Rise of the Warrior Queen (Kaia and Silver) novel Chapter 43

CHAPTER FOURTY THREE

KAIA’S POV

The forest was quiet, as Silver and I walked slowly side by side. Neither of us spoke right away. It felt like one of those peaceful moments that didn’t need filling. But I couldn’t shake the worry sitting heavy in my chest.

“You don’t have to do it, you know,” I finally said, breaking the silence. I looked over at him. “You don’t have to

listen to Gareth and go into those woods alone just because he said so.”

Silver gave me a quick sideways glance. There was a soft smile on his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll be

fine, Kaia.”

“I can come with you,” I offered. “If Gareth doesn’t find out, then what’s the harm? We’ll be careful. No one has

to know.”

He laughed a little under his breath and shook his head. “I appreciate it, really. But I don’t mind going alone. I

can handle it, trust me. I’m not afraid of the woods.”

But I wasn’t convinced. I’d seen that part of the woods. I’d also heard the stories. “Still,” I said, slowing my

steps, “it’s dangerous, Silver. More dangerous than you realize. You don’t know that area like the rest of us-”

“Hold on a moment,” Silver cut in before I could finish. He turned his head toward me, a teasing smirk tugging

at his lips. “Are you worried about me, Kaia?”

I rolled my eyes and gave his arm a light smack. “Of course I’m worried about you. You’re my friend, Silver.”

As soon as the word left my mouth, something shifted.

His smile faded. His shoulders stiffened just a bit, and his face grew unreadable. It was subtle, but I noticed

1. it.

“Friend?” he asked softly, almost like he was testing the word.

I blinked, confused. “Yeah… we’re friends. Aren’t we?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he turned away with a sigh.

We kept walking, but now the silence between us felt different. I could feel there was something wrong, even

though he didn’t say it.

“What’s wrong, Silver?” I asked gently. “Did I say something wrong?”

Silver shook his head slowly and tried to smile again, but it looked forced. “No. It’s just… forget it, Kaia. It’s

not you. It’s me.”

I frowned in confusion. “What does that even mean?”

I was about to press further, but he suddenly changed the subject.

“Hey… do you know anything about the last Alpha King to sit on the throne?” he asked.

The question caught me completely off guard. “The last Alpha King?” I repeated. “No, not really.. learned a little in history, but no one really talks about him anymore. The throne’s been vacant for years. Why?”

n, we

Silver’s eyes stayed forward, but his hands were shoved into his pockets now. “Things have been… weird for

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CHAPTER FOURTY THREE

me lately.”

I frowned.

“Weird how?” I asked, my concern returning quickly.

He exhaled, and his shoulders sagged a little. “I’ve been seeing and hearing things I can’t explain.”

I stopped walking and turned to face him. “Silver, what do you mean by that? What’s wrong?”

*S PORK

He glanced around as if to make sure we were alone, then leaned in just slightly. “A few nights ago, a bird came to my window. It was dark, and I was about to go to bed. But it just sat there, tapping the glass.”

“That’s creepy,” I muttered.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “But that’s not the weirdest part. The bird dropped something.”

“What?” I asked, curious now.

“A ring,” he said. “A gold ring. I picked it up and kept it, but I didn’t know what to make of it.”

I stared at him. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

Silver gave me a helpless look. “Because I didn’t know what it meant. Listen, I actually told someone. I told

Everett. And I did mean to tell you, it’s just… I never really found the right time. Not to mention I didn’t want to

sound crazy. But then… the night of the eclipse…”

My eyes widened slightly. “What happened during the eclipse?”

“That night, when I went back home,” he began. “He took me to his basement. He said he wanted to show me

something. You know about that name the little boy Eli kept calling me? Leander.”

I nodded, urging him to go on.

“There was a portrait down there,” he said. “Old, dusty, kind of hidden away. He told me it was a painting of the last Alpha King. King Leander Aurelian the Fifth…”

I raised an eyebrow. “Okay… but what does that have to do with the ring?”

Silver turned to me and looked me straight in the eyes.

“The man in the portrait was wearing the exact same ring,” he said.

My mouth fell open. I stopped walking again, just staring at him.

“What?! You’re sure?” I asked.

He nodded once. “Positive. Same shape. Same markings. Everything.”

I didn’t know what to say. My brain was struggling to make sense of what he’d just told me.

“That can’t be a coincidence,” I whispered.

“I don’t think it is,” Silver replied, shaking his head.

For a long moment, we both stood there in silence. My heart beat faster as I stared at the tre Something about this didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel random.

ead.

“Do you still have the ring?” I asked, finally finding my voice.

“Yes,” he said. “I kept it with me.”

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< CHAPTER FOURTY THREE

I swallowed hard. “Have you… have you told Dr. Grayson?”

“No,” he said quietly. “Not yet. I don’t know how to explain it. I’m not even sure what’s going on.”

I looked at him again. Really looked at him. There were dark circles under his eyes, and a heaviness around his shoulders that hadn’t noticed earlier.

“You’re scared,” I said.

He didn’t answer right away. Them after a moment he nodded, “A little, yeah. Not because of the ring itself, but because of what it might mean.”

I nodded slowly. “You think there’s something connecting you to the man in the portrait?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But something doesn’t feel right here. This ring didn’t just show up by chance, Kaia. And that portrait… Doc told me it should feel like looking in a mirror.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “He thinks you look like him?”

Silver hesitated, then gave a slow, thoughtful nod. “Yeah… at least that’s what he said anyway. Even though it doesn’t really make sense to me. I really don’t see it.”

For a moment, my head felt like it had been flipped upside down. I couldn’t even comprehend everything I just heard, not to talk of making sense of it.

“Silver,” I said softly after a moment, “whatever this is… we’ll figure it out somehow. Okay? You’re not alone in

this.”

He looked at me, and for a second I could almost see the boy behind the brave face. The one who was carrying way more than he let on.

“Thanks, Kaia,” he said with a slow smirk.

I tried my best to return the smile, but I was sure it didn’t reach my eyes.

This wasn’t okay.

Whatever was happening with Silver, it was bigger than we thought. Bigger than him. Bigger than me.

And I had a feeling this was also bigger than all of Moonveil.

“So…” Silver started as he resumed his walk. “You’re finally going to tell me what the deal really is between you and the alpha?”

And just like that my mood turned even worse.

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