The scream echoed through the alley, ricocheting off the broken bricks like a haunting melody.
I ran toward the sound, Ryker's name catching in my throat.
"Ryker!"
Another crash. This time, metal clanged — something heavy falling. Then silence.
Too much silence.
Riven grabbed my arm, yanking me back. "Elara, wait—"
But it was too late.
I turned the corner and saw him. Ryker.
Tied to a chair. Bruised, bloodied, but alive.
"Don't move," a voice growled from the shadows. A third figure stepped out, gun raised, masked like the others.
Riven moved in front of me instantly, shielding me with his body.
"Let him go," I demanded, my voice steadier than I felt.
The man didn't budge. "You should've signed the contract. You both should've known better."
I felt Riven's muscles tense beside me. "You don't scare us."
"I don't have to," the man said. "Because soon, the truth will."
His finger twitched on the trigger.
Then — a sharp whistle. A flashbang dropped from above.
White light. Deafening sound.
Everything spun.
I stumbled, vision white-blind. Arms grabbed me — not Riven's. I fought, kicked, screamed — until I heard the familiar voice.
"Relax. It's me."
Kael.
Riven's friend. His hacker.
"What the— How—?"
"No time." Kael was already dragging me behind a dumpster, motioning toward the alley. "He's got backup coming."
"What about Ryker?!"
"He's out cold. We'll get him."
I turned in time to see Riven tackle the masked man. Fist met jaw. The gun skidded across the ground toward me.
Without thinking, I grabbed it.
Everything slowed. I pointed it toward the chaos, hands shaking.
And then Ryker's eyes opened.
"Don't…" he groaned, coughing. "Don't shoot."
"Why?" I demanded.
His lip split as he tried to smile. "Because I know who's behind all this. And she's watching."
My heart froze.
"She?" I asked.
But he didn't answer. His eyes rolled back, unconscious again.
---
Back in Kael's hidden safehouse, we laid Ryker on the couch and secured the doors.
Kael paced. "That wasn't just a warning. They knew we were coming."
"They're watching us," Riven muttered, wiping blood from his knuckles. "They've always been."
I sat beside Ryker, brushing damp hair from his forehead. "What did he mean by 'she's watching'?"
Riven didn't answer. He looked… haunted.
Kael stopped pacing, eyes meeting mine. "He meant your mother."
I blinked. "My mom is—what?"
"She's not who you think she is," Kael said. "Neither of yours are."
Riven sat heavily across from me. "We think your birth mother — our birth mother — was involved in some kind of underground alliance. A secret group connected to the contract."
"And she's alive?"
Kael nodded. "And she doesn't want you two to remember who you are."
A laugh bubbled out of me — bitter and stunned. "This is insane."
Riven handed me the photo again — the one with the two babies.
"She gave us up," he said quietly. "But maybe it wasn't out of love. Maybe it was strategy."
I looked down at Ryker, remembering every moment I ever thought I was in love with him.
And suddenly, I saw it — the way he always steered conversations away from the past. The way he knew I had the same mark behind my ear, long before I told him.
He knew more than he ever said.
---
Hours passed.
Ryker stirred slowly, groaning. "Water…"
I helped him drink, then pulled the blanket tighter around him. "You're safe now. But you need to talk. We deserve the truth."
He winced. "You wouldn't believe me."
"Try me."
His voice cracked. "There was a deal… made before either of you were born. Your mom—our mom—was a genetic strategist. She helped design a program. It was meant to create gifted twins — enhanced emotionally, intellectually. You two were the first."
I sat back in disbelief. "So we were… part of an experiment?"
"Not exactly," he said. "But close. You were separated to prevent emotional interference. One twin raised in logic. One in love."
"Which one was I?" I asked.
Ryker looked away. "You were the love."
I bit my lip. "And what about Riven?"
Riven, silent until now, stood. "The logic."
"Why keep us apart?" I whispered.
"To protect the world from what might happen if you were ever reunited," Ryker replied.
---
Later, when the others had fallen asleep, I stood by the window, watching the city flicker under moonlight.
Riven joined me, silent for a while. Then, softly—
"You okay?"
"No. But I think I'm starting to understand."
He looked at me, eyes tired but honest. "What if we were never meant to meet?"
I turned toward him. "But we did. And now I can't imagine not knowing you."
He touched my cheek gently, thumb brushing a tear I hadn't noticed.
"I don't care what they planned. What they made us. I choose you, Elara. Not because of fate, or blood, or secrets."
I leaned into his touch. "Then let's burn the whole truth down."