A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 47

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+25 Points

Chapter 47

ALEXANDER

When I pushed the doors open and stepped into the pack house at noon, I was exhausted from the my trip, and all I wanted was a moment of silence in my chambers before the rest of the day’s duties caught up with me.

But, of course, peace was rarely granted freely in this house.

I had barely made it halfway down the hall when Bella appeared…no, floated, as she always did, as though the hallway itself had bent to welcome her. She must have been watching from one of the windows, waiting, because she arrived too quickly for it to be coincidence.

“Alex,” she breathed, her voice sliding into that familiar tone…soft, drawn out, threaded with a deliberate sweetness that was meant to cling to my ears.

I stopped, though not because of her. It was habit more than anything. She tilted her head, dark hair cascading over one shoulder, and smiled in that practiced way, lips curving as if she knew a secret I didn’t.

I returned her greeting casually. A nod and a faint murmur, nothing more and I kept walking.

Still, she lingered at my side, steps in rhythm with mine, and clung to my arm.

That was when I realized it…she wanted something. And if I didn’t draw it out of her here and now, she would follow me upstairs, perhaps even follow me to my room like she sometimes did. I wasn’t in the mood for that game.

So I stopped and turned to face her fully.

“What is it, Bella?” I asked. My tone was clipped, leaving no room for pretense. “Say whatever it is you’re holding in, and I’m really tired and need to rest.”

Her eyes widened, and for a moment I saw the hint of offense flash across her features. Then, just as quickly, she softened, her expression crumbling like wet paper. Tears…too sudden to be genuine…glimmered in her eyes.

I felt my shoulders stiffen. Bella had always been dramatic, yes, but this… this was excessive, even for her.

She sniffed, her voice trembling as though every syllable was on the edge of breaking. “I… I can’t do this anymore.”

I raised an eyebrow, not moving, not offering comfort. I’d learned long ago that comfort only

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Chapter 47

fed her performance.

“What exactly can’t you do?” I asked flatly.

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Her tears slid down her cheeks now, and she pressed her hand to her chest like a tragic heroine in some play. “Live like this, endure this. If I hadn’t been raised here, if this pack wasn’t the only home I’ve really ever known, I would have left by now. For good.”

I almost sighed. It was the kind of declaration she thought would wound me, but I knew Bella’s patterns too well. She liked to test how much space she held in my life by dangling the possibility of absence.

I didn’t take the bait. Instead, I glanced around, members were passing through the hall. The last thing I needed was this scene unfolding in front of them.

“Not here,” I said curtly. “let’s go to my office.”

She hesitated, as though reluctant to abandon the audience she’d already gathered, but she obeyed, following close behind me. I led her down the corridor and into the office, shutting the door firmly once she was inside.

Now, away from prying eyes, I leaned back against the desk, arms folded.

“What’s the matter,” I said.

Bella hesitated again, wiping at her damp cheeks. When she finally spoke, her voice carried a

mixture of accusation and hurt.

“Earlier today, Faye attacked me at the training ground.”

I blinked, the words sinking in slowly. “Attacked you?”

“Yes,” she said quickly, clutching at the fabric of her blouse as though she still bore invisible wounds. “I… I asked her to spar with me. Just a simple session as training partners, nothing more. But she…” her voice cracked, “…she came at me with such ferocity. It wasn’t training, Alexander, it was punishment. She wanted to hurt me.”

I frowned. The claim didn’t make sense. “Bella, if it was sparring, then of course it would’ve been intense. Wolves don’t go easy during training, you know that.”

Her eyes snapped up to mine, wide and filled with disbelief. “No, you don’t understand. This wasn’t normal sparring, she nearly killed me. She pushed it too far–so far I could barely recover afterward. I had to take some herbs to be able to move properly again. She almost shifted in the middle of it, when we weren’t even supposed to go that extreme!”

I studied her closely. She was trembling, voice high–pitched, carrying just enough fragility to

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< Chapter 47

stir guilt in someone softer.

But I wasn’t convinced.

“You’re certain you didn’t misread it?” I asked evenly. “Faye has no reason to…”

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Bella cut me off, her voice sharp, the tears giving way to a deeper, darker tone. “Don’t you dare defend her. I saw it in her eyes, Alex. Hatred…pure hatred. She despises me, and today she let it show.”

I held her gaze in silence. I could almost hear the wheels of manipulation turning behind her

words.

Then, as if realizing she hadn’t pushed far enough, she shifted tactics. Her lip trembled, her lashes lowered, and she whispered, “But of course, you’ll take her side. You always do, she’s your mate. And me?” She gave a broken laugh. “I’m nothing to you anymore but a charity

case.”

I exhaled slowly through my nose, jaw tightening.

Bella knew exactly where to strike–my sense of responsibility, my guilt over what she once was in this pack, my father’s adopted daughter. The promise I made to my father…the former alpha…on his death bed.

And yet, despite her performance, despite the dripping bitterness of her accusations, something still caught my attention. There was a kernel of truth hidden beneath all the exaggeration. Why would she invent such a specific claim if something hadn’t actually happened on that training ground?

I straightened, my voice calm. “Alright, Bella.”

She sniffled, tears still clinging to her lashes.

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