Page 98 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown

I laugh and shake my head. “Be my guest and take him off my hands. I don’t want him.”

Skylar looks at her watch and jumps up from the bench. “I need to go back to the shop, but I’ll see you later. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” she says and walks off before I can say anything.

Standing, I walk to the house when I hear my mother’s voice.

“I just don’t know what to do, Agnes,” she says. “How am I supposed to go on? How am I supposed to look at my daughter when she looks so much like her father?”

Immediately, I stop outside the door. I didn’t realize that would be a problem. Was that why she wanted me out of the house?

“I know it’s going to be hard, but you can’t push her away. She is your daughter, and she is also hurting and grieving,” Agnes gently replies. “Talk to her and let her know what’s going on. You don’t want to push her away and lose her forever.”

I take a step away from the door as she replies.

“I’m not going to stop loving her or tell her to leave the house. I just can’t look at her right now. When she asked to take a walk in the forest and hang out with Skylar, it was such a relief,” she explains. “I don’t want it to be like this, but it’s too painful to look at her.”

That’s all I need to hear before I turn away and walk straight to the forest. I need to clear my head and figure out what I’m going to do. I know my mother isn’t rejecting me, but it still hurts to hear.

Once I’m in the middle of the forest, I sit in the snow, not caring that it’s melting underneath me. I just need time to think about everything going on, and the forest is the perfect place to do it. No one is going to interrupt me, and I get to hear the birds talk to each other.

My face sinks into my hands as tears pool in my eyes. I wish I could go back in time and not talk in front of Prince Archie or ask my father to teach me anything.

“Oh, Sweets,” Kieran gently says. “Come on. We don’t want you getting cold or sick.”

But I don’t move from my spot.

“Addie.” Kieran wraps an arm around my waist. “Come on, love. I’ve got you.”

He effortlessly picks me up, and I snuggle into his chest as he starts to walk who knows where. I grip onto his shirt, pulling closer to him as tears run down my face. How am I going to make it through?

“I know.” He holds me tighter. “I’ve got you.”

The sound of his footsteps and the birds are the only things I can hear over my sobs. I just want everything to go back to the way it was. I don’t want to constantly be at war with myself.

“Is she all right?” Elias asks. “Can we do anything?”

“Get a blanket and wrap it around us,” Kieran instructs. “I don’t know how long she was sitting in the snow for.”

I don’t either.

A warm blanket is wrapped around me and Kieran as he continues to hold me close.

“It couldn’t have been long. You didn’t feel her feeling cold until a couple of minutes ago,” Elias says.

Feel my cold? What is he talking about? Is that another one of the mate things?

“She’s been through so much,” Kieran worries.

“She’s strong and tough. She’ll make it through this,” Elias replies. “I’m going to give you two some privacy.”

I don’t know how long I stay in Kieran’s arms, letting the tears flow until I have nothing left inside of me.

“Let’s get you something to drink,” Kieran says, moving while holding me with one arm. “I’m going to set you down on a chair, all right?”

Before I can respond, Kieran already has me in the chair, the blanket around my shoulders as I stare at him.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I hoarsely whisper, my voice full of so much emotion.

“We’re going to figure it out,” he gently says. “Everything is going to work out.”