A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 143

Chapter 143

The hum of conversation was steady in the hall, half–laughed jokes, and formal

introductions. Glasses clinked as stewards moved discreetly between alphas and their

escorts.

Sage stood near Jason, smiling that well–trained smile, though her heart hadn’t settled since the evening began. Jason himself looked stiff…commanding yet restless, a presence impossible to ignore even in a hall filled with leaders.

Then headlights swept across the tall glass windows, cutting into the glow of the chandeliers.

The moment seemed ordinary to most, but Sage felt Jason stiffen beside her, his head lifting like a wolf catching a scent on the wind. His body betrayed what his face refused to: curiosity sharpened by tension.

A car pulled into the drive.

Jason’s gaze locked forward, posture deceptively casual as his eyes strained toward the doors. He hated how obvious it must look, hated even more that he couldn’t stop himself. As the car door opened, he almost wished he hadn’t strained himself so much.

The first to step out was Alexander.

The sight Jason couldn’t stand. The very picture of a wolf who knew his strength and had no need to flaunt it. His every movement screamed confidence, that same infuriating calm Jason knew and disliked him for. Alexander shut the car door behind him, then stood there, surveying the hall with an ease that twisted Jason’s insides.

Jason’s jaw flexed. Of course it would be him. He had expected this much. Still, a flicker of relief whispered through him–because Alexander was alone. Perhaps that meant Faye hadn’t come. Perhaps she had refused outright, unwilling to return to Silver Hollow, unwilling to face him. The thought soothed him for a heartbeat, enough for his chest to ease…..he wanted to see her, but he didn’t really think he was ready to handle her presence.

But then the second door opened.

And Faye stepped out.

The sight hit him like a blade slipped between ribs.

She rounded the car in one graceful movement, her dress flowing as though the night air itself parted to make way for her. Her presence was a quiet storm, calm yet undeniable, and

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when she reached Alexander’s side, their steps fell into rhythm as if choreographed. As if they belonged together.

Jason’s hand curled into a fist at his side, the only crack in the mask he wore.

Sage saw it. She saw more than that–she felt the tremor run through her mate, sharp and silent, a storm restrained by pride. Her own chest tightened, guilt pressing hard against her ribs. She had known this moment would come, had dreaded it since the invitation was sent. And now, with Faye walking toward them, it was all she could do not to fold under the weight

of her own mistakes.

Faye’s eyes were forward, her chin lifted, her steps balanced. She felt every gaze turn toward her and Alexander, the sound in the hall quiet down a bit. She had prepared for this, had steeled herself for the collision of past and present. She didn’t look at Jason, didn’t even allow herself the temptation. To look would mean to remember. And remembering would mean weakness.

She had no intention of being weak, not anymore.

The last time she had stood in this territory, her voice had been drowned out, her choices stripped away. She had walked out carrying nothing but silence and scars. Tonight she returned not as the girl who had been broken but as the woman who had rebuilt herself, stronger than before.

And Alexander was at her side.

His presence was steady, his arm close enough for her to brush against, and though her hand moved only briefly to touch his sleeve, it was enough. He caught the signal, to her surprise. Without words, he adjusted his pace, grounding her.

Alexander’s gaze flicked once toward Jason. There was no gloating in his expression, no

smirk or sneer, just calm.

Jason held the stare. His pride would not allow him to look away, even as the air between them thickened with everything unspoken…

Sage’s smile faltered, the first crack in her mask of composure. She forced it back into place quickly, but the damage was done–her chest ached with the sight of her sister walking in so composed. She wanted to rush forward, to close the gap, to undo the distance her choices had created. But Faye’s poise reminded her of the truth: that bridge was not something she could mend easily.

The hall itself seemed to lean into the tension. Conversations quieted… like they all already knew the history between those four, even though they didn’t.

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Chapter 143

Faye walked on, her gaze was steady when her sister’s eyes met hers across the hall.

Claim

She had promised herself this moment would not undo her. She wouldn’t let the past control her in presence of all those people.

Inside, her heart did not race as it once might have. The anger she had once nursed toward Jason had cooled, hardened into something quieter…indifference. And indifference, she had learned, was far sharper than hate.

Jason, on the other hand, was anything but indifferent. His chest felt like a cage too tight to contain the storm inside. He told himself he had expected this, told himself her presence should just be some kind of closure. Yet the sight of her…her chin lifted, her eyes refusing him…clawed at something deep in him, in a way he didn’t expect.

How dare she walk in here like that, beside Alexander, as if the past had meant nothing? As if he had been nothing to her?

He forced his breathing slow, forced his shoulders back, forced his expression to appear neutral. But his pride could not disguise the sharpness in his gaze as it clashed once more

with Alexander’s.

The silence stretched until it became unbearable as they got closer.

Then, slowly, Alexander placed a hand at the small of Faye’s back, guiding her further into the hall, his touch protective and claiming in a way that he knew she needed.

“Are you okay?” Alexander asked in a hushed tone.

Faye smiled. “I am now.”

Sage realized that her palms were damp. She rubbed them against her dress in a quick, hidden motion, then forced herself forward with a smile that strained at the edges. She was

the hostess. She could not falter now.

“Faye,” Sage said, her voice gentle. The single name felt strange on her tongue, too small to carry the emotional distance between them.

Faye’s eyes flicked to hers at last, calm. There was no anger there, no bitterness–but there was no warmth either. “Sage.”

The word was polite, neutral, yet it struck harder than a blow. Sage’s smile shook, though she tried to hold it steady.

Jason stepped forward then, his voice smooth though his throat felt dry. “Alpha Alexander.

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< Chapter 143

Faye. Welcome to Silver Hollow.”

Alexander inclined his head slightly. “We appreciate the invitation.” His voice was polite.

Clair

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