A Warrior’s Second Chance novel Chapter 263

ALEXANDER

We parked well before the scene.

The road ahead was closed off. Officers moved with purpose, voices low, methodical. Too calm for what my chest felt like it was doing.

The moment I stepped out of the car, my body reacted.

Blood. I could smell blood all over.

Not overwhelming…but present enough that my wolf stirred uneasily beneath my skin. My jaw tightened on instinct. I tried to stay calm and breathe.

Cole came up beside me. I didn’t look at him. I didn’t need to. He felt it too… I could feel him react.

Derek approached, posture straight, expression careful.

“Alpha,” he said quietly.

I nodded once. “Any news?” I asked.

He gestured toward the wrecked vehicle farther down the road and shook his head. I followed automatically, eyes locking on the familiar shape… the plate.

Faye’s car.

What was left of it. I had hoped it was some kind of mistake, but no… it was actually her car.

Cold slid through my chest.

I couldn’t stop the first thought: This is my fault.

She had driven like that because she had seen Diana kiss me. Because I hadn’t stopped it sooner. I should have sent Diana out before the drama began, before I let myself be in that position at all. I should have sent her out the moment she walked in.

I swallowed hard, trying not to breathe too fast, trying to keep control, but the pain, the guilt, the helplessness–they all pressed down on me.

I could see it all so clearly in my mind’s eye–the way her hand had trembled on the wheel, the look of panic flitting across her face as she realized the situation. She had only wanted to escape. I had put her there. All of it was my doing.

Derek spoke. “The collision happened less than an hour ago. Two vehicles involved. Emergency response was fast. The second vehicle had one occupant as well. Alive, but critically injured.

Transported immediately.”

“And Faye…” I said, more to myself.

Derek sighed. “Still missing.”

I stared at the twisted metal. My chest tightened. My hands curled slowly at my sides.

Where could she have gone?

Nobody, no clear exit, no witnesses. Every instinct screamed at me to run straight to the car, to tear through the barricade, to find her myself.

“She should still be alive. No body was found,” Derek added. “No confirmed fatality.”

Cole exhaled quietly beside me, relief barely audible.

Derek continued, “No signs of forced removal. No witnesses saw anyone taken. It’s possible the Luna regained consciousness briefly and moved away before help arrived. Especially since she knows the risk of being taken to a regular hospital,” he whispered for just Cole and me to hear.

I didn’t answer.

reality. Derek’s voice came in behind me.

“Sir, we should leave,” Derek said.

He guided me away from the barricade before questions could arise, before anyone could witness what was impossible.

I pressed my hand against my side instinctively, already clean. My wolf instincts were still firing, scanning for Faye’s scent, trying to track the fragments of her presence. I felt her, just barely, here and there–but nothing solid, scattered. Faint… fragmented.

I had failed her. I had failed her before the crash even happened. She wouldn’t have driven like that if I hadn’t let her see Diana kiss me. Every second of the past hour, every decision that led to this moment–it was all my fault. I should have protected her, controlled the situation, prevented the chaos. Instead, she had been hurt. Alone. And carrying our child.

Derek led me back toward my car, Cole waiting there, giving me space but also support. I kept my focus inward, trying to sort through the whirlwind of guilt and panic.

Finally, Derek handed me a small evidence bag.

Her phone. Her wallet.

I took them slowly, fingers tightening around the bag, pressing it against my chest. Her presence lingered here, heavy, scattered, fragmented across the asphalt and twisted metal.

“Thank you,” I said quietly.

Derek nodded.

I closed my eyes, letting the raw, unfiltered fear press through the control I’d been clinging to.

I opened my eyes.

Derek met my gaze. “We’ll do everything possible to find her,” he said.