Rise of the Warrior Queen (Kaia and Silver) novel Chapter 5

KAIA’S POV The sun was only starting to come out, and I could see some of the warriors making their way into the training ground. As for me, I had been here since the crack of dawn. I was by myself for a long time with no one to talk to or spar with, but I didn’t mind. These days, I was more comfortable with my own company than with anyone else’s anyway. Not to mention, I couldn’t really bring myself to get any sleep after everything that happened yesterday, so yeah, why not. It’s not like I owed anyone an explanation for how I spent my time anyway. Warriors were all around, sparring and laughing, while I stood up and walked toward Mia. Mia grinned when she saw me heading toward her, and she picked up two sparring sticks before turning to face me fully. “Ready to lose today, Kaia?” she asked, throwing me one. I caught it one-handed and then swung it at Mia’s legs, sweeping them from under her. I smirked as Mia landed on her back with a groan. “You were saying?” Mia laughed lightly as she got back to her feet. “Actually, what I was saying was, you’re going down, miss. Hard.” And with that, she came at me with her bare fists. I quickly dropped my stick and stepped forward as we engaged in hand-to-hand sparring. “You’re getting slow, Kaia,” Mia teased, swinging for my side. I blocked it easily. “Or maybe you’re getting predictable.” A few of the other female warriors sat nearby, watching us while sipping water and chatting. Lina, always the nosy one, tilted her head as she brought up the topic on everyone’s mind. “So is it true?” she asked, turning toward me between kicks. “That guy we found yesterday—he really can’t remember anything?” I paused for a second, catching my breath. “No, he can’t. Not yet, anyway. He still doesn’t remember anything,” I said. “No name, no pack, no past. Nothing.” “Seriously?” Lina frowned. “Not even a clue? How bad is this thing, anyway?” I shook my head. “Worse than we expected, apparently. He has no memory of himself. Whatever happened to him, it wiped everything.” Sera, who had been listening quietly, grinned wildly. “Didn’t wipe that face, though. Hundred percent hotness still very much intact.” That got a round of laughter from the girls, and an eye roll from me. Sera leaned back on her elbows. “I was at the infirmary earlier. One of the trainees twisted her ankle during the early morning run. I passed by his room and—goddess help me—I had to stop and stare. I mean, he was just sitting there, shirtless, drinking water like he was in some magazine ad. I tried not to look, but you know how it is…” More laughter followed, some louder than others. I rolled my eyes again, trying not to smile. “Future mate material, I tell you,” Sera sighed dramatically. “If only he didn’t come with so many question marks.” “Maybe he’s some noble runaway from some kingdom, or a warrior from a far-off land,” Lina suggested. “With eyes like that, you know he’s not ordinary.” “Or maybe he has a mate back home,” one of the other girls said more quietly. “Someone who’s currently worried sick and looking for him.” The thought made the group pause. Even Sera’s grin faded for a second. That’s when a few of the male warriors wandered over, towels slung over their shoulders. I mentally facepalmed. Of course they’d heard the gossip. “You all talking about the stranger again?” Dax asked, smirking. “What’s the deal with this guy anyway? It’s like the whole pack’s talking about him,” Joren said, crossing his arms. I gave them a look. “Nothing. We found him bleeding and unconscious in the forest. That should matter more than how he looks.” “Sure, except your eyes are saying something different,” Dax teased, causing me to frown. What’s he on about? “Oh, don’t listen to Kaia, boys!” Sera jumped in, dramatic as ever. “There really is something about that man. He’s the kind of guy you stare at once and forget your own name. Which reminds me, by the way—does anyone remember what name I used to answer to before this morning?” The girls laughed again, while the guys groaned. “Maybe you should all remember that we still don’t know anything about this guy. Not even his name. For all we know, he could be dangerous,” Joren said, crossing his arms. “Memory loss or not, we don’t know who he is. What if he’s a spy?” “Or cursed,” Dax added, eyes narrowing. “Cursed?! Oh please,” Sera rolled her eyes. “He stirred the second Kaia touched him. If anything, he’s enchanted by her.” That made everyone pause, and my head snapped around to see them looking at me. “What?” I asked with a frown. “A spy?” Lina snorted, rolling her eyes. “That man couldn’t even walk yesterday. Chill. He’s not dangerous. At least I don’t think he is.” Sera rolled her eyes. “You all sound jealous. You men are just envious of his good looks, that’s what.” “What’s wrong, boys? Afraid he’s gonna steal the spotlight?” Mia asked with a smirk, nudging one of them. Then Lina grinned wickedly. “Relax, boys. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. He only has eyes for Kaia anyway. Those mysterious silver eyes.” My eyes widened in shock and I frowned. “Again, what?!” Lina grinned, wiggling her eyebrows at me mischievously. “Come on, Kaia. He was barely alive when we found him, and the moment you touched him, he opened his eyes. And the way he looked at you…” “Like he saw the Moon Goddess herself,” Sera finished with a dramatic sigh. Everyone burst out laughing. Even Mia lowered her stance and started giggling. I groaned and facepalmed. “You’re all ridiculous.” “Oh, come on,” Lina said with a wink. “Just admit it. He only responds to you.” “He was delirious!” I said, exasperated. “He didn’t even know what he was doing. This is not some storybook romance, you guys.” “Could’ve fooled me,” Sera muttered with a grin. Mia tilted her head. “Still… it’s kind of sad, isn’t it? Not knowing who you are? I can’t imagine waking up and not even knowing my own name.” The mood shifted a bit, as everyone suddenly looked sad. I nodded slowly. “Yeah. It must be terrifying, even if he doesn’t show it.” Just then, a loud, mocking laugh cut through the air, causing everyone around to cringe. We all turned to see Laura. She strode across the training ground like she owned it, hips swinging from side to side, and her eyes locked on our group like a predator about to pounce. “Oh Mia,” she sneered, brushing imaginary dust off her shoulder and tossing her hair back. “No need to feel sorry for the poor lost stranger. Kaia’s already taking real good care of him. Gave him a name and everything.” Everyone blinked in confusion. Some sat up straighter, their eyes shifting to me. I didn’t even flinch. I knew exactly what Laura was after. I knew what she was here for, what she was trying to do. And I’d be damned if I let her have it. Laura smiled wider, obviously loving the attention as always. “What was it again? The name?… Hmm, let’s see…” She tapped her chin, pretending to think. “Ah yes—‘Silver.’ How sweet.” I could feel my wolf growing in my head, and I did my best to control her. Calm down, Lilac. She’s not worth it. “Silver?” Lina repeated, eyes twinkling in excitement. “Like his eyes. Whoa! Nice pick, K.” “Yeah,” another girl agreed. “Mysterious and kind of poetic. Definitely a nice pick.” “Yeah,” Sera added with a grin. “Good choice, K.” “Lucky bastard,” Dax chuckled softly. “I wish my parents had thought of that when they named me.” Laura’s face twitched, and I almost let out a laugh at the look in her eyes. She hadn’t gotten the reaction she wanted. No outrage. No disgust. Just more support. That must be disappointing. “You all are hopeless. You’re not even getting the point!” Laura snapped. “Do you all really not see what’s happening here?! Kaia’s obsessed with him, just in case none of you noticed. She spent the whole night gushing and fussing over him, practically throwing herself into his arms like someone cheap, classless w***e!” Some warriors shifted uncomfortably, as if suddenly feeling unsure of the situation. A few eyebrows raised, but most of them looked more annoyed with Laura than anything. I didn’t rise to it. Instead, I calmly turned to face her. “You know, Laura, if I were you, I would spend less time watching other people’s lives and more time fixing yours,” I said smoothly. “Because when you spend too much time monitoring other people, you tend to lose control of your own.” Snickers rippled through the group. Even the guys cracked smiles. Laura’s face turned red and she took a step forward. “I know you’re up to something, Kaia. Pretend all you want, but you’re not fooling anyone, especially not me. I may not know what you have planned, but I assure you I will find out. I will get to the bottom of it, and when I do, trust me—you’ll be in big trouble.” With that, she turned to face the others and scoffed loudly. “As for you all— you dare disrespect your Luna, huh?” “You’ll hear from me. You all will be sorry!” she hissed before storming off in anger. We watched her go in silence. Then Lina whispered, “Goddess save Moonveil from the clutches of this woman. I’ll never understand what the Alpha sees in her.” That got a final round of chuckles around the room as everyone headed back to their business. I sighed and sat down on the bench near the edge of the field, wiping sweat from my brow. My heart was still racing—but not from the sparring. From the memory. From him. The moment he opened his eyes in the infirmary, I just knew he wasn’t weak. Even though he’d nearly died—even though he’d opened his eyes to a strange room full of people he didn’t know—he didn’t look scared in any way. He didn’t cower. Didn’t beg. Instead, he looked at us like we were the ones who had some explaining to do. No fear. No softness. Just… boldness. And an amazing amount of confidence. Even if he couldn’t even remember his own name. It was all really strange…