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I quickly dress while keeping a watchful eye on Trey, who has resumed his seat. When Ester returns with a mop and broom, my office suddenly feels crowded. Clarice leaves to retrieve thecoffee, and Peter takes up the task of cleaning under Gannon’s watchful gaze.

Damian clears his throat, signaling that it is his turn to take charge. My mind is still reeling from the information that had been revealed.

“So you were promised Azalea?” Damian prompts Trey, who shifts his attention towards my Beta.

“Yes, but I had no intention of acting on that promise. Knowing that she was Tatiana’s daughter, I couldn’t even fathom looking at her in that way. Besides, I was not sired in the same manner as you may think, if the King had allowed me to explain. In the end, Azalea would have had the ultimate choice. But that’s why Garret tried to cheat you out of the games for years before Tatiana conceived Azalea,” Trey explains.

“And what did Garret gain from this arrangement?” Damian probes further.

“In return for my loyalty, Garret agreed not to pursue Tatiana and allowed me to remain by her side. My devotion was never to Garret himself; it was always to my mate and Azalea. Garret simply wanted to ensure the survival of his heir. So Tatiana suggested the sire bond as a means of protecting me when Garret’s paranoia resurfaced after Azalea’s birth,” Trey clarifies.

“So your allegiance was never truly with Garret?” Damian sought confirmation, to which Trey shakes his head.

“No, it was always with my mate and Azalea. Garret wanted to ensure the safety of his child, and Tatiana understood that. Hence, she proposed the sire bond to protect me from him should he decide to kill me,” Trey answers honestly.

“And where does Ester fit into all of this?” Damian turns his attention towards Ester.

“My mother revealed that I had brothers. When I asked about them, my father and I had a heated argument. He disowned me and insisted that my mother’s past should remainburied, claiming that those boys were not my brothers,” Ester shares, her voice laced with a hint of pain.

“So you went searching for them?” I interject, trying to grasp the full extent of what happened.

“Yes. After my father disowned me, I moved in with my grandparents,” Ester explains.

“My grandmother helped me locate them, so I left to find them,” she adds.

“And why did your father disown you?” I probe further.

“He discovered that I was secretly searching for my brothers. We were already at odds, as my father could be quite strict. He accused me of destroying his relationship with my mother and kicked me out. So I went to live with my grandparents, who supported me,” Ester recounts her tumultuous past.

“My father eventually took me back in when he learned that I had found Trey and was returned. He managed to secure a position for me as a cleaner at the castle,” Ester continues, her tone flat as she glances towards Trey, who meets her gaze with a glare.

Ester lowered her head. “You knew she was my mate,” Trey growls, and Ester purses her lips in response.

“So you and Garret became involved?” Damian directs his question towards Ester.

“Yes. I left when Ivy was almost four after Tatiana discovered that I had been sleeping with her husband. I had been serving as one of his personal servants,” Ester confesses.

“How did Tatiana find out it was you?” I ask, struggling to make sense of the situation.

“Marissa caught us together. She tried to kill me. Marissa threatened Garret, saying that he needed to get rid of me, or she would expose the affair to Tatiana. She claimed to understand the alliance, but she refused to share Garret with anyone else,” Ester reveals bitterly.

“Marissa told Tatiana?” Trey interjects, clearly taken aback by this revelation.

“Yes, Marissa was also sired to Azalea. That’s why she took her,” Ester sneers at Trey’s disbelief.

“What? That’s bullshit! You’re not sired to Azalea!” Trey protests vehemently.

“No, I’m not. But Marissa was. That’s why she took her,” Ester repeats.

“How did Marissa come into the picture?” Damian questions, his confusion mirroring my own.

“Marissa was Garret’s human mate. Tatiana was allowed to keep you. Did you truly believe that Garret would kill his mate and allow her to keep you?” Ester asks, her voice dripping with disdain.

“Wait, so Marissa was Garret’s mate?” I ask, struggling to process this new information. Ester nods in confirmation.

“That’s why Garret refused to let her go when Tatiana raised concerns about her,” Ester explains.

“Then Marissa’s husband?” Damian inquires.