A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 475

Chapter 475

FAYE

I stood there for a moment after Darren disappeared down the path, listening to the sound of his footsteps fade into the distance.

Then silence swallowed everything again.

The woods suddenly felt different now that I was alone.

Even the air felt heavier somehow.

I swallowed hard before forcing myself to keep walking forward.

The narrow path beneath my boots twisted deeper into the forest, branches hanging low enough that some brushed lightly against my arms as I passed. The deeper I went, the colder the air became.

And then-

I heard it.

A voice.

Soft at first.

Almost impossible to make out beneath the sound of rustling leaves.

But as I continued walking, the words became clearer.

Incantations.

The same strange language from the dreams.

My chest tightened instantly.

This was no dream anymore.

This was real.

I was here.

Actually here.

J

Walking willingly toward the exact thing that had haunted me for days.

The realization almost made my steps falter.

Almost.

But I kept moving anyway.

Because I had already come too far to stop now.

The chanting grew louder the closer I got.

The voice sounded calm.

Steady.

Patient.

Like it had been waiting for me.

And somehow, that made everything worse.

Claim

A faint glow appeared through the trees ahead before I finally stepped into a small clearing.

Janet was already there.

Standing beside what looked like a stone altar.

Her eyes lifted immediately the moment she saw me emerge from the darkness.

And then-

She smiled.

That smile made chills crawl down my spine instantly.

Because it looked too pleased.

Too welcoming.

“Well done,” she said softly.

Her voice carried strangely in the quiet clearing.

I forced myself to keep my expression neutral, even though every instinct inside me screamed at me to turn around and run.

But running wouldn’t save me now.

Running defeated the entire reason I came here.

So instead, I slowly stepped closer.

The moonlight filtering through the trees illuminated the clearing properly now.

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ere were symbols carved into the ground. Candles surrounded the altar.

And sitting beside it was a folded white robe.

My stomach tightened immediately.

Janet gestured calmly toward it.

“You need to change.”

There it was.

The reality of everything.

I stared at the robe for a second longer than I should have.

Then Janet continued calmly, “Take off your clothes and wear this.”

My fingers curled slightly at my sides.

Suddenly, the cold no longer bothered me.

I became too aware of my own heartbeat instead.

Too aware of how real this had become.

I thought about Alexander instantly.

His face this morning.

The way he looked at me from the top of the pack house while the car drove away.

I thought about my family too.

Silver Hollow.

Home.

Everything suddenly felt painfully far away.

And for the first time since arriving here-

Fear truly hit me.

Not fear of pain.

Not even fear of dying.

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Fear that this might actually be the last night of my life and that I’d never see them again.

17

Clain

Janet must have noticed the hesitation on my face because her expression softened slightly.

“You don’t need to be afraid,” she said gently.

The fake comfort in her voice almost made my skin crawl.

“You came here for healing.”

I forced myself to nod slowly.

“Yes.”

Her eyes lingered on me carefully.

“The goddess led you here for a reason,” she continued softly. “Trust the process.”

The way she said it sounded wrong somehow.

Like she had manipulated people this way before.

Probably because she had.

I inhaled slowly before finally bending to pick up the robe.

My hands felt colder now.

Janet politely turned away while I began removing my clothes, but somehow that didn’t make the situation feel any less disturbing.

The forest air brushed against my skin immediately.

I quickly pulled the robe over my body.

It was lighter than I expected.

Soft.

And loose enough that it almost felt ceremonial.

Another reminder of exactly what tonight truly was.

When I finished tying the robe properly, Janet finally turned back toward me.

Her gaze scanned over me briefly before she nodded in satisfaction.

“Good.”

I resisted the urge to fold my arms across myself.

Everything about this felt wrong.

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Every single thing.

But I kept reminding myself why I was here.

The sickness dies with me.

That was the plan.

That had always been the plan.

Janet moved around the altar calmly, arranging things while I stood there trying not to let my thoughts spiral too far.

Then suddenly she spoke again.

“Why didn’t you bring someone with you?”

I looked up at her immediately.

Her tone sounded casual.

“Support,” she clarified. “A friend, perhaps. Family. Aren’t you concerned about being alone in unfamiliar territory?”

There it was.

I almost smiled internally.

She knew I came with someone.

Of course she knew.

The guards had probably reported everything already.

This wasn’t concern.

This was confirmation.

She wanted to know whether James was still nearby.

Whether anyone else might interfere.

I forced myself to sound relaxed.

“I came with my driver,” I said casually. “But he already left.”

Janet’s eyes held mine for half a second too long.

Then she smiled again.

“I see.”

Something about the look in her eyes told me she believed me.

Or at least wanted to.

Good.

Claim

She resumed arranging things quietly for another moment before eventually walking toward a small table nearby.

Then she picked up a cup.

The smell hit me before she even handed it over.

Herbs.

Strong ones.

The liquid inside looked dark.

Thick.

I stared at it immediately.

Janet’s expression became more serious now.

“You need to drink this.”

I hesitated.

Of course I did.

Because nothing about tonight required me to be stupid.

muotorious liquid from the woman planning to sacrifice me definitely qualified

hapter 475

So slowly-

I took the cup from her.

The warmth seeped into my fingers immediately.

I lifted it toward my lips cautiously.

The smell alone nearly made me grimace.

Then I drank.

It tasted horrible.

Bitter.

Like dirt and crushed leaves mixed together.

I nearly coughed trying to force it down.

Janet watched me closely the entire time.

somehow managed to swallow all of it before lowering the cup slowly.

The disgusting taste lingered instantly on my tongue.

I winced faintly.

“That’s awful,” I muttered honestly.

Janet chuckled softly.

“Most healing mixtures are.”

Claim

I handed the empty cup back to her, trying not to think too hard about whatever I had just willingly swallowed.

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