Alina’s POV
My phone buzzed late that night. An unknown number.
I answered without speaking.
“You found her,” a voice said.
Lila.
I closed my eyes.
“You should stop digging,” she continued lightly. “You’re not built for this kind of war.”
“You’re wrong,” I said. “I was built in it.”
A pause.
“You think Estelle will fall?” Lila laughed softly. “She raised me.”
My blood went cold.
“She raised you?” I echoed.
“Yes,” Lila said. “After my mother… failed.”
The pieces slammed together.
“You’re one of them,” I whispered.
“I survived,” Lila corrected. “You’re about to learn the difference.”
The call ended.
I sat in the dark for a long time. Estelle hadn’t just collected children. She had trained them. Weaponized them.
And Lila was proof.
I walked into Leo’s room and sat beside hi
