Blood of Ash

Chapter 15: Bellalyse POV

Asher was about to destroy the room. I unfortunately didn't get to the room in time to stop him from yelling at his pack, but I was able to stop him from doing anything worse. I knelt in front of him and yanked on our mating bond as hard as I could, sending as much love and soothing over to him as I possibly could. He rumbled, almost like a cat purring, and cupped my chin, gently pulling me up.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Did I scare you?" I shook my head. He stood and gently guided me to his seat, making me sit down. He looked at the pack and continued, "I'm going to assume this was a mistake. Next time, I expect there to be two chairs."

I sat there in disbelief. Asher! What's going on? why are you acting like this?

I'm sorry, Bells. This is how they expect me to be. Please just breathe.

He said, "Now, please direct any questions to your Luna."

Your turn, Bells. Start by introducing yourself.

I took a deep breath and said, "Thank you. I'm Bellalyse. I apologize for my tardiness. I hadn't realized how big you pack house was so I got a little lost. I understand that there are some questions and some rumors going around? Let's see if I can't answer them for you, yeah?"

A young male that looked like Ash's brother Alexei stepped forward and bowed, one clenched fist over his heart, before saying, "Luna Bella, my name is Adam. I am the pack Beta. Is it true that are a vampire?" I nodded. "How were you turned? If there has been any attacks in our area, it is my job to look into it."

I hesitated. "I wasn't turned. I was born this way."

Adam bowed again. This bow is about apologies, Bells. The one previous was about respect. "What do you mean you were born this way? How is that even possible? I have never heard of this before, ma'am."

Ash? I don't know the answer. Asher stepped forward. "Thank you, Adam. That is an excellent question. My mate is unsure of this answer, however I did my research in these long years and I came across that answer. Bella's family has this dormant gene that when in utero can become active and cause that baby to be born as Bella is. Typically, these babies don't make it through infancy, however in the small cases that do, the vampire will typically go through what we call a frenzy. If a vampire frenzies, then they've lost control. If they've lost control then they are a danger to everyone. Bella came very close to that frenzy. However, the one thing that can stop a vampire from beginning the frenzy is mating with the one they have a mate mond with. That's where I come in." He kissed the top of my head. "I found out 8 years ago that Bells here is my mate. I waited these long years for her to realize it and accept the bond. Now that she has, I expect your full cooperation. Anyone caught spreading rumors about her will be severely punished. You will respect her the way you respect me. She's only recently learned of our pack, so I expect you to help her adjust."

Everyone bowed in submission with one fist over their hearts. I said, "Ash? I need to go home. Jase is bound to be worried about me."

He nodded and helped me out of the chair, before dismissing the meeting and walking me out to the car, where he kissed me hard and said through the bond I love you so much, Bells. Thank you for keeping me calm. I owe you.