The word lingered in the air.
Traitors.
It changed everything.
Nyra stood still, her thoughts racing, her power quietly shifting beneath her skin as she processed what she had just heard.
"Among my kind…" she repeated softly.
The man nodded once.
"Yes."
Ronan frowned.
"So let me get this straight," he said. "Your people were wiped out—not just by Alphas—but by your own kind helping them?"
The man glanced at him briefly.
"Correct."
Ronan let out a low breath.
"…That's messed up."
Nyra's gaze hardened.
"Who are they?" she asked.
The man didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he studied her.
Carefully.
Like he was deciding something.
"You're not ready for that," he said finally.
Nyra's eyes darkened instantly.
"I didn't ask what you think."
The air shifted.
Pressure rising again.
Controlled.
But dangerous.
"Tell me."
The man sighed quietly.
"You're already connected to them."
Silence.
Nyra froze.
"What?"
The man's gaze sharpened.
"They've been watching you."
A pause.
"Waiting."
Kael stepped forward.
"Waiting for what?"
The man's voice dropped.
"For you to awaken fully."
Nyra's chest tightened.
"Why?"
The man's lips curved faintly.
"Because you're not the only one left."
That hit harder than anything else.
Nyra's breath caught.
"No…"
"Yes."
A pause.
"There are others."
Ronan blinked.
"…You're kidding."
The man shook his head.
"No."
Nyra's voice was barely steady now.
"Then where are they?"
Silence.
Then—
The man looked past her.
Toward the shadows behind them.
"Closer than you think."
The temperature in the room dropped instantly.
Kael's body tensed.
Ronan turned sharply.
"What—?"
A presence.
Cold.
Sharp.
Familiar—
But wrong.
A figure stepped out from the shadows.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
As if they had always been there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Nyra's eyes widened slightly.
Because something inside her—
Recognized it.
Not the face.
Not the form.
But the energy.
The figure stopped a few steps away.
Their eyes glowed faintly.
Not silver.
Not like hers.
But similar.
Distorted.
Corrupted.
"Well…" the figure said softly.
Their voice calm.
Almost amused.
"It took you long enough to wake up."
Nyra's heart slammed violently.
"…Who are you?"
The figure smiled.
Cold.
Knowing.
"Someone who survived," they said.
A pause.
"Just like you."