Chapter 48
Chapter 48
ALEXANDER
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When Cole walked in, Bella was just leaving my office. The timing couldn’t have been more telling. I watched her slip out through the half–opened door, her hand brushing against her face as though she were blotting out a flood of tears.
When she and Cole nearly bumped into each other, she gave a delicate gasp and hurried
away.
Cole shut the door behind him, pausing for a moment as though weighing whether to speak. Then he sank into the chair opposite my desk, eyes flicking from the door Bella had exited through back to me. His brow arched, that knowing look on his face I had come to expect.
“What was that all about?” he asked, half–amused, half–serious. “Bella looked like her whole world just came crashing down. She was still wiping her eyes on her way out.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, exhaling through my nose. My office suddenly felt heavier, as though Bella’s drama had left an oppressive fog behind.
“She came here to complain,” I admitted flatly. “She believes Faye attacked and insulted her dignity in front of the others at the training ground this morning. She thinks the entire thing was some personal attack, and…” I shook my head… “of course, she made herself the victim. As always.”
Cole smirked knowingly, his arms folding across his chest. “So Bella was being Bella.”
I met his eyes, searching. He wasn’t wrong. Bella’s flair for drama wasn’t a secret in this pack. She thrived on attention…my attention, feeding on pity when strength no longer brought her the admiration she craved. But still, this wasn’t something I could brush aside. Faye was involved, and that alone made it impossible to ignore.
“I need to know what really happened,” I said. If my mate and the Luna of the pack was
unstable, I couldn’t ignore it.
Cole leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. He never rushed into explanations; he was deliberate, careful, as though he measured every word before letting it go.
“I didn’t see it myself,” he began, “I was busy working on the young wolves in the field when it happened. But it was reported to me immediately I got back.”
My jaw tightened. “Reported how? ”
“By three different wolves. Independent enough to keep the story straight,” Cole replied. His
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smirk faded, replaced with a more serious expression. “Bella challenged Luna Faye to a fight. She was indirectly demanding Faye prove herself worthy as Luna–right there in front of everyone. Faye tried to walk away, to ignore her. But Bella pushed her to the ground, forcing her into a fight. Either Faye accepted or she’d appear weak before the entire pack.”
The words hit harder than I let on. I clenched my hand into a fist on the desk, the wood creaking faintly beneath my grip. I could see it in my mind–Bella standing there, feeding off the whispers of the pack, daring my mate, my Luna, to defend herself. And Faye… goddess, Faye, who never asked for these constant tests, being shoved into another corner.
Cole continued, “Luna Faye didn’t seek the fight. She defended herself when she had no choice. Bella’s just angry she lost the fight. That’s all this is. Pride.”
I stayed quiet for a moment, fighting to steady the storm in my chest. Faye was probably being forced to prove herself almost on daily basis, yet I never really saw her struggle. She didn’t belong to this pack by birth, and that alone put her under scrutiny. And the fact that she wasn’t my original mate by duty…”
Cole’s smirk returned. “You shouldn’t take Bella too seriously, Alpha. She knows how to weave things into her advantage, especially when she wants your attention and support.”
“Where’s Faye now?” I finally asked, my voice lower.
Cole shifted back in his seat. “In her room. I thought she’d head there to cool off. She probably didn’t want to stick around and make a scene after the fight.”
The thought of her retreating to the confines of her room tugged at me sharply. I imagined her sitting there, chest still heaving from the adrenaline of the fight, trying to steady herself, and yet carrying the weight of being judged again.
As I thought about it, I hated that for her. Hated that my mate…had to endure such childish
trial.
I ran a hand down my face, trying to suppress the anger building beneath my ribs. As Alpha, I had to weigh things carefully. Discipline Bella, and I risked feeding into the whispers that I favored Faye unfairly. Do nothing, and I allowed Bella’s behavior to plant deeper seeds of doubt in the pack about Faye’s place. Either way,Faye’s dignity was being dragged through the
mud.
Cole’s voice pulled me back. “You’re thinking too hard about this.”
I gave him a sharp look. “You think I can just ignore it?”
“I think you need to trust Faye,” he countered calmly. “She handled herself well. From what I heard, she didn’t just defend, she showed control. Even when Bella provoked her, she didn’t
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lose herself. That’s more impressive than anything, let the pack chew on that.”
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He wasn’t wrong. Faye was showing the very strength that made her worthy of standing at my side. But how long before another wolf tried to test her? How many more times would she be pushed into proving herself?
“I can’t let something like this happen again.” I muttered.
Cole leaned back with a shrug. “Then don’t…you’re Alpha. The line is yours to draw, but you can’t show too much involvement. It’ll make the Luna appear weak…like she can’t stand up
for herself.”
He was right again, damn him. Bella would love nothing more than to paint Faye as a fragile Luna in need of my constant defense. That wasn’t who Faye was, and I would not reduce her
to that.
Still, I couldn’t sit here and do nothing while she sat in her room carrying the weight of all
this.
“You’re right. I’ll just check on her later to be sure she’s ok,” I said.
Cole’s smirk softened. “Good idea. But don’t go as Alpha, go as Alexander. Maybe she doesn’t need a leader right now…she needs her mate.”
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