A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 492

ALEXANDER

I wrapped my arm around my mother the moment I reached her still on the ground.

For a split second, everything else faded.

The ritual. The fading glow on the floor. Even Roman and Faye’s presence in the room.

All of it dropped away the instant I saw her struggling to push herself upright.

“Mom.”

The word came out again before I even registered I had spoken.

Helen exhaled sharply, already shaking her head as if to dismiss the concern before it fully took hold.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, her voice steadier than her body looked. “Just drained. That’s all.”

I didn’t believe her at first.

My grip tightened instinctively as I helped her sit up properly, scanning her face for anything worse than exhaustion. There were faint traces of strain across her features, the kind that didn’t belong to simple fatigue, but she was breathing fine.

Only then did something in my chest ease slightly.

Still, I didn’t let go immediately.

“You scared me,” I muttered under my breath.

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Helen gave a faint, tired sound that might have been a laugh if she had the energy for it.

“I don’t plan on dying tonight,” she replied dryly.

That almost made me breathe normally again.

Almost.

I helped her up carefully, shifting her weight onto me for support, and that was when I saw movement across the room.

Roman.

He was no longer lying still in the binding circle.

He was moving.

Clann

Slowly, unsteadily, like every step cost him something. But he was upright, and more importantly, he was looking at Faye.

Faye

Still standing at the center of everything

Still not fully grounded in what had just happened.

He went to her and carefully placed a hand on hers. He was checking on her.

Roman’s gaze stayed on her for a long second before it flicked up—and met mine.

There was something in that look I couldn’t immediately define.

Then, almost carefully, he removed his hand from Faye as if he had only just realized it was still there.

The contact broke cleanly.

Like a decision rather than hesitation.

He took a slow step back.

Then another.

And only then did he shift his attention away from her entirely.

Roman moved toward me and Helen.

I instinctively adjusted my hold on my mother as he approached, still watching him closely. He looked unstable on his feet, but he didn’t stop. When he reached us, he stopped just close enough to offer support without invading space.

He dipped his head slightly.

Then he reached out and took Helen’s arm carefully from me.

“I’ve got her,” he said quietly. “The Luna needs you.”

His voice was rough, still carrying the strain of everything he had been through, but stable enough to function.

I realized what he was doing. I hesitated for a second before letting go.

Helen allowed it without protest, leaning slightly into his support instead. That alone told me how much she had pushed herself–she didn’t lean on people unless she had to.

Roman steadied her.

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And for a moment, I just watched him.

He was still barely holding himself together.

Yet here he was, supporting her without hesitation.

He glanced at me once more.

A brief nod.

Then his eyes shifted past me to Faye again.

She hadn’t moved.

Claim

Still sitting where the ritual had ended, like she was afraid that if she shifted even slightly, reality would correct itself and undo everything.

Roman looked at her for a moment longer, then gently guided Helen toward the doorway.

He didn’t rush her.

Didn’t force speed into her steps.

I watched them leave the room together, Roman supporting her carefully until they disappeared into the corridor outside.

And then-

Silence.

Not the tense kind from earlier.

Not the charged kind from the ritual.

Just quiet.

It was just me and her.

Faye.

I turned slowly back toward her.

For a moment, I didn’t move.

Didn’t speak, didn’t even breathe properly.

Because she didn’t look real.

That was the only thought in my head.

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Chapter 490

Clas

She really looked like something that had been pulled back from a place that should not have released her.

Like the world had made a mistake and hadn’t corrected it fast enough.

I moved closer without realizing I had started walking.

Step by step.

Until I was right in front of her.

And then I stopped.

She was still watching me.

But there was something in her eyes that felt distant, like she was still finding her way back to herself.

All the weight I had been holding in for hours–no, for the entire night–hit me at once.

The fear.

The pressure.

The uncertainty of whether we were going to lose her completely.

It all collapsed inward.

My chest tightened sharply.

And I didn’t even realize my vision had blurred until I felt something warm slip down my cheek.

Faye’s expression shifted immediately.

She lifted her hand slowly and placed it against my cheek.

Her touch was warm.

Real.

Grounding in a way I didn’t expect.

“Are you crying?” she asked softly.

Before I could respond, her thumb brushed beneath my eye and wiped the tear away.

That small gesture did something to me.

Something I couldn’t immediately control.

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A low laugh escaped me, slightly uneven, as I shook my head.

“I’m not crying,” I said. “I got something in my eyes, I added slowly.

It sounded ridiculous even as I said it.

But she smiled anyway.

That small smile–tired, real, alive–meant so much to me.

And I didn’t stop myself after that.

I reached forward and pulled her into me.

Carefully at first.

Like I was afraid she might disappear again if I held her too tightly.

But when she didn’t vanish-

I tightened my arms around her completely.

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