A Warrior’s Second Chance novel Chapter 172

FAYE

I stood before the mirror, fully dressed for the trip, my hands smoothing the front of my jacket though there wasn’t a wrinkle in sight. All I could feel was the heavy stillness inside me.

For hours, I’d ignored it…the quiet, the strange emptiness…but now, staring at my reflection, I couldn’t. I looked the same on the outside, but I didn’t feel the same.

“Nova,” I whispered, closing my eyes, focusing. I reached inward the way I always did, searching for that spark–the warmth that always responded, the familiar rush of shared energy that reminded me I was never alone. Her voice… nothing.

Nothing… just silence.

I tried again, harder this time, steadying my breathing, pushing past the noise of my thoughts. Nova, come on… please.

Still nothing.

My pulse quickened. I pressed a hand to my chest, as though I could summon her by sheer force of will, but there was no stir, no whisper, not even the faintest echo of her presence. It was like reaching into a place that used to be filled with life and finding only emptiness. My throat tightened.

Was this the price?

The thought hit again before I could stop it. Edna’s words returned to me, haunting and cold. She made sure I understood that for every life I give, something must be taken.

Was my wolf the price I had to pay for bringing Alexander back?

Or was this something else–something physical, something temporary? Maybe it was the drugs Draco’s men used when they captured me. Maybe the effects were lingering longer than they should. Maybe Nova was just… healing.

But deep down, a part of me already knew better.

I took a slow breath, trying to steady myself, but it didn’t help. I felt hollow, unanchored, like a part of me had been cut away.

My gaze drifted to the mirror again. I looked strong enough, composed enough… but my reflection didn’t feel like me. It was weird.

And then, just as I was about to turn away, I saw his reflection appear behind mine–Alexander.

He stepped into the room quietly. He was already dressed for the trip, his dark jacket fitting perfectly, his expression soft as his eyes met mine in the mirror.

For a moment, he didn’t say anything. He just looked at me, studying my face the way he always did when he knew something was off but didn’t want to push too hard. Then his hands came around my waist from behind, his touch gentle and grounding.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, his voice a low murmur near my ear.

I hesitated for a heartbeat too long before forcing a small smile. I didn’t need him feeling guilty about something I wasn’t even sure of yet. “I’m fine,” I lied, meeting his gaze through the mirror. “Just… ready to go home.”

His expression softened further, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Home,” he repeated. “I like the sound of that.”

I turned slightly in his arms to face him, trying to hold onto that smile even as the weight in my chest

lingered. He brushed a stray strand of hair from my face and searched my eyes, maybe sensing the exhaustion behind them.

“Then let’s take you home,” he said finally.

Something warm stirred in my chest at the way he said it–simple, steady, sure. Maybe it didn’t matter right now whether Nova was silent or gone. Maybe all that mattered was that he was alive, standing right here.

I nodded. “Let’s go.”

He smiled faintly, leaned down, and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. “As you wish, my lady,” he murmured against my skin.

It made me laugh a little.

I turned to her again. “What did you give up, Faye?” I asked softly. “Look at me, tell me the truth.”

Her shoulders stiffened, her eyes falling away from mine.

“Nothing,” she said finally. “At least… nothing I know of.” Her voice was quiet, careful. “Maybe I’ll just have to wait and see.”

I studied her face, searching for cracks in her calm, but she gave me none. Still, I could feel doubt beneath her words. I wanted to press, to make her tell me more, but something in her expression stopped me. It wasn’t fear… it was exhaustion. The kind that comes from carrying too much for too long.

“Faye…” I began.

But she leaned forward and kissed me before the words could come out.

It was soft… a touch of warmth that caught me completely off guard. My thoughts stopped, my questions vanished, and for a moment, everything was still. When she pulled back, there was a small, almost mischievous smile tugging at her lips.

“No more negativity,” she murmured. “Maybe there’s no exchange. Maybe not everything we’ve been taught is true.”

Her words were light, but I knew she didn’t believe them. She just didn’t want me to worry.

I brushed my thumb across her cheek, holding her gaze for a heartbeat longer. “You really think I’ll believe that?” I asked gently.

She smiled again. “You’re supposed to,” she said.

I could have kept pushing… and part of me wanted to… but there was a strange peace in the car I didn’t want to break. The kind of fragile quiet that feels like if you move too quickly, it’ll shatter.

So I just let it be.I turned back to the steering wheel and started the car.