Chapter 106 TESTIMONY
Asher’s Pov
The nice lady with the soft voice came to get me from my room and told me I was going to talk to some important people. She said they were judges who would decide if I could live with my real mama.
My stomach twisted with nerves, but I nodded anyway. The nice lady held my hand gently as we walked down the hallway. Every step made my heart beat faster, and I wondered what the judges would look like, if they would like me, or if they would listen to what I had to say. I wanted to be brave, but it was hard when everything felt so big and serious.
"Are you scared?" the lady asked. Her name was Miss Rebecca and she was a child advocate which meant she helped kids like me.
"A little bit. What if I say the wrong thing?" I asked.
"There is no wrong thing to say. You just tell them the truth about how you feel and what you want. Can you do that?" Miss Rebecca asked.
"Yes. I can tell the truth," I said.
She helped me get dressed in clean clothes that the nurses had brought. I was so weak that I needed help putting on my shirt and pants. My body did not work right anymore because I had been so sad and not eating. Every movement felt like lifting weights I did not have, and even the simplest task—tying my shoes, pulling up my sleeves—left me trembling and gasping for breath, a harsh reminder of how much I had neglected myself.
"Are you feeling well enough to do this? We can wait if you need more time," Miss Rebecca said.
"No. I do not want to wait. I want to tell them I need to be with my mama. The sooner I tell them the sooner they can let me go to her," I said.
"Okay. But if you start feeling sick or tired during the testimony you can tell me and we will take a break. Your health is more important than anything else," Miss Rebecca said.
She took my hand and we walked out of the medical wing for the first time in weeks. It felt strange to be outside that room. Everything looked different and bigger than I remembered.
We got into a car and drove for a while until we reached a big stone building. Miss Rebecca said this was the tribunal building where the judges worked.
Inside there were lots of people walking around looking busy and important. Miss Rebecca led me down a hallway to a room where we waited.
"The judges are going to ask you some questions. I will be right next to you the whole time. If you do not understand a question you can ask me to explain it. And if you need a break you just tell me okay?" Miss Rebecca said.
"Okay," I said.
After a while, someone came and told us it was time. Miss Rebecca took my hand again and we walked into a really big room with lots of people sitting in rows of seats.
I saw Father Raphael sitting at a table with some men in suits. He looked at me and his face was very sad.
Then I saw her. My real mama Celestia. She was sitting at another table with the Lycan King and a lady in a suit. When she saw me her eyes got big and shiny like she was going to cry.
I wanted to run to her but Miss Rebecca held my hand and led me to a special chair at the front of the room. The chair was too big for me so she helped me climb up into it. She stood right next to me.
An old man with gray hair sitting at a big desk in front of me smiled at me kindly.
"Hello, Asher. My name is Judge Morrison. Do you know why you are here today?" he asked and his voice was nice and gentle.
"Yes. You are going to decide if I can go live with my real mama," I said.
"That is right. And we want to hear from you about what you want. Can you tell us who your real mama is?" Judge Morrison asked.
I looked around the room until I found Celestia. She was looking right at me and her face was full of love. I pointed at her. My heart swelled with a mixture of relief and longing, and tears blurred my vision as I tried to smile. For the first time in weeks, I felt a flicker of hope. Somehow, seeing her there made the room feel less cold, less lonely, and I knew I could face whatever came next.
"That is my real mama. The blanket lady. Her name is Celestia," I said.
"And how do you know she is your real mama?" he asked.
I thought about how to explain it. How did I know? I just knew deep inside me.
"Because she smells right. And she makes me feel safe. And Nurse Sarah told me she is my biological mother which means she gave birth to me," I said.
Some people in the room made little sounds, soft murmurs of approval, as if they thought what I said was sweet. Judge Morrison nodded slowly, his expression serious but gentle, acknowledging the weight of the moment. Even in that quiet, fleeting approval, I felt a surge of hope, fragile but real. It was a small thing, yet it reminded me that my voice—and my choices—finally mattered.
"Asher what do you think about the people who have been taking care of you? Alpha Raphael and Luna Medea?" he asked.
I looked over at Father Raphael and felt sad for him. He tried to be nice to me but he made big mistakes.
"Daddy Raphael is okay. He tries to be nice to me. But he let the mean lady hurt me by not feeding me right and not loving me. And he made my real mama go away. That was wrong," I said.
I saw Father Raphael put his face in his hands like he was very upset. I felt bad for making him sad but I had to tell the truth.
"And what about Luna Medea?" Judge Morrison asked.
I thought about the mean lady and how she always looked at me like I was a problem she did not want to deal with.
"She is not my real mama. She pretends to be but she does not love me. She thinks I am too much trouble because I am sick. I heard her say it to her sister," I said.
“I see. And Asher, this is the most important question. What do you want? If you could choose, where would you want to live?” Judge Morrison asked.
The room seemed to hold its breath as all eyes turned to him. My heart pounded painfully in my chest, fear and hope twisting together. This was not about laws or documents anymore. This was about a child’s truth, spoken in his own small voice, and whatever he said would change everything.
This was easy. I knew exactly what I wanted.
"I want to live with my real mama Celestia. I want to be with her all the time. She is the only one who really loves me," I said and I made my voice strong so they would know I meant it.
"Thank you, Asher. You have been very brave," Judge Morrison said.
Miss Rebecca started to help me down from the chair and I thought we were leaving. But then I saw my real mama sitting there watching me with tears on her face and I could not leave without going to her.
Everything was going to be okay. I really believed that now.