Chapter 119: I’ll do alright on my own

"Arinya, I was curious," Rakan said. "Where did you learn this?"I paused, not realizing he would even bother to ask.

Is this him curious about his daughter’s source of knowledge just for curiosity’s sake? Or is it that he wants to acquire this source of knowledge for the betterment of the tribe?

But what can he do? Even if I do tell him, he won’t be able to get it.

"I just picked it up from here and there," I said, and thought of something. "Damar travels a lot, so he taught me a lot of things."

If I can improve Damar’s image by making it seem like it was thanks to him, they had found a method to survive the winter better than they had a good deal.

"Damar, eh?" He asked and lifted his gaze, looking past the curtain, and then his eyes met Damar, who was watching closely from outside.

The murderous intent in his eyes made it hard to believe he would release such cherished knowledge without any takebacks.

Well, if he said it to his mate because he liked her then there was nothing to be done.

He cleared his throat.

"If it’s like that, then I don’t have to worry about when you leave," he said, and a sudden look of melancholy swept his expression. "When are you leaving?"

I stared at him in silence for a few seconds and then opened my mouth to speak,

"In two days,"

Now that I’ve shown them how to preserve the meat, they can take it from there.

I don’t think I have any more reason to be in this place. It’s time to set out.

"I’ll be leaving early, so you don’t need to see me out," I said, not like I had any expectations.

"I’ll still see you out." He said, which made my heart thunder a single beat. "Even if I have wronged you multiple times and caused you more pain, I do not want us to part ways on a bad note. Arinya, you are my daughter."

Hearing him speak like that broke my heart.

Yeah, I was his daughter, but I only ever experienced it once. The day after the trial, when he said he would mend his ways, and I believed him.

It truly felt like a father-daughter bonding moment, only for him to once again throw questions of accusations at me once ’Veyra said’.

It broke my heart and I decided to stop being hopeful. It’s better not to expect anything from him than to end up disappointed.

"It’s fine. I’ll do alright on my own," I said. "And we aren’t on bad terms," I began walking towards the exit. "But we aren’t on good terms either, so forget about showing me your sympathy."

"Your mother..." He said and I paused. "She wanted to see you."

My mother? Arinya’s mother?

All of a sudden?

"But you can’t see her," he said and I quickly turned.

Why couldn’t I?

I’ve been so curious about who Arinya’s mother was and why she hadn’t been in the picture this whole time.

I can’t even remember her face.

But my heart was thundering with longing.

I clenched my fists, wondering if this was his attempt to try and keep me in the tribe.

But why should I change my mind just because he mentioned my mother?

She’s someone who hasn’t shown herself to me in years, and has never intervened in my life, so what does it have to do with me?

"If she wants to see me, why doesn’t she come herself?" I asked. "Why are you telling me this? Why...?" The words choked back as I saw the look of agony and despair in his eyes.

He did not say anything, but the way he clenched his fists, the way his brows knitted together and his lips twisted in pain as he looked at me with painful eyes... I couldn’t help but stop and feel an ache in my chest.

What? Why was he looking at me like that?

Was there something I missed?

"Arinya, I know you feel bad and hate what we did to you but please don’t blame your mother. After all, she..." He stopped talking and my insides spiked.

What was it that I was missing?

If she truly was a woman who cared for nothing but herself, would my father defend her so much, just because he was her mate?

In fact, I think he would.

So, until I know what’s going on, I don’t want to take his words as they were.

And as such, I had to ask someone else,

I clicked my tongue and turned around to leave.

"Arinya," he called but I ignored him, forcefully pushing the curtain away as I stormed out.

Damar followed after me, looking over his shoulder at my father, who had once again stirred my emotions forcefully.

"Are you okay?" He asked but I gritted my teeth.

"No, no I’m not." I said. "I need to find Kaelor."

If it’s him, he should know what’s going on with Arinya’s mother and why she was absent all this time.

He won’t be biased like my father if she didn’t mean well.

Damar suddenly got in front of me, blocking my path.

"What are you doing?" I asked, and he looked at me calmly.

"Don’t go to him." He said.

"What?"

"Don’t forget that he hurt you," he said. "You shouldn’t go to him."

"It’ll be fine." He said. "And you’re here too, so he won’t try to hurt me anymore."

Though I doubt he harbors any ill will towards me.

"This is very important, Damar. I need to see Kaelor and ask him about my mother." I said. "He’s the only one who can tell me the truth without being utterly biased."

"Are you sure he will tell you the truth?" Damar asked. "She’s his mother too."

Yeah, that would’ve been a problem as well but I think it’s alright, after all, I’m not the only one who strayed away from her all these years.

Kaelor was the same.

"It’ll be fine," I said. "And if it’s not, you can just tell me I told you so. But with you by my side, I don’t think I have anything to worry about."

Damar gave it a quick thought and then nodded.

"Alright," he said. "Let’s go, I’ll protect you."

"Thank you, Damar,"