A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 34

<Chapter 34

Chapter 34

+25 Points

Alexander had just turned his head toward the sound, and my eyes followed his line of sight. Bella walked in as though the room and everyone in it had been waiting for her.

She crossed the dining hall, her hair swinging over one shoulder.

Without so much as glancing in my direction, she pulled out a chair directly beside Alexander and sat down.

“Bella,” he said by way of greeting, his voice flat enough to make the air between them feel suddenly cooler. “I didn’t know you were still around.”

The dryness in his tone wasn’t subtle. If anything, it was a statement in itself–her presence wasn’t particularly welcome. I caught the faintest sign of discomfort in his eyes, but Bella didn’t seem to notice, or maybe she simply didn’t care.

She smiled,”I came to spend some time at home, I’m not leaving any time soon.” she said, her tone smooth.

And then, almost casually, she tilted her head toward me for a fraction of a second before returning her gaze to Alexander. “Home,” she repeated, lingering over the word like it carried a private meaning.

The emphasis wasn’t for him, it was for me.

Alexander didn’t respond. His attention returned to his plate as though her presence alone wasn’t enough to warrant further conversation.

Bella finally turned her head fully in my direction. “Faye,” she said, my name rolling off her tongue for the first time since she walked in.

I smiled politely, refusing to let the coolness between us affect my expression. “Bella.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Alexander’s gaze flicking between us. A subtle tightening around his mouth told me he’d just realized something…that we’d already met.

“I see you two have met,” he said.

Bella confirmed it herself. “We met during breakfast,” she said breezily, as though recalling a mildly amusing coincidence. “She introduced herself as the Luna of the pack.”

Alexander didn’t miss a beat. “That’s correct,” he said, casually.

Bella’s lips curved into something sharper than a smile. “At first, I almost thought she was

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joking,” she said, her voice light and conversational in that way people use when they’re about to be cruel. “Or trying to prank me. Because honestly…” She gave a tiny shrug, her eyes glinting. “I couldn’t quite picture you settling for someone like her as your mate. Even if it was just an alliance.”

My fork froze halfway to my mouth.

The audacity in her tone hit like a slap I hadn’t been braced for. I wasn’t sure which part was more insulting–the casual dismissal of my worth, or the implication that my bond with Alexander was purely transactional… even if that was actually the case.

I could feel my pulse in my ears, but I didn’t let it show on my face. If she thought I’d bite back and give her the satisfaction of a visible reaction, she was going to be disappointed.

So I looked down at my plate and took another bite, ignoring her like she’d said nothing at all.

Alexander’s gaze shifted toward me briefly, then back to Bella. His expression didn’t change much, but his voice carried an edge I recognized instantly. “What do you mean by that?”

I glanced at him from under my lashes, searching for a clue…was he offended for my sake, or merely bristling because someone had dared to question his decision?

Bella didn’t look away from him. “I’m just saying,” she began, leaning slightly closer, “Faye doesn’t seem to be… your type.”

Something in Alexander’s posture stilled. The faint movement of his jaw told me he was holding back more than he was letting out.

“Bella,” he said quietly. “You’ll want to watch your next word.”

It wasn’t loud, it didn’t need to be. Anyone who knew him would understand it wasn’t

advice…it was a warning.

A tiny, absurd part of me might have found it almost sweet if I were the type to mistake ego for defense. But I wasn’t naive enough to believe he was shielding me. Alexander wasn’t in the business of protecting feelings; he was in the business of protecting his own authority. And Bella’s comment had been an open challenge to it.

Bella didn’t back down entirely. Her tone softened, but the smile remained. “You’re misunderstanding me,” she said, holding his gaze. “I wasn’t trying to insult her. I’m just pointing out that she’s not what I pictured for you, that’s all. You’re overreacting.”

She turned her head toward me, her brows lifting slightly. “Even Faye doesn’t seem to mind.”

That earned her my first direct glance since her little performance began. I met her gaze evenly, my voice calm. “Oh, I mind, Bella. I just don’t think it’s worth dignifying with outrage.”

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Her smile ceased for just a moment before she turned back to her plate.

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Alexander’s eyes lingered on me for a fraction longer than necessary before he returned to eating, as if silently filing the moment away for reasons I couldn’t quite read.

I could feel Bella’s eyes on me even before she opened her mouth again. That fake smile was back, but there was nothing sweet about it…more like honey laced with venom.

“So,” she said, her voice casual in that careful way people use when they’re about to strike, ” how did the two of you decide you wanted to bond as mates? I mean… I heard you weren’t the one who was actually promised to Alexander.”

Her words slid across the table like a knife, sharp and intentional.

I set my fork down slowly, keeping my movements calm, deliberate. My first instinct was to snap back, but I wasn’t going to give her that satisfaction. Bella wanted me to flinch, to stumble over my answer, maybe even glance toward Alexander for some kind of rescue. She’d be waiting a long time for that.

I looked her directly in the eye, my voice smooth. “It doesn’t really matter if I was the one promised to Alpha Alexander initially or not,” I said, letting the calm in my tone sharpen just enough to show I wasn’t intimidated. “What matters is that Silver Hollow promised the Alpha of Blood Crescent a mate, and they gave him one. We had our mating ceremony, and that strengthened the alliance between our two packs.”

I could feel the air in the room tighten. Bella’s lips pressed together in a thin line, but I didn’t give her time to recover. I reached up casually, as though brushing my hair back from my face, and swept it over my shoulder, deliberately revealing the mark on my neck.

The mark Alexander had given me at the ceremony.

I didn’t say a word about it… I didn’t need to. The proof was right there, bold against my skin. I wasn’t some placeholder or stand–in. Whatever Bella wanted to believe, whatever she wanted others to believe, the bond was real.

Her eyes flicked to the mark, and something dark flashed there–irritation, maybe even anger. The smile was gone now, replaced by the faintest clench of her jaw. She didn’t like being reminded that whatever her opinion of me was, it didn’t change the fact that I was Alexander’s mate.

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