Page 205 of Filthy Royal

Damien’s gaze shifted to Luc.

Her brother grabbed Kadon’s hand. “All those times you thought you were safe at your father’s place. You weren’t. Darvish’s silent partner, the other enemy we’ve been wondering about, has been much closer than we realized.”

“Explain.” Kadon had gone stiff.

36

SCARLETT

“Your father’s the one working with Darvish,” Luc told Kadon. “We found proof at Crex’s place that he’s been recording us and sending the vids to Darvish.”

“No.” It was a raw, guttural denial.

Scarlett barely managed to stifle her gasp.

Kadon’s father was the mystery Alpha? The one who’dlistened in all those times? She couldn’t believe it. Poor Kadon: this would crush him.

A wave of dizziness struck. She shoved it aside.

A warm, solid arm wrapped around her, drawing her close. “It’s better that he knows.” Damien’s calm resolve steadied her. “Better we all do.”

He was right, but watching Kadon absorb the news was still heart-wrenching.

They’d all had so much betrayal in their lives, but this… this was brutal.

“Fuck.” Kadon tried to yank his hand from Luc’s. “So this is my fault? All this time? All this hells for us? For Scarlett? Because I trusted that male and never saw what was right in front of me?”

“It’s not your fault,” Damien cut in. “Andor and Darvish are to blame. No one here is confused about that. Don’t let yourself get mixed up about that either.”

Luc held Kadon’s hand tighter. “Remember what I said? No matter what.”

“But how could he do that?” Kadon’s voice broke. “To his own son?”

“He likely found out about us and didn’t like it.” Luc’s voice was softer than Scarlett had ever heard. “At least we now know why Darvish insisted on the prime omega contract. It wasn’t just for his own interests, but also Andor’s. An effort on your sire’s part to safeguard the family from any rumors and get you to fall in line as he wanted, and he was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen.”

“That fucker.” Kadon’s shock was shifting to fury.

“There may be more to it,” Damien added. “Andor Stormhart’s been nosing around Skolov family business for a while. It always struck me as odd, but with hindsight, if he’s working with Darvish, it makes perfect sense.”

“But why would he work with Darvish? Andor’s Brotherhood. Darvish is plottingagainstthe Brotherhood.” This question came from Anya, who’d been quietly absorbing it all. “If it comes to light that Andor’s working with Darvish, it will threaten the Stormhart family’s standing more than Kadon’s love for Luc ever could. What could possibly be Andor’s motive for taking such a risk?”

“Excellent question.” Damien looked at her with pride. “I’m going to ask Maxheim to go digging. I’m sure there’s an answer. We just don’t know it yet.”

“I-I can’t believe this.” Kadon was still reeling.

“Andor’s probably the reason those vids of you two never went public.” Maddox was thinking things through as well. “He doesn’t want them out there either. Unfortunately, we don’t know if Darvish is bluffing or if he’ll ultimately ignore Andor’s wishes and release them. In the past, Darvish has often discarded co-conspirators once they’re no longer useful.”

“Perhaps he’ll save me the trouble then,” announced Kadon.

Scarlett watched Damien and Luc exchange another glance.

She knew what it meant. Kadon was furious, embarrassed, and hurt. And when on edge, he had a temper easily sparked. But killing your sire was a whole different level of hurt, and by silent agreement, it had just been decided that neither Damien nor Luc would let Kadon go there. They’d ensure Andor Stormhart’s end was delivered by someone else.

It must have been a serious heart-to-heart at Crex’s, after all.

She wrapped her arm around Damien’s waist and squeezed. Aside from chaining up her loved ones, he really was wonderful.

“So, what’s next?” This question came from Maddox, who looked ready for action. Or maybe he was just hungry. Scarlett was never sure with that one.

---