The Cat Shifter (Book 1 of Shifter Series)

Chapter 82

My mother patted my hand and shook her head, pressing her lips into a thin line. She didn't say a word that I could hear and blinked, and a look of annoyance flashed through her eyes.

I could tell that she did not agree with what I had done, and she looked at Carver before she said something to him that he didn't like because he grabbed his wheel tighter in his hands.

"Unfortunately, that is something that you will have to discuss with her, Your Grace," he said coldly and bowed his head before he glanced at me and then my mother from the rearview mirror. He cleared his throat and licked his lips before he looked at the road, bowing his head lower. "That is not something that I can discuss with you."

My mother set her jaw and narrowed her eyes before she let go of my hand and moved away from me, something that she hadn't done on the way back to the house.

My heart broke into a million pieces, and I had to make sure that my face was blank so that no one could tell what I was thinking or feeling because I didn't want them to know how dejected I felt.

I wanted my mother to move closer to me and grab my hand, but I didn't ask, not knowing what she would do or say if I asked her that question. I clenched my hands into fists, trying but failing to keep them from shaking while I stared at the back of the seat, with my vision becoming blurry.

Trevor cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "Why don't you move closer to your daughter again, Your Grace?" he asked, knowing full well what I was feeling, even though I didn't want my mother to know. "It seems to me that she is missing your warmth and comfort."

'Shut up,' I said to Trevor and set my jaw, pressing my lips into a thin line. My cheeks turned red, and I didn't look at my mother when she looked at me with a questioning look in her eyes. 'Why did you say that?'

'Because what I am saying is the truth,' he said, and I could feel his pointed look from behind me. 'You do want her to put her arms around you again and not act like this, whatever this is.'

I didn't say a word and folded my arms across my chest, subconsciously moving closer to my mate and away from my mother, even though all I wanted was for her arms to be around me.

My mother didn't say a word that I could hear while she looked at Carver before she looked at me. Her whole body was tense, and a look of sadness and pain appeared on her face while she stared at me, but I didn't meet her gaze and continued to look forward, with my vision becoming more blurry.

"She did what she needed to do to make sure that the clans knew that she was with them, Aunt Wynter," Trevor said, his voice barely above a whisper, and my mom turned around to look at him. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat while he bowed his head. "Your daughter is also carrying a lot of g-"

'Don't,' I said instantly, interrupting him because I knew exactly what he was about to say through our mindlink, and Trevor turned to look at me without finishing his sentence. 'Don't bring that up, Trevor.' I paused and licked my lips, biting the inside of my bottom lip. 'It is not worth it.'

Tears pricked the corner of my vision, and my bottom lip quivered no matter how hard I tried to make sure that it wouldn't. My hands shook, but I kept as strong as I could while I waited for my mother to ask Trevor what he meant or for something else to happen.

My mother turned to look at me, and I could feel her gaze on the side of my face, and I did not meet it, not wanting her to see the tears that pricked the corner of my eyes. She didn't say a word, even though I couldn't hear her anyway, to me while she moved slightly closer to me.

"Are you feeling guilty about everything that has happened to us, Kat?" my aunt asked, her voice barely above a whisper and laced with pain and sadness. "Is that what Trevor is implying?"

I didn't say a word and held myself tighter while I buried myself closer to my mate, and my mate pulled me into his arms but didn't try to hide my head. A single tear fell from my eyes while my bottom lip quivered more without my control, and I had to bite my lip harder to keep myself from breaking down.

"Kat, please," Aunt Diane said, her voice still barely above a whisper while she continued to press me to answer her question. "Is that what my son is implying? Are you feeling guilty for everything that has happened to the clans?" She paused and cleared her throat while she shifted in her seat. "To us?"

Are you feeling guilty for not being able to stop him from hurting your mother and myself in more ways than one..?

Another tear fell from my eye, and I continued to look forward without saying a word. I didn't meet Carver's gaze when he looked at me through the rearview mirror, and I knew that my mother had asked him something that he didn't know how to answer and could only offer a suggestion.

My mother moved closer to me and hesitated. She reached out to touch me, to move a strand of hair out of my face, but I moved closer to my mate before she could and turned my back toward her.

She "gasped" in shock and moved away from me, giving me space and looking at me with a hurt and guilty expression on her face which I ignored.

Another tear fell from my eyes, and I quickly buried my face into my mate's side so that they couldn't see me start to cry because of this pain and confusion that I was feeling, not knowing what to do or how to feel.

"Let her rest," Carver said out loud as if he could sense my body shutting down for whatever reason. "We will talk more tomorrow about everything and what the future will hold for not only the kingdoms but your daughter as well, Your Grace." He paused and cleared his throat drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. "And if I may be so bold, let her tell you everything before you start acting all disappointed in what she had done, Your Grace. She has had to learn everything on her own and fix bonds that had been broken in her own way in and outside of the clans..."

And with that, I heard nothing more while I cried myself to sleep with my mother's guilty gaze on my back and without anything else besides, no matter how much she wanted to and how much I yearned for it, even though I didn't want her to touch me at all.

Oh, Gods...