A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 99

Chapter 99

Cole’s jaw was tight as he watched the guards seize Faye by the arms, dragging her out.

Without wasting another second, Cole pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Alexander’s number. He kept his eyes fixed on the doorway where Faye had disappeared, his other hand clenching into a fist.

The line rang all the way to the end without an answer. Cole swore under his breath, cutting the call and immediately hitting redial. This time, Alexander picked up.

“Cole?” Alexander’s voice came through.

“Alexander, where are you?” Cole asked sharply. His gaze moved toward the elders seated across the chamber.

“I’m on my way back to the pack house. Why?” Alexander sounded puzzled.

Cole hesitated for only a heartbeat before replying. “Then hurry. You need to get here now.”

There was a pause on the line. “What’s going on?” Alexander pressed, his tone hardening.

“It’s the Luna,” Cole said, his voice clipped.

“What’s wrong with Faye?” The calm in Alexander’s tone cracked. “Is she alright?”

Cole drew in a steadying breath, struggling to keep his words clear. “She’s… fine. For now. But the elders….they’ve labeled her a traitor. They’ve already taken her away.”

Alexander scoffed. “You’re not making sense, Cole. What do you mean… labelled her a traitor, taken her away?”

Cole’s voice cracked a little. “Just get here.”

“Fine, I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” Alexander said.

ALEXANDER

The line went dead and I dropped the phone. What the hell did Cole mean by “they’ve taken her away“?

Taken who exactly? Faye?

My foot slammed harder against the gas, the engine growling as I pushed the car faster

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Chapter 99

down the road. I didn’t care about the speed, only that every second wasted meant something could be happening to her.

“She’s fine for now,” Cole had said. “For now“. The words kept repeating in my head, pounding like a drum. What was that supposed to mean? And why did he sound so damn cryptic? If she was fine, then why the urgency in his voice? Why couldn’t he just tell me plainly what was going on?

I gripped the wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. “Damn it, Cole,” I muttered under my breath, my patience thinning with every passing mile.

I pushed harder on the accelerator, the needle on the dashboard climbing. My thoughts

racing faster than the car itself.

“What the hell is going on back there?” I muttered again.

As I drove through the gates, Cole was already there, standing right at the center of the compound like he’d been waiting all day for me to show up. His posture was stiff, his face tight. That alone was enough to set my nerves on edge. Cole never looked like that unless something was terribly wrong.

As I stepped out of the car, the first thing I noticed was the pack members–small clusters of them scattered around the compound. Their voices carried low, like hissing snakes in the grass. Gossip. Whatever story they thought they had gotten their hands on, it was spreading like wildfire.

The second they caught sight of me, though, everything shifted. Some broke apart immediately, scurrying off like rats caught stealing grain. Others didn’t move, only stood there watching me, their eyes sharp, expectant, hungry. Waiting.

I could feel it…the weight of their curiosity pressing against me. They wanted a reaction, something to feed the fire already burning through the pack house.

But I wasn’t about to give them that…not yet.

Cole moved quickly to close the distance between us. His eyes darted briefly toward the onlookers before settling firmly on me, as though to say this wasn’t a conversation meant for prying ears. I didn’t need him to say it…I already knew.

“What happened?” I demanded.

His shoulders shifted uneasily, and I could see it–the hesitation, the careful calculation in his eyes. He was weighing how much to say, how to say it. That alone made my gut twist.

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<Chapter 99

“The ring,” he said finally. “It was found on her.”

I blinked, the words not sinking in at first. “What ring?”

Claim

“The one…” He dragged a hand through his hair, his voice cracking with strain. “The one with the three–eyed wolf. The same one Derek sent you the picture of the other day…it…it fell out of Faye’s bag. Right there, in front of the elders.”

For a moment, my thoughts just… stopped. My body kept moving, breath still drawing in and out, but my mind froze. The words felt foreign, impossible, as though Cole had switched to a language I couldn’t understand.

“The ring?” I repeated, more to myself than him. “That ring? How?”

“Yes. They all saw it! I saw it too.” Cole cut me off, his words spilling faster than he could control. “The elders, every damn one of them saw it. And they didn’t even hesitate, Alexander, they…” He shook his head hard, almost like he was trying to knock the memory loose. “They think she’s the enemy, or…or working with the one who staged the border attack. That’ll make her a….”

”

He trailed off, but I didn’t need him to finish. I already knew the word he was avoiding.

A traitor.

My hands curled into fists, fingernails biting into my palms. My first instinct was denial…it had to be a mistake, some trick, some set–up. But then the questions flooded in, crashing against each other in my skull.

Had she been hiding something all along? If it was all some kind of game, if she’d been playing me this whole time–then she was good…too good. Because I’d believed her. Every word, every look, every desperate insistence that she wanted to help. I’d trusted her instincts, her drive, the fire in her eyes when she demanded answers.

Had it all been an act?

No. No, damn it. My gut rebelled against the thought. Faye wasn’t a liar. Not like that. Not capable of that level of deceit. But the evidence…if what Cole said was true…it painted her in the darkest light imaginable.

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