A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 546

I hadn’t been waiting long before I heard a knock on my office door.

My eyes shifted toward it.

“Come in,” I said.

The door opened almost immediately.

Alice stepped inside before quietly closing it behind her.

She looked exactly as she always did.

Neat.

Composed.

Professional.

If someone had walked into the office at that moment, they would have assumed she had come to

discuss pack business.

She stopped a respectful distance from my desk.

“You asked to see me, Alpha,” Alice said.

Something about the way she addressed me immediately caught my attention.

Not Jason.

Not even a hint of familiarity.

Just…

Alpha.

I studied her for a moment before gesturing toward the lounge area.

“Have a seat,” I said.

She glanced toward the couch.

Then back at me.

“I’d rather stand,” Alice replied politely.

I frowned.

“You don’t have to,” I said.

“I know,” Alice replied.

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<Chapter 543

still prefer to stand,” Alice added.

There was no hostility in her voice.

No attitude.

Nothing that anyone else would have considered disrespectful.

Yet I could hear the distance.

It was deliberate.

I slowly stood from behind my desk.

“You seem different,” I observed.

“I am,” Alice replied.

I walked around the desk until I stood a few feet away from her.

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“For weeks, you’ve barely looked at me unless it involved work,” she said. “You stopped sending for me.

You stopped calling. You stopped speaking to me unless it was necessary.”

She met my eyes without flinching.

“I noticed,” Alice added.

I sighed quietly.

“I’ve been busy,” I said.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

“So I’ve heard,” Alice replied.

The smile disappeared almost as quickly as it had come.

“The entire pack has,” Alice added.

She folded her hands neatly in front of her.

“I wasn’t aware there was anything else you needed from me,” Alice said.

I looked at her for a long moment.

“You know that’s not true,” I said.

Alice lowered her gaze briefly before looking back at me.

“I know what it used to be,” Alice replied.

She paused.

“I don’t know what it is now,” Alice added.

Her words settled heavily between us.

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<Chapter 543-

For the first time since she’d entered the room, realized this wasn’t simply about the weeks of silence.

She had already accepted that things had changed.

She had adjusted.

In her own way…

She had moved on.

I rubbed the back of my neck.

“I’ve missed talking to you,” I admitted.

Alice looked at me carefully.

“Talking?” Alice repeated.

There wasn’t accusation in her voice.

Only quiet curiosity.

I gave a small nod.

“You know what I mean…. I’ve had a difficult few weeks,” I said.

She let out a slow breath.

“I know,” Alice replied. “The entire pack knows. The missing shipments. The explosion, The meetings.”

She paused.

“I know you’ve been carrying a great deal,” Alice continued.

For a brief moment, neither of us spoke.

Then she added quietly,

“But that doesn’t change what happened,” Alice said.

I frowned.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

She smiled sadly.

“When people are important to us…” Alice began.

“We usually don’t disappear without saying anything,” Alice finished.

The words landed harder than I expected.

She wasn’t raising her voice.

She wasn’t crying.

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If anything…

Her calmness made them hurt more.

“I wasn’t trying to hurt you, admitted.

“I know,” Alice replied.

She nodded.

“I never believed you were,” Alice added.

Another silence followed.

“I simply assumed you had decided you no longer needed me,” Alice said.

I looked at her in disbelief.

“That’s not true,” I replied.

She shrugged lightly.

“It was the conclusion that made the most sense,” Alice said.

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“You stopped calling. You stopped asking to see me. You stopped making time. What else was I supposed

to think?” Alice asked.

I couldn’t answer immediately.

Because…

From her perspective…

She wasn’t wrong.

I had simply disappeared.

Not because I hated her.

Not because I was angry.

Sage’s jealousy was becoming dangerous.

I took another step toward her.

“Alice…” I said softly.

She looked at me quietly.

“I’ve had too much on my mind,” I said. “I know that isn’t an excuse.”

“But it’s the truth,” I finished. It was not entirely the truth…but it sounded better. Good enough to get her to

relax.

She searched my face for several long seconds.

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Then her expression softened ever so slightly.

“believe you,” Alice replied.

Those three words eased something inside my chest.

“I don’t like seeing you like this,” said.

A faint smile returned.

“I’ve had time to adjust,” Alice said.

“I told myself that whatever existed between us had simply…” Alice continued.

She searched for the right word.

“…ended,” Alice finished.

I shook my head immediately.

“I never said that,” I replied.

“No,” Alice agreed. “You didn’t.”

She smiled sadly again.

“But silence has a way of saying things too,” Alice added.

I closed the remaining distance between us.

Carefully…

Slowly…

I reached out and rested my hands lightly on her shoulders.

She didn’t pull away.