𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄:
Confederacy

JASPER HAS BEEN DREADING the fact that he also wants to tell his mate about how he became immortal, it has been a week since Genevieve told him about hers, but he was scared. He changed his beliefs ever since he was educated about his time in the confederacy and god, and he regretted his past decisions.

He was ashamed that he got the title of the youngest Major General of the Confederate army, the title he once stood for and was proud of. He was the youngest Major General without having seen a real battle. Without having seen what was really occurring at the time, he was only in his tent planning battle strategies.

Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around his torso, snapping him out of his bewildered thoughts.

"A penny for your thoughts?" His mate asks on her tiptoes, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"I'm going to tell you about my past," he says while gently removing her arms that were wrapped around him, gently pulling her to the front to face her.

"I know it's hard, but I'm here, and I'll listen," she says while she pecks his jaw.

"Just remember that I've changed. I'm not that man anymore, believe me," he pleads to her while leaning down and pressing their foreheads together.

"Of course, Jazz, you can tell me," she says with an encouraging smile.

"I don't remember much of my human life before the army. Only that my father wanted someone to bring honor to our family name, my father constantly beat me, and my mother and my sisters couldn't do anything but watch. He said that I should man up, so I ran away from home. I enlisted and faked my age in order to join," he says while looking at her, and she gives her a soft nod and smiles, encouraging him to continue.

"It was 1861, and I was following the beliefs my family made me believe." he was silent for a moment.

He blurts it out quickly, "-I was a Confederate soldier," She tenses and untangles herself from him and looks at him in the eye. He took an unnecessary deep breath waiting for her reaction.

"You believed that people of color have no rights? Or that they are nothing?" She asks him with disbelief.

"-That they had no right to live their own lives?" He stays silent. He knows she needs to get this out.

"Do you know how many people of color were killed every day? Or...or how they are wrongfully accused of the things that they didn't do. Do you know how unfair the justice system is? I know what it feels like to be accused and be unknowingly be attacked because of the things that you didn't have any control of. Hell, my mother was burned for it. I was almost hanged because of it. We were innocent. I'm not comparing my situation to theirs because it has a very huge difference, but it's hard to live in this world with constant fear because of your skin color. Many people of color were held at gunpoint because they looked "suspicious," and that's just wrong in so many ways," she says.

"I know I was young, and I didn't know. I fought on the wrong side, and I regretted every bit of it. I'm ashamed that I received the title," he tells to her while taking both of her hands.

"You don't believe in that anymore, do you?" She asks slowly.

He gently squeezed both of her hands and shook his head quickly. "No, god no. I joined rallies, and I tried to help them in as many ways as I possibly could. I marched to many movements that were against discrimination, slavery, and racism, believe me. I'm not the man I was a century ago. I changed."

"As long as you learned from your mistakes and you no longer stick to those...beliefs, and you fought at the right side this time, it's all okay," she says while lifting her hand and cupping his face,
"-continue your story, please."

"Born as Jasper Whitlock, as you already know, and I was the youngest Major General in the Texas Cavalry without having seen any real battle until I met a certain immortal, Maria," he practically spat out the name in disgust. She listened to him intently and held his hand.

"I was riding back to Galveston after evacuating a column of women and children. When I saw her and the other two women, I thought they needed a ride home, so I immediately offered them my aid, and that was the night it all went downhill. She saw that I was from the military because of my uniform, and she asked my name. Of course, I stated my rank in the Confederate army, and she said that I would be of great use to her. Still, I was confused before I could ask my question. She bit me in the neck," he tells her and closes his eyes because of the painful memories that were beginning to resurface.

"You don't have to continue if you don't want to, Jazz. I can feel that your past is still an open wound," she says to him while pulling him closer to her and pecking his lips. He gives her a small gentle smile.

"I want you to know" he took a deep breath and asked her a question, "-have you ever heard of the newborn armies in the south? The constant brutal battles to win over territories?"

"Yes. I heard about the Southern Vampire Wars. Am I right?" She asks.

He nodded. "-You were part of the southern vampire wars? Wait, are you the vampire with a reputation for being called The God War?" He nodded again. To say that she was shocked was an understatement.

She was the mate of the famous God of War that she constantly heard about back then. She always took an interest in the famous God of War since she and Greyson always witnessed some of the historical wars that were happening around the Globe back then.

"The other newborns and I helped Maria reclaim her territory and later claim dominance over others. I was supposed to be killed off in my first year of being a vampire, and I was the one who trained the newborns for the battles. The training that the Confederate army gave me was useless," he said and stopped. She could tell that his story is going to the part where it goes dark.

"She was smart, careful. And she had me, and I was the second in command. My abilities to control emotions served her well. It was my job to dispose of them after their first year was over. I could feel everything they felt," his voice slightly cracking, his eyes glossed with venom that will never fall.

She took his head and cradled it in the crook of her neck while Jasper deeply inhaled her scent to make himself calm down.

"I can feel their pain just as much I can feel my victim's pain when I fed. Over time the pain and cruelty of my existence led me to a deep depression. Until I met a newborn named Peter, he helped me in my darkest of days in the army, and I couldn't help but thank him for that. I asked Maria to spare him because of his advanced combat skills that will be useful," he smiles at the thought of his old friend, "-but then after another year began he was acting strange he came to me and asked if we can spare another newborn, but he never mentioned the name, I asked Maria if we can add another permanent vampire in our coven, but she quickly denied and said that two was enough, the day of the disposal came, Peter and I were standing in the barn when a woman entered, I was supposed to dispose of her, but Peter immediately yelled at her to ran and escape. Hence, she did the both of them escaped that night, but I felt their emotions. They were mates so I didn't follow them it was my way of thanking Peter for accompanying me. Her name was Charlotte," he says to her with a smile, "-I hope you can meet them one day."

"I can't wait to meet your old friends who helped you, Jazz," she says with a smile he smiles back at her and continues his story.

"After Peter and Charlotte escaped, Maria's feelings for me changed. I sensed her emotion. She was fearful and mistrustful, and I knew she had a plan to get rid of me, so I began a plan to destroy her first. I was reluctant at first because I thought Maria and I were mates, but mates can't even imagine the thought of killing their own mate," he says. Then his hand cupped her face and gave her a reassuring soft kiss which she gladly returned.

"Peter came back for me and told me that vampires co-exist up North, so without even sparing a glance, I left Maria and her newborn army, I joined Peter and Charlotte at their home, but I didn't find peace because I still could feel the emotions of my victims and it only worsened my depression, I left them because I didn't want to be a burden. I tried to kill less often, but the thirst always grew overwhelming."

Then he smiles, "-I ran into Alice at a diner in Philadelphia. She said that she had a vision that she and I will join a coven with a lifestyle that fed off from animals, I was wary at first then she told me that she had another vision that somebody was fated to me and that I'll meet her someday, it gave me hope, so I helped her find the coven then after two years, we located them and joined," he looks at her eyes and continued, "-you don't have any idea how many times I wanted to leave the coven so I can find you myself, but they always stopped me, and they always said that we are bound to find each other because we are mates so I waited, for a long time, then Alice finally had a clear vision of you, and I was so goddam happy," he leans down and kisses her deeply, she responds to the kiss, and he reluctantly pulls away.

"Do you know about Alter-Egos?" He asks her, and she nods and says, "Only vampires with extreme newborn trauma have one. Do you have one?" He nods and looks away from her.

"His name is Major. He is savage, ruthless, and merciless, but he will never hurt you. He only shows up when there is a possible threat to the family or you, when you get hurt, or if you feel scared. He was the one who was mostly in control when I was in the newborn army," he looks down at his lap, "-I had blood on my hands, and I hated it. I'm a monster," she gently took his hand and placed a soft kiss on his palm.

"You didn't know that there was another way Jazz, Maria used you. She manipulated you and took advantage of you for her own good. You didn't deserve to be treated that way. Most importantly is, you are not a monster. You felt regret and guilt, which a heartless person would have never felt, you remained strong and fought to live, and I can't help but admire you for that," She says while pulling him into a hug. She brings her hand up to his hair, her fingers tangling in his honey-blonde locks. He releases a contented sigh and gently pulls away but not all the way.

He looked at her and felt her emotions. If ever there was a feeling of negative emotions towards him, but there was non, only, admiration, pride, and love. His smile widens, and he quickly leans down and captures her lips. They moved in sync. It was full of passion and love that they were feeling for each other.

"I love you, Jasper. No matter what, the past is the past. That is what it is. We make mistakes just like humans, and we choose choices that we regret, but that is it the past," she mutters under her lips.

"I love you too, Genevieve. So damn much, I don't deserve a mate like you, but I'm a selfish man, and I want you all to myself," he tells her while looking intensely at her golden eyes.

"You deserve me, Jazz. You deserve everything after what you have been through," she says while wrapping her arms around his neck.

"As do you, darlin'. You deserve everything the world has to offer. I'll gladly do anything for you," he says while wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Being with you is enough for me," she says to him with a smile.

"I've never felt so happy and loved until I met you, and I never want that feeling to go," he says while his arms tighten around her waist.

"It won't because I will always be here. Wherever you go, I'll be with you," She says with a wide smile.

"Wherever you go, I'll follow you for eternity," he promises.

"I love you, Genevieve."

"I love you too, Jasper."