Rise of the Warrior Queen (Kaia and Silver) novel Chapter 51

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CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

KAIA’S POV

1 couldn’t sit still

Back and forth I paced across my room, my phone pressed tightly to my ear as Eles soft she ent The sound of the rain outside only made the tension worse.

“I don’t understand. Why would Alpha Gareth do something like that? Elles said Ms mice was a buy serious, 1 couldn’t believe my ears when Jace came to the with the rem

I stopped and stared out the window, watching the storm beat against the dass My fegers derched wont the phone. “I don’t know. We went out looking for him, Elias,” I said, my vice at “We searched al the East Woods… but there were no signs of Silver. No scent, no tracks, it’s the he never

like

what way

There was a pause on the line before Elias asked, “So what do we do now? it’s pouring out there, and the storm’s only getting worse. There’s no way we can go out like this, Kala K’s too tig

“I don’t know,” I whispered honestly. I rubbed my forehead, trying to ease the pressure building behind my eyes. “I’m worried, Elias. Something doesn’t feel right. I think… I think something really bad is happening

Before Elias could respond, a soft knock came at my bedroom door.

“Someone’s at my door, Elias,” I said quickly. “I’ll call you back.”

I ended the call and walked over to open the door. My mom stood on the other side, her expression unreadable, like she wasn’t sure how to say what she came for.

“Kaia,” she said calmly, “Mia’s downstairs. She’s asking to see you.”

“Mia?” I repeated, surprised. “What is she doing here this late? And in this weather?

“I don’t know,” my mother replied with a look of concern. “But she said it’s important is something going on that I need to know about, Kaia? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

I frowned, shaking my head. “No. Well, not that I know of, anyway?

“Then why is Mia visiting you at 12:43 a.m.?” she asked, but I shook my head, not having any answer to that

question.

With my heart beating faster, I rushed downstairs. The front door was still slightly open from when Mia had come in. She stood in the hallway, her damp clothes clinging to her from the rain. Her hair was dripping onto the floor, but she didn’t seem to care. She looked serious–like she had something urgent to say.

“Mia,” I called, walking closer. “Do you want to come upstairs?”

“Yeah,” she said with a small, tired smile. “That would be great.”

I led her up to my room, closing the door behind us. I handed her a towel to dry off and gestured to the chair near my desk. “Go on and sit. What’s going on, Mia? Everything okay?”

She sat, her eyes flicking to mine as she wrung some water out of her hair. “I just got orders f Gareth,” she said, wasting no time. “He wants you to represent the Moonveil females during his Alpha King coronation ceremony.” She paused, her eyes meeting mine as she said the next words. “Next week.”

Ipha

CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

My mouth dropped slightly. “Wait–what? Next week? Isn’t that ceremony still weeks away?”

“That’s what I thought,” Mia said, shaking her head. “But something changed. It’s been moved up. I don’t

know why, but he told me to start preparing you immediately. And by immediately, I mean he sent me here tonight to prepare you‘ and make sure you don’t do or say anything to cause trouble. I don’t know what’s with the rush, but when I told him I’d talk to you tomorrow at the training ground, he said no. Tonight. That’s why I came over. I thought maybe you’d heard something. Maybe you did or said something to piss him off.

Because girl, I’m the one getting punished for whatever you did to him. He sent me all the way here in this storm to prepare you for something that isn’t even tomorrow. And let’s forget about that for a second–why is

the ceremony being moved to next week? Preparations haven’t even begun. They haven’t even sent out

invitations yet. What’s up with the hurry?”

I sat slowly on the edge of my bed, her words turning over in my mind. Should I tell her what I heard in the

woods? Or should I just keep it to myself and pretend I never heard it?

I had been playing with the idea of telling my father about it. But now that Mia was here asking all these

questions… maybe I could just tell her.

I trusted Mia with my life. I knew she wouldn’t make me regret this.

“I heard something today,” I said carefully. “I wasn’t supposed to hear it, but I did.”

Mia leaned forward slightly, curious. “What was it?” Her eyes widened and she gasped. “Hold on! Don’t tell me

Daphnie is at it again. Whose mate is she messing around with this time?!”

I chuckled softly, completely understanding why she would automatically conclude that this was about

Daphnie.

The last time I told her I heard something I wasn’t meant to hear, it was about Daphnie trying to seduce

Gareth or so I heard at the time. The mate bond hadn’t yet snapped into place, so we hadn’t known that we

were mates. I had been passing by the kitchen when I heard some of the Omegas gossiping about it.

And then the time before that, it had also been Daphnie. This time, trying to make a move on one of the pack

guards–a man whose mate was only a few days away from her delivery date.

“It’s not Daphnie,” I said.

Mia frowned. “It’s always her.”

I shook my head. “Not this time.”

“There was a meeting. A secret one,” I explained. “Laura’s family was there. And a few elders I’ve never seen

before. They were talking about how the coronation needed to happen faster–because of some rumor that

might ruin Gareth’s chance at becoming king.”

Mia’s eyes widened a little. “A rumor?”

I nodded. “They said if it spreads… Gareth won’t be allowed to claim the throne. I don’t know what it’s about,

but they seemed really nervous. They kept saying it was already spreading and might circulate soon.”

Mia was quiet, her eyes flickering with something I couldn’t read.

“Mia?” I frowned.

I knew that look. She knew something.

< CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

“What is it?” I asked gently. “What’s with the look?”

“Hmm? What do you mean? What look?” Mia asked, feigning ignorance and confusion.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Remember the last time you tried to lie to me? How did that turn out, Mia?”

She sighed heavily. “Messy. I failed. Miserably,” she admitted.

I nodded. “Good. Now tell me what’s going on, Mia. You look like you know something.”

She hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. “I… I might have an idea what that rumor is.”

That caught me off guard. “What do you mean?”

She sighed. “Do you remember the night before I was attacked? When I texted you?” she asked.

I blinked. “Yeah. You texted me. You said you needed to talk. Something important.”

She nodded. “And I refused to say it over the phone,” she added. “Because it wasn’t something I wanted anyone else to overhear.”

I nodded. “I remember. What was it?”

She shifted in her seat, her voice lowering. “There have been rumors. Ones that are slowly surfacing. About

the fall of the Royal Pack.”

I frowned. “You mean what happened, like, ages ago? The attack?”

She nodded. “Yes. But the rumors say… not everyone died that night, Kaia. That there were survivors, contrary

to what most people believe.”

“Survivors?” I echoed in disbelief. “That can’t be true. Everyone said the Royal Pack was wiped out. There was

nothing left, Mia. Not even animals.”

“Or maybe that’s what we were told,” Mia said softly. “But I was on the phone with Amara that night–my

cousin. You remember her?”

I nodded.

Of course, I remembered Amara. She was Mia’s cousin who used to visit this pack all the time. But then she got mated to some alpha’s son from a faraway pack and stopped coming.

“She told me there’ve been visitors in their territory lately,” Mia continued. “Strangers. People who aren’t from around here. They keep coming back, asking about the Royal Pack’s history. Asking questions about what really happened the night the pack fell.”

“Why?” I asked. “What are they looking for? It’s not like Amara’s pack has anything to do with the fall. Why would they go there even if they wanted to investigate?”

Mia shook her head. “I really don’t know. But if they keep going back, then wouldn’t that mean they actually

know what they’re doing?”

I thought about her words for a moment, then shrugged. “Maybe.”

“They think the Luna survived that night,” Mia said. “Her body was never found. Accordi history, the fire consumed her completely, so they buried a casket in her memory. Remember? So when I got off the phone with Amara, I figured I’d tell you about what I heard. If it’s true, we’re going to have a big problem in this pack very soon, Kaia. Alpha Gareth will not like this, and neither will Luna Laura and her family. It’s going to be war.

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I sat there stunned, trying to make sense of it. She wasn’t wrong though. History did mention they never found her body. According to them, the fire was so raw that there was nothing left of her. But what if…

I shifted my attention back to Mia. “That’s ancient history, Mia. It happened a long time ago. We don’t know for sure that what they’re saying is true. But even if it is, why would it matter now? What does that have to do

with Gareth and his coronation?”

Mia hesitated again, then sighed. “Because, Kaia… they believe she was pregnant when it happened.”

My jaw dropped. “Pregnant?”

Mia nodded. “Yes. And… if she survived,” she said slowly, “then the child could have survived too. A royal heir. Someone with a stronger claim to the throne than Alpha Gareth. So tell me, Kaia. What do you think will happen if this story starts to spread?”

I stared at her in silence, realization sinking in like a heavy weight.

Now I get it.

That’s why they were rushing the coronation.

That’s why they were trying to hide it.

If word got out that the true heir might still be alive…

“Oh my goddess,” I whispered.

“Now you see,” Mia said. “If this gets out, it would be chaos. Alpha Gareth’s whole rise to power would fall apart. Faster than a house of cards.”

I nodded slowly, my thoughts racing. “They’re not just hiding a rumor…”

“They’re hiding a person,” Mia finished.

We sat there in silence, the storm still raging outside. But the real storm–the one inside our world–was just

beginning.

And like it or not, we were standing right in the middle of it.

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