A Warrior’s Second Chance novel Chapter 166

FAYE

I tried going back into the house, but along the way, I found myself sitting at the training ground instead. I knew I should be inside with him right now, but I was a coward. I didn’t know if I could face him without crying. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been sitting there.

The forest behind me was quiet. The only sound was the wind weaving through the trees…the faint rustle of leaves brushing against each other.

My tears had dried on my cheeks, leaving behind the salty sting of exhaustion. I’d screamed until my throat felt raw, until I had nothing left to give but silence.

I didn’t even flinch when I heard footsteps behind me…slow, uneven ones. My heart didn’t believe it could be him; my head refused to hope. But when I turned, I saw him standing there.

Alexander looked paler…if that was even possible…almost translucent under the moonlight, the color drained from his face. He was trying to stand tall, but even from where I sat, I could see the tremor in his stance, the faint wince he tried to hide whenever he took a breath.

“Remember the first day we met? It was right here. You just couldn’t stop staring,” he said, trying so hard to keep a smirk on his face.

I just stared at him. I couldn’t believe he was standing there, talking like that. Talking like everything was fine.

How could he sound so calm? How could he stand there pretending that his world…and mine…wasn’t about to fall apart?

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said with a small, weary smile as he made his way closer. “I’m not a ghost… not yet, at least.”

“Alexander…” I started, but my voice cracked halfway through his name.

He lowered himself beside me slowly, with a quiet groan, and finally sat down on the cold earth. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, softly, he murmured, “I’m not going to spend my last hours brooding and feeling sorry for myself. That’s not me, Faye. You know that.”

I turned sharply toward him, my chest burning. “How can you even say that?”

He smiled faintly, not meeting my eyes. “Because it’s true.”

His voice was steady, almost casual…but that calmness broke me even more. He wasn’t trying to be brave; he was simply… at peace.

I swallowed hard, blinking back the tears that threatened to rise again. “How did you find me?

His lips curved slightly. “You forget who you’re talking to. I could smell you from a mile away if I tried.”

That almost made me laugh. I let out a shaky breath and gave a dry smile. “Right. Of course you could.”

We sat there for a while in silence. I didn’t know what to say, and maybe he didn’t either. The air felt heavy…thick with things we both wanted to say but didn’t dare.

Finally, he broke the silence. “I’m not worried about dying,” he said softly. “Just about what happens after. To you, to Irene, and to Moon Crescent.”

My chest tightened. “What about your mother?” I asked, my voice low. “Helen?”

He gave a faint, almost wistful laugh. “Helen will be fine. She always is.”

That made me laugh too, though it came out half–choked, half–broken. The tears I thought were gone returned without warning, sliding down my cheeks uncontrollably as I tried to wipe them away.

“Don’t cry,” he whispered, reaching out to brush the tears from my face. His fingers trembled against my skin. “I hate it when you cry.”

I wanted to tell him that I couldn’t help it…that he didn’t get to ask me not to cry while calmly talking about dying. But the words caught in my throat, and all I could do was watch him…memorize the shape of his smile, the quiet warmth in his eyes, the way his hand lingered at my cheek as if trying to reassure us both that this moment was real.

After a while, we just lay back on the ground together, staring up at the pale blue sky.

I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady, slowing rhythm of his heartbeat. It was faint but still there…proof that he was alive, that for now, he was still here.

He coughed suddenly, and his whole body tensed beneath me.

“Alexander?” I sat up quickly, my heart leaping into my throat.

He winced, pressing a hand to his side. “Just… a bit of pain.”

I shook my head, tears brimming again. “Don’t,” I whispered. “Don’t try to act like this is nothing.”

He smiled faintly. “You can’t declare war on Moon Claw when their new Alpha is lying right here in your arms. That would be ridiculous.”

I blinked, trying to process his words. “What?”

“I killed Alpha Draco,” he said simply, as if he were talking about something casual.

“So he’s gone…” I whispered.

He nodded slowly. “He’s gone.”

I just stared down at him…at the man who had always seemed invincible…and realized that he was slipping away right in front of me.

He let out another weak cough, his hand tightening around mine. “Besides,” he murmured, “it wasn’t one of Moon Claw who stabbed me.”

My brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

His gaze drifted upward, the moonlight reflecting faintly in his eyes. “It was Patrick,” he said. ” He betrayed me. I should’ve seen it coming.”

Patrick. The name hit me like a punch to the chest.

He’d fought beside Alexander. He’d stood with him–pretending to be an ally. My throat tightened as I tried to make sense of it. How long had he smiled in Alexander’s face, plotting this?

I didn’t realize I’d gone still until Alexander’s voice broke through my thoughts again.

“I’m tired,” he whispered. “I’d like to sleep now.”

My heart clenched. I wanted to tell him no…that he couldn’t, that if he slept now, I wasn’t sure he’d ever wake again. But I couldn’t speak. My voice wouldn’t come.

So I just nodded.