A Warrior’s Second Chance novel Chapter 369

THIRD POV

The door to Ethan’s room clicked softly as the group settled in, the air still carrying the faint scent of antiseptic from the clinic. Ethan, sitting on the edge of the bed, flexed his ribs cautiously, wincing a little but saying nothing. He wasn’t one to complain, not about minor injuries, and the others knew it.

“Man, that was… something else,” muttered Luca, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He shook his head and let out a low whistle. “I still can’t believe what Luna Faye did. She didn’t even hesitate.”

“Yeah,” added Jasmine, pacing near the foot of the bed. “I mean, it’s not like she’s ever… you know… snapped like that. Not that I’ve seen.”

Ethan shifted uncomfortably on the bed, glancing at each of them. “Look,” he said quietly, “I know she didn’t mean to… to hurt me. It wasn’t intentional. Really.”

“That’s the thing!” interrupted Marco, slumping into the chair near the desk. “I get that, Ethan, but did you see how fast she moved? She didn’t just pull you aside–she shoved you into the equipment. That was force. That could’ve ended a lot worse.”

Ethan exhaled, rubbing the side of his ribs again, a faint grimace appearing. “Yeah… yeah, I know. I’m okay. It just… caught me off guard, that’s all.”

A hush fell over the room for a moment, the others exchanging glances, whispering under their breath.

“She looked… I don’t know… possessed or something,” muttered Jasmine from the corner. She fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve. “I’ve never seen Luna Faye act like that. Like she wasn’t even herself.”

“I thought the same thing,” said Luca, nodding vigorously. “I mean, it’s like she was punishing you or something personal. Do you think you did something to piss her off?”

Ethan blinked at him, his eyebrows rising in disbelief. “What? No, come on… I didn’t do anything. And she’s never–ever–done anything like that before. I mean, I know her. This is not her.”

“Exactly!” Jasmine exclaimed, leaning forward. “Which is why it’s weird. Why would she act like that? Why go that far?”

“I don’t know, maybe she snapped under stress,” suggested Marco, but his tone was uncertain. “You know … pressure, training, pack stuff… maybe it just built up and came out at the wrong time.”

Luca snorted. “That’s one way to put it. I saw her eyes, though. She wasn’t just angry. It was… Intense. Like she saw something no one else did. Like–like she wasn’t in control of herself at all.”

Ethan glanced down at his hands, pressing them lightly against his side. “I’m telling you, she didn’t mean it. It’s enough.”

“Yeah, sure,” Jasmine murmured, shrugging, though her eyes still betrayed her unease.

“Maybe it’s a warning?” suggested Marco, tilting his head. “Like… maybe she’s showing everyone she’s not to be messed with.”

Ethan shook his head, a small, disbelieving smile tugging at his lips. “Come on. That’s ridiculous. She didn’t hurt me because she wanted to prove anything. It was… it was a reflex. That’s it. Nothing else.”

“But the timing, Ethan,” Luca said, leaning closer, his voice lowering conspiratorially. “It’s… it’s off. Something made her snap right then. It wasn’t random. I’ve seen her calm under pressure, always. Never

like that. Not even in the worst drills.”

maybe she’s… possessed, I heard some of them mention it while we were walking back. It’s not just us thinking it.”

Ethan ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. “I just… I hope they don’t actually believe that. She’s not like that. Luna Faye is… she’s careful. She’s fair. She wouldn’t do anything like that out of malice.”

“Exactly,” Marco agreed. “Which makes it even weirder. The way she moved, the speed, the intensity… it’s like she wasn’t herself. But I guess we’ll never know what really happened. Not unless she tells us.”

“She won’t tell,” Jasmine said, almost to herself. “Not everything. She keeps things close. That’s who she is. But we still have to figure out… what do we do now? How do we act around her?”

Ethan sighed, sitting back against the headboard, pressing lightly on his ribs again. “We act normal. That’s it. Nothing else changes. She didn’t hurt me to make a point or because of something I did. And she didn’t attack anyone else. So… we keep training. And we wait. Maybe… maybe it was just a one–off.”

“But what if it isn’t?” Jasmine asked quietly. “What if there’s something else going on?”

Ethan shook his head again, this time with a small laugh. “Then we deal with it. But we don’t jump to conclusions. And we definitely don’t start gossiping like this… except… except to figure out what happened, I guess.”

Luca let out a short laugh. “Yeah, well… gossip is wolf nature. Can’t blame anyone. I just… I hope she doesn’t notice how we’re all whispering. That could make things worse.”

“Probably already knows,” Jasmine muttered, rolling her eyes slightly. “She notices everything.”