“No,” I say flatly. “Find someone else.”
“I’m not asking, Darius.” His voice drops to that alpha tone again. “This is an order. Violet starts tomorrow. You’ll take her with you to the office. You’ll show her around, introduce her to the team, make sure she’s comfortable.”
“This is insane.”
“This is family.” He stands, matching my height, his presence filling the room. “And you will do as I say.”
“I’m your second-in-command, not her babysitter.”
“You’re my son.” His eyes bore into mine. “And when I give you an order, you follow it. Or have you forgotten how this works?”
I could refuse. Could tell him I won’t do it, consequences be damned. But that would require explaining why. And I can’t do that without revealing the one secret that could destroy everything.
“She likes you,” my father adds, his tone softening slightly. “She’s always felt comfortable around you. Having you training her will make the transition easier.”
My chest twists at his words. Yes, she liked me. She felt comfortable around me once, when she was young and innocent and didn’t understand what my kindness meant. What it could never mean.
“When you’re the alpha,” my father continues, his voice taking on steel, “you can make whatever decisions you want. But while I’m running things, while I’m the one leading this pack, you don’t get to question me. Understood?”
My hands curl into fists at my sides. I have to find a way to refuse, to fight this, to get out of spending time with her.
But I can’t. Not without raising suspicions I can’t afford.
“Fine.” I take a deep breath through my nose. “I’ll bring her to work tomorrow.”
“Good.” He sits down again, already turning his attention back to the papers on his desk.
I turn and walk toward the door before I say something I’ll regret. My hand is on the knob when his voice stops me.
“Darius.”
I don’t turn around. “What?”
“Go on that run tonight. Clear your head. Whatever’s bothering you, deal with it.”
If only it were that simple.
I yank the door open and stop in my tracks.
Standing there is a pale-faced Violet. And judging from the look in her eyes, she heard every single word.
Chapter Three
Violet
My hand is raised, poised to knock on the heavy oak door of Alaric’s office, when I hear Darius’s voice. It cuts through the wood, sharp and venomous.
“I don’t have time to babysit a woman who can barely function in normal society.”
I freeze. My hand hovers in the air, fingers curled but motionless.
His voice continues, muffled but clear enough. Each word lands like a physical blow. “Clumsy…Shy…Sheltered.”
My hand falls to my side, limp.
The cold starts in my fingertips, spreading up my arms like ice water through my veins. I should walk away. Turn around and go back to my room. But my feet won’t move. I’m rooted to the spot, frozen, as the boy I once admired tears me apart.
A lump forms in my throat.
