Leila
"How do you know him?" I asked, curling into the sofa, clutching a throw pillow like it could anchor me. The room felt too big, too quiet, without Cassius's chaos.
Darren opened the fridge, pulling out bell peppers, a slab of steak, a lobster tail. "You sure you want to hear it? It's a long story."
Darren glanced at me, his hands moving with practiced ease, slicing the peppers into thin, even strips.
"We've got plenty of time," I said, sinking deeper into the cushions. Was he cooking for me? The thought made my chest ache, a dull, sweet pain.
He didn't look up, his knife moving rhythmically. "My parents were murdered shortly after I was born. Grandpa was too busy to raise me, so he handed me off to his Beta family." His voice was steady, but there was a weight to it, like stone
