A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 138

When Laura left, Sage stood in the middle of the hall with her arms folded, her lips pressed tight. Her friend’s words echoed in her head, sharp and merciless…but she refused to let them cut too deep.

Jason had his flaws, she wasn’t blind. But so what? Every alpha had flaws. Every Luna had burdens. What mattered was how they carried it, how they made sure the world saw strength instead of weakness. And she would make damn sure no one saw weakness in Silver Hollow.

Still, the guilt was there, sitting low in her stomach like an old scar she could never quite ignore. Faye’s face, the betrayal in her eyes when she learned the truth…those memories still haunted her. Sometimes at night she wondered if people whispered about it when she wasn’t in the room, if they thought of her as the twin who stole what wasn’t hers…. And deep down, she wondered what it would be like to see Faye face to face again.

But guilt didn’t erase pride. She had worked too hard to carve her place as Luna. Too hard to let anyone, even Laura, make her feel small. If she had to polish this pack until it gleamed brighter than every ally’s hall combined just to remind Faye…and herself…that she was the one standing here as Luna, then so be it.

Let Faye walk through Silver Hollow and see what she had lost. Let her see the power, the title, the perfection. Sage would never admit it aloud, but part of her longed for that look in Faye’s eyes again…the hollow one. The reminder that Sage had won.

Of course, winning came with a cost. Jason wasn’t the man she thought he’d be as alpha. He was reckless, careless, too wrapped up in his ego. Laura wasn’t wrong about that. And yes, it scared her sometimes, the thought of him embarrassing her in front of alphas like Alexander. But even then, Sage’s jaw set. If Jason faltered, she would find a way to cover it. If he stumbled, she would shine brighter. She wasn’t about to let anyone…least of all her sister…walk away thinking she had chosen wrong.

Because the truth was, no matter what Jason did, Sage could not afford to look like the loser in this story.

Sage kept glancing at the clock. Her hands were clasped in her lap, nails pressing into her skin as she listened for the sound of footsteps in the hall.

When the door finally creaked open, Jason strolled in like a man who owned not just the room, but the night itself. His hair was windswept, his shirt half unbuttoned, and he carried the smug, careless energy of someone who had been anywhere but where he was supposed

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Chapter 138

to be.

Sage’s jaw tightened.

“You’re late,” she said, her voice sharp. “Where have you been?”

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Jason stopped just inside the doorway, one brow lifting in mock surprise. “Late?” he echoed, his tone heavy with sarcasm. “I wasn’t aware I had a curfew.”

Sage stood, refusing to let him dismiss her with a joke. “You know that’s not what I meant. It’s nearly midnight, Jason. What kind of meeting keeps you out this long without your Luna even being informed?”

He smirked, dropping his jacket carelessly over a chair. “Meetings you wouldn’t understand.”

The words hit her. Her pride bristled instantly. “Don’t you dare patronize me,” she snapped.” I’m Luna of this pack, whether you like it or not. If there are matters important enough to keep you from your own bed this late, then I have a right to know.”

Jason chuckled under his breath, the sound low and dismissive. He moved toward the dresser, tugging at the cuff of his sleeve as if her presence barely registered. “You’re supposed to know?” he said, mocking her choice of words. “You think every time I leave the room, I owe you a report? I’m the Alpha, Sage. I have duties you clearly don’t understand. The pack depends on me to handle things. Not everything is your concern.”

The arrogance in his tone made Sage’s blood simmer. “Not my concern?” she repeated, stepping closer. “I’ve spent the entire day making sure this pack doesn’t embarrass itself when Alexander and Faye arrive tomorrow. I’ve commanded, organized, corrected, cleaned up after your warriors and your carelessness. Do you think that’s not my duty? Do you think it’s easy, holding this house together while you wander off to gods know where?”

Jason stiffened, his smirk faltering for a fraction of a second before returning with sharper edges. “You think highly of yourself,” he muttered, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it onto the floor. “But don’t mistake playing house with actual leadership. I don’t answer to you, Sage. You answer to me.”

Her fists clenched at her sides. The words burned, not because she didn’t know them already, but because he threw them at her like a chain, like a reminder of the way she had bound herself to him. “You’re right,” she said bitterly. “I don’t expect you to answer to me. But you should at least respect me enough not to treat me like a fool.”

Jason ignored her, stripping off his trousers and leaving them where they fell before striding into the bathroom. The sound of running water filled the silence between them, a cruel punctuation to the argument he’d dismissed as unworthy of his time.

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Chapter 138

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