로그인Five's POVI stepped back into the room. Without knocking. The King was still hunched over the documents he was reading. From what I'd managed to gather, he was studying the prophecy. "You're back," he said without looking up from his desk. I balled my fists, that familiar anger and frustration rising in my chest. The way he treated me, gave orders without acknowledging my presence, like I was nothing. I walked past, my steps light, my head lifted as I went straight to the shelf, where I had forgotten my cleaning cloth. I reached for it, my finger tips brushing the surface, when I felt a gust of wind. I didn't get the chance to react, before I was spun around by strong hands, my back hitting the shelf was a small gasp. The King stood before me, towering over me. "What're you," he started, his voice rough, "deaf now?" My breath caught in my throat. He was so close, close enough that I could smell the mint in his breath, could catch his strong, male scent. It traveled down
Lucien's POVThe moon's disappearance had no recorded precedent.I had spent the better part of three days confirming that—cross-referencing the citadel's archive against the Priestess's historical records, against the oldest territorial texts I had access to, against everything the kingdom had documented about lunar phenomena since the war ended.Nothing.Not a single account. Not a myth, not a cautionary tale, not even a rumor passed down through pack oral tradition that described a full moon simply ceasing mid-cycle.Which meant either it had never happened before.Or the records of the last time it happened had been removed.I leaned back in my chair, the report in front of me blurring slightly at the edges.The prophecy sat at the corner of my desk, transcribed in my own hand from the altar stone.‘What was taken will return. What was buried will rise. The blood of the first will walk among the wolves again, and the world will not survive it unchanged.’Destruction.The memory of
Five's POV"You know, I took you for more." I didn't look up from the weed I was uprooting. Instead, my movement became sharper. I was outside gardening. And Elijah had ambushed me. Again. "I've met facility girls," he continued, his voice low yet carrying, "lots of them actually. And I thought I saw something different in you.""Well," I started, tugging at the stubborn weed, "you saw wrong."He crouched down beside me uninvited, his elbows on his knees."I don't think I did," he said.I yanked the weed free with more force than necessary and tossed it aside."Elijah—""The King never picks a breeder," he cut in, leaning in slightly, "yet he picked you. So don't give me that, Five."I said nothing. Because the King didn't pick me for being special. He picked me because in his eyes, I was his—his property. I was here to be bred and to obey mindlessly, or the people around me suffer. Why didn't he understand that?The garden was quiet around us, just soil and pale light and the
Five’s POV I didn’t go to Elijah that night. I couldn’t risk getting closer to him, because getting closer to me meant more chances of him getting hurt. And I couldn’t allow it. Not after Seven. So I stayed in that night, staring at Seven’s back as she pretended to sleep, the guilt still gnawing at me. And the weight of the King’s words pressing on me. “I’m sorry,” I whispered into the dark. She didn’t respond, but she heard me. I could tell by the way her silhouette stiffened in the dark. *** Morning came grey and quiet. Seven was already gone by the time I woke—her bed made with that careful precision she used for everything. I lay there for a moment looking at it, then got up and started my duties. I moved through the citadel with my head down and my eyes forward, the way I had learned to in my first days here and had since largely abandoned. It felt strange to do it again. Like putting on clothes that no longer fit right. I laughed bitterly to myself. How cou
Five’s POV The King sat at his desk, unsurprised. Like he had been expecting me. Of course he had. “You took her,” I accused, my voice coming out steadier than I felt. “Instead of me.” “Yes.” He didn’t look up from the paper he was reading. “She didn’t do anything.” “No,” he agreed. “You did.”He still didn’t look up, and that made my skin heat up even more. I crossed the room until I was standing directly in front of his desk, close enough that he would have to actively choose to keep ignoring me. He made that choice for another few seconds, then set the paper down and looked up. His expression was completely calm. That was somehow worse than anger would have been. “You went through my books,” he stated. “After I warned you. After I told you there would be consequences.” “So you used her to punish me?” The disbelief was evident in my voice. “I did,” he said simply. “That’s not—” I stopped, took in a deep breath. “She was locked up for two days. No food.” “Mm.” He pic
Five’s POV Two whole days. Seven had not returned for two whole days and the panic was starting to creep in. I’d spent the past days cleaning the King’s room with my head held down, gardening under the sun, and hanging out with Elijah. I did anything—anything to keep my mind from drifting to the the worst possible scenarios. But as I stood once again in our room—my eyes fixed on the bed—I couldn’t help the thoughts that surfaced. An uneasy feeling passed through me. A traitorous part of me reached for the king before I could stop it, as though some hidden part of me had begun to trust him.I didn’t trust him, I shouldn’t. But I needed him. I needed to know if Seven was safe.He had been quiet, avoiding me since the last time I’d disobeyed him. Going to him was a risk. But I needed to know. My hand reached for the doorknob, my fingers brushing the tip. But before I could open it, the door swung open. My breath caught in my throat. Seven stood at the entrance. But th
549’s POV The forest swallowed me whole. Branches tore into my skin, as I moved, roots caught my feet—making me stumble. But I didn’t slow down, I couldn’t. The voices behind me were multiplying, flashlight beams cutting through the trees. I ran until my legs stopped working properly. Unti
549’s POV"You’ll never return to us." Twelve’s words echoed in my head. The dread tinged with melancholy made it sound more like a sentencing than a prediction. I stood on the far end of the line, my gaze on the floor, my shoulders squared, chest pushed out—just the way we were taught. My body
549’s POV “What did they say?” Twelve asked as she twisted the cap of her water bottle. I shrugged, trying to act casual. “I passed.” She froze, then her eyes snapped to mine. I looked away, unable to bear the pity that swirled in those grey orbs. “Oh five forty nine,” she sighed, droppin
549’s POV The buzz of my alarm clock brought me back to life. It was 6:45am on the third moon day. Which meant— My room door burst open, and a familiar head of brown hair walked in. My reaction was instant, almost instinctive. I wrapped my arms around my body, trying—but failing to cover my br







