The journey here had been uneventful for the lone traveller, on her way to an especially important meeting that would, once again, forever change the course of her life. From a very humble beginning to what she was now, and what she might become soon, well, few would consider her luck anything other than bad. However, after the difficult adjustment period at the start of her new life, the red headed woman had found that, indeed, she enjoyed what she was now. No longer bored on her parents’ farm with her siblings, who of course she loved all just as much now as she did before, now her life was exciting. The things she had done, places she had been, people and beasts she had met, since her life began had been, in the end, all worth it. For the horror story of how it started, only to be saved by someone whom many thought uncapable of doing such a kind act, things had gone well.

Now the time had come to take her next step, up the ante, as it were, with what she was and could be capable of. What she could become had been explained to her in some detail, however, it was not something given lightly and without due process. That process involved going to meet the progenitor of the gift she had a chance to receive. This idea had been proposed to her by, what might call, her true sire, the one who had helped her become what she was, not the one who had forced a poor young and defenseless human woman to the brink of death against her will.

So it was that a meeting was to take place between the young woman and the old wolf, just the two of them. He would decide if she was worthy of that next step, of that gift that had been offered to her on the condition of approval. She had accepted both the gift and the condition without much hesitation, trusting her sire to have her best interests in mind.

That was how the red headed woman had come to the city of Kurayo, with nothing with her aside from her usual daggers for protection. To she was not nervous would be a lie, of course she was, she did not want to upset the one she was to meet and fail her sire, that would not do at all. She was not aware of how much the man would know of her, how much information had been exchanged between him and her sire, but she assumed that no matter how much have been explained she would have to do it again anyway.

She walked through the streets with the hood of her cape up over her head in the evening twilight. This city was dangerous on the best of days, it did not pay to bring attention to one’s self for no reason. In the city she had been instructed to find a certain bar and talk to the barkeep, there she was given the location of the mansion she was supposed to go to. She tipped the keep for the information, he was probably getting paid well anyway but she wanted to keep him friendly towards her.

With that she headed outside of the city and walked for a few miles, once in a while having to take cover in the bushes to stay out of sight. A lone traveller could easily find themselves outnumbered quickly in these parts. Using her hunting and tracking skills she easily avoided any attention to herself until she was confident she was alone. She then stripped down naked and stuffed her clothing into a bag she had carried and then closed her eyes as she dropped to all fours as red fur rippled across her body.

The large red wolf picked up the bag in her maw and took off at a run, knowing the direction she needed to head in and what she was looking for. It was maybe half an hour of flat out running before she saw the mansion before her. Yes, this was it, exactly as had been described to her. She stalked closer and just before the main gate found a place to hide. There she changed back to human, huffing for breath for a moment as she let the night air cool her off from the running before she put her clothing back on once more.

Dressed she walked up the walkway to the main door, took one deep breath and then knocked three times.

It was an…intriguing matter at hand when the proposal had come to his ears by his first child and former lover. Serafina hadn’t been the sort to take on such a responsibility previously until recent years. Xerxez had been her first sired and under those circumstances, had brought friction between the two alphas that nearly cost them blood and lives. It was only after a great deal of time that they had buried the hatchet and were on friendly terms again. So it did come as a surprise to him that she was requesting his own evaluation and approval for a second Beta. In the grand scheme of things, Nemesis could understand that it would only serve to strengthen their blood.

After all, Nemesis had Reaver and Zora, and Celeste had Ivan and Yelena. Xerxez was finally acknowledged by him as her Beta male so it would only seem fitting to have one in the female variety. Provided that this girl of hers was worthy of it.

Aside from tidbits fed to him, he knew next to nothing about how she would fare in the family. Perched near the balcony, he deeply inhaled his pipe filled with a garden variety of herbs and puffed it out in a stream. The woman was to come today and present her case to him alone. A bold move, he’d give credit for that at least. The Terra season’s stay didn’t last too long; he could already feel the warmer nights draw upon the island moons ago. Trades would be fruitful and his profits would be at their peak so, between that and how smoothly his faith was being run, the vaewolf was in a content mood.

It wouldn’t be long into his state of bliss that the door was knocked on and one of the seasoned maids answered. “My lady, come this way.” She opened the door wider and closed it shut as their guest arrived. Many didn’t come to the estate, not without invitation and the staff was informed to take the necessary steps when the time came. Another maid went up the grand staircase in the foyer to alert their lord of their guest while the seasoned one led Cassandra into one of the halls and a set of double doors that lead into a spacious meeting room. A long table resided in the middle with rows of seats upon either side and a singular one at the end. The walls were decorated with both portraits of various family members and that of maps of different districts of Kurayo, from the docks to the lower and higher ones. Like the other parts of the house, the room was well lit with chandeliers hung high above the ceiling. The maid gestured for her to take a seat before leaving without a word. The maid sent for Nemesis knocked upon the door and went back to her duties. Nemesis put out the remainder of his pipe and melded into the shadows. Within a moment’s glance, he emerged from one of the furthest corners of the meeting room, his red eyes bore icy glares at the woman before he stepped into the light. He would yet to take a seat, opting instead to move about the table slowly like creepy, looming darkness as he went down the side opposite of her position…

He could smell that she was wolf indeed, which would bring matters they’d discuss soon.

“My name is Nemesis Volkov, Sire of your lady and the Alpha. Serafina seems to fancy you a great deal, my child. Enough to propose to me the option of turning you into something even greater than what you are now.” He could hear her heartbeat strumming about, which delighted his ears. He could smell some hesitation deep inside. Perhaps she was afraid? Well, he wouldn’t blame her if she was; it was a huge step to take on. “Let it be known though that survival rates probably wouldn’t be in your favor. You have the blood of a wolf inside you and our blood is like poison to yours. Sera is an Alpha in her own right and you’d be the first wolf to take on an elder’s bite.” Circling around the short end of the table, Nemesis came over and stood at the side of her chair with folded arms.

“With that out of the way, and considering that you still wish to take the risk…then prove to be your case, young one. Why is it that you wish to join my small, but humble family? Wealth? Power? Recognition?

She did not have long to wait before the door was opened and she was greeted by one of the maids allowed her inside. ”Thank you.” Cassandra nodded her thanks to the maid, whether it was required or not, Cassandra planned to be as respectful as she could to anyone in this mansion. Cassandra was led into a spacious meeting room down one of the halls, with a long table and portraits on the walls. Cassandra took a seat as the maid motioned to one, her heart hammered in her chest, but it was a steady beat, nervous, yes, but controlled, for now at least.

Something in the rook shifted and Cassandra just barely noticed it a moment before Nemesis emerged from one corner of the room, and after a moment Cassandra could smell faintly the remnants of tobacco smoke. Nemesis’ red eyes were boring into her it felt like as he stepped closer he started to speak. ”I’m honoured, Lord Nemesis, for the opportunity to speak with you, I’m Cassandra.” Cassandra replied, was she formal enough?! Was her tone ok?! Too much of the old farm girl was left in her perhaps, she could be herself and more casual around Serafina now as they had grown closer with their friendship. So Cassandra did not have a lot of experience dealing with someone like Nemesis that she had to talk in certain ways.

She said nothing more as he continued to get closer and spoke, not until he was standing right next to her chair and was looking down at her. He questioned her motives, told her of the risks she could be taking to even attempt to be changed further than she already was. When he finished Cassandra glanced away for a few moments as she lined up her words, why had she agreed to this anyway? ”Family.” She replied simply before explaining further. ”I was almost dead after the lycan’s attacked me the night I was changed, when Serafina found me bleeding out, too far gone for the lycanthropy to heal me. If it wasn’t for her help that night I would be dead, and I don’t think my family would have found, I had ranged far from the family farm to hunt. My brothers didn’t hunt, not as well as me, and my parents trusted me.” She stopped as if realizing she was starting to ramble a bit too much so she collected herself and continued.

”Serafina gave me a chance to see my family again, though I don’t, and I don’t think I can, live with them anymore. At the start I didn’t have control of the wolf, I didn’t want to risk hurting them if I lost control, so I only visited to tell them what happened. They’re simple farmers, so was I, so having a lycan around, probably not the best for them or me.” She sighed. ”Serafina gave me a new home, training to control the wolf and defend myself in my new life, she gave me purpose. She became part of my new family, or extended family, however you wish to put it. So, I wish to join your family because I feel that Serafina is already part of my family, I owe her much, but, I must admit, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love her very deeply.” She thought a moment. ”As for power and wealth. Growing up on the farm we had to get by on our own, so I can get by without much coin. Power though, if this change makes me stronger, should I be strong enough already to survive, so be it, it’s an added bonus. I’ve already killed the lycans that attacked me when I was first turn, a mated couple, but, unable to shift outside of full moons. His death was quick, but she was the one who actually bit me, she died slowly, as I chewed her head off at the neck.” There was a faint grin on her lips as she recalled that night, oh that had been grand! ”I’ll use that new found then to defend my human family, and to help Serafina and her family, should Serafina fall from Divinity, I’ll stand by her side no matter what. The risks be damned, if I die, at least no one can call me a coward for not trying.” She left it at that, perhaps she had spoken too much, or not enough, but she rambled when she was nervous and she had wanted to speak her peace.

Her answer made him back away for the time being, both in the physical sense as he drew back from her a bit and mentally as his demeanor grew less colder. Many sought to join their ranks for the strength that they possessed, the influence they had cultivated, and the coin they had worked hard to collect. But Cassandra wanted something different, and it was a step in the right direction in his eyes.

The woman was a wolf by receiving the wicked gift rather than being born with it; that would certainly help her chances of survival, though even he was uncertain of how much it could. Nemesis allowed for her to continue with the one-sided conversation, keeping an impartial mask on his face as much as possible. Perhaps the only time it wavered was when she explained a sense of love for Serafina, which drew his brows close together in thought. It shouldn’t have surprised him as both the sires and sired in the family had turned or turned due to affections. Did Sera return whatever feelings this situation might have meant? The last time they had talked, she had yet to find Xerxez, and gods knew what trouble he had wandered himself into.

By the end of it, he had turned to the seat heading the table and plopped down onto it, resting his hand onto the back of his hand. Well, he didn’t have to worry about Cassandra’s killer instinct, taking note of how she brought the one who had turned her into ruins. To be frank, he held no care for her human family; their lives were nothing more than flickering embers compared to the long-living creatures such as the two present in the room. But he was forced to respect the dedication she had, albeit a bit displaced. But time would correct it as it always did. “Careful now, there’s a difference between cowardice and foolishness, Cassandra. But I will offer appreciation to your reasons for taking such a high stake. In my family, there is no weakness. Each and every one of my vaewolves serves a purpose and when we work collectively as a pack, we can not be stopped, be it by forces of man or even gods.”

His lips curled upward, showing the first positive sign since his arrival. “Like you, many of us have tales of ‘humble' beginnings. Myself? I was a knight that was to serve pathetic lords. Serafina? A common owner of a tavern with a fierce temper and my first sired. My wife and second sired, Celeste was an elf that was sold to a disturbed man by her own kin. Our family was small at first, but as we all took on Betas, the circle grew and so did our strength.”

“Tell me, what did Serafina tell you, if anything at all about this family?”

She nodded at his words to be careful with the difference between cowardice and foolishness, made sense now that she thought on it more for a moment. Nemesis had sat down while Cassandra had rambled on a bit more than she had planned, but he had never interrupted her either. She was happy to hear the appreciation for her reasoning. ”I will do everything in my power and within my abilities to work with the pack and contribute no less than my share.” She replied, it was a bit outspoken and she had more blurted it than anything, but her nervousness could possibly be the reason. She wanted to make a good impression, not just for her sake but for Serafina’s, so that Nemesis did not think Serafina had sent an inferior being to him.

She bit her lip then to keep herself from talking anymore than she had until he was finished. He spoke a little of his past, of Serafina before he had turned her and then of his current wife. He then asked what Serafina had told her of vaewolves, and Cass nodded. ”Enough to get me interested, that you are a combination of vampires and werewolves, so you’re stronger than both of them, and, actually, that’s really all she needed to tell me to get me interested. I think perhaps she was leaving going into further detail to you, I’m not too sure on that.” She informed him. ”I do wish to hear more from you if it’s something you’ll share with me, if they aren’t secrets I have to learn whe… if, you accept me.”

How polite this little wolf was in his humble den. He’s watched for any slight reaction, anything really from her that would speak louder than her words. Anything that could convince him that she wasn’t worthy of the powerful gift she sought. But so far, Cassandra was mindful and determined to see this meeting through, even though it was obvious that she was a tad jumpy. Nemesis chalked it up to his very presence, as it wasn’t the first time nor would it be the last someone would be intimidated.

Serafina filled in some bits here and there it seemed, and it looked almost as though she was expecting Nemesis to fill in the rest of the blanks. Not that he had minded as he gave the girl a toothy grin. “You might be right. I suppose, in truth, it’s a good thing as I wouldn’t want secrets to be revealed quite so quickly.”

His red eyes closed tightly as he listened to the rhythm of her heartbeat, pumping out what he could only assume to be sweet, delicious blood throughout the lupine’s body. “Yes, we are a combination of two powerful races. Should you be given the gift and survive, you will not have to worry about no longer seeing the sun. Fortunately the wolven part keeps it so that we don’t perish but we do lose a bit of strength . However, along with the regular substance you are used to, you may also be quenched by drinking blood. Feed too much of it though, and bloodlust could override your senses. Aside from that, you will feel even stronger than you have before and may feel yourself changing in other manners.”

“As far as weaknesses go…” The alpha looked at her narrowly, “You can still die in traditional ways; decapitation, silver can still potentially kill, holy spells have a good chance as well and wolfsbane if exposed for long enough. The timeless “Staking the heart” bit isn’t enough to kill- the heart must be cut out and burnt.”

Each word that fell from his lips were said as though he was reading from a novel, word for word. At this point, Cassandra was filled in on a good amount of details when it came to the vaewolves, but with her now familiar with those facts, she was in one of two places. Either he trusted her enough to join or he wasn’t worried about speaking truths to someone that was in range of him.

Dancing along with those thoughts in mind, Nemesis pointed above her position to a portrait of a redhead man in his earlier thirties. “And if one should prove to be undesirable in the end, even after being turned, then my wife’s beta will take care of it. A bumbling fool he is, but an excellent vaewolf hunter. Do not get on his bad side, if that’s even possible.”

“Now then, I see…no reason why you shouldn’t be turned by Sera, but are you ready for the responsibilities of being her beta? The last one swore that he’d never leave her, but the last I had spoken to her, she hadn’t the foggy clue of where he’s at. I spared the motion of sending Ivan after him because of her feelings for him. I pray I won’t have to even think about something like that with you, my friend.”