A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 443

Chapter 443

FAYE

Alexander stayed near the closet across the room while I disappeared behind the wooden barricade at the side with the folded white robe in my hands.

For a moment, I just stood there, staring at the fabric.

Then I let out a quiet breath and began removing my clothes slowly.

The room suddenly felt warmer than before.

Or maybe that was just me becoming too aware of the fact that Alexander was standing only a few feet away.

I almost laughed under my breath at myself.

It was ridiculous.

Alexander had seen every inch of me before.

Many times.

And yet, suddenly, I was hiding behind a barricade to change clothes because I felt shy.

At a time like this.

Of all times.

I shook my head faintly as I slipped my dress from my shoulders.

Honestly, I would have preferred if he had simply waited outside with Helen.

But I didn’t bother saying that.

Because at this point, I was lucky Alexander wasn’t insisting on helping me change too.

Not because he was being overbearing out of affection.

No.

It was because he suddenly saw me as fragile now.

Weak.

Like something that could break if he looked away for too long.

Could I really blame him for that after everything that had happened?

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After the drowning incident.

After the dreams.

After the voice.

After watching me lose control over myself more than once.

No.

I couldn’t.

That was the worst part.

I understood him completely.

I pushed the thought away and reached for the robe instead.

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The material slid softly against my skin as I pulled it over myself. It was lighter than I expected, almost weightless, and the white fabric fell loosely around my body until it brushed against my ankles.

Then I gathered my hair slowly and tied it back the way Helen instructed.

Once I finished, I looked down at myself quietly.

And suddenly-

The memory came back so clearly it almost startled me.

The first time I wore a robe like this in Blood Crescent.

The only other time.

I had been pregnant then.

The female elders had gathered around me beneath candlelight while they prepared the ritual bath

to welcome the future alpha heir into the pack.

I could still remember the warmth of the water.

The scent of herbs.

The women singing softly around me.

Helen had handled that ritual too.

Back then, everything had felt hopeful.

Sacred.

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I remembered how protective Alexander had been even then, hovering nearby despite being repeatedly told the ritual was only for women.

A faint smile almost touched my lips at the memory before it faded just as quickly.

Because my child wasn’t here this time.

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Now I was standing there, wearing another ceremonial robe for a completely different reason.

Not to welcome life.

But to fight for mine.

“Faye.

Alexander’s voice pulled me out of the memory instantly.

I blinked once and lifted my head.

For a second, I just stood there, trying to shake the thoughts away.

Then I stepped out from behind the screen fully.

Alexander’s eyes immediately found me.

He didn’t say anything at first.

He just looked at me quietly.

I took a slow breath before finally speaking.

“I’m ready.”

Then, together, we walked back into the room.

THIRD POV

Helen stood quietly in the center of the room for a long moment before finally lifting her head

toward them.

The candlelight danced softly across the chalk markings surrounding her, making the strange symbols along the floor appear almost alive beneath the shadows.

“Once we begin,” she said calmly, “neither of you should move unless I tell you to.”

Alexander gave a single nod.

Faye did the same.

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Helen turned toward the small wooden table beside her and picked up the two tiny containers holding the strands of hair she had collected earlier.

Without another word, she moved toward the large bowl resting near the center symbol and carefully emptied both strands into it.

The hairs landed side by side against the metal surface.

Helen then reached for a clay dish filled with dried herbs and crushed leaves before sprinkling some over the strands.

The smell hit the air immediately.

Then she lit them.

The fire caught slowly at first.

A thin trail of smoke rose upward from the bowl in pale, twisting lines.

Faye’s eyes followed it instinctively.

The smoke didn’t rise naturally.

Instead, it curled inward strangely, spiraling around itself before stretching higher toward the ceiling.

The room grew quieter somehow.

If that was even possible.

Helen watched the smoke carefully before speaking under her breath in some old, unfamiliar

language again.

The words rolled smoothly off her tongue.

The smoke shifted again.

Alexander kept glancing at Faye as if waiting to get some reaction.

Helen finally set the bowl aside and reached for the glass vials next.

One held Alexander’s blood.

The other held Faye’s.

Carefully, she uncorked both and poured them together into a second bowl carved from dark

stone.

The liquid settled heavily at the bottom.

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For a second, nothing happened.

Then slowly-

The blood began moving.

Faye’s brows furrowed faintly as the dark liquid shifted against itself in slow spirals, circling unnaturally inside the bowl without Helen touching it.

The candles flickered sharply around the room.

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Helen dipped two fingers into the bowl before stepping toward the center marking between them.

“Hands,” she instructed quietly.

Alexander immediately reached for Faye.

Faye placed her hand into his without hesitation.

His grip closed firmly around hers.

Helen touched her blood–covered fingers lightly against the chalk symbol connecting both circles

together.

The reaction was immediate.

The lines along the floor glowed faintly beneath them.

Faye’s breath caught softly.

Something shifted through the room the moment the symbols lit up.

Like invisible pressure settling over Faye’s skin.

Helen continued chanting softly.

The candles trembled harder now.

One by one, the symbols across the floor brightened faintly beneath the sound of her voice.

Faye suddenly felt heat spread through her chest.

Sharp enough to make her inhale unevenly.

Alexander’s thumb moved instinctively against the back of her hand.

Helen reached for the smoking bowl again and lifted it carefully between them.

The smoke had changed now.

It moved thicker.

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Chapter 443

Darker somehow.

Instead of rising upward freely, it drifted slowly toward Faye like it recognized her.

Faye’s breathing slowed.

Her grip around Alexander’s hand tightened unconsciously.

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