40. How I Love Him

Ash's POV

It was dark and cold in the void, and it felt as if I had been just floating through this abyss for years. There was suddenly a searing pain that began in my wrist and slowly spread around my body. I tried to wrap my arms around myself to stop the amount of hurt that was in my body, but it did not offer me any relief.

Then, as soon as it began, the pain dulled, but I felt completely different. Before I could figure out why, I was thrown into the light. There were lots of sounds surrounding me, but the most prominent was the heart monitor that did not register my heartbeat. One of the doctors stepped up to it and turned it off with a loud sigh.

I could hear Ash crying loudly, and all I wanted to do was get out of bed and assure him that I was okay. The medics filed out of the room until it was just him and I.

"Doctors are so damn stupid," I heard him mutter above me. I peeled my eyes open with extreme difficulty to look up at him. "Precisely."

"What the hell just happened?" I asked weakly.

"You lost too much blood and they didn't have any bags, so they injected you with mine."

"Wait, does that mean..?"

"It does. You are now half werewolf and half vampire."

It felt like time stopped. I was slowly losing my mind, wasn't I?

"Hey, calm down, it isn't that bad," Ash consoled quickly.

Everything was running through my mind. What if I try to drink someone's blood? What if I get kicked out? Hell, what if I lost my wolf during this!? I was in a full-blown panic until he pulled me into a tight hug. "Breathe," he commanded.

I tried to, but it felt foreign. It felt like every bone, muscle, organ, or otherwise had shifted inside of me. I took a few deep breaths to compose myself before locking eyes with him. Ash kissed me gently with a lot of love. I felt everything in me relax to his hold, and my panic faded. I knew I would always have a home with him whatever I was.

"There you are," he muttered soothingly.

Suddenly the door slammed open and Ally barged in. His eyes grew wide at the sight of us, and he breathed, "They told me you died!"

"Well, technically he is dead..." Ash murmured.

"How can someone be technically dead?"

"Well, his heart isn't beating, but he can still function as normal."

"How is that even freaking possible!?"

"Ally... As you probably know I needed a blood transfusion, and they didn't have any bags left..." I started, ready to explain to him the truth.

"They ended up injecting him with my blood, so now he's half vampire," Ash finished.

"That's..." I felt my blood -well, Ash's blood- run cold. "Pretty fucking cool!"

I sighed my relief at his words. "Father isn't awake yet, but they say he'll be today... You should be there, he would want to see you."

"I guess sooner rather than later," I whispered before I got up on my unsteady feet and almost fell over.

"Heck no, you aren't walking," Ash determined before picking me up and carrying me out into the hallway. We moved in a group to his room, and as soon as we arrived, Ash set me down on a chair. As if he felt my presence, he groaned loudly before awaking.

"It smells overwhelmingly of vampire in here," he complained before he opened his eyes to Ally, Ashton, and me. "That explains it."

To my surprise, Ash just laughed off his rudeness and smiled which I found even hotter than usual. "Close your mouth, son, or your drool will fall out," Papa joked again, and I turned to him.

"W-what drool!?" I shouted while a bright red blush came over my cheeks.

Ash smirked while winking at me before walking out with Ally in tow. "I'll let you two talk alone."

"That boy has a really strong lingering smell," my father murmured.

"That's what I need to talk to you about, Pa. D-do you promise not to hate me?"

"No, never again. Just spit it out," he responded. I looked into his eyes and found a calm, serene man that was open-minded for now.

"So... I almost died, and the only way to save me was to get blood from a family member or soulmate. Since Ally helped you, the only person left for me was Ash. He saved me, but now I'm..." I trailed off in defeat.

"Are you trying to tell me that you're part vampire, Alex?" He asked without even a bit of nerves in his voice. He knows his decision, and that scared the shit out of me.

"I-I... Yes, papa."

He pulled me down into his bed and I felt my heart beat spike. "I'm just happy that you're alive, son. I don't know any person on the world who would hate someone for staying alive." His arms were around my back in a warm embrace, and I felt myself relax.

"Pa, we lost a lot of pack members to the fighting."

"I know, it's sad, but we cannot give up. It is our jobs as the Alpha and heir to give them hope, so if we lose it then everything will fall apart."

Suddenly the door was opened again. "Are you guys good?" Ash asked, concerned.

"We're fine, but we need a new plan."

"Let's do it."

***

Jackson's (I hate this guy, but I love his backstory XD) POV

Soon after they left I felt a hole form in my heart. Alex frustrated me. He's a living, breathing reminder that my soulmate didn't wait for me. I know that Heria isn't pregnant with my child, we haven't had unprotected sex since Ash was born. When I saw Antony's son I remembered that he had a different family, an entirely different life, from me. He looked happy without me, and I had lost my composure.

If I could go back in time then none of this would have happened. I would have stayed with him when he told me his mate, loved him, hugged him, and showed the world that he was mine. It was too late now, he hated me.

I went down underneath to see Heria... Well mostly to break up with her. As much as I used to love her, the knowledge that she had cheated on me made me want to leave her.

Once I got down the ladder I turned to see her facing away from me making out with one of the coward males who refused to fight. He, however, could see me, and in a show of his dominance he winked at me. Anyone else wouldn't be able to see it, but I knew the wink meant, "haha, I have your girl now."

As if she could feel my presence, she turned around to look at me. "We're done, Jackson. I just don't love you anymore."

I twisted on the balls of my feet and ventured back up. The only reason to live was Antony... I needed to find him and show him how much I love him.