The night of the arrangement was nigh and he waited at the Bastion patiently. This wasn’t what he had planned on performing due to the risks involved, but it was a request that his newly acquired champion had made and was adamant about. The Change was not to be taken lightly and he had warned her quite a few times of the risks since vaewolf venom was potentially lethal to both vampires and werewolves. His own brother from his original family had barely survived without divine intervention, and even then, there was potential to fail.

He hadn’t wished to inflict such pain on Zora and being the cause for her demise, but she was persistent and stubborn over the issue and reluctantly he gave in. He went to Celeste and Angela and informed them of the idea. His first wife trusted him since he trusted Zora and along with some quips about him and redheads, gave her approval. The other wife figured that she would need to be there so that she could aid her in case the situation turned dire. The alpha was all but certain that it would.

The family was called forth on this eve; the three of them were there and before long, Ivan, Ayla, Yelena, and Reaver arrived. The former actually was on his best behavior; even Ivan knew of how sacred this was to undergo the Change. And for Zora’s sake, Nemesis prayed that she would be serious about this going forward if she survived. Celeste’s Beta was their hunter for betrayers and he took that job with absolute glee. Reaver, his beta, stood close by. He was still getting used to how traditional things were within their clan. He might have looked a little awkward here, but the Priest of Shadows wasn’t to be trifled with. They gathered up in the main foyer, waiting for the guest of honor.

“Sure this is a good idea?”, Reaver asked the pair of alphas. “No, but the decision has been made”, Nemesis said seldomly. “I’d rather not see her suffer what she’s about to soon. However, she wants this to happen.”

“Glad she least had a choice, unlike me”, Reaver replied, cracking a light joke as he fell back and lounged onto the nearby chair.

Ivan, the redheaded male gave him a sideglance, “I’m only trusting this because Celeste does.” Despite his usual bumbling and seemingly moonstruck self, he was fiercely loyal to the family. While Nemesis was often annoyed by his antics, he could see that he was second to none when it came to who to trust. Then again, he often pestered Yelena for amusement too.

Maalik would be waiting at the door for Zora; a tall somewhat slender fellow of dark hair and eyes. He himself wasn’t a vaewolf, but he had been by Nemesis’ side since the beginning when he was crafted by their lost mistress in the form of a raven. The crossing of realms had altered him and he was made an honorary member of the family. As far he was concerned, he was up there with his wives as far as the hierarchy went. “Lady Zora”, he announced whenever he spotted her, “Come this way. The family awaits.” He led her into the foyer and the room stood still as eyes fell upon her.

“Zora. I’ll ask you this one last time before we proceed. Are you sure you want this, even though you are aware of the risks?”, the Lord asked.

It had not been a hard decision for Zora once she found out that it was possible to be turned into a vaewolf, albeit at great risk. A Champion who could only function under the cover of night was certainly not a formidable force. The vampiress was keen to stack her cards in the right way so that no fat, pompous noble or some other predatory man could ever take advantage of her weakness again. This would not only give her the ability to function in daylight but also heightened her strength and agility. 

Nemesis had given her fair warning that the process was dangerous as the bite of a vaewolf to a vampire caused severe sickness that could prove to be fatal. Still, Zora was a stubborn woman with a strong will in which she had faith as well as the fact that she trusted Nemesis wholly with her life. Besides, he was to call forth his wife Angela, beacon of Life and Love. If the Goddess could not keep her alive, then perhaps she was not meant to be here. Though she did not remember if she had ever met Angela, Zora placed a great deal of faith in her power as Nemesis trusted her with something she knew to be dear to him.

It was her understanding that the Volkov family were to come out of their respective homes and witness the Change. Truthfully this made Zora more nervous than the actual change did. While Nemesis clearly cared for her and trusted her, she was not certain to what extent his wives or his close family would trust or care for her. It was to her disadvantage that she could not remember if she had ever met any of them or what their personalities might be. The redhead was walking into this blind and that was far more terrifying than the Change. 

In her lavish room in the Bastion, she changed from one of the lovely dresses she loved to wear while performing her duties to a simply flowy black silk slip. Her bare feet were nearly as cold as the floor of the Bastion. She let her soft locks down and tousled them before slipping quietly out of her door and taking a lonely walk to where everyone was meant to gather. 

Zora found Maalik waiting outside the door for her, only recognizing him from verbal description. He announced her arrival and let her into the room. Golden eyes flicked around to all those there. No one she truly recognized besides Reaver from seeing him around the Bastion. Nemesis’ voice snapped her attention back to him. “Yes, I’m sure. You’re not going to talk me out of it. I have my reasons.” She sighed. He had been relentless trying to convince her to forsake her plan. 

“I trust you with my life and you trust the Goddess, so I trust her as well.” She lifted a chilling hand to the warmth of his cheek. “Everything will be fine.” Her touch lingered for a moment before falling back to her side. 

Celeste had agreed to allow the change to occur if only because she trusted Nemesis. She knew the truth about Zora and trusted her husband enough to allow the girl to be near. Angela was more amused than anything but she agreed to be present and keep the woman alive as she had done for Reaver.

The Volkovs all made their way from their rooms since they all lived together. It was more like an eerie silence than a sacred hush. The matriarch of the family had chosen to take on her true form for the event since it did not seem fair to boast a god’s gift. This was the original form the blood had been given to as well and that was sacred in itself. She looked more like a small teenager than the head of the house. Long pink hair swayed and swooshed as Celeste took her place by Nemesis. She wore a black elvish style dress and made no point to hide her long ears. She had silver flecks through her skin that shimmered whenever the candlelight hit the specks just right. Large red eyes seemed to take in everything.

“You and me both,” Ayla spoke with jest to Reaver as she loomed near her mate. She was sitting upon a short bookcase with Ivan learning into her chest. She wore a sleeveless shirt and pants as if she had just gotten done with training. She was stroking her fingers through his red hair more so to keep herself calm as her turning was still fresh in her mind. The warrior had breast length blonde hair and honey-colored eyes. Her muscles spoke of all the training she had gone through and she didn’t hide the scars of battle that graced her skin. “If Celeste thinks it’s a good idea then I’m okay with it as well,” Ayla echoed the thoughts of her mate as she gripped his red locks only for a single moment to get the frustration out of her mind.

Yelena was ever meek and the others didn’t know when she had even arrived. She stood with her hands clasped on the other side of the room with her long tresses of brown hair gently pulled half way back into a fancy barrette. She had the same red eyes as Celeste and she wasn’t that much taller than the fragile moon elf. She wore a modest noble woman’s dress with gold designs on purple fabric. Nothing at all too much but enough for her rank.

You could almost hear a pin drop as Zora entered the room. All eyes were on her since this was the first time many of them had seen her.

“Zora,” Celeste spoke up as she watched the woman touch her husband and then release. “There’s been only a handful who have survived the change without divine intervention should they be allergic to our venom.” Celeste turned her head and looked up to Ayla who sat more upright when her alpha looked in her direction. “Ayla is one of the last few in recent memories who made it. Perhaps some words of wisdom?”

“Don’t think she has anyone she wants to punch in the face,” Ayla said it dryly. “Or throw through a wall.” She pulled on Ivan’s ears lightly before wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Fight whatever comes. It’s different for everyone.”

Celeste made a tsk noise and smirked, “Forgive me, maybe I should have thought about that further through than I did. Your case was extremely unusual after all.” Ayla nodded in agreement before putting her lips to the back of Ivan’s head.

“Unusual indeed~” Ayla cooed towards her mate.

“We should do introductions before Angela gets here. While Angela is part of our family she is not a vaewolf and our rules do not apply to her,” Celeste spoke with much wisdom as she eyed the rest of her family, “I am Celeste, the matriarch above all others I have just as much say Nemesis. The timid one in the corner is our adopted daughter Yelena she is one of my two betas and the family’s tracker and poison master. She is also sent on espionage missions from time to time. The redhead with Ayla, who spoke to you, is Ivan my second beta. His specialty is killing those in our line who do not honor our blood. Many have come before you and many will come after you. Our rules are strict to purge the undesirables. Should for any reason we deem you a betrayer you will meet Ivan,” Celeste spoke and let the heaviness of what she said sit for a moment.

“Ayla is a warrior from the Savanna. She was a wolf shifter which is why her turning was as horrible as it was. She backs Ivan up and acts as an enforcer. Often she is who we call on when we need to torture for information. You already know Reaver and his position in the family. Serafina who is not here is the Goddess of Death currently. She does whatever she wants and has say as alpha despite no longer being Nemesis’s mate. That’s it besides our son Sergei who is away at school in Iria. We are a small and noble family. We expect great things from you.”

Yelena bowed her head towards Zora and was the only one to do so since she couldn’t find her voice still. It was her way of greeting silently.

Soon the door opened and the second wife came in. She looked as beautiful as always with her waist-length red curls. She sported a green halter dress that cut down to her naval. She, however, looked preoccupied for the moment holding up a finger to the group. “We’ve talked about this. You can’t be here.”

There was a small noise as a white-haired toddler stood away from the door frame. “Why?” She had on a pastel pink nightgown and her little white curls were in a nightcap.

“Because small tiny children shouldn’t be doing adult things. Papa will tuck you in after we’re all done okay? He promises.” Angela looked at Nemesis then back down to Emry and her curious blue eyes. She was eyeing Zora.

Emry hesitated for a moment but still she didn’t come into the room knowing better than to disobey Angela, “Okay.”

Raine arrived and picked up Emry. “Come on Lady Emry~ Time for a story,” the pink-haired girl carried her off and Angela closed the doors before putting her back to it letting her eyes close.

“She’s stubborn like her mother,” Angela let out a sigh since Emry was trying to be a part of all the Volkov family business, and eventually maybe she would be. “What did I miss while I was arguing with the world’s most stubborn granddaughter?”

Celeste smirked a bit and beckoned Angela to look at Zora. “Just explaining the rules of the family. We were waiting for you. I can see that you had important business.”

“I tried to lose her but she is good. We are in the why stage,” Angela stepped away from the door and it was clear she had actually locked it behind her as a precaution. “Zora, I do pardon the interruption on my end but I have arrived though fashionably late. I am Angela and I will be making sure you make it through this tonight. I’m Nemesis’s second wife as I’m sure he let you know. My specialty is in healing and it goes beyond just holding the sphere of Life. I’m good at what I do and I’m proud of my skill set. I am the one who helped Reaver through his awakening just like I will you.”

Maalik took his place not far from where Reaver was sitting; whether in his human or raven form, he had been present for nearly all of the turnings. He’d seen many eventually fail the family and only a few succeed- those being the very beings in this room now minus Serafina. Ivan looked at the woman and cocked an eyebrow up. “Jeez, Papa does have a type.” Nemesis immediately shot a look at him, and the beta knew what it meant. Either he shut up or go without a tongue for the rest of his days. The choice was rather simple.

The lord stood motionless as Zora came up and reinforced her decision to go through with this. Her hand, chilling his skin a bit as he had forgotten the cold embrace of vampires for such a while now. As she released, his Celeste began the conversation, explaining what was to come and then led the introductions. Ivan merely smiled with a toothy grin at her when his role in the family was discussed. Purging was his pride’s work and he didn’t discriminate on who it was that was deemed a traitor aside from the Alphas, of course. It was even stated back when Ayla wasn’t turned that he would kill her if she had soiled the Volkov name. Part of being accepted into their clan was accepting the consequences should they fail. He had explained it to Zora as well, and it did nothing to her resolve. Nemesis knew that once she got something in her mind, then there was nothing that would ever change it.

“The family has been kept small for eons, back when I was thrown into the world. Sera had been my first and then Celeste. Within the last hundred years, the others here have come and each of them lives and dies for the Volkov name. While I’m sure you are capable of the same Zora, you will have to survive first”, Nemesis spoke up.

Ivan took a moment to think of something, “You know, I can’t remember my turning… The alpha male sighed in frustration over recalling the precise moment his wife turned him. “You were near death outside a tavern here. A human you were, I suppose you had gotten into a bar fight and was stabbed. Celeste took pity on you because she sensed something inside. Potential, I suppose.” As much as he loathed to say it, she had been right about it.

Reaver had kept quiet for most of the meeting as he looked onto the newcomer. He didn’t really have an opinion on her since they barely knew the other. All he was aware of was that she served as Champion and was about both the Bastion and the Church whenever necessary. “It’s gonna hurt like hell, the bite. Ain’t like a normal bite you’d be expecting from a vampire. Probably more of the wolf’s influence, I guess.”

Eyes then went over to Angela as she was arguing with little Emry. In truth, Nemesis didn’t wish for her to get caught up in this life, though she had spent much of her tiny life in their world versus that of Sularia with her parents. Much like the twins in his previous life, he didn’t wish for her to get caught up in the vortex of madness. In a way, he was glad that Zora couldn’t remember Angela as his affair with her back in their homeland had been the cause of many problems.

When everyone was ready, his tall form took a spacious step towards her and wrapped an arm around her. Her mind having been made up, he spared asking her again as his mouth opened and his fangs were out and enlarged. His hand brushed away her hair to leave the side of her neck exposed and his pearly whites set into her flesh. It was not the embracing bite that could stir arousal, but it was like Reaver had said- it was much more of a feral clamping that brought out throbbing pain that could shoot out throughout the entire body. Reaver watched in awe as this was the first time he had seen this in the making instead of being the victim of it. Ivan watched casually while resting his head on Ayla’s bosom, having seen this quite a few times himself. Maalik waited for the cue from his master as he drained Zora down to the last drop of blood. He could feel the unlife of her fading and fast and at the edge was when he ceased and pulled himself away momentarily to bite his palm and let the blood seep through. He brought it to her lips and tilted her head to let it enter whether she could acknowledge it or not.

When she had enough, he made the gesture for Maalik, who in turn got Reaver to join him as they caught Zora and carried her off to a large, lavish couch nearby. The easy part was over, and now the true battle would begin as he let Angela take over with a nod. His wound quickly healed up as he stood by, watching and waiting for the long storm to cease.

The extreme silence made her uncomfortable with all the red eyes around her watching. It was a small family but none the less intimidating. Curiosity struck her about Celeste’s childish form. She knew the woman was far older than she was and yet she appeared as a child. Zora felt it rude to ask a prying question and so she kept it to herself. The next one that drew her gaze was Yelena. The woman was quiet, and the redhead could have sworn she wasn’t here only a moment ago. She looked almost as uncomfortable as Zora felt. She glanced around at the others before the call of her name grabbed her attention. 

Celeste laid out the law in regards to the Volkov family and what was to be expected, not bothering to skip over the consequences should she do something seen as betrayal. Briefly her eyes rested on Ivan and Ayla. They didn’t look like two people she wanted to meet in a dark alley. Despite the affection Nemesis had for her, she knew that family business could override that and would easily find herself killed if the wrong move was made. “It is a pleasure to meet you all,” she commented, noting that Yelena was the only one to nod to her. “I understand the consequences, Lady Volkov.”

The silence was broken soon by a door opening and the voice of another woman who appeared to be arguing with someone she couldn’t see. When Angela moved a bit, she could see the small girl with her white curls and pink nightgown. She couldn’t help but smile at the little one. Zora had always had a soft spot for children. Something nagged at the back of her memory, like she had seen this child before. The vampiress put it away for now. She would ask at a more appropriate time. 

When the girl was taken away, her attention was brought to the red haired goddess. “Lady Life,” she said quietly, with a dip of her head as a courtesy. “Thank you for your help. While I am in no hurry to die, this is a rather important thing to me. For… many reasons.” Zora did not feel overly inclined to lay them all out. 

Soon, Nemesis was wrapping his arm around her. She had not felt his embrace before. A shiver rolled down her spine as he brushed her hair away from her neck. There was something familiar about this. His fangs pierced her flesh and a pained gasp escaped her. They were right, it felt much like an animal clamping down on you for the kill. Zora winced and writhed in his arms, trying to keep the pain silent other than a few small sounds that escaped her. She felt her mind dull, her vision blur, and sounds became muffled. 

At first she was desperate to drink the blood pouring from his palm. Her hands were grasping his flesh greedily as she started sucking down her only means for survival. A great pain shot through her and she could not hold back her scream. She had stopped actively draining his blood but his voice urged her to keep going. Clenching harder on his arm, she forced herself to take in that which caused her such extreme pain until everything turned dark and spotty. 

Arms caught her though she was not sure whose. She barely felt the soft cushion of the couch beneath her through the writhing pain of the transformation. “Nemesis.” Her voice was lethargic as she moved a hand to reach for him. Pain was swelling in her chest and she felt for certain that it was going to crack open. Another scream, her muscles going stiff and rigid for a moment before she started quivering. Zora felt dampness on the back of her neck and forehead. She felt as if she were on fire. 

To join the Volkov Clan, there were many great risks that came with such an honor and certainly, they were selective in choosing candidates. Many of the errors the Alpha had made from his time in the Shiran had been thought of and avoided this time. There would be no in-house fighting and ties were made very clear to all present. While Serafina's presence was absent, she ruled along with himself and Celeste. Angela's opinion was also seen highly along with the trio and then their betas were to carry on their laws and see to it that order was maintained. Even that fool Ivan could get that job done, even with his senseless theatrics. He knew that Zora would try her best to be respectful towards her fellow kin, but it would be noted that even before now, she hadn't had interaction with any of the other Volkovs. Time would ease her into familiarity with the others, should she survive the ordeal, he was sure of it. 

He couldn't say for certain of how the pain might fare for little Zora; he knew not of how she had been turned the first time, but if it was akin to how his had felt many eons ago, it would feel like paradise in comparison to his bite to her throat. Over the course of it, Reaver held onto the spot of his own neck. It hadn't been very long ago that Nemesis delivered onto him the very same thing, and it hurt like nothing he dealt with before. Even with her body moving, instinctively squirming against his touch, Nemesis remained plastered in his spot, draining her of the blood that he had savored under different circumstances before. 

The worse of it had yet to come, however. 

When it was time for her to drink his blood, Zora attempted and soon realized the problem. In comparison, his blood would be toxic for her to take up. Regular vampires and werewolves would find that vaewolf blood was dangerous, deadly even and the chances of them being turned were more unlikely than other races. But she pressed through it, even as her body rejected the taste. When she finally lost consciousness, he had the other men take her up and settle her down peacefully while she struggled against the metamorphosis. 

"Think this was a smart idea still?", Reaver asked as Nemesis took her small hand with his own. "No, but her will won't be broken. She wanted this, no matter the cost." 

He watched symptoms unfold; they were similar to the ones his recent beta held. No doubt did Angela spot them as well having saved Reaver from such. 

"Fortunately, the only thing I can think of is that unlike you, her blood isn't as old so there's the chance of it being less resistant to the turning."