A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 77

ALEXANDER

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The meeting had been going on for almost an hour already. “The situation is under control,” I continued, keeping my voice steady. “All my resources are focused on discovering how the border was breached, who was responsible, and locating the guards who are still unaccounted for.”

I didn’t miss the subtle exchange of glances between them. They wanted reassurance, but at the same time they seemed almost eager to find fault. They thrived on cracks in my leadership…it gave them leverage.

Then Elder Marcus, one of the ones who had always had a habit of drawing out arguments just to irritate me, leaned forward with his thin fingers folded across the table. His voice was slow, each word dripping with condescension.

“Alpha,” he said, “is it true that the police have already extracted a confession from the one you hold in custody? A confession which states the entire matter was staged? And yet here you sit, speaking as though you are still unsure who orchestrated this. Should you not be asking who instructed those guards to betray their duty–and why–instead of acting ignorant of what is already clear?”

For a moment, I simply stared at him. My jaw tightened, though I made no visible reaction beyond a slow blink.

How did he know about the confession? That was supposed to be classified, restricted. The police hadn’t released a statement to the pack.

So how the hell did Marcus know?

The murmurs of the others rose around the table like a tide. Some nodded in agreement, others watched me with guarded eyes, waiting to see how I would answer.

What irritated me most wasn’t only that Marcus had revealed something I hadn’t shared yet- it was his smug tone, as if he were correcting me, teaching me how to speak, how to lead…when he was probably the most clueless person in the council of elders.

I leaned forward, meeting his gaze directly. “Elder Marcus,” I said, my voice calm. “I choose my words carefully for a reason. Do not mistake precision for ignorance. And yes, there was a confession. But confessions alone do not solve puzzles. Especially when they may have been coerced, distorted, or given under fear. My responsibility is not to parrot every whispered by a man in chains, but to find the truth beneath it.”

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Before I could continue, Gerald cut me off. His tone was sharper, more accusing

“If you’re not hiding anything.” he interjected, his voice booming across the table, “then why have you kept us in the dark all this time? Why do you wait until pieces of the truth reach our ears through channels outside of this council? Are we to be treated like children, Alpha? Must we beg for the scraps of what you already know?”

1 felt the muscle in my jaw twitch. I had expected this, but it still infuriated me. Gerald was not a fool–far from it. He had always been shrewd, always pressing his advantage whenever he sensed weakness. And right now, to him, my silence was weakness.

I sat back, deliberately slow, folding my hands before me. “Because I did not have enough answers,” I said evenly. “And I do not bring half–truths into this chamber, not on matters as sensitive as this. What would you have had me do? Come to you with fragments, with guesses? Tell you something uncertain, and watch it spread through the pack like wildfire, sparking panic and disorder? No, Gerald. I will not feed you smoke when I do not yet hold the

fire.”

The elders muttered again. I could sense the divide forming…some seemed convinced by my words, others less so.

I pressed on. “Understand me clearly. I will not gamble with the stability of this pack. Until I have clarity, I will not open my mouth to announce shadows as though they are fact. That is not leadership. That is carelessness.”

Gerald’s lips pressed into a thin line. “And yet secrecy breeds distrust,” he countered. “What are we to believe when you keep even confessions from us? Do you not trust us to bear the weight of the truth? Or do you believe we are too fragile, too feeble–minded?”

His words were carefully chosen, designed to stir resentment in the others. I felt it ripple across the room. I forced myself to breathe, to remain composed.

“Trust is not given lightly,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “It is earned. If I withhold, it is not out of disdain, but out of necessity. My task is to carry the burden of uncertainty until I can shape it into certainty. That is the mantle of Alpha. And if any of you think you can bear it better than I can, then speak now.”

The silence that followed was heavy. A few of them shifted in their seats, but none spoke. They knew as well as I did that none of them could do what I did. They lacked the authority, the reach, the strength.

Most importantly, an open challenge to an alpha would require a physical combat to claim the position. No wolf of blood crescent origin could contend with me even when I was just a young warrior.

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Marcus finally spoke again, his tone softer now. “No one doubts your strength, Alpha. But strength does not absolve one from accountability. The people grow restless. They whisper. They sense that something is being hidden, and whispers turn to fear. You may think silence protects them, but silence breeds rumor, and rumor is often far more dangerous than truth.”

1 exhaled slowly through my nose. He wasn’t wrong, and that irritated me further. Well, at least for the first time, he had said something reasonable.

I let my gaze travel around the table, making eye contact with each elder. “You are right about one thing,” I said at last. “Whispers are dangerous. But do not forget: whispers begin here, too. Ask yourselves how information meant for my council alone managed to reach your ears, Elder Marcus. That is the true danger. Not my silence, but betrayal and gossip.”

The room stiffened. Some of the elders frowned, others looked away. Marcus shifted slightly in his seat, his expression changed. He would never admit how he had learned of the confession. But I knew now–someone close to me, or someone within the network, was leaking.

And that, more than anything, set my blood simmering.

“Mark my words,” I continued, my voice low as well. “I will uncover not only who breached the border, but who among us allows our secrets to bleed out like spilled wine. Until then, you will have patience. Or you will have chaos. And I assure you–chaos serves no one but our enemies.”

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