A Warrior’s Second Chance novel Chapter 42

FAYE

Alexander’s voice carried across the sitting room before I even turned to see him.

“What did I do this time?” he said casually while adjusting his cufflinks.

I kept my eyes on him for a moment only half-interested, but Irene twisted in her seat, grinning at the sight of him.

He walked in, dressed in a gray suit, his tie knotted perfectly. It struck me immediately how formal it was, clearly, he was on his way somewhere important.

I chose not to ask…not like he would tell me even if I did anyway.

Irene, never missing an opportunity to stir things just a little said, “Oh, nothing much. I was just telling Faye a few of your secrets, some of the most embarrassing ones.”

Her tone was light, but still I saw Alexander’s brows twitch. He rolled his eyes as if she’d said something tiresome and not worth dignifying with an answer…he was obviously used to her drama.

“Very funny, Irene,” he said flatly, his expression bored.

That, of course, only made Irene laugh. She clearly enjoyed needling him, though it was always in an affectionate way.

For me, I didn’t engage, I dropped my gaze back to the page of my book, though I’d already lost track of the last sentence I’d been pretending to read.

As always, his presence had unsettled me in a way I didn’t care to admit…not to him, and certainly not to myself. If Irene wanted to joke, she could. I chose the safer route of silence, as though ignoring him would somehow anchor me against whatever storm always threatened to come with him.

“Going somewhere?” Irene asked after a moment, her voice softening as she took in the outfit properly.

“Yes,” he said, adjusting his tie without looking directly at either of us. “Out of town, actually. I may not be back tonight…. whatever happens, I’ll let you know.”

That pulled my eyes from the book despite myself. I tilted my head toward him, studying his face, trying to read past the careful neutrality he always wore. Out of town? And only telling us now? At least he could have told Irene.

“Wait,” I said, my voice sharper than I’d intended, though I softened it quickly. “You’re leaving now? Where exactly are you going that would require you to stay overnight?”

He didn’t change his expression, didn’t even blink. “A business meeting,” he said simply, as if that were enough.

I frowned, closing my book slowly, placing it on the table beside me. My patience was thinning, but | tried not to let it show. “A business meeting,” I repeated. “And you didn’t think to mention this until you were already walking out the door? That’s not fair.”

His eyes flicked to mine…cold as usual. “You know now,” he said. “That’s what matters.”

That answer made something tighten in my chest. How could he be so casually dismissive about something so important? It wasn’t about control, not entirely. It was about respect for those around him. About the simple courtesy of letting the people who shared his roof, who depended on his presence, know where he would be and why.

Irene, who had been watching the exchange quietly, finally stepped in. “Faye’s right, Alex,” she said gently. “You can’t just spring things like this on us. A little notice would be nice….if you couldn’t tell me, you could have at least told the your mate, Faye.”

But Alexander was already glancing at his watch, his impatience obvious in the way his jaw tightened. He nodded distractedly, not really absorbing Irene’s words. “Fine,” he said. ” Point taken. I’ll make a note of it next time.”

The words sounded more like a tactic to end the conversation than any real agreement. He was already reaching for the door, his focus somewhere far beyond this room.

“Alexander..” I started, but he cut me off with a quick shake of his head.

“I’m almost late, Faye,” he said calmly. “We’ll talk later.”

And just like that, he was gone. The door clicked shut behind him.

I sat there for a moment, staring at the spot where he had been, frustration coiling tightly in my chest. Irene let out a slow breath, shaking her head.

“That man,” she muttered softly. “Always in a rush, always half here, half somewhere else.”

I didn’t respond, because I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to believe he trusted Irene, even if he didn’t trust me…yet he shuts her out too.

Now I’m even more confused.

Deep down, I wanted to believe that beneath his stoic exterior, he would one day care enough to include me in certain issues, to treat me as a partner instead of an afterthought.

But tonight was just another harsh reminder.

He moved according to his own rules, his own rhythms, and the rest of us… whether his mate or sister…were expected to keep up, or be left behind.

Irene reached over and touched my hand lightly, her smile gentle. “Don’t let it get to you,” she said softly. “That’s just how he is. He thinks keeping things close makes it easier for everyone.”

I wanted to scoff, to shake my head, to argue, but Irene’s voice carried such conviction that I found myself listening instead.

“One day,” she went on, her gaze steady on mine, “you’ll get to see beyond that hard exterior he wants everyone to believe in.

Beyond the cold, beyond the silence. You’ll see the Alexander I know-the one who is thoughtful, protective, and even tender, though he hides it fiercely. And when that day comes… you understand why I can call him both the sweetest brother and the best mate without hesitation.”

I looked away, swallowing against the sudden urge to laugh. I couldn’t imagine Alexander as anything other than what I had experienced: bound by duty, curt in his speech, and emotionally impenetrable. Yet the way Irene spoke made it sound like there truly was more to him.

I smirked. “That day might be a long way off.

He barely speaks to me, not even about responsibility or pack matters. And when he does, it feels like… like I’m a soldier receiving orders, not a mate or Luna of the pack.”

Irene tilted her head, sympathy clouding her smile. “I know it’s hard. Believe me, I’ve seen him push people away, even the ones he loves most.”

The ones he loves most? I was tempted to ask questions along that direction, because she looked like she was talking from experience.

Who did Alexander push away?…that he loved.

She continued, “But he does it because he thinks it’s the only way to protect himself-and sometimes, to protect others. He’s built walls so high he doesn’t even realize how tall they’ve become.”

Her words painted Alexander in a new light, one I wasn’t sure I wanted to see. Walls, protection.. It suggested wounds, wounds I couldn’t yet comprehend. But if Irene was right, then every cold stare, every clipped word, every long silence wasn’t simply cruelty. It was just armor.

“And you really believe he’s capable of being… tender?” I asked softly, the word foreign on my tongue when attached to him.

Irene’s smile widened, like she could see the possibility that I’d come around. “I don’t just believe it, Faye. I know it, because l’ve seen it.

You will too…soon, I hope.”

I watched her for a moment. Her faith in her brother was something else…