A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 60

+25 Points

Chapter 60

FAYE

The morning air was cool against my skin as I jogged along the familiar trail. My breaths came steady, a rhythm I had worked hard to perfect. Running had always been my hobby.

As I made a quick turn, I heard my name. “Faye,” a voice called, drawn out, mocking, the kind of tone filled with smug amusement that made my shoulders tense immediately. I didn’t

need to turn to know who it was. Bella.

Of course.

I kept my gaze forward, refusing to grant her the satisfaction of seeing me flinch. My pace didn’t change, and I fixed my mind on the path ahead. If I ignored her long enough, maybe she would vanish the way smoke does when the wind carries it away.

I was wrong, she didn’t vanish.

Her steps quickened until she was jogging beside me, her movements deliberately unhurried, like she wanted to prove she could match me without effort. “You don’t have to avoid me, you know,” she said, voice soft with false sweetness. “We could actually end up being friends.”

That made me laugh…not out loud, but inside my chest, where the sound was bitter. Friends? Bella and I? She, who never missed a chance to cut me down in front of the others, who looked at me like I was dirt that had dared to stain her boots?

I stopped running and turned to face her. The sudden halt made her slow down too, though she wore that smirk I had come to hate, as if she had been waiting for me to acknowledge her. My tone was harsh, but I didn’t care. “What do you want, Bella? Go straight to the point.”

Her lips curled. She tilted her head at me like a cat humoring a cornered mouse. “You act as if I’m your enemy,” she said smoothly. “As if you’re under siege every time I open my mouth. Overreacting doesn’t suit you, Luna.”

I clenched my jaw. If she was looking for another fight, she was in luck. Because I was in a mood to burn some energy. “Listen, Bella, if you don’t say what you came to say right now, I’ll walk away.”

That wiped the pretense of playfulness from her face. She rolled her eyes slightly, as if my impatience bored her. “Fine. Straight to the point.” She stepped closer, close enough for me to catch the faint trace of her perfume. “I just want you to understand something, Faye. I never wanted to be your enemy in the first place. But when it comes to Alexander, I don’t play. Whatever happens, no matter what, his place is with me.”

1/4

:

< Chapter 60

+25 Points

Her words dropped heavy between us. For a heartbeat, I didn’t know whether to laugh or to snap. Both reactions clawed at me at once, leaving me frozen in disbelief. Finally, I managed to choke out, “I beg your pardon?”

Bella shrugged, casual as if she were explaining a simple topic. “I mean, you just walked into Blood Crescent and suddenly became this… distraction. Alexander and I…we’ve come a long way. Longer than you could possibly understand. So naturally, I couldn’t take it. That’s why I’ve always lashed out at you. Nothing personal. Just… protective instincts.”

My stomach tightened. For weeks, suspicions had been nagging at me, whispering in the back of my mind whenever I caught the way she looked at Alexander, or the way she bristled every time he so much as glanced my way. I had told myself it was jealousy, or maybe her obsession with status. But now… now she was saying it out loud.

I narrowed my eyes. “Come a long way? As in, what exactly? You being his late father’s adopted daughter?” My tone was deliberately pointed, because I needed to hear her say it, needed to watch her try to twist her way around the truth. “Because even Irene, Alexander’s biological sister, isn’t half as possessive of him as you are. So maybe you should explain what makes you so entitled.”

Her smirk deepened. “All I want,” she said, voice soft, “is for you to know your place, Faye. It’s not that difficult.”

My chest burned, but I kept my expression calm. She wasn’t going to see me rattled.

“Of course, we all know you’re Alexander’s mate,” she continued, her tone dripping with condescension, “and Luna of the pack. By duty, yes. But that doesn’t mean you qualify as Alexander’s woman… Obviously. You should have realized that by now–it’s painfully obvious.

Her words stung sharper than I wanted to admit. I held her gaze, refusing to let her see me bothered, but inside, her voice echoed against insecurities I’d buried deep.

I had never asked for this role, never chased after the Luna’s title or Alexander–it had been chosen for me, tied to my bond with Alexander, a bond that still felt fragile and tested daily by forces like Bella.

“You think you’re the only one who’s protective of him?” I asked quietly, my voice steady despite the storm inside. “You think you’re the only one who cares where he stands or who he trusts?”

Bella’s smile widened. “The difference is, Faye, I’ve earned my place beside him. I’ve been here through battles, through losses you can’t imagine. I know what he needs, and I know how to give it. You? You’re just… convenient. The Moon Goddess’s blessings doesn’t erase

2/4

< Chapter 60

reality.”

+25 Points

I felt the words pierce, but I straightened my spine, forcing the sting into die down. Convenient or not, Bella, I’m not going anywhere, you should get used to that. Whatever you think you’ve earned, Alexander is my mate now, and my bond with him isn’t yours to challenge.”

She laughed softly, shaking her head. “Keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day you’ll believe it.”

For a moment, we stood there in silence. My fists curled at my sides, every instinct screaming at me to snap back harder, to tear her words to shreds. But deep down, I realized that was exactly what she wanted–for me to lose control, to look insecure and defensive.

So I breathed. One, two, three. Then I looked her straight in the eye and said, “If your only goal this morning was to remind me of your delusions, then you’ve wasted your time. I know who I am, Bella. I don’t need your validation, and I don’t need your warnings. Alexander isn’t yours to claim…no matter how long you’ve hovered around him. That’s why you’re so mad.”

Her jaw tightened, a crack in her flawless composure. She opened her mouth, then closed it, as if searching for another barb sharp enough to wound me.

I turned back toward the trail, about to resume my jog without waiting for her response.

Bella’s voice cane up again, stopping me in my tracks before I could jog off again.

“Being bonded with Alexander doesn’t give you an advantage over me,” she declared. Because clearly, that means nothing to him.”

I turned, arching a brow at her. “Is that so?”

She looked pleased with herself. “After what Diana did, Alexander was almost ruined by hurt. Since then, he’s never wanted to be with any woman… ever again. Except me. I was the one who helped him out of his depression. I knew the right buttons to press.”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify