Rise of the Warrior Queen (Kaia and Silver) novel Chapter 48

CHAPTER FOURTY EIGHT

KAIA’S POV

I finally made it back on the right track and started down the familiar path leading to the pack house. I was just starting to settle into my thoughts again when I heard someone call my name.

“Kaia!”

I turned sharply. Jace was jogging toward me, his brow furrowed, his eyes wild with concern.

“Jace?” I called, my pace picking up to meet him halfway. “What’s wrong?”

“Where’s Silver?” he asked, urgency heavy in his voice.

I frowned. “He’s out. You know that. Alpha Gareth sent him on that mission this morning. He already left.”

Jace cursed under his breath, dragging a hand through his hair in frustration. “Damn it…”

I frowned at his behavior.

“Jace, what is it? What’s the matter?” I asked quickly, my heartbeat picking up. “What’s going on?”

He looked around like he wasn’t sure who might be listening, then stepped closer. “I was just talking with a few of the guys from border patrol. You remember what Alpha Gareth said earlier? About the strange movements and the campfire sighting around East Woods Mountains?”

“Yeah,” I said, nodding slowly. “That’s why he sent Silver out there in the first place, right? What about it?”

Jace shook his head, his jaw tightening. “Kaia… it never happened.”

I blinked. “What?”

“I’m serious, Kaia,” he said. “I brought it up casually with the guys, just to get more details, but none of them knew what I was talking about. I thought maybe it was a different squad, so I asked around–every group that patrols the east sector denied filing any recent report like that. There hasn’t been any such reports since like two or three weeks ago. No strange movements. No camps. Nothing.”

My stomach dropped. “You’re sure about this?”

“As sure as I’m standing here,” he said, his voice a low whisper. “One of the senior scouts–Darren–was

actually pissed when I asked. Said it sounded like made–up nonsense. He swore he would’ve logged

something that serious himself if it had actually happened, Kaia. But he didn’t. Because it never did.”

I took a shaky breath, my brows furrowed in confusion. “Hold on a moment… So you- You’re telling me…?”

“Silver was sent on a false mission,” Jace finished grimly. “Alpha Gareth sent him out there on purpose–with

a fake story, and I have no idea why

I stared at him, feeling the world tilting slightly beneath my feet.

“Kaia,” he said, his voice more urgent now, “if he’s out there following the wrong information and chasing ghosts… he might be walking into something he isn’t prepared for. I don’t know why Alpha Gareth would go

this far, or what he intends to archive from it, but we both know the Alpha never liked that guy.

ates his

guts and he’s never tried to hide it. He’s made that obvious since the second he showed up here. It’s possible

he sent him into a trap. We have to go after him, Kaia.”

८

CHAPTER FOURTY EIGHT

My pulse was racing now.

“A trap?” I echoed, my voice barely above a whisper.

Jace nodded. “We don’t have time to argue about it. If he’s not already caught in something, he’s close. We

have to go out there and look for him.”

I didn’t need any more convincing. Without another word, we both took off running toward the East Woods.

The sky had started to shift, with thick clouds gathering fast and rolling in. A distant rumble of thunder

echoed in the sky, and I cursed in disbelief.

The weather was changing.

A storm was coming.

And Silver was out there chasing a lie. What is wrong with Gareth, for goodness‘ sake?!

When will he stop acting like a damn child?

Branches scratched at my arms and legs as we pushed deeper into the trees, following the faint trail Silver would’ve taken if he were really heading to that supposed campfire site.

Jace was a few paces ahead, his eyes darting around in worry. My lungs burned, but I didn’t slow down.

We had to find him.

“Silver!” I shouted, my voice breaking the stillness. “Silver, are you out here?”

Only the wind answered, pushing through the trees.

“Damn it,” Jace muttered, slowing his pace to scan the area. “He should’ve left some kind of trail. Broken

branches, disturbed ground, anything. Why can’t we find anything?”

The sky darkened further, the sunlight vanishing behind a thick curtain of clouds. The wind picked up,

swirling the leaves around our feet, making it harder to hear.

“We don’t have much time,” I said, casting a nervous glance at the sky. “If that storm hits-”

“We’ll lose whatever trail there is,” Jace finished grimly. “F*ck!”

Still, we pushed forward.

The deeper we went, the more unnatural everything felt. No birds. No animal sounds. Just silence and the growing howl of the wind.

“This doesn’t feel right,” I said, slowing down instinctively. “It’s like all the animals have suddenly gone into

hiding.”

“Right?” Jace replied, his voice tight. He crouched beside a tree, brushing his fingers across the dirt. “There

are some old tracks here, but they’re not his. Too large to belong to anyone. I’m guessing they belong to

some kind of animal. And they’re heading the opposite direction.”

We kept moving, calling out, scanning the ground, the trees, the sky.

But there was nothing.

No scent. No broken foliage. No signs that Silver had even passed through here.

Like he’d never come this way at all.

CHAPTER FOURTY EIGHT

After a few more minutes of searching, Jace cursed and slammed his fist against a tree. “He’s not here. There’s no sign of him.”

A sharp gust of wind blew past us, sending leaves and dust flying. Thunder cracked, louder this time, followed by a flicker of lightning far off in the clouds.

The storm was getting closer. The sky was getting even darker. And Silver was still nowhere to be found

“We need to go,” Jace said, standing quickly, his voice low and filled with disappointment. “Now.”

I frowned. “But what if he comes back this way?”

He shook his head. “It’s not likely. But still, we’ll leave a scent trail. If he’s okay, he’ll find it. But we shouldn’t

stay here. Not in this part of the woods. Not with the storm coming. Come on, I’ll walk you home.”

I hesitated, looking around one last time, praying I’d see him emerge from the trees.

Nothing.

Just the wind and the darkening sky.

“Okay,” I whispered, my voice shaking.

We turned and started back, moving faster now. Thunder rolled again, louder and longer, like the sky itself

was groaning.

Whatever Silver had walked into… it wasn’t just a false mission.

It was something far more dangerous.

And I was beginning to get the feeling that we might be too late.

By the time we neared my house, the first drops of rain had begun to fall.

But that wasn’t what made my chest tighten. It was the sight before me.

Dawn was standing there in front of the porch, flanked by my parents. Her arms were folded tightly across her chest, but it was the look on her face that stopped me in my tracks–tight, pale, and barely holding it

together. She looked like she was seconds away from falling apart.

She was worried.

Jace slowed beside me. We didn’t have to say anything. We already knew why she was here.

We shared a glance.

I took a breath and turned to him. “Go on. I got this.”

Jace nodded, jaw tense. “I’m heading to find Elias. He needs to hear about this immediately.”

I gave him a small nod of gratitude, then watched as he turned and jogged off. The rain was falling harder

now, soaking through my clothes as I turned and slowly walked toward the porch.

Dawn straightened the second her eyes met mine. “Kaia,” she called, voice tight with hope and fear all at once. “Is Silver with you?”

I stopped just a few feet in front of her.

Swallowed hard.

Then slowly, I shook my head.

K CHAPTER FOURTY EIGHT

Her face fell instantly, like the hope had been holding her up and now it was gone. My mother reached for her shoulder gently, steadying her, but Dawn didn’t even glance her way.

Her eyes were locked on mine.

“What happened?” she asked, her voice barely holding steady. “The sun is going down Kala. With the storm coming, it’s only a matter of time before it’s completely dark. Where is he?”

I hesitated.

How was I supposed to explain this? Dawn and her mate had all but adopted Silver since his arrival in this pack. Everyone in the pack knew it. The only thing they hadn’t done was to put their signature on official adoption papers. That was all that was missing.

How did I tell a woman who had already buried one child… that her adopted son was now missing? That he’d been sent on a mission that might never have been real in the first place?

My throat tightened painfully.

“I… I don’t know,” I said softly. “He left this morning for a mission Alpha Gareth assigned. He hasn’t returned since. We don’t know where he is. We went out looking for him when we realized something may be wrong.

But…”

I trailed off.

The silence that followed was unbearable.

Dawn’s hands dropped to her sides. “You’re saying he’s missing?” she asked, the words catching in her throat like she didn’t want to believe them even as she said them.

“I’m saying… we didn’t find him,” I said carefully. “And there’s a lot we don’t understand yet, but Jace is going to find Elias now. We’ll find out what’s really going on. I promise.”

She looked away, her jaw trembling.

“I can’t lose him, Kaia. Not him too,” she whispered.

I blinked fast, pushing down the lump in my throat. “You won’t,” I said, though my voice didn’t sound

convincing to my own ears. “We’re going to find him, Dawn. Whatever it takes.”

But even as I made that promise, a question sounded loudly at the back of my mind:

How the hell are we supposed to fulfill that promise when we don’t even have a clue where he is?

I shook my head.

Curse Gareth for thinking this is funny.

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