, too convenient. The moment something suspicious happened, I became their scapegoat. The outsider…the easy target.

I pressed my fists against my temples, trying to drown out the rising panic. Whoever had done this…whoever had set me up…they knew exactly what they were doing. They had counted on the fact that almost no one here would lift a finger to defend me. That the elders wouldn’t even hesitate before condemning me. That Alexander’s absence at the time would make it easier.

But why?

I bit down hard on my lip. The question bothered me as much as the cold did. Who? Out of all the faces I had seen since coming here, who would hate me enough to frame me like this? The list was too long. Almost everyone had made it clear, one way or another, that they didn’t want me around.

Which meant it could have been anyone.

I exhaled shakily, lowering my head onto my knees. The stone floor bit into my skin, but I welcomed the sting…it grounded me, reminded me that I couldn’t afford to fall apart.

I wasn’t going to cry. I wasn’t going to let them see me broken.

I was still trying to process my situation when I heard sound.

Footsteps.

I scrambled to my feet, brushing dust from my palms even though it didn’t matter. My heart thundered, and when the figure finally appeared, my chest squeezed so tight I thought I might collapse.

It was Alexander.

For a moment, I simply stared at him. He didn’t rush forward, didn’t call my name, didn’t ask me anything. He just stopped in front of the bars and looked at me. He was angry, I could

tell.

I couldn’t take it. I shook my head quickly, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “I didn’t do it. I swear. I’m innocent.”

My voice cracked, shame prickling my skin, because I hated how desperate I sounded. But what else could I say? He hadn’t spoken yet. He hadn’t told me what he thought. And the silence was worse than any accusation.

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< Chapter 100

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Deep down, a part of me was screaming–what if he believed them? What if he looked at me now and saw only the traitor they claimed I was?

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, his lips parted, eyes softening a little. “I know.”

Just two words.

My knees nearly buckled at the sound of them. He didn’t demand an explanation. He didn’t press me to defend myself. He didn’t doubt, he just knew. How did he know?

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