KAIA’S POV Silver. I chuckled to myself as I walked. I hadn’t meant to call him that. I hadn’t even meant to name him at all. It just slipped out. Well, kind of. I guess I was just a little confused, seeing how unexpectedly he was acting. He didn’t act like a man who had lost everything. He acted like a man who owned everything. As I pushed open the door to his room, I spotted him right away. He was sitting up now, with his back against the wall. He was shirtless, the blanket bunched around his waist. Bandages wrapped his chest, but he looked far less fragile than yesterday. His posture was relaxed, almost too confident for someone who had just woken from unconsciousness with no memory. He looked up the second I walked in, and those eyes—still as silver as the moon. “You again,” he said, his voice low and rough. He didn’t sound scared. Nor did he sound confused. Instead, he just sounded curious. “You’re healing fast,” I said, walking deeper into the room. “Good sign.” He watched me carefully, his head tilted slightly. “Last night… you spoke like a warrior.” “I am a warrior,” I said with a slight frown. “I figured,” he said, smirking faintly. “The others—they’re scared of me. Even the nurses. But you’re not.” “I don’t scare easy, my friend,” I said. “Besides, you don’t really look like you’re in good enough shape to be a danger to anyone right now—no offense. And even if you are, there’s absolutely no problem at all. I would have you know that I just so happened to study ASS KICKING in high school, Mr., and I graduated with flying colors. Top of the class, as a matter of fact. So if you wanna play? I’m all for it.” He nodded once, clearly fighting off a smile. Then he glanced down at his bandaged chest as he spoke. “So… last night you said you found me?” “I helped, but it wasn’t just me,” I explained. “It was me and a couple of other female warriors. You were nearly gone when we found you.” “Then I owe you,” he said. I shook my head. “No, not really. Like I said, it wasn’t just me. We were a team, and I couldn’t have done it without the help of the others, so… don’t worry about that. Just heal.” He stared at me quietly for a moment. “You know, the doctors and nurses—they’re calling me Silver.” I raised an eyebrow. “Do you like it?” He shrugged. “Fits, I suppose. Since no one knows who I am—not even me.” As he spoke, I noticed how he was constantly rubbing at the bandage around his arm, and I figured it must be itching. My eyes darted around the room and fell on the balm in the tray beside his bed. I walked over to pick it up before going back to him. “May I?” I asked, holding up the small round container. His eyes moved from me to the container and then back to me. Then he nodded, and I reached out, gently peeling back part of the bandage. And then I paused, my brows furrowed as I stared in confusion. The wound underneath was deep, but it was clean enough. What surprised me the most was the fact that it was already knitting closed. It’s only been a few hours. How was that even possible? Even alphas don’t heal this fast. None that I know of, anyway. “Is something wrong?” His voice pulled me out of my shock, and I realized I had been staring for too long. I cleared my throat and shook my head. “No. Everything is fine. It’s just, um… you heal fast. Even for a werewolf.” I said as I started to apply the balm. Then a thought suddenly hit me, causing my face to pull into a frown. “Um… quick question—you’re a werewolf, right?” I was probably asking this question a little too late. But better late than never, right? Also, it probably didn’t make sense that I was asking him this question at all since one could already tell from his scent that he was, in fact, a werewolf. But then again, what do I know anymore? Everything was just a huge mess of confusion at this moment, and nothing I heard would surprise me. He chuckled softly before giving me a single nod. “Yes, I am. At least I think so, since I can’t really remember anything right now.” Then he frowned. “As for the fast healing part, I don’t really know. Maybe I was a warrior, too?” “Maybe,” I said. “Or an alpha,” he added. I looked up at him when he said that. There was no arrogance in his voice—just confidence. At least, I was hoping that was all there was to it and not anything else. I would really hate to prove Gareth right in any way. Not in this lifetime, anyway. Or the next, for that matter. As if he could hear my thoughts, Silver smirked. “You’re wondering if I’m dangerous.” “I’d be stupid not to,” I answered with a deep frown. “And?” “I don’t trust easy, Mr.,” I said, keeping my voice low and calm. “But I trust my instincts more than anything else. You don’t feel like a threat. But you do feel like something. And that something is what I would like to know. And the fact that I still don’t know what that something is—the fact that I can’t seem to figure it out—that’s a problem. A very big one. Because as the sub-leader of the female warriors in this pack, I would hate to bring danger to the same people I swore to protect. You get what I’m saying?” He didn’t answer. Instead, his eyes dropped to my hands as I rubbed the balm gently along the edge of the wound. “I dreamed of fire last night,” he said suddenly, out of nowhere—completely disregarding my concern and the original topic. I frowned. “What?” He nodded. “It’s true. I had a really strange dream last night. And in this dream, there was fire. Like an entire town or village up in flames. There were people screaming and running, trying to find help. And then there was a wolf. A huge black wolf, darker around the eyes.” My hand paused as I tried to make sense of what he was saying. “And the wolf—was it yours? You shifted?” I asked, but he shook his head. “No. I didn’t shift. At least I don’t remember shifting. I just stood there and watched. It felt like… me. But not me. Kinda confusing, really.” I pulled the bandage back over his arm and sat down in the chair beside the bed. “And you don’t know who this wolf is? Or who it might be?” I asked, but he shook his head once again. “No. No idea.” I thought about it for a moment and then sighed. “Look, dreams sometimes mean nothing,” I said. “But sometimes they’re memories trying to climb back up.” “Do you think it was a memory?” he asked, looking genuinely curious. I shrugged. “Maybe. I mean, I don’t know. It could be. Or maybe your wolf is trying to wake up. Can you even feel him now?” I asked, as the thought occurred to me for the first time since he regained consciousness. He was quiet for a moment before he shook his head. “No.” I frowned. “Wait, what?! No?!” I asked, feeling my eyes grow wide in shock. He can’t feel his wolf? What is that even supposed to mean? Silver shook his head with a sigh. “Look, I’m a bit worried myself, but yeah, it’s true. I haven’t felt him since I woke up in this hospital room. I don’t even know if he’s still there or not.” “Have you tried calling out to him? Maybe he’s just quiet because of the shock from whatever happened back there in the woods. I mean, it’s possible, right? You really should try calling out to him and see what happens.” “Yeah, I definitely will. As soon as I remember his name,” he said with a smirk that had me suddenly feeling a bit stupid. “Oh,” I said, clearing my throat. He looked at me for a long moment, then asked quietly, “What’s your name?” “Kaia,” I responded. He nodded slowly, like he was testing the name in his mind. “Kaia. Nice name. I like it. It’s beautiful.” “Well, thanks, I guess.” I shrugged, not exactly sure what to say to such a compliment. “I remember nothing,” he admitted again. “Not even the feel of my own voice before yesterday. But you—I remembered your voice. Right from the very moment I heard it.” I blinked, caught off guard. “You were unconscious.” “I know,” he admitted. “But I heard it. Clearer than anything else. It sounded strong and calm. Like a rope pulling me out of dark water. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. I’ve never heard anything like it.” A chill ran through me, and I sat back with my arms crossed. “Just to be sure, we’re still talking about my voice, right? Just my voice and nothing more?” I asked with my eyebrows raised in question. Silver threw his head back and laughed—a free, genuine laugh that caught me slightly off guard, causing my mouth to fall open for a second before I quickly shut it. “You’re good with words for someone with no memory,” I said. “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment,” he nodded, still chuckling softly. “Maybe I was a poet.” I couldn’t help it—I smiled. “Yeah, maybe.”