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“It’s fine. I never knew my bio-dad, and my mom disappeared when I was really little. We never found her, but considering the timeline, I wouldn’t be too surprised if Tyler Bastille got a hold of her. Female blessed-blood and all that.”
I felt Aria wince from wherever she was. A pang of sympathy went through me, as well. It was a harsh reminder that that madman had done a lot of harm to a lot of people, not just us.
“So, yeah,” Ashe continued, smiling wistfully. “Elias and Jack decided to raise me instead. The rest of the pack pitched in on babysitting, too. Now we’re one big happy family.”
“Do you regret not knowing your mom?” I asked without thinking. The question kind of surprised me.
“Hm. Regret kind of implies that I would’ve been able to do something about it, don’t you think?” he answered, regarding me curiously. “I would say I’m more upset that I didn’t get a chance to know her. She clearly loved me and didn’t want to disappear on me, but I’ll never get to hear her say that.”
A somber atmosphere settled over us. I couldn’t help but feel like I wasnotdoing this whole “get to know your future family member” thing properly.
I tugged on the bond for help, but Aria just said,You’re doing fine! Keep him talking.
“If you found out that she left you on purpose, would you feel the same?” I all but blurted out again. It surprised me less this time, because I was pretty sure which part of me these questions were coming from.
He scoffed like the idea offended him. “Uh, no. If I found out that she decided to just pack up and live another life in Peru or something while abandoning me, I’d never want to talk to her. Ever. No matter what reason she thought she had.”
That resonated with me so strongly, I nearly had to pause to collect myself. My complicated feelings for Penelope were rearing their ugly heads again. Soothing feelings came down the bond at the sudden onslaught.
“On that same note, I happen to know that a relative of Aria’s was trying to get in with Olskin before we left,” Ashe continued, which successfully drew me away from my oncoming brooding. “Didn’t quite make it before the deadline, though.”
Aria’s alarm rattled the bond.What? Who’s he talking about? My sister’s family is already here.
My hackles raised at her heightened emotions. “Who?”
His eyes zeroed in on me again in that weird, calculating, vaguely threatening way they had before. Since my angel wasn’t puffing up anymore, it was easier to settle my unrest, though.
“His name’s Gregory, father of Arianna Depradine and Alpha of the Depradine pack.” A little smirk appeared on his face. “Have you heard of him?”
Aria exploded into emotion on her end. It almost overwhelmed all of mine; I put a hand to my head with a wince.
“Uh, are you okay?” Ashe asked, looking concerned. “Did you get a migraine? Wait… Is your mate talking to you?”
The concern suddenly morphed into that same sparkle of interest he’d had when looking at my paintings. “Is she listening to us right now? Can I talk to her? Is that how those work? If I say ‘Hi, Aria,’ can she hear that?”
His sudden enthusiasm caught me off guard. Aria, who had indeed heard him, was distracted enough by the diversion to giggle in my head.
“Yeah, she can hear you,” I muttered. “What about her grandpa?”
“Oh, right.” He sat back. “He gave us a story about how he heard about Aria’s existence and wanted to come to see her. We had to leave before we could finalize anything, but he’s a ski resort tycoon with a lot of money. He’ll make his way over here eventually, I’m sure.”
Aria was filling the bond with both unsureness and a lighter feeling I couldn’t describe. I had to ask, “Why are you telling us this?”
Ashe shrugged. “Just felt like it. Call it a sign of goodwill, if you want. But in exchange, can I ask you something kind of personal?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“If you and Aria weren’t bonded, would you still have tried to get close to her?”
I froze.
Aria froze, too.
No one had ever asked me—us—that before.
I expected some kind of judgment or sneer or any negative emotion to be present on Ashe’s face after asking something like that, but there was nothing. He was watching me with pure curiosity.
My mind waged war with itself for a few uninterrupted minutes.
