A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 145

Chapter 145

Sage stepped outside, the night air hitting her like a shock. She needed space…anything to escape the suffocating weight of the confrontation she had just endured.

The echoes of Jason’s words, his calm dismissal, still rang in her ears, gnawing at her pride and stirring the anger that had been simmering beneath the surface for too long.

Her feet carried her almost instinctively toward the training grounds, the familiar path toward the edge of the woods providing a small, grounding sense of direction. The shadows of the trees stretched long and dark under the stars, and she leaned against one of the taller trunks, drawing in a shaky breath.

For a moment, she tried to still herself, to pull her ragged thoughts together. But the effort was too much. Frustration, hurt, and the sting of betrayal mingled inside her chest, and despite herself, tears began to slip down her cheeks. She didn’t try to catch them. She didn’t want to. Letting them fall felt like the only way to release the pressure building inside her.

The wind whispered through the branches, brushing against her skin, yet it brought no comfort. Sage closed her eyes, letting herself feel the full weight of the anger and disappointment she had bottled up for so long. Alone in the night, surrounded by the quiet of the woods, she finally allowed herself to break, even if just for a moment.

FAYE

I excused myself from the chatter of the other alphas, letting Alexander carry on with the conversation. He seemed perfectly at ease, as always, commanding attention without even trying. I, on the other hand, wasn’t in the mood for small talk or for pretending to care about the polite niceties the Lunas were trading.

Their smiles were sharp, their compliments thinner than air, and underneath all that, I could smell the silent competition they were constantly waging over trivial things. I had no interest in being caught in that, not tonight.

I stepped outside, the familiar air of Silver Hollow brushing against my skin. I had thought about visiting the family house first, checking in on my parents, but something told me tomorrow morning would be better. Tonight, I just needed space…somewhere quiet, somewhere that belonged only to me.

My legs moved almost on autopilot, leading me toward the training grounds. The path was familiar, each step stirring memories I hadn’t realized I’d missed so much. This place–my sanctuary, my home inside the home–had always been where I felt most like myself.

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Chapter 145

The earth under my shoes, the smell of soil mingling with the faint tang of the practice weapons, the way the air seemed to move with possibility…it was mine. I had fought, sweated, and sometimes even cried here, but it had all been on my terms.

Claim

I wasn’t expecting anyone, and yet my steps faltered when I spotted a figure sitting on one of the benches, her back to me. Sage. My heart tightened, and for a brief second I considered turning back, letting her have her solitude. But I couldn’t.

There was something in the way she sat, hunched slightly, that tugged at me, and my curiosity…maybe even my concern…won. I slowed my pace and eventually found myself walking closer, silently hoping she wouldn’t notice.

Of course, she did. The moment our eyes met, I saw it: a glint of moisture on her cheek, quickly wiped away. My chest tightened, a sharp, inexplicable sting rising inside me. Was she crying? The thought hit harder than I expected, and I felt a flush of something I didn’t entirely

understand.

For all that had happened between us…her betrayal, the long–standing tension, the days of unspoken rivalry…I couldn’t bear seeing her like that. It was as though something deep inside me rebelled against the idea of her suffering.

Sage turned fully toward me then, masking whatever emotion had betrayed her earlier with a practiced ease. “Faye,” she said, her tone casual, almost too casual. “What are you doing out here? Do you need something?”

I smiled, letting it appear effortless, like I hadn’t noticed the tear, like the brief pang of guilt hadn’t squeezed my chest. “Just taking a walk,” I replied lightly, letting my eyes scan the grounds before meeting hers again. “I never pictured you coming out here by yourself. I always thought this was more…my thing. I remember you hating me for it sometimes.”

She let out a laugh, genuine and light, and for a moment, the tension between us seemed to loosen. “Of course,” she said, shaking her head. “You were always doing too much, disappearing into the training grounds for hours. Mother would have me go look for you, only to find you asleep on the mats after training. Who does that?”

I chuckled, the memory surfacing like a warm spring after a long winter. I remembered the countless times I had thrown myself into drills, practicing long past exhaustion, only to be found crumpled in the corner, and Sage there, exasperated, fuming, yet unable to hide the fondness in her frustration. The thought made me laugh along with her, lighter this time, freer than I had in a while.

We found ourselves sitting side by side on the bench, the silence between us comfortable rather than strained. The air was quiet, punctuated only by the rustling leaves and distant chirps of night creatures. I felt the familiar weight of belonging settle around me.

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“You’ve changed,” Sage said after a while, breaking the silence.

I shrugged, unsure how to respond. Had I really? The past had molded me in ways I barely recognized myself, yet here in this space, surrounded by everything that had always been mine, I felt pieces of the old me come back. “Maybe,” I said softly, careful not to overstate it.

Sage’s gaze softened, and I noticed the vulnerability lingering in her eyes, the unspoken apology hovering somewhere between us. There was no grand confession, no dramatic words, just the quiet acknowledgment that whatever had been broken between us wasn’t beyond repair.

I exhaled, letting the tension slip from my shoulders, letting the days of resentment, of distance, ease away at least for tonight.

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