Rise of the Warrior Queen (Kaia and Silver) novel Chapter 41

CHAPTER FOURTY ONE

CHAPTER FOURTY ONE

KAIA’S POV.

The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting a warm glow across the forest floor. It was as if nature itself were applauding us for getting this far. Which was good. In fact, I was applauding myself and my girls too at this point.

It’s been a while since I pushed myself or the squad this hard for a workout.

Birds chirped somewhere in the distance, and the earthy scent of pine filled my lungs as I ran, my boots pounding against the dirt path.

My braid bounced against my back with every stride, but my eyes stayed on the path ahead, my ears tuned to the sound of my trainees behind me.

The sound of their heavy breathing met my ears, and I cracked a smile.

“Oh, come on now, girls. Don’t slow down!” I shouted, not bothering to glance back. “You’ll thank yourselves later when you’re breaking bones without breaking a sweat!”

I heard a collective groan, but not one of them dared to argue. Smart girls. They knew better than to complain. I wasn’t trying to be cruel–I was just being honest. And relentless. But they’d see the payoff soon enough. There was no spot for the weak on the warrior team, especially not here in Moonveil.

After another ten minutes of hard running, I raised a hand and came to a sudden stop.

“All right, down!” I barked. “Give me twenty push–ups. Now!”

Like clockwork, everyone dropped. The forest echoed with the sound of palms hitting the ground and grunts of effort. I walked among them, watching every angle, every dip, every mistake.

“Keep your backs straight, girls! I said push, not collapse! Hugging the dirt isn’t going to help you defeat an

enemy!” I snapped. “Sera, tuck your hips. Lina, lower–chest to the floor, not air kissing!”

Lina groaned exaggeratedly. “You know, you’d be prettier if you weren’t such a tyrant, Kaia.”

I smirked, putting my hands on my hips. “Oh yeah? Well, you’d be stronger if you didn’t flap your mouth so

much, Lina. Too bad you can’t achieve that either.”

Everyone burst out laughing even as their muscles burned. Good. If they could joke, they still had energy.

I clapped once. “All right, up! Back into a jog–light feet, quick pace. Let’s go!”

We picked up again.

Ten minutes later, I finally gave the order they’d been silently begging for. “All right! Five minutes, ladies! Take

a break!”

The sigh of relief was audible. Some flopped onto the grass like they’d just survived a war. Others stretched with groans, faces flushed and glistening with sweat. The more stubborn ones just stood with arms crossed, sipping water and catching their breath.

Sera tossed her water bottle aside dramatically. “Remind me again why we begged to join this program, Lina?

We’re not even trainees!”

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CHAPTER FOURTY ONE

“Because we didn’t want to be weak and lazy, Lina answered, laughing hard.

Zurl, one of the trainees, wiped her forehead, her eyes flicking over to me. “Miss Kala…. how’s Elder Agatha doing? After, you know… the eclipse?”

The air shifted a little as everyone turned to me for answers, their faces growing serious.

it’s been over a week since the incident. I think most of the pack are still trying to pretend that night never

happened. Unfortunately, for someone like Elder Agatha–who all but sacrificed herself to save all of us–it

wasn’t that easy to forget. She’d suffered some major injuries in the process, but since most of them were

internal, she was taking longer to heal.

I nodded, letting my tone soften. “She’s doing well. It shook her, yeah, but her spirit’s still there. Stronger than ever. Hopefully, she’ll be back on her feet soon.”

Relief passed through them like a breeze. Then Nalia, our most recent addition, raised her hand like we were

in a classroom. “What about Miss Mia? When’s she coming back?”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Mia is already recovered. She’s just been handling some personal things lately,

that’s why you haven’t seen her.”

That sparked a wave of interest. They leaned in like I’d whispered a secret, and I rolled my eyes.

“She resumes tomorrow.”

That was exactly what they were waiting to hear.

As soon as the words left my mouth, they cheered instantly, their faces breaking into huge smiles.

“Finally!”

“Oh, thank goddess!”

I barked a laugh, planting my hands on my hips. “You girls act like she’s your moon–blessed savior.”

Lina smirked. “Can you blame them? Mia doesn’t try to kill them with training and workouts like someone

else I know. Why? Are you jealous?”

My brow arched. “Of who? Mia?”

Sera gasped theatrically. “Okay, now I’m offended. I’ve been bribing you girls with cupcakes for weeks, and you still love Mia more than me?”

“You promised cupcakes. Never delivered!” Nira shot back.

Sera clutched her chest like she’d been stabbed. “Betrayal! This is the height of it! What does Mia have that I

don’t?”

“Calm, elegance… actual snacks?” Lina said with a wink, causing Sera’s jaw to drop open.

We all burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the trees.

For some reason, the atmosphere this morning was one we hadn’t had in a long while. Light and carefree. And did I mention peaceful?

We were about to pick up the run again when the male voices reached us.

Lina’s eyes lit up like someone had just handed her gossip. “And here come the men.”

<GHAPTER FOURTY ONE

**

Sure enough, a group of warriors emerged from the trail a minute later, all sweat–slicked and cocky in their training gear. Some of my girls were suddenly very interested in the trees and the sky, while others pretended to stretch with more elegance than necessary.

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

Lina leaned in, grinning mischievously. “Here comes your prince charming.”

I didn’t even glance up as I smacked her hard on the head.

“Hey!” she laughed. “You didn’t deny it though!”

The girls giggled like high schoolers, eyes darting between me and the approaching group.

At this point, everyone already knew who Lina was referring to. She kept making a big deal out of mine and Silver’s friendship, and the rest of the girls kept indulging her.

Silver wasn’t helping matters either. These past few days, he was becoming more and more… ANNOYING.

Yeah, I guess that’s the word. He never hesitated to give the girls something new to talk about, and that was

exactly what Lina lived for.

One of the guys gave us a nod as they drew closer. “Ladies. Kaia.”

“Morning,” I replied simply.

And then, as expected, Silver sauntered forward–casually, confidently, and annoyingly smooth.

“Morning, princess,” he said with a smirk. “Judging by that smile, I’m guessing you slept well. Can I be bold

enough to assume you dreamt of me?” He wiggled his eyebrows mischievously, causing the others to laugh.

I rolled my eyes and mentally facepalmed. I had no idea what’s gotten into him these days. It’s like he lives to

tease me every second of the day.

“You know, Silver, I was thinking,” I started, making a show of thinking about what I was going to say. “That

line might work if you weren’t lacking every ounce of actual charm.”

“Ouch,” Jace snorted, and Dax threw his head back and laughed.

“Damn, Silver. That burn looked personal. What did you do to piss her off, bro?”

Silver didn’t flinch. Instead, his smirk widened.

“Actual charm, huh?” He chuckled softly. “Don’t worry, Princess. I’m just warming up. Trust me–when I start,

you’ll know.”

Cheers echoed through the forest as the men whooped and clapped like he’d just scored a touchdown.

I stared at him flatly, fighting to hold in the smile tugging at my lips. “Confidence without substance is just

noise, buddy. Quit with the noise, would you?”

“Oh, I’ve got substance,” Silver shot back. “I just save it for people who know how to appreciate it. You know

what mean?” And then he wiggled his eyebrows again.

Laughter bounced through the trees once more, and I rolled my eyes–this time letting the smile show–as I hit his chest with the back of my hand. “Go away, Silver. It’s way too early to be dealing with you.”

Silver chuckled and stepped away.

That’s when my eyes drifted and landed on Elias. My mood shifted, and my lips pulled into a frown.

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CHAPTER FOURTY ONE

I walked right up–and punched him in the stomach.

“Oof!” He doubled over. “Kaia!”

The girls exploded in laughter.

Elias groaned dramatically. “Seriously, do you ever let go of the past?”

“When I feel nice,” I replied with a shrug. “You left me and Jordan to handle that chaos alone, Elias. Don’t think I’ve forgotten.”

Elias rolled his eyes. “It’s been over a week, Kaia! I think I’ve suffered enough in guilt prison.”

“And yet no parole.” I turned on my heel, smirking as I rejoined the group.

One of the younger male trainees tugged at Silver’s arm, causing him to turn to him. “Hey, man, could you show me that hook–redirect move you did yesterday?”

Silver nodded and walked off with him, easily switching from his earlier playful mood into instructor mode.

Elias edged closer to me, lowering his voice as he spoke.

“You know, Kaia, I’m beginning to think the moon goddess sent that guy here just to force me to get my act together. Goddess knows I’ve been slacking a lot lately.”

I raised a brow at him in question. “Who? Silver?”

He nodded, keeping his eyes on the spot where Silver stood with the younger male, teaching him moves.

“I say that because if I’m not careful,” Elias added, “Silver’s going to take my position as head warrior in a week. Maybe even days. I swear, the guys listen to him more than they listen to me.”

Elias shook his head, and I couldn’t help the amused snort that escaped me.

Before I could answer, Lina shouted, “We can hear you over here, Elias! You’re not whispering as quietly as you think! Go air your dirty laundry somewhere else!”

More laughter erupted.

And for that moment–amid the jabs, the jokes, the teasing–I let myself smile.

Because here, in the heart of the forest, surrounded by fellow warriors who were more like family, the weight of everything didn’t feel quite so heavy.

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