Semua Bab The Alpha King’s human breeder : Bab 111 - Bab 116

Five's POV Her voice was thin but it carried. The courtyard shifted—that collective exhale of a crowd released from collective punishment, followed immediately by the collective refocus of attention onto the one person who had absorbed it. Cato's expression didn't change. "Take her," he ordered the nearest guard. They moved toward her. She didn't run, didn't struggle. She just stood there with her chin up and her hands shaking while two guards closed the distance. I watched them bring her to the center of the courtyard. Watched them force her to her knees on the stone. Watched a third guard approach from the side entrance carrying the particular implement that I recognized from facility disciplinary stories—the ones the older girls used to tell in whispers, the ones that were supposed to serve as deterrent. A whip. Something hot moved through my chest. It was not the power this time. It was something older than the power. The guard raised his arm, ready

Five's POV A dark shadow covered me, the silhouette of a tall person. I turned slowly, already expecting another form of danger — because that seemed to be all I attracted. But it wasn't danger — or at least, not the kind I had expected. "My king," I whispered, caught off guard. "The king's slave," he hummed, something almost mocking in his voice. "Come with me." I looked at him. He was already turning, his hands clasped behind his back, moving with that unhurried certainty—as though had never once considered that the instruction might not be followed. I followed. Partly because I didn't have a choice. Mostly because something in the way he had said it—the almost-mocking tone, the particular expression on his face when he had looked down from the walkway and found me already looking up—made me want to know where this was going. I nodded at Seven, reassuring her that it was okay. Lucien led me through the east wing, past the gardens, through a gate I had noted

Five's POV I didn't know how long we stayed there together, just enjoying the warmth from the pond, the sounds of birds chirping in the distance. It was peaceful — a break from all the chaos the citadel had to offer. I sighed, feeling my muscles relax even more. And along with it was the bond between us, humming low and annoying. I glanced at him. His eyes were shut, his head tilted back toward the sky. He looked majestic, his long lashes brushing his cheeks gently, his dark hair damp and sticking to his skin. I sucked in a deep breath. "What was your childhood like?" I whispered, asking the question that had been bugging me. I had realized earlier that I didn't know anything about him — other than the fact that he was King of the citadel. And if I needed leverage over him, then I needed information. At least that was what I told myself. It wasn't genuine curiosity. It definitely wasn't. His eyes fluttered open lazily and locked on me. His grey eyes see