Chapter 208
FAYE
+25 Poirds
Breakfast should have been peaceful. But nothing inside me felt calm. My stomach had been
twisting itself into knots from the moment I opened my eyes.
The dream. I thought about it all night until I finally fell asleep. I needed to figure out a way to get to
Alexander.
He was sitting across from me, quietly eating like the world wasn’t dancing on the edge of chaos.
I poked at my eggs. My hand kept tapping the table. I wasn’t usually this jittery, and apparently it was obvious, because Alexander stopped mid–bite and looked at me with raised eyebrows.
“You’ve barely eaten,” he said. “And you keep staring at me like you want to say something.” His tone was calm, but his eyes were sharp–watchful. He always noticed everything with me.
I opened my mouth to speak, but one of the kitchen attendants came in to refill the juice. So I quietly shut my mouth again.
Alexander frowned. “Faye.” His voice dipped lower. “What’s going on?”
“Give me a moment,” I said.
That was enough for him. He set his fork down slowly, never taking his eyes off me, and waited until the last person stepped out of the room.
The moment we were alone, I exhaled. “It’s about the fight,” I said.
He leaned back in his chair, and there it was–that resigned sigh he always gave whenever he assumed I was gearing up to convince him to step down. “Faye…” he began, rubbing his thumb across his forehead. “I know you don’t like it, but don’t start your campaign to talk me out of it, please. My mind is made up.”
“I’m not trying to talk you out of it.”
His head snapped up. Genuine surprise flickered across his face. “You’re not?”
I shook my head. “No.”
That got his attention. He sat forward a little. “Then what?”
I swallowed, gathering the courage to say the words out loud. “I think… I know how you can win.”
His brows rose slowly. “Oh?”
Chapter 208
He wasn’t mocking me, not dismissing me. He was actually waiting–listening. That was the part
that made me feel even more tense.
“Look,” I said softly, “you’re strong. Stronger than most wolves in every physical way that matters. But strength alone won’t win that fight. Marcus doesn’t belong to any pack. He doesn’t follow rules, he has no honor to protect. He definitely doesn’t fight fair–he’s desperate, lawless, vicious. And you-“I lifted my eyes to meet his, “-you fight with discipline and honor.”
“And that’s a problem?” he asked, almost amused.
“In the Ring of Fire?” I breathed. “Yes. Because Marcus isn’t going in there to prove anything. He’s going in there to kill you. To take everything.”
He didn’t argue this time. His eyes were studying me, deeper.
“So,” he said slowly, “you’re telling me I should fight dirty?”
“You can call it whatever you want,” I replied. “But you’re going to have to think like him. Fight like someone who has no image to lose. Because Marcus will stop at nothing. The question is-” | leaned forward, “-how badly do you want to put him down for good? How badly do you want to stay alive? Stay Alpha? Keep Crescent Dynamics? …everything you’ve worked hard for.”
His jaw tightened. I could tell he understood what I was implying long before I said it.
But I still said it.
“You’ll have to embrace your dark side.”
He froze.
It was subtle, but his whole body went still. His eyes locked onto mine, carefully expressionless. And beneath that calm exterior, I could feel the sharp spike of resistance–maybe even fear.
“You want me,” he said slowly, “to willingly let it take over.”
“Alexander-”
“No.” He didn’t raise his voice, but the word landed between us heavily.
I pressed on quietly, “You know I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t believe it was the only way-”
“No, Faye.” He sighed. “I know what that part of me is. I know what I become when he takes over. I’m not letting that thing loose in a fight meant to prove I’m worthy to lead this pack.”
“Your pack has seen him before,” I reminded him. “All of them.”
“That was different,” he snapped. “War is different; defending the pack during an ambush is different. Losing control in the heat of battle isn’t the same as letting myself become a monster in
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front of everyone just to win.”
“Alexander, please…”
He shook his head sharply. “I said no.”
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Something inside him had closed, shut tight, like a wall had dropped instantly. I could see the conflict in his eyes, the pieces of him pulling in different directions. He didn’t want to hear this from me. He didn’t want me to see that side. That was the part hurting him–more than the suggestion
itself.
He stood up and walked around the table to me, gently cupped the back of my head, and kissed my forehead, even though his mood was obviously ruined.
“I have to go,” he said.
Then, without another word, he straightened, turned, and left the dining room.
I was a bit frustrated. But I couldn’t afford to give up.
What I saw in that dream felt like a possibility.
A direction, a chance.
After analyzing the entire situation half the night, it made even more sense. If Alexander was going up against a madman like Marcus, then he needed more than strength and discipline. He needed unpredictability. He needed the “beast” he had spent years suppressing.
He needed Adrian.
He didn’t want to hear it. I could tell from the moment the words left my mouth. His eyes had gone still–cold, almost wounded–before he stood up and left with that quiet, controlled anger only he could pull off. He wasn’t ready. And pushing him right then would only make him raise those walls
even higher.
I wasn’t going to do that.
If there was one thing pregnancy had taught me so far, it was patience.
I took another small spoonful of food, even though I barely tasted anything, and forced myself to swallow. Then another. And another. I wasn’t hungry, but I needed the routine–something normal to anchor me while my mind warred with itself.
When my plate was nearly empty, I set the spoon down, picked up my bag, and straightened my shirt. Time to go to work.
I was just finishing the last sip of tea–standing, because I suddenly didn’t have the mind to sit
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anymore–when Irene walked into the dining room.
425 Points
“Why is everyone in such a hurry today?” she asked, brows raised. “Alex just walked past me in the hallway like a lightning bolt, and you-” she gestured at me with a teasing grin, “-you’re finishing your tea like someone being chased.”
I managed a small smile, hoping it looked natural.
“This morning is just… busy,” I said lightly. “We both have things to take care of.”
Irene’s eyes narrowed in playful suspicion as she walked to the table and began dishing her breakfast, but she didn’t push. Thank the goddess for that. If she got involved–if she went to confront Alexander with her usual bluntness–he would shut down completely. And if there was any chance, any at all, that he might listen later… that chance was mine alone to carry.
“You rushing off already?” she asked as she sat down.
“Work,” I said, lifting my bag. “I’ll see you later.”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
