A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 548

OG

<Chapter 545

Chapter 545

ALEXANDER

I had spent the entire day thinking about the attack on Faye.

No matter how many meetings I attended or how many reports I forced myself to read, my thoughts

always found their way back to that stretch of road.

Every time.

The image of her walking into my office after the attack replayed in my mind over and over again.

She had insisted she was fine.

She had barely looked shaken.

But that wasn’t the point.

Someone had laid an ambush for my mate inside Blood Crescent territory.

That alone was enough to make my blood boil.

The patrols I had dispatched returned one after another throughout the afternoon.

Every report they gave only confirmed what Faye had already told me.

There had been a disturbance.

Broken branches.

Fresh footprints.

Scattered blood.

The marks left behind from a fight.

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Yet despite searching the surrounding woods and every possible escape route, they hadn’t found a single

person.

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Whoever had attacked her had vanished long before my warriors arrived,

That alone told me they hadn’t acted on impulse.

They had prepared for it.

Now, with the sun sinking lower behind the western mountains, I stood outside the main residence with

Cole.

The evening breeze swept across the training grounds, carrying with it the familiar sounds of warriors finishing their drills.

Neither of us paid much attention to them.

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Cole had his hands folded behind his back as he looked toward the tree line surrounding the compound.

The patrol captain came to see me before reporting to you,” Cole said.

“He confirmed everything, Cole added.

I nodded once.

“I expected as much,” I replied.

“They searched deeper into the forest as well,” Cole continued.

“They even split into smaller teams.”

“They found traces of movement, but whoever was responsible had already disappeared.”

I remained quiet.

That wasn’t surprising anymore.

If anything…

It only reinforced what I had been thinking all day.

Cole finally turned toward me.

“You’ve had something on your mind since this morning,” Cole observed.

“I have,” I replied.

He waited.

He knew me well enough not to interrupt when I was trying to arrange my thoughts.

After a long moment, I finally spoke.

“You remember those three border guards who came to see me this morning,” I said.

“The ones who were shouting outside your office,” Cole replied.

“The same ones,” I confirmed.

“You didn’t hear most of what they came to discuss,” I continued.

“No,” Cole admitted.

“I only walked in toward the end.”

I let out a slow breath.

“They weren’t there to report a security issue,” I explained. “They came representing several of the

settlements along our northern border.”

Cole frowned slightly.

“What did they want?” Cole asked.

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<Chapter 545-

“They claimed the border settlements have been neglected for years,” I replied.

† paused before continuing.

“They argued that their people are always the first to face danger whenever outsiders cross into Blood

Crescent.”

“They lose more warriors.

“They suffer more attacks.”

“They’re constantly repairing damaged villages.”

“And according to them…”

“They receive the least attention from the pack.”

Cole listened carefully.

“They believe everything is centered around the capital,” I continued.

“They said the people living closest to the Alpha’s residence enjoy better roads, better protection and

better resources while the border villages are left to survive however they can.”

Cole didn’t interrupt.

“They weren’t entirely speaking out of emotion either,” I admitted.

“They had statistics.”

“They listed villages.”

“They listed casualties over the last few years.”

“They spoke about delayed requests for additional warriors.”

“They spoke about damaged infrastructure.”

“They had clearly spent time preparing their arguments.”

Cole slowly nodded.

“So what exactly were they asking for?” Çole asked.

I folded my arms.

“They wanted autonomy,” I replied.

His head turned toward me immediately.

“Autonomy?” Cole repeated.

I nodded.

“They wanted permission to govern the border settlements themselves,” I explained.

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“They wanted their own regional leadership.”

“They wanted authority to make decisions without waiting for approval from Blood Crescent.”

Cole’s expression hardened,

“They still wanted to remain part of the pack?” Cole asked.

“They claimed they did,” I replied.

I looked toward the fading horizon.

“They insisted they weren’t trying to overthrow me.”

“They said they still recognized me as Alpha.”

“But they wanted to manage their own affairs.”

Cole was quiet for a moment.

“And you refused,” Cole said.

“There wasn’t another answer to give,” I replied.

I shook my head.

“If I agree to that…”

“What happens when the eastern settlements make the same demand?”

“Or the southern territories?”

“Blood Crescent stops being one united pack.”

“It becomes divided into smaller territories with different leaders.”

Cole sighed quietly.

“I can see why you rejected it,” Cole said.

“I didn’t reject it because I don’t care about the border,” I explained.

“I rejected it because I have to think beyond today.”

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“They were asking me to set a precedent that could eventually destroy everything this pack has stood for.”

For several moments, only the wind spoke between us.

Then I remembered the part of the meeting that had refused to leave my mind all day.

“Jacob didn’t take my answer well,” I said.

Cole looked at me.

“He was the loudest one,” Cole observed.

<Chapter 545

“He was,” I agreed.

I nodded slowly.

“The other two were frustrated.”

“Jacob…”

I paused.

“Jacob was angry.”

“He kept insisting that talking had achieved nothing.”

“He said they’d been patient for years.”

“He claimed the border wolves were tired of waiting.”

Cole remained silent.

“I told him my decision wasn’t changing,” I continued.

“And then…”

I looked at Cole.

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“He looked me straight in the eye and said that if I wouldn’t give them what they wanted….they would take

it by force,” I finished.

Cole’s jaw tightened immediately.

“I remember hearing that part,” Cole replied.

“I lost my temper,” I admitted.

I wasn’t proud of it.

Neither of us spoke for a few seconds.