Forbidden Temptation My Mafia Fiance's Alpha Father (Brooklyn and Aden)

Chapter 28

Brooklyn

"Kenwood," the shifter says, not smiling. Aden accepts the hand, shaking it.

"So glad you could come, Remington," is all Aden says, before resting his hands at his sides again. He's clearly making space for Remington to take the lead.

But for such a powerful Alpha, Remington seems unsure of what exactly to do. He doesn't make eye contact with me, merely nodding his head in my direction. "So. Is this her?"

Aden nods, putting a hand between my shoulder blades.

There. I can feel it. That connection, that power between us. Whereas until now I've found it unsettling, in this moment, it gives me strength.

Encouraged, I raise my chin and shift my shoulders back, willing my father to look at me. I am not here to be ignored. I am not a horse at auction. Though from the way he is behaving, I all but expect him to pull money out of his pocket and start examining my hooves.

"Remington," Aden says, his voice strong and clear, "this is Brooklyn Knox. Your daughter."

My biological father.

After all these years, here he is, standing right in front of me. And none of this is making any sense.

Not just because he is one of the most powerful Alphas in the underworld and beyond, but because he doesn't seem in the least bit happy to see me.

Remington narrows his eyes at me before looking back at Aden. Every moment that he fails to address me directly, I lose more of my nerve. I stand awkwardly in front of him, and Hudson quietly takes my hand, giving it a squeeze of support.

"Is this for real, Kenwood?" Remington asks, a threat behind his glare.

Aden nods slowly. "We did a test. It's a 99% genetic match for paternity. I can show you the paperwork upstairs, and you can have it verified by whoever you want. But, with that kind of proof..." He spread his hands out, hoping Remington takes him at his word. "Why would I lie about this?"

Remington nods and returns his gaze to me, staring for a moment. Then, he shocks me again by breathing out a huge breath of air and rubbing a hand down his face.

"Dammit, but you look like your mother," he mutters.

My mouth falls open when I see the glimmer of tears in his eyes. My heart goes out to him then. He's a solid rock of a man, but I can see that deep feelings run beneath.

"Where is she?" he demands.

Surprised at the question, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.

"She died," I say, grimacing inwardly at my bluntness.

Remington's face falls minutely. Surely, after all these years, he knew it would be unlikely that she would be alive, but still-he's clearly bowled over by the news.

Remington works hard to arrange his face in the impassive mask he had when he entered the room, but I see the wolf flashing in his eyes, howling in pain. I bite my lip, knowing that the news has hurt him.

"When?" he asks, his voice coming out raspier than before.

"Years ago," I whisper, sorry to be the one to tell him. "I was young-I had just turned six."

I'm bewildered by this exchange. I always assumed that whatever happened between my mother and my biological father, it was fleeting, that she was more of a mistress than anything else.

But Remington is not acting like she was a mistress at all. She's acting like she was the love of his life. "How did it happen." It's not a question, it's a demand. His eyes are boring into me, ready to hang on my every word.

"A car accident," I say, my voice hardly more than a whisper now. "They said...they said she went fast. No pain."

He nods sharply and then turns his head away, gathering himself together.

"And where has she been laid to rest?" Remington asks, not looking at me.

"We sprinkled her ashes in a small, wooded area near our home, a place she loved to go and be with nature. I can take you there if you like," I say, my voice gentle.

The switch happens so fast I nearly get whiplash. One minute Remington is vulnerable, trying to hide his sadness, the next he is fuming.

He turns his burning eyes back to me.

"In a place with no ceremony? No respect?" He shakes his head. "He didn't respect her, then, the man she left me for," he growls. "To sprinkle her ashes instead of letting her be put to rest with her pack..."

I find my own emotions turning from pity to anger. How dare he suggest that Stephen was anything but an angel in our lives?

"My dad was wonderful to my mother," I say, not considering my actions as I take a step forward. Hudson holds my hand tighter, in a warning that comes too late-

"He was nothing," Remington growls.

"He raised me "

"He KEPT you from me!" The words rip from Remington's mouth.

Lena whimpers, showing her belly in surrender. This is my Alpha father, after all.

Realizing my mistake, I cower back, my eyes going wide. Remington takes a heavy step towards me, intimidation in every muscle of his body.

"Is it true?" he demands, taking another step. "Did he know where she came from? That you weren't really his?"

Unable to deny it, I stay silent, keeping my face still.

"So he did," he says, nodding in understanding. "He kept you from me, my daughter, not his! And he will die for it."