Rise of the Warrior Queen (Kaia and Silver) novel Chapter 31

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

KAIA’S POV.

We reached the ceremony grounds shortly after. We stepped Into the clearing, and I had to admit–it looked beautiful. The area was already glowing with lanterns, fairy lights, and flower petals. Everyone was dressed in their finest. Music played softly in the background, and the scent of roses and fresh grass filled the air. Everyone looked dressed to impress, and the atmosphere practically hummed with exciternent.

I stepped out of the car, frowning when one of my heels got stuck in the dirt. Who’s wonderful idea was this again?

“This is gonna be a long night,” I whispered to myself as I pulled my heel out with more force than was necessary.

I couldn’t help but feel out of place. I had a million other things I needed to do, and standing in a pretty dress making small talk was nowhere near the top of my list.

“Oh my moon!” Margaret, Elise’s mom, rushed toward us with a warm smile and pulled my mother into a hug. “You all made it. I’m so glad.”

Elise appeared just behind her, glowing in a shimmering white gown that made her look like she’d stepped straight out of a fairy tale. She looked stunning–nervous, but even more happy.

She saw me, and her eyes lit up. “Kaia!” she squealed, wrapping her arms around me. “You look amazing!”

gave her a small, awkward smile. “Thanks. You look beautiful.”

“Thank you!” she beamed. “And you–wow! I didn’t even know you owned a dress.”

“Yeah, neither did I,” I muttered, rolling my eyes dramatically, causing Elise to throw her head back and laugh.

“Thanks for coming, Kaia. It means a lot,” she said.

I smiled, a real genuine one this time. “Of course. Wouldn’t miss it.”

Except I almost did–but yeah, she didn’t need to know that part.

Margaret turned to the man standing beside Elise and beamed. “This is Daren. Elise’s mate.”

Daren gave a polite nod and extended his hand. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

It took me time to remember he was from a different pack and I nodded at him with a smile.

“You too,” I replied, shaking it. “Congratulations.”

And then I snuck away and found a corner to stand in, hoping no one else would see or talk to me.

But of course, I was asking for too much apparently. Just like always. Just like with everything.

“Whoa, Kaia! You clean up nicely.”

“Didn’t recognize you without your boots!”

“You really should wear dresses more often.”

I gave polite responses and fake smiles until my face hurt.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

After a bit more small talk with Elise and her family, my parents joined me and we moved to the back of the crowd to find a place to stand. The ceremony started soon after. Elders stepped forward and began chanting blessings as Elise and Daren stood beneath the ceremonial arch, their hands entwined.

Everyone watched with quiet reverence.

Everyone except me.

I kept sneaking glances at my phone, checking the time over and over again. My thoughts wouldn’t shut up paperwork, training schedules, patrol rosters. Everything I was supposed to have done today but didn’t. And instead, here I was in heels and a tight dress, waiting for the ceremony to end.

“Kaia!”

I turned at the sound of my name and spotted Silver walking toward me, dressed in a dark suit that somehow

made him look even taller and broader than usual. And right behind him–Everett?

My eyes narrowed. “Wait… when did you two meet? What did I miss?”

Silver chuckled. “Today, actually.”

Everett nodded and added, “Donovan brought him to the training grounds this morning. Thought it was time he officially met and was introduced to the rest of the squad.”

“Really?” I raised a brow. “What for?”

Silver grinned. “Well… I’m officially joining the Moonveil warriors, Princess.”

“What?” I blinked. “How… Wait, Gareth actually approved it?”

“Eventually,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Wasn’t easy. But Doc put in a good word for me. That guy is not an easy person to deal with, I swear.”

Í shook my head, still stunned. “Wow. That’s… unexpected. But good, I guess. Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” His eyes flicked down to my dress, and a look passed them before he cleared his throat. “You um…

you look really good tonight. Gorgeous, even.”

Heat crept up my neck for some reason, and I looked away for a moment before turning back to him. “Oh. Uh

-thanks.” I gave his suit a once–over and smirked. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

Silver laughed. “I’ll take that. Though I still don’t know how Doc knew my size. I didn’t even try this on until

like three seconds ago when it was delivered to the house.”

I laughed with him, and so did Everett. The three of us stood there for a while, trading jokes and light

conversation. It surprised me how easily Silver and Everett clicked. For people who met only this morning, it was like they’d known each other forever.

How does he do that? I wondered. Silver just had this way of making people feel at home with him. It’s like

they naturally gravitate toward him. Kind of like what happened yesterday at the training ground. All the warriors seemed to like him despite meeting him for the first time. Even with all the question marks he came

with.

Before I could get lost in that thought, my phone buzzed and I looked down at it.

Dylan.

“Excuse me, gentlemen. I need to take this,” I said quickly, stepping away from the crowd and toward the tree

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

line where it was quieter. Then I answered the call, putting the phone to my ear. “Hey, Dylan. Everything okay?

“Kaia…” His voice was tense. “No. Not really. Kaia, I’m worried.”

My brows furrowed and my stomach knotted. “Worried? Why? What happened, Dylan? Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“I had a nightmare last night, Sis,” he said slowly. “About you… and Mom and Dad. And last night wasn’t the first time. I’ve been having that same nightmare every night for over a week. I was going to tell Mom when! called, but I decided against it. I didn’t want her to worry too much over something I’m not even sure of. At first I tried to ignore it and shake it off, but then…” he trailed off, and I could clearly hear the worry in his

voice.

I frowned. “Dylan, what kind of nightmare was it exactly? What did you see?”

He hesitated for a moment before he spoke. “I saw them lying in a pool of blood in the woods. Our parents. Their eyes were wide open. They were… dead. And then I saw you standing over them, crying. Covered in blood. Your clothes were torn and muddy.”

I went still.

“Dylan…”

“I didn’t want to tell you,” he continued, “but it felt so real. And I-”

Suddenly, I was interrupted by a strange, thick shadow falling over me, causing the forest to grow completely

dark within seconds.

I froze and slowly lifted my gaze to look up, and my breath caught in my throat.

The sky… it was changing.

It was darkening too fast. Way too fast to be considered normal.

At first, I stood there completely lost as I watched the moon being enveloped by something dark.

That was when it hit me.

An eclipse.

But not a natural one, obviously. Not if what I was currently looking at was anything to judge by. The sky slowly turned a deep, bleeding red–like the moon itself was wounded and bleeding.

My phone slipped from my hand and hit the ground as I watched in shock.

How did this happen? How did a blood moon appear out of nowhere, for goodness‘ sake?

“Kaia? Kaia, are you there?!” Dylan’s voice crackled from the speaker, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even

speak.

I was frozen. Staring. Completely horrified.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream ripped through the clearing, snapping me out of my paralyze

I whipped my head toward the ceremony ground in alarm.

Another scream came, followed by another. Then another.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

The next thing I knew, the soft music was gone. Replaced by shrieks and chaos.

I reached down and snatched up my phone. “Dylan, I’ll call you back!” I shouted into it and quickly hung up without waiting for his response.

Then I sprinted toward the clearing.

What I saw as I arrived stopped me dead in my tracks.

Madness. Total chaos.

There were animals scattered everywhere. Forest animals–foxes, deer, even rabbits–were storming into the

crowd, attacking guests with glowing eyes and erratic movements like they were possessed.

And then I saw them.

Pack members–my people–collapsing, convulsing, and rising again with those same clouded eyes. They

snarled and lunged at others, biting, clawing. Turning on friends and family.

People I’d known my whole life.

“What the hell is happening?” I whispered.

A young warrior ran past, his eyes wide with terror. “Kaia! Something’s wrong. They’re turning feral! We don’t know what’s happening, but it’s not just the animals. Some of the pack members are being affected too. It seems they’re being possessed by some kind of evil.”

My body snapped into motion. I tore off my heels and bolted barefoot into the chaos.

“Mom! Dad!” I screamed, shoving through the panicked crowd.

This wasn’t normal, not by any chance. Something was definitely wrong.

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