RISE OF THE WARRIOR QUEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN-1

SILVER'S POV

The room was too big.

That was the first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes in the middle of the night. The bed underneath me was soft. The pillow was fluffy and clean, and the blanket smelled like lavender. The ceiling was high. Everything looked expensive, neat, and untouched. So much so that if I hadn't known better, I would have thought I was the first person to have occupied this room in ages. Or maybe ever.

Then again, now that I really stopped to think about it, I don’t think I can say I really know better. For all I know, that was actually the case, and I was the first occupant of this room.

What do I know anymore?

I sighed, carefully shifting onto my back.

I lay there for a long time, staring up at the ceiling. There was a fan above me, but it wasn’t on. The room was too big, and the house was even bigger. But it felt cold and empty. Kind of like there was no warmth to it.

I don't think I was used to any of this.

Actually… I wasn’t used to anything.

That was the real problem.

I didn’t remember what my life used to be like before I woke up on that hospital bed. I didn't remember where I used to sleep. I didn’t remember what kind of bed I had, or if I even had one. I didn’t remember my room, or my family, or even my name. And now they were calling me Silver.

Silver.

That name felt strange in my mouth. Like trying to wear someone else’s clothes.

I may not remember what my real name was, but I knew it wasn't Silver. And it bothered me that I was answering to a name that wasn't mine.

But either way, it was still better than not having a name at all.

I turned onto my side and buried my face into the pillow, hoping the smell of it would comfort me. It didn’t. It only reminded me that I didn’t belong here. That I didn’t belong anywhere.

My head started to ache again. It started with a dull throb at first, right behind my eyes. It always happened when I tried to think too hard. I'd been experiencing it all day and all through last night. It felt like some kind of punishment for when I tried to reach for memories that didn’t exist anymore.

Or maybe they were still there—just locked away behind some wall I couldn’t break.

I squeezed my eyes shut and groaned softly in frustration.

This was hell.

Not knowing anything. Not knowing who I was, where I came from, or what had happened to me. There was nothing. Just flashes sometimes—shapes, colors, noise. But the second I tried to focus, the pain in my head exploded like a hammer to my skull.

I carefully sat up, dragging a hand through my hair, which was damp with sweat. My body was tired, but my mind wouldn’t rest. It kept going in circles, chasing shadows and questions that had no answers.

I hated this.

I hated the feeling of being useless. Empty. Like a broken machine that no one knew how to fix.

The house was quiet. I could hear a clock ticking somewhere in the hallway. Dr. Grayson and the others were asleep. I didn’t know much about him yet—just that he took me in to avoid the issues of me having to go home with Kaia.

I knew nothing about the man. Or about the woman who had answered the door for us—the woman he’d introduced as his mate. Dawn, I think her name was. She had looked at me with worry in her eyes, but she didn’t ask questions. Just smiled at me and welcomed me into the house like I actually belonged here, when in reality that wasn't the case.

They were kind.

But kindness didn’t fill the hole inside me.

And then there was also the other girl who walked out of the kitchen behind Dawn. I couldn't really remember her name. I didn't know who she was to them either. Their daughter, maybe? Or maybe just a relative. I hadn't bothered to ask. She hadn't really said anything, but it was the look in her eyes that I didn't like. Like I said, I didn't know who she was, but right now, with no memory whatsoever, I was choosing to listen to my instincts. And right now, they were telling me to stay the hell away from her. That she was bad news.