Rise of the Warrior Queen (Kaia and Silver) novel Chapter 1

KAIA’S POV The sound of sticks hitting each other echoed across the training field. The sun was just rising, but here at Moonveil Pack, we make training our priority. And as the sub-leader of the female warriors in this pack, I had hundreds of female warriors to lead by example. I held my stance as I blocked the next strike with my sparring stick. The girl in front of me, Nira, was younger and nervous. Her strikes were wild and too easy to read. “Too slow,” I said quietly, stepping aside easily. “You’re showing your next move too early, Nira. Focus.” She nodded quickly, her face turning red with embarrassment. “Yes, ma’am. Sorry.” On the other side of the field, Mia—our lead warrior—stood watching us. She gave me a small nod before turning away to help someone else. Around us, the training field buzzed with energy. There were grunts, a few laughs, and some painful yelps when someone messed up a block. But I stayed in my own world. I liked it that way. When I moved my body, my thoughts stayed quiet. Or at least… quieter. It kept me from remembering things I would rather not remember. I lowered my stick and told the others to take a break. As they walked off to get water or rest in the shade, I grabbed a towel from the rack to wipe off the sweat. My muscles ached, but I welcomed the pain. It reminded me I was still here. Unlike the cold, empty feeling that had followed me since the night Alpha Gareth rejected me. It had been six weeks. Six weeks since he looked straight at me and said the words that shattered me. “I reject you as my mate.” He didn’t even blink. “I’ve chosen Laura instead. She’s… better suited for what lies ahead.” Laura. The daughter of the most influential elder in the werewolf community. Laura, who had made it her life’s mission to frustrate me and see me miserable. Laura never liked me, and everyone knew it—including Gareth. And yet he went ahead and chose her, of all the females in this pack, to take my place as his mate and Luna. I clenched my teeth as I wiped the sweat from my arm. That night didn’t leave marks on my skin. The damage was on the inside. My heart was what took the hit. I could still see myself standing in the moonlight circle, shocked, as the bond between us tore apart. My wolf screamed in my mind, and I nearly fell to my knees. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. Not in front of them. Not in front of him. So, I did what I always did. I stood tall. Took the pain. Watched as my mate got mated to another female in front of me. And then I walked away. My mother was beyond furious, and my father looked like he wanted to commit murder. But I chose to ignore it completely. I didn’t cry. I didn’t beg. I didn’t even ask why. Let them think I didn’t care. Let them gossip. Let Laura smirk as she held his arm like she’d won a trophy. I refused to show them my broken heart. I refused to give them that power over me. Instead, I trained harder. I patrolled longer. I kept to myself. Because if I ever stopped moving, if I ever stopped pretending I was okay… the storm inside me might come out. And I didn’t know if I’d survive it. “You’re zoning out again,” Mia’s voice broke into my thoughts, and I turned to see her standing beside me with her arms crossed. I blinked. I’d been staring at the dirt for too long without realizing it. “Sorry.” “No need to say sorry,” she said. “But you’ve got to stop pretending you’re made of stone. I see you, Kaia. I see how you push yourself. It’s obvious you’re hurting, and yet you won’t even let me in.” I gave her a small, stiff smile. “That easy to notice?” “For me? Always.” Her eyes softened. “You don’t have to talk, Kaia. But don’t let it eat you from the inside. He made his choice. That doesn’t mean your life stops. You still have your whole life ahead of you.” But he didn’t just make a choice, I thought bitterly. He told me I wasn’t good enough to be his mate. That I didn’t meet the requirements for the position of Luna in his pack. He told me that Laura was a better choice. And the worst part? He always made it seem like he was doing me a favor by giving me an explanation. I opened my mouth to say something when I was interrupted by a pack guard jogging toward us. “Kaia,” he said as he came to a stop. “Alpha Gareth wants you in his office. Immediately.” I looked over at Mia, and her face changed. She looked almost sorry for me, and I hated it. She gave me a small nod. “Come find me as soon as you’re done,” she whispered before walking away. I didn’t want to go. I already knew what this was about. Gareth only ever called me out of nowhere like this when he wanted to talk about the past. It was always the same. He’d claim that he felt bad, that he wished things were different—but somehow, he always ended up making me feel worse. He’d remind me why he picked Laura. How she was the better choice—more polished, more proper, more everything. And he’d remind me that I wasn’t enough. Not enough to be Luna. Not enough for him. I turned to the guard. “Did he say what he wanted?” He shook his head. “No. Just said to bring you.” I sighed and nodded. “Let’s go.” A few minutes into the walk, I realized something felt off. We weren’t heading toward the main offices. My steps slowed when I realized where we were going. Not to Gareth’s office. But to the private wing. To his room. I stopped walking and turned to the guard. “I thought you said he was in his office.” The guard looked a little nervous as he answered. “Did I? I’m afraid you must have heard wrong, Kaia.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “I don’t have a hearing problem. I heard very clearly. You said he wanted me in his office. Not his room.” He scratched the back of his neck and swallowed. “Must’ve been a slip. He’s definitely waiting for you—but in his room.” I didn’t bother answering. I just walked past him and made my way toward the door. If Gareth thought I’d fall into one of his traps again, he had another thing coming. When I got to his door, I paused with my hand raised. I didn’t want to knock. I didn’t want to go in. I didn’t want to hear him say, one more time, that I wasn’t enough. But I didn’t have a choice. In the end, he was still the Alpha. Taking a deep breath, I knocked softly. Then, from the other side of the door, I heard his voice answer. “Come in.” I walked into the room, keeping my head high even though everything in me wanted to scream. I looked around and was internally grateful that I couldn’t find Laura. Goddess knows I didn’t have the patience to deal with her attitude right now. Gareth wasn’t at his desk. He stood near the little bar in the corner, pouring himself a drink. “Whiskey?” he asked without looking at me. I didn’t answer. He took a sip and finally turned around. He looked the same as always—tall, calm, and way too confident. “You called for me,” I said, keeping my voice flat. Gareth nodded. “I did.” When he didn’t say anything else, I crossed my arms. “Let me guess. You’re feeling guilty again?” His jaw twitched. “It’s not like that.” “It’s always like that,” I shot back, keeping my voice low and sharp. “You call me in, say you want to explain everything, then remind me why you had no choice but to mate with someone else. You talk about Laura like she was the better pick—more graceful, more political, more worthy. Everything I’m not. Then you go on about power, and alliances, and politics like it’s supposed to make it all okay.” I paused, taking a step forward. “And somehow, by the end of it all, you make sure I understand… I wasn’t enough for you. Not as your mate. Not as your Luna.” Gareth moved closer, drink still in his hand. “You think I don’t know what I did?” he said quietly. “You think I don’t live with it every day?” I let out a cold laugh. “No. I think you enjoy it.” That made him pause. “You enjoy calling me in, making me stand here while you talk about her. Like I’m nothing. Like you didn’t choose to rip my heart out in front of the whole pack.” His eyes narrowed, and I knew I’d struck a nerve. “She’s not you,” he said suddenly.