Verity’s POV

The castle beyond my tower was everything I had never known—vast, golden, alive. I’d spent my whole life in darkness, but that night, I stepped into the world, into the light.

Grace had left the door unlocked.

A mistake, maybe.

Or a miracle.

Either way, I crept out when the hallways had quieted and the scent of food and perfume drifted through the air, it stung my nose a bit as it was all so unfamiliar to me. My bare feet padded across marble that shimmered like moonlight. My hands trembled as they brushed along tapestries of wolves and stars and silver trees. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it echo in my ears. It felt too loud. Like it would betray me.

The further I moved, the more real it all became.

I didn’t know where I was going. I followed the music.

A strange sound—sharp and soft all at once—drew me like a tether. It was laughter. Dozens of voices, all singing in different tones, dancing around one another like wind. I peered from behind a pillar and saw it.

The ball.

It was everything Grace said and so much more. Glittering gowns that sparkled like constellations. Men in dark suits, golden crests on their shoulders. Tables filled to the brim with food I couldn’t name. Candles floated in the air like magic.

And people. So many people.

I pressed into the shadows, the one thing I could trust. I had lived so long in them, they had become my comfort. My shield. They knew me. They held me.

I stayed there, hidden, watching the world I was never meant to touch.

Then I saw her.

Felicity.

She twirled in the center of the room, the way a star might spin at the center of a galaxy. Dressed in silver and white, she looked like the moon had kissed her body and gifted her its grace. People bowed as she passed. Smiled. Admired. She basked in it. Like she was born for it.

And beside her… was them.

A man and a woman.

My father. He stood tall, regal. His features sharp and emotionless. But her…

She was breathtaking.

Black curls framed her face like a crown. Her eyes were green, rimmed in gold, and her lips were curved in a way that made them look both soft and sad. Her dress shimmered like starlight. And though she smiled as people bowed, her eyes didn’t.

They looked empty.

Something cracked inside me.

I had seen my father before. Twice.

But this… this was the first time I was seeing my mother.

The first time I was seeing my family.

And they didn’t know who I was.

They didn’t even look for me.

I stood there, hidden by a velvet curtain, heart pounding, chest aching with a feeling I didn’t have a name for. I should’ve turned back. Slipped away while I still had the chance.

But the music…

It pulled me like a rope, away from the hall and down toward the garden. I followed it on instinct, barefoot and breathless, until I stepped into something I’d never seen before.

The moon.

Silver. Bright. Glorious. It washed over me like water. It felt amazing— thrilling and freeing. And the garden—gods, the garden. Flowers in colors I couldn’t name stretched toward the sky, trees swayed in rhythm, and the air—clean, fresh, alive—filled my lungs like I was breathing for the first time.

I stood in the center of the path, staring up at the glowing orb, wondering if it could see me too.

Then I turned.

And crashed into him.

He was taller than me, with dark hair that curled just slightly at the ends. His skin was a bit dark, his jaw sharp, and his eyes—gods, his eyes—they were the color of a dark sea by lightning. He looked at me like he’d found something he didn’t know he was missing.

“Oh, thank the Goddess,” he breathed, stepping back slightly, his voice a low rumble. “You’re here. I almost thought—” He laughed. “Felicity, you look… radiant.”

My body froze.

Felicity?

He thought I was—

“Are you okay?” he asked, brow furrowing. “You’re quiet. What happened to your eyes? They’re not green…”

I blinked.

He reached out like he wanted to touch my face, but paused. “You always said you wanted to see the moon with me,” he continued. “It’s almost poetic, meeting like this before the announcement. I’ve dreamt of this, Felicity. Duskwood and Valcaryn finally united.”

I didn’t understand a word.

Kingdoms? Goddess? What was Duskwood? Who was he?

He was still speaking, but I couldn’t hear anymore. My heartbeat had swallowed every sound. My palms itched. My mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Then the moon reached its peak in the sky.

He stilled.

His nostrils flared. His gaze turned feral.

“No…” he whispered. “It can’t be…”

And then it happened.

A jolt of pain burst through my chest, and my legs nearly gave out. My body burned. Not fire. Not ice. Something else. Something ancient. Something wild.

He stepped forward, eyes glowing now—literally glowing—and pressed his hand to my face.

And then he bit me.

His teeth sank into the space between my shoulder and neck, marking me.

Claiming me.

I gasped, staggered, my knees hitting the grass.

He threw his head back and howled.

The sound pierced the air. Loud and raw.

It rang out into the night like a bell announcing war.

Then came the footsteps.

Boots pounding against stone. Voices shouting. Torches.

People poured into the garden, gasping, whispering, pointing.

And then she arrived.

Felicity.

She stormed in, dress billowing behind her, face twisted in something between horror and fury. My mother and father followed, as did two men I didn’t recognize—tall, strong, with the same storm-colored eyes.

My brothers.

Everyone was staring at me.

No—us.

Their eyes bounced from me to Felicity.

Two of us.

Twins.

“What in the Goddess’s name—” my father hissed.

Felicity pointed at me, her voice shaking with rage. “She’s a witch! That’s not— That’s not me! I don’t have a twin!”

The prince—the man who had just marked me—whirled to Felicity. “You’re not her…”

He looked between us, eyes wide. “You’re not her.”

My mother stared at me like she was looking at a ghost. Her lips trembled. Her eyes filled with tears she hadn’t let fall.

“No…” she whispered. “Verity?”

The sound of my name on her lips cracked something inside me.

And just like that—

The world shattered.

The howling stopped.

The silence screamed.

And I knew…

Everything was about to burn.