Ashe's face darkened with anger. I didn't give him graphic details, but I doubted he had a hard time imagining the extent of it. He put his hand on my shoulder, a silent comfort. I appreciated it. Ashe's support gave me the strength to continue my terrible story.
"One day, there was a cave-in. Our home collapsed."
Ashe sucked in a soft gasp. He must've already known this wouldn't end well.
"I got separated from my parents. I couldn't call out for them. They didn't call out for me. I overheard them saying it was fine if I got left behind, since there's something wrong with me. After that, I never saw them again."
I cleared the lump in my throat. I didn't want to cry.
"I don't know what happened to them. Sometimes I feel like a bad son. They might be out there and I don't know if they're safe or not."
"No," Ashe cut in, shaking his head. "I don't care about them, Bear. Not after what they did to you. That's disgusting."
His forcefulness took me by surprise. "But they're my parents. I should care."
"Those weren't parents. They were people who gave birth to you." Ashe was shaking with fury. "Parents are people who love and nurture you. They give up anything and everything for the sake of their child. Parents shouldneveract the way yours did. I'm so fucking mad for you, Bear."
He roughly wiped his eyes and sniffed. Was he crying?
"I'm sorry," I signed. "I didn't mean to upset you."
"Don't be sorry. It's stupid. I can't help crying when I'm angry." He sniffed and blinked the tears out of his eyes. "I need to bring you home and show you what parents are supposed to be like."
Usually talk of his family made me envious but this time I felt grateful. "You really want me to meet your... pack?"
"Yup. They'll all adore you, I promise. They're a lovey-dovey bunch." He laughed.
I was a bit nervous, but also hopeful. Ashe's pack would never replace my parents, and I didn't want them to, but I felt the allure of a supportive family.
"Still, I can't get over how awful your parents were," Ashe muttered. Fire blazed in his eyes. "I can't imagine ever treating my child like that."
For some reason, I felt a flicker of panic. He'd never mentioned a child before.
"Do you have one?" I asked awkwardly.
"Oh, no." He bit his lip. "I do want one someday, though."
A worm wriggled in my stomach.
"What about you?" Ashe asked, meeting my gaze. There was an almost hopeful undercurrent in his tone.
I raised my hands, then dropped them, then lifted them again. "I can't."
"Why?"
"I shouldn't."
Ashe raised a brow. "Why not?"
He wasn't going to drop this topic until he got an answer, was he?
I blew out a breath. "I'm broken. That's why my parents abandoned me. I don't want to spread this issue to my child."
Ashe's eyes widened slowly, like waxing moons. He shot to his feet, throwing his arms up in disbelief. "What the hell, Bear? You're joking, right? You can't be serious."
I met his eyes evenly. "Of course I'm serious."
Ashe raked a hand over his face, mumbling, "You friggin' dumb, stubborn bear. Why won't you listen to me? How many times have I told you how important you are? Especially tome?"
