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I cringed against him at the words. Jesus, is that what he actually thought? I believed Mrs. H would never put me in that situation, but maybe she didn’t know the truth? Dear God, what if she’d been wrong, and one of these men—
“Actually,” said Mr. St. Claire, gently pushing the two women kneeling at his feet to the side, his cock now at half-mast. He pulled his silver robe back around himself and tied it, the sheen of the fabric catching from the glittering chandelier above his head. “She’s not the daughter of any man in this room.”
“How do you know?” Rafe challenged, not backing down one iota. He waved around the room. “Her mother was one of these women. You all could have fucked her.” Part of me was afraid for him—he was challenging one of the alphas of the Order. But I was also proud.
He stood up for me in a way no one ever had before. And as I stood wrapped in his protective arm, watching him glare at Mr. St. Claire and demand answers, I’d never felt more treasured. I’d never felt more like I was worth… well… fighting for. And I really wanted to fucking know St. Claire’s answer. These men held knowledge that belonged to me. It wasn’t fair for them to hold it back.
“Because we know,” Mr. St. Claire said.
“Who is my father?” I demanded. “Tell me. I deserve to know.”
Mr. St. Claire’s steely eyes moved from Rafe’s to me, and there they softened. He didn’t look at me lasciviously like the others did, and I realized that he’d never approached me or touched me like the other men had. As if he’d almost always had a... fatherly affection for me. Oh my God, was it him? But wait, he’d said my father wasn’t in the room. What the hell was going on? I was so confused.
“Your father was a member of the Order, but he is no longer,” Mr. St. Claire said.
I just shook my head, my frustration boiling over. “What does that mean? Who is it?”
Mr. St. Claire’s jaw hardened, even as his face remained compassionate. “It’s not my secret to tell.”
My mouth dropped open. “But it’s my father. I have a right to know!”
Still Mr. St. Claire stayed stone-faced.
To come so far, and still not get the answers I was seeking. And then I blinked. Holy shit. Was that part of why I’d come? For my inheritance, and for Rafe if I was honest with myself. I could admit it now. It had killed me imagining him doing all the things I knew that went on here with another woman.
I was a jealous witch and I’d always wanted it to be just me. Only me. Always ever me.
And I’d wanted this piece, too. To know who my father was. And now to stand here, and know that these men in front of me knew, but they were intentionally withholding the information from me…
But then Rafe’s father stepped forward, his robe also securely on. “Your father is Edward Kingston.”
I blinked. Kingston? But wait, that meant...
“I’m sorry to have kept it from you, Montgomery,” Rafe’s father continued, looking across the room to where Montgomery stood, face stunned. “You both deserved to know earlier.”
My gaze shot back and forth between the two men. Wait, WHAT? My father was... Montgomery’s father? That meant we were—
Oh my God, I had a brother. I had a brother.
The glass of bourbon Montgomery held fell from his hand and shattered on the floor, but then he crossed the ballroom like a silver streak. He yanked the Order robe he wore off over his head as he went. Thankfully, he still wore his suit underneath it.
As soon as he got to me, he tugged me away from Rafe just far enough to gently settle his silver robe over my head to cover my nakedness. Then he crushed me to him in an embrace. His body shook.
“Holy shit,” Montgomery whispered in my ear. “Sister. I can’t believe I have a sister. I’m not an only child anymore.”
Well, that was it. I was done for. A sob erupted in my chest at his words, because it meant now I wasn’t an only child either.
I’d always felt out of step, like I didn’t belong. Like I was considered an interloper, less than, by all the rich, wealthy upper-class people around me. But here was Montgomery Kingston of all people proclaiming me as his family. Embracing me as one of his own. Claiming me in front of a room full of people.
He squeezed me tighter, then pulled back, a wide smile mixed with concern on his face. He wiped at my tears with his thumbs. He shook his head, still looking awestruck. “I can’t wait to introduce you to my fianceé, Grace. She’s going to love you.”
