Leo’s POV
The first thing Viktor ever told me was that he saved my life. “You were broken, barely breathing,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “We patched you up, gave you a home. Without us, you wouldn’t even be alive.”
At the time, I believed him. What choice did I have? I didn’t remember anything else—who I was, where I came from, or what had happened to me. All I had was this small, cold room and the men who came and went with their instructions, their stern looks, and their relentless demands.
“You’re part of our family now,” Viktor said one day as he handed me a knife, the handle cold against my palm. “And in this family, we protect our own.”
Family. The word was strange on his lips, but I held onto it like a lifeline. I didn’t remember having a family before—just flashes of som
