A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 75

“You shouldn’t say things like that,” Bella remarked, her voice steady but her chest tight.” People might think you’re against the Luna giving Alexander an heir. And besides… what makes you think it would bother me anyway? Alexander is like a brother to me. His child would be my niece or nephew no matter who their mother was.”

Her words came out a little too quickly, too rehearsed, as though she had been waiting for someone to raise the subject and was desperate to have an answer ready. Gerald, of course, caught that immediately. His smirk only deepened, his eyes gleaming with a knowing glint that unsettled her.

He took a step forward, lowering his voice just enough to make her feel cornered. “Is that all he really is to you, Bella?”

The question froze her in place. It wasn’t phrased as an accusation, nor did he emphasize it like he was certain. But there was something in his tone, a deliberate fishing, an almost playful testing…that made her blood run cold. Gerald wasn’t asking to be enlightened. He already knew.

Bella’s lips parted but no words came out. She couldn’t bring herself to admit it, but denial felt pointless too. Gerald had seen something, sensed something. Somehow, he knew the relationship she shared with Alexander was not as innocent as that of siblings, no matter how hard she tried top pretend.

Gerald didn’t press further, which in a way made it worse. His smirk was its own kind of

verdict.

At last, she lifted her chin, forcing herself to sound practical. “It doesn’t even matter. You’re imagining a possibility that’s not likely to happen. Alexander and Faye barely have anything to do with each other apart from what’s required. Duties, appearances–nothing more. They live separate lives…separate rooms, separate worlds.”

She spoke faster now, trying to paint the picture more vividly for herself than for him. “They spend their days apart unless they absolutely need to discuss pack matters. At meals they hardly even glance at each other. They don’t share space, they don’t share words. Unless a child is going to fall straight from the moon into their hands, Gerald, it’s practically impossible for her to give him an heir.”

Gerald chuckled at that, the sound low and amused, but it was filled with a condescension that made Bella uncomfortable. “You’re far more naive than I thought.”

Her brows knitted together. “Naive?”

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< Chapter 75

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“Did you really think things are always as plain as they look?” Gerald asked, tilting his head like a teacher correcting a foolish pupil. “Do you think the world moves only on what’s visible at the surface?”

Bella clenched her jaw, but she said nothing. She wanted to believe her own reasoning, but Gerald’s calm certainty had begun to unravel her composure.

Then, as though he had merely been waiting for the perfect moment to twist the knife, he added casually, “I take it you don’t even know that Faye didn’t sleep in her own room last night.”

The words struck her like a slap. Bella blinked, her throat tightening. “What are you talking

about?”

Gerald didn’t rush. He spoke slowly, as though he enjoyed stretching out her suspense. When he finally leaned close enough for her to see the faint amusement dancing in his eyes, he whispered, “Faye spent the night with Alexander. Alone… In his office.”

Bella felt her breath catch. Her stomach twisted in revolt at the image that immediately

assaulted her mind.

Gerald straightened and let the silence hang just long enough to see her reaction. “Or do you need me to tell you what might have happened all night?” His tone was mocking now, each word dripping with deliberate cruelty. “Or maybe you truly believe they could resist each other -simply because you’ve convinced yourself they’re only mates by duty?”

Bella’s fingers curled into fists. She wanted to shout at him, to tell him he was lying, but her voice betrayed her. The picture he had planted in her head was too vivid, too plausible, and it made denial impossible.

“Faye,” Gerald went on smoothly, “is a very attractive woman. And Alexander? He’s definitely every woman’s dream, isn’t he? Do you really think the two of them locked away in his office all night did nothing? That their duty, their titles, their little arrangement kept them apart?”

Bella shut her eyes tightly, trying to push away the images, but they only grew sharper. Her chest heaved, her breathing shallow. She hated herself for imagining it, hated Gerald for saying it, and hated Alexander for making it possible.

She opened her mouth to argue, to demand proof, but before she could speak, Gerald had already turned away. His boots tapped lightly against the floor as he walked. He didn’t look back at her, didn’t need to. His words had already done their work.

She entered her car, but couldn’t drive. She sat frozen, staring at nothing, her thoughts spiraling uncontrollably. Gerald had left her with no evidence, no certainty, but it didn’t matter. He had planted the seed, and it was already taking root.

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Chapter 75

What if he was right?

$25 Points

She pressed a hand to her chest, as though she could stop her heart from pounding so painfully. Alexander had always been untouchable in her mind, someone she thought she understood completely. She had believed the coldness between him and Faye was permanent, impenetrable. But what if that had changed? What if, beneath the surface, something had been quietly growing between them?

She couldn’t stand the thought. The idea of Alexander with Faye…of him looking at her, touching her, choosing her… burned like acid in her veins. She bit her lip hard, so hard it hurt, trying to force the ache down.

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