Blood on the Moon
Chapter 58: The Council Meeting

Rose

I sit at the head of the table with nothing in front of me. I’d usually have a laptop or notes with things I wanted to cover or specific notes on what to say if I was making a speech.

Not this time.

All I have to rely on is my determination, charm, and logic.

That’s all I need.

Victor is to my right, filled in on what’s to come, and agreed to back me up. We’ll iron out the details, and I’ll hear his true feelings on the matter later, but he knows I need his unconditional backing right now.

The stakes are high; the challenge could happen any day now. Even I’m nervous about it since, as much confidence as I portray to Asher, I’m worried. Scared, even.

Going up against Genevive could result in my death.

Am I ready to die? I’m prepared to die for Asher; I know that. But… I’d be leaving him at the mercy of a vile woman.

She wouldn’t kill him immediately after the plot is revealed and she discovers we are mates. No. She’ll imprison him first. Probably torture him by killing every one of his family members in increasingly awful ways. Then he’ll watch the public executions of all his co-conspirators, the guilt of their deaths eating him alive. She’d finish with Margaery.

Then, and only then, would she maybe deliver the coup de grȃce, ending Asher’s misery.

I doubt it, though. She’d keep him alive to live out the rest of his days in isolated agony. She’d want to keep us from reuniting in death for as long as she could, forcing him to live to old age.

Am I prepared to risk that if I am to die? Am I ready to take the easy way out while my mate suffers an incomprehensible fate if I fail?

My breath quivers.

“Dame Rose?”

I snap out of my thoughts, gulping down the lump in my throat, realizing that everyone has taken their seats, ready for the meeting. I called both the Elders and my Council leaders, which is unusual. Usually, they advise me on separate issues, the council for events within the Clan and the Elders for larger, more far-reaching decisions.

“Thank you all for being here on such short notice,” I announce, rising. “I have some very important news to share. It’s going to be shocking, maybe even angering. You may feel the urge to scream and shake your fists, but I kindly request now that you hold your comments until the end of my speech.”

The look on all their faces is a mix of wonder and horror. They must all be wondering what on God’s black night I’m about to tell them.

“Firstly, I have taken a mate,” I announce. “Asher. The Alpha of the Black Opal Pack is my fated mate.”

The room erupts into chaos, and I can’t help but roll my eyes. Isn’t this precisely what I told them not to do?

“Silence!” Victor roars, slamming his fists against the table, which snaps the crowd back into focus. “You will listen to the order of your Clan Leader! Be seated, still, and silent until she has finished speaking.”

“Thank you, Victor,” I say, lifting my head as the members relax back into their seats in vastly more confrontational poses.

“It was also a shock to me, given that he was previously mated and we are of different species. But the truth is, Luna Genevive has been physically, verbally, and sexually abusing him for their entire relationship. She has also been physically and verbally abusing her sister, Margaery, along with the rest of the Pack. Using barbaric punishments, bribes, and threats to control them and force them into submission. Upon meeting Alpha Asher for the first time, we immediately shared a connection. Eventually, his bond with Genevieve disappeared, his wolf declaring me as his true mate. His bond with Gen was a fake, likely devised by the Night God.”

“The Night God?” Elder Bathory asks. “Pardon my interruption, but wouldn’t it be more logical that the Night God is the source of your bond with the Alpha? Since vampires are His children?”

“No matter which God or Goddess it came from and who was the source of his original pairing with Genevive, it doesn’t matter. What matters is his relationship with Genevive was riddled with abuse, trauma, and sadness. Our relationship is full of love, respect, and joy. That is what I know. He is my mate, and I accept him as such. That being said…” I pause, beginning to pace the room for dramatic effect. Vampires love a little drama.

“Genevive needs to be removed from power. Being that I am mates with Asher, I have had an inside look into what’s going on with his Pack and their Luna. The information I’ve gotten is disturbing, to say the least. Luna Genevive has amassed a dark power that makes her stronger than the average werewolf. Additionally, she is using this magic to run experiments on her soldiers to enhance her army. Likely in preparation to attack River Run.”

“Have you seen this with your own eyes?” Elder Fray asks. “Can we trust what he says?”

“I know he is telling the truth,” I assure. “Plus, it is clear she is instigating war with Alpha Evander. We all read the Statement of Neutrality and how she is keeping Margaery from her mate, yet another example of her treachery to her own family. Her character is clear. She’s a threat to everyone around her because she is crazed and under the influence of something evil, but that evil makes her powerful. Therefore, Asher has hatched a plan with powerful members of his Pack, including Margaery, to overthrow her.”

“How?” Yanella Ojeda inquires. “If she is so powerful, how could they beat her, even if they catch her by surprise?”

I smirk. “That’s where I come into play,” I announce, grasping the table's edge and effortlessly lifting it as if it were a feather. The group gasps, shocked at my display of strength. I set the table down gently. “I am no normal vampire. I’m sure you all have known this for a while. I’m impeccably strong. I believe it comes from my mother being a witch, not a human. My father? I don’t know him. The story I have told of my past is a lie I conjured up because I feared what might happen if the world knew the truth. The information I am about to share cannot leave this room. If it does, whoever was the source of the leak will be punished by death. That is how serious this secret is, so I need your verbal acknowledgment that you will stay silent. Once you hear what I say, you will understand why it is so important.”

Thus, one by one, I point at each group member, asking them if they agree to take my secret to their grave, should they ever meet it. I study their faces while they do, making sure they are being honest.

And each says yes, and each I believe is truthful. Their loyalty is unmatched, and I’ve picked quality members for my council. I’ve also ensured that spouses serve together, making it easier for them to keep secrets. They don’t have to lie to their spouse.

“I expect that each of you will help me hold everyone else in the room accountable for this promise,” I begin, taking a deep breath. There’s no going back from this. “I was raised by a witch, isolated until eighteen. My mother was a hard woman who showed me little affection, but she homeschooled me effectively. She told me I had immense power that needed to be hidden and that my father couldn’t know about me. I’m guessing she feared what my father might do if he got a hold of my power. Who is my father? I’m not sure. But I was sheltered until I was eighteen, kept from the world until that day. I was then ousted and given a cover story, told never to tell a soul the truth about what I am.

“Because, the truth is, I was born, not bitten. Not only that, but I am also a fertile vampire. My heart beats occasionally, mostly when I’m with Asher. What are the implications of this? I do not know. I hope to find out one day and use whatever power I may have for the good of my Clan, which is what I intend to do. That is how I could easily rise through the ranks and be a Clan leader so young. I am not your Dame by mistake but by merit. Power given to me by something I don’t understand.

“This power, though, is useful to us in the present, which is why I am sharing it with you now. I no longer want to be afraid of my identity but embrace it instead. I trust you all will keep this secret so it doesn’t spread like wildfire and place undue scrutiny on me before I understand where it comes from and how it works. Especially since I plan to be the one to challenge Genevive. I plan to save Black Opal from their dictator since I am the only one who can do it.”

“So what?” Elder Fray asks. “Will you become the Luna of their Pack? Is that even possible?”

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“Good question. You have brought me to the point of this meeting,” I reply, returning to the head of the table, resting my fingertips on the top as I lean forward in my best power position. “I plan to merge the Black Opal Pack and Crimson Night Clan as one conglomerate under the same rulers. Asher will be Sire and Alpha, and I will be Luna and Dame.”

Silence.

Dropped jaws.

All eyes are on me.

“Have you gone mad?” Elder Dȁger asks.

“Have you been blinded by your love for this wolf? Our primordial enemy?” Another shouts amongst a clamor of other comments.

“Will we be forced to live amongst dogs?”

“This is how the werewolves will enslave us again!”

“Quiet!” I shout among the melee. “We are a civilized people, and we will act as such. I will address the questions that I have heard.”

I pause, taking a breath, allowing the members to calm themselves.

I swear, they act like petulant children at the drop of a hat. But I guess I can’t blame them; this is an unprecedented request.

“As for my sanity, I am perfectly sane. As for werewolves and vampires being at odds, that rivalry has been exhausted and considered silly for decades. If anything, this act, the first of its kind, could set a new precedent for the cooperation between werewolves and vampires moving forward, which could go down in history as one of the greatest achievements of our time. Think of the economic growth this could give us! Black Opal controls resources, allies, and trade previously inaccessible to us. As with many other packs because of this immature rivalry. If we merge with them, we can share resources, thus expanding our territory, and learn from one another.”

“But what will other Clans and Packs think?” Elder Fray asks. “I agree with the idealistic nature of your request. It sounds like utopia on paper, but that’s until we are shunned by everyone else as a result.”

“We have an ally in River Run, the most influential Pack in the region, if not the country, given Evander’s lineage,” I explain. “They will support us and others with it. As for Clans, we will gain their approval in time. Our kind is stubborn, so we must show off the results. They will listen to that. Vampires can be petty but are logical, and facts talk. They will have diplomatic relations with us if it benefits them. And if we are allies with River Run, it will benefit them.”

“But the question of our living arrangements still stands,” Bailey Caldwell says. “We lead completely different lifestyles. Some awake during the day, others at night. Opposing deities created us, so our religious practices are opposite and contradictory.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” I argue. “Asher and I are mates, meaning we can’t be all that different. And, once this mess with Genevive is dealt with, we will have an official ceremony, combining both vampire and werewolf customs, to solidify our pairing. That will prove that we can live in religious harmony.”

“But if they conduct business during the day and us at night, how will we engage in government with one another?” Elder Eversly asks.

“We conduct business with them all the time,” I argue. “It will be no different this way. It’ll be limited, sure, but there are ways to get around it. Vampires need far less sleep than wolves, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable for us to be away during daylight and the wolves to meet us in shielded rooms. This way, too, if you wish to not interact with wolves, you don’t have to. I think we will turn the rogue area between our territories into neutral ground where both wolves and vampires can live and a neutral place where we can have political discussions. That way, vampires can continue living on this territory, and wolves on Black Opal’s territory. We will still be the Black Opal Pack and Crimson Night Clan; we will just share leaders and government, which will decide the best way to distribute shared resources. As far as Clan-specific or Pack-specific issues, those will be dealt with independently of one another. That’s all I propose. We work in tandem.”

Another spell of silence, this one more contemplative.

“Not a horrible idea, right?” I ask, smiling as I stand straight, shrugging my shoulders. “Could make a little money and a little history.”

Nods flow through the room like a wave, getting more intentional with time.

“So, are we in agreement? I will challenge Luna Genevieve for her title when the time is right, thus becoming the Luna of the Black Opal Pack and making Asher the Sire of the Crimson Night Clan.”

Victor stands, “All in favor, raise your hand and say ‘I.’ All opposed, keep your hand lowered and say ‘nay.’”

The votes are cast, each member raising their hand and saying, “I.”

I smile, my heart beating as it swells. “Good. I believe we have made the right decision today. A decision that will ensure the Crimson Night name lives forever.”

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