A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 478

THIRD POV

By the time Darren arrived at the ritual ground with the elders behind him, the atmosphere had changed completely.

The air was charged.

The moonlight stretching through the trees looked unnaturally pale against the clearing, illuminating the stone altar where Faye’s body lay motionless beneath the white robe Janet had dressed her in earlier.

No movement.

No breathing.

Nothing.

The blood containers beneath the altar were partially filled now, dark and glistening beneath the moonlight.

The metallic scent lingered thickly in the air.

For a brief moment, even the elders behind Darren fell silent as they took in the sight before

them.

Not because they pitied the dead girl.

But because rituals involving death always carried weight, no matter how many times they

witnessed one.

Especially ancient rituals.

Especially forbidden ones.

Darren’s eyes immediately landed on Faye’s body.

Then they slowly shifted toward Janet.

The satisfaction on his face was impossible to miss.

“So,” he said quietly, stepping forward. “It’s done.”

Janet remained near the altar, calm as always.

“It is.”

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Her voice sounded composed, almost detached, but there was unmistakable triumph beneath it.

Darren exhaled slowly, as if finally releasing weeks of tension from his body.

For days now, everything had revolved around this moment.

And now the girl who carried the blood required for the ritual was dead exactly where Janet promised she would be.

One of the elders stepped closer carefully, his eyes lingering briefly on Faye before turning toward Darren.

“She’s truly dead?”

Janet answered before Darren could.

“Yes.”

There was confidence in the witch’s tone.

Absolute certainty.

“The sacrifice has been accepted.”

The elder nodded slowly after that, though unease still lingered in his expression.

Not all of them fully trusted Janet.

They respected her power.

Feared it, even.

But trusting her was something entirely different.

Still-

No one openly questioned her tonight.

Not when everything was already in motion.

Darren finally stepped closer to the altar itself.

For a second, his gaze lingered on Faye again.

And there was no guilt in his eyes whatsoever.

Only calculation.

Relief.

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Ambition.

Because to him, she had never been a person,

Just a requirement.

A necessary death.

Nothing more.

Janet moved away from the altar then, creating space for Darren.

“It is time,” she said calmly.

Immediately, the atmosphere shifted again.

The elders straightened slightly.

Their attention turning fully toward Darren now.

This part mattered.

Not the sacrifice itself.

But what came after.

The elevation ritual.

The rite meant to strengthen Darren’s claim over Stonevale permanently.

Especially now that Alpha Kael’s bloodline was supposedly gone.

Roman had been exiled and discredited.

Dead in every way.

Which meant Darren stood unchallenged.

Or at least-

That was what he believed.

Darren inhaled slowly before stepping into the center of the symbols Janet had drawn earlier

around the altar.

The markings stretched across the ground in circular patterns beneath his feet.

Ancient symbols intertwined with Stonevale runes.

The elders moved carefully into position around him afterward.

Silent witnesses to the rite.

Janet stood directly opposite Darren now.

Her expression was unreadable beneath the moonlight.

Then she began chanting again,

The same ancient language echoed through the clearing once more.

The wind itself seemed to react faintly around them.

Leaves stirred violently through the trees despite the night being otherwise still.

Darren remained standing tall inside the circle.

His chin lifted slightly.

His expression hardened gradually with every word Janet spoke.

This was what he wanted.

What he believed he deserved.

Power.

Recognition.

Control over Stonevale without resistance.

Without Alpha Kael standing above him.

Without Roman existing as an inconvenience.

The thought of Roman briefly crossed his mind then.

A flicker.

Nothing more.

Because as far as Darren was concerned, Roman was dead.

Even if the boy somehow survived death and exile, nobody would follow him anyway.

Darren almost smirked at the thought.

Meanwhile, Janet’s chanting grew louder.

The symbols surrounding Darren appeared darker now beneath the moonlight.

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The containers of blood placed beside the altar seemed almost symbolic now. Payment already collected.

Janet slowly raised her hands while continuing the incantation.

The elders remained silent.

Watching carefully.

One of them shifted uneasily at the sudden pressure building in the air.

Another swallowed slowly.

Because whether they admitted it or not-

This kind of ritual unnerved even them.

There was old magic involved here.

Dangerous magic.

The kind people respected because they understood how badly it could go wrong.

But Darren showed no hesitation.

He wanted this over with.

Wanted the power secured fully.

Clam

Wanted to stop hiding behind temporary authority and officially become what he already saw himself as.

The Alpha of Stonevale.

Janet’s voice suddenly sharpened.

The final part of the chant sounded harsher now.

The wind around the clearing intensified faintly again.

Darren clenched his jaw but remained standing firmly inside the circle.

Then Janet stepped toward him slowly.

“Repeat after me,” she instructed.

Darren obeyed immediately.

The elders listened as Janet guided him through the ancient rites one line at a time.

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of loyalty to the territory.

To the bloodline.

To the ancestors of Stonevale.

Promises of leadership.

Strength.

Dominance.

Darren repeated every line without hesitation.

His voice steady, confident, hungry.

The ritual continued carefully after that.

And throughout it all-

Faye’s body remained lying silently beside them.

Still.

Cold.

Almost forgotten already in the middle of Darren’s ambition.

To Janet, however, the body still mattered.

Very much.

Because the ritual surrounding Faye was not entirely complete yet, either.

Not on her end.

Her gaze occasionally drifted toward the altar between chants.

The moon had climbed higher now.

CAUTY

The clearing was growing darker around the edges while the ritual itself continued beneath

its pale light.

Then, finally, Janet lowered her hands slowly.

The chanting stopped once more.

Silence flooded the clearing again immediately afterward.

Heavy silence.

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*opte 478

Darren looked at her expectantly.

Janet held his gaze for a long moment before speaking calmly.

“It has begun.”

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