The morning sun rose without warmth.
Alina awoke to silence.
No coos. No soft breathing. No Aurora.
She bolted upright. The crib was empty.
"Aurora?" Her voice cracked as panic gripped her chest. She searched the entire bunker, calling out, desperate, screaming for help.
Ethan burst in seconds later, followed by Elena and Kai. The room spun around Alina. "She's gone! My baby—someone took her!"
They searched the security feeds. Cameras showed nothing — except a single shadow slipping down the hallway hours before sunrise. Hooded. Small.
Too familiar.
When they finally checked the external gates, the logs confirmed what no one wanted to believe:
Lyra had left... with Aurora in her arms.
Alina collapsed to the floor, her heart shattering with every sob. "Why would she—why would my own sister—?"
Ethan's jaw clenched, trembling with fury. "I'll find her. I swear it."
Kai punched the wall, the impact echoing. "She was one of us. How could she do this?"
Elena stood frozen, staring at the screen as the last image of Lyra and Aurora faded into static. Her voice was ice. "Because she always felt second. Always wanted more."
Alina couldn't stop shaking. "They'll take her… they'll turn her into something she's not…"
"No," Ethan said sharply. "They won't get the chance."
He looked to Elena, who nodded grimly. Kai checked his weapons, a deadly fire in his eyes.
The search began.
They would hunt down the Reclaimers.
They would bring Aurora back.
But now, the family was fractured — and Lyra had crossed a line that could never be undone.
Because betrayal wasn't just in the blood…
It had taken the blood with it.