A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 149

there for a long time after she drifted off, her head resting in my lap, the steady rise and fall of her breathing finally even again. Faye had fought sleep for so long, her mind still racing from what she’d seen, until exhaustion finally claimed her.

I brushed a hand over her hair, watching the way the faint light from the bedside lamp caught the strands, tangled slightly from stress.

I couldn’t stop myself from really thinking about what she said she saw now that I was alone, If it had been a dream, it would have been easy to dismiss. Dreams were fickle, born out of fear, stress, exhaustion. But she wasn’t asleep when it happened. She was wide awake. And the look on her face when she thought I was bleeding out before her–it wasn’t fear of the unknown. It was the kind of fear you only felt when you saw something real.

I exhaled slowly, resting a hand on her shoulder. I told her she was overthinking it, that her powers were still adjusting. That it probably didn’t mean anything. But deep down, I wasn’t so

sure.

If she truly saw something…if she was beginning to see the future…then that meant something was coming. Something meant to happen, something I wasn’t ready for.

Faye stirred slightly, shifting closer, her fingers curling around the fabric of my shirt even in her sleep. Her grip was small but tight, desperate in a way that made me wonder if she was having a nightmare. Even asleep, she was holding on.

It took a while before her breathing steadied again, her hand relaxing. I eased her gently back onto the bed, arranging the pillow under her head and covering her with the duvet. I lingered for a moment, watching her face soften into peacefulness, the faint line of tension finally gone from between her brows.

She looked so fragile like this. So painfully human. So completely unaware of how much of my sanity she now carried with her.

I ran my thumb over her cheek once more, then quietly stood, reaching for my phone. There was no way I was sleeping now. I might as well call to know what’s happening at home.

The air outside the suite was cool, the corridor quiet. I stepped out to the balcony, closing the door gently behind me so I wouldn’t wake her. Then I dialed Cole’s number.

He didn’t pick up immediately, which was unusual. I waited, pacing a little, the unease creeping in the longer the line rang. Finally, his voice came through.

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“Alexander.”

“Cole,” I said quietly, keeping my voice low. “How are things over there?”

There was a pause. “Everything’s fine here. Patrols are running as usual, no unusual movements near the borders. You’re supposed to be resting.”

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“I’ll rest when I get back,” I said dryly. “I just needed to make sure the fortress didn’t fall apart in my absence.”

He huffed a laugh. “We’re managing, Alpha. Though the new recruits look terrified every time I walk past. You really should stop picking soldiers who look like they belong in a library.”

Despite everything, a faint smile tugged at my mouth. “You’re the one who trains them, Cole. Maybe you and Kyle should try being less terrifying.”

“Ok, so I’m the terrifying one here,” he said.

For a brief moment, the familiar exchange eased the tension inside me. But it didn’t last long. My thoughts drifted back to Faye–to her pale face, her trembling voice, the look in her eyes earlier.

I almost ended the call there, but something stopped me.

“Cole,” I said slowly. “If something were to happens to me…”

The words slipped out before I could stop them. I wasn’t sure what made me say it…maybe it was the silence after midnight, maybe the ache that had been sitting too deep in my chest all evening. But once it was out, it was too late to take it back.

There was a beat of silence on the line. Then Cole burst into laughter.

“Wait…what?” He snorted, the sound loud enough to make me hold the phone a little farther from my ear. “You? What are you talking about, Alexander? That’s the funniest thing you’ve said all year.”

I didn’t respond.

He kept laughing, unbothered, genuinely amused. “No, really. You? The great Alpha Alexander Blackwell? Come on, what’s the punchline?”

Still, I said nothing.

That was when his laughter faltered. I could almost hear the shift in his tone…the confusion creeping in as the silence stretched. “Hold on,” he said, quieter now. “You’re serious?”

I exhaled slowly, resting my forearm against the railing of the balcony. “If something were to

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< Chapter 149

happen to me,” I said again, evenly this time, “I want you to promise me you’ll take care of Faye and Irene.”

“Alexander…what the hell are you talking about? Are you down with some sickness?”

“No, I’m fine.” I replied. “Just… saying. It doesn’t have to be sickness, someone could come

after me.”

He went silent again, and I could practically feel him trying to process it through the phone. Then, predictably, the disbelief came.

“You can’t be serious.” His tone sharpened with irritation now, like he couldn’t decide whether to be offended or concerned. “You’re Alpha Alexander Blackwell. Do you even hear yourself right now? Who in their right mind would come after you in that way again?”

I huffed out a small sigh. “You’d be surprised.”

“Surprised?” he repeated. “No, I’d be disappointed…because anyone who’s that stupid deserves to die twice. You’re talking like you’re afraid, Alex. Since when do you sound like this?”

“Since reality happens to everyone, Cole,” I said quietly. “Even to Alphas.”

He groaned. “You’ve been spending too much time alone. You start getting poetic when you overthink.”

I didn’t argue. I just kept looking at the city lights stretching far below, small and fragile from where I stood.

Cole wasn’t done. “No, seriously. You think someone’s actually stupid enough to try killing you at this stage? You know what happens if they miss, right? They die, their family dies, their legacy burns, their name gets erased. You’ve made that pretty clear over the years. So no one with half a brain would even try. The worst they can do is come after the pack to get your attention.”

I sighed and rolled my eyes, even though he couldn’t see me. “That’s only motivation for them to make sure they don’t fail this time.”

There was a sharp exhale on the other end, followed by a short laugh. “You really believe that, don’t you?”

“I don’t believe anything,” I said. “I just don’t dismiss possibilities.”

“Unbelievable,” he muttered. “You sound like a paranoid general before a coup.”

“You sound like someone who’s had too much to drink,” I said.

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He chuckled. “Maybe I have. Maybe I need to if I’m going to listen to this. You kill people, not the other way round…I don’t know what’s gotten into you in Silver Hollow.”

“Now you sound like I’m a monster,” I said.

“Not a monster,” he said quickly. “A beast.”

I raised an eyebrow. “There’s a difference?”

“Oh, absolutely.” His tone grew lighter, teasing again. “A monster kills for sport. A beast kills because it’s in his nature. And trust me, I know what’s under that expensive suit and Alpha composure of yours. You might walk like a diplomat, but underneath…you’re pure chaos when you’re cornered.”

I let out a quiet laugh despite myself. He was trying to lighten the mood and it was working.

I could almost picture his smirk on the other end. That was Cole’s way. When tension got heavy, he turned it into something else, some form of humor that almost felt like relief.

“You’re terrible, man,” I muttered, shaking my head.

“And you’re dramatic,” he shot back. “If something were to happen to me…” He mimicked my voice, low and mockingly solemn. “Do you hear how that sounds? You’re not some tragic hero in a war story. You’re Alexander Blackwell. You don’t fall…you take the whole damn building down with you.”

”

I laughed then, low but genuine, and it eased something in my chest. “That’s a terrible image.

“It’s accurate though,” he said proudly.

I leaned against the railing again. For a while, neither of us spoke. Then, unexpectedly, Cole’s

tone shifted…calm and serious.

“Jokes aside,” he said softly, “you should know you don’t have to tell me to look after Luna Faye and Irene. That’s not a promise you ever need to ask for. It’s already my responsibility if….if you’re not there.”

I glanced back into the room. Faye was still fast asleep.

“Cole…”

“Listen,” he cut in. “You’re my brother, Alexander. Maybe not by blood, but by everything that matters. You don’t get to give me instructions on what I’d already die doing. They’re family. End of story.”

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