Lila's P.O.V
The mist clung to the garden like a shroud, cold and unyielding, as I stood there frozen, staring at the man who claimed to be my brother. His face was a cruel echo of Father's— the same sharp jawline, the piercing blue eyes that had once commanded rooms full of whispering elders from The Order. But where Father's gaze held a weary wisdom, this man's was feral, twisted with years of resentment bubbling just beneath the surface. He stepped closer, the amulet around his neck glinting ominously in the dawn light, and I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the morning air.
"My brother?" I whispered, my voice barely cutting through the fog. My phone was clutched in my hand, thumb hovering over the emergency dial, but something held me back— curiosity, fear, or maybe that damn
