The moons were gorgeous and to the wolven kind they were heaven-sent on this rare night. Crimson eyes stared at them from a peeking hole through curtains. She was in Kurayo for the night to make sure Sergei got all of his school supplies and to check on business contracts. Nemesis had pleaded with her to wait one more night but she could not let this weakness rule her life. Moving her hand to close the curtain the sting of the moonlight made her skin shiver. The silver veins and flecks in her pale skin seemed to pulsate.

A deep frown lined her sweet face. On this night she took her true form that she had gotten accustomed to hiding from everyone. Those in their circle knew but they dare not speak it for the wrath of not only her husband but herself wasn’t worth the trouble.

A sigh left her lips as she threw down some paperwork. “Honestly, did these morons forget I can go outside?” Long pale pink hair reached the floor just barely not being able to pool around her. She had gotten used to how long it was in her bigger form. Finding one of her smaller dresses of black she made her way down the staircase and through the door.

Celeste Volkov was the matron of the Volkov family and known for being the one who was diplomatic out of the three alphas. However, if there was one thing she hated it was being lied to. “Lady Volkov, perhaps you should reconsider tonight.” Ayla was behind her. She was a very tall and muscular woman with honey hair and eyes that matched. “It’s dangerous for you tonight.”

There was a scoff from the elder Volkov. “No dangerous than any other night.” She turned on her heel and continued walking towards her destination. “If anything you should feel sorry for those that have wronged our family tonight. I’ll see to it that they know hellfire and brimstone. Tell Ivan to ready the rose bed for my arrival…”

In the middle of the empty Kurayo streets, Ayla got down on a knee and bowed her head. She had always feared the smaller of the three alphas. While Celeste could be easy to deal with at least Nemesis and Serafina were somewhat predictable. When Celeste lost herself in anger there was no telling what she would do and to who. “As you wish.” Like a dog who submitted to its owner, Ayla watched as Celeste sauntered farther off.

“Lady Celeste says to ready the roses,” Ayla stood up and looked into the shadows where giggles could be heard.

“Mama is gonna kill someone~ Oh I’m excitedddd.” The male voice faded and so did the presence of the two.

It was always a unique experience having her beta and beta’s mate around. Ayla was far more worthwhile to have around all the time than Ivan. Ivan had a bad habit of pissing Nemesis off for better or worse but he was an excellent hunter of their kind. Celeste did love her strays and there came a time when all strays would eventually need to be put down.

Pushing her hair behind her long elvish ears she pushed open the door of a prestigious house. As quiet as she was approaching the entire mansion was ablaze in a few moments with Celeste dragging a screaming man from the ashes. The council wouldn’t think twice if there were no survivors or witnesses… Well, there were witnesses but they all shut their curtains and slammed their window covers. They wanted nothing to do with the ‘justice’ being dished out.

Blood was all over the small elf’s face as she pulled the man who was probably five times her size. A fat cat would be putting it mildly. “We can talk about this! Celeste, there has to be some misunderstanding.” There was the pleading she had long been expecting since her adventure began. “I would never… EVER cheat you nor Lord Nemesis.”

Celeste stopped briefly and let her hand snap the bastard’s wrist. The bone-crushing sound echoing in the empty streets. His screams grew and her gaze narrowed down on him. “Don’t speak my name nor my husband’s. You’ve lost that right… Though I am curious… Did you really think that you would get away with cheating us out of business? Just because he is busier now and I am by his side does not mean that we don’t watch our city closely.” She moved a slender hand and now his arm contorted with another snap.

The man became a puddle of misery and begging as Celeste continued to drag him from the fire. “It’s the moons! You know what they do to yo–” There it was. There was swift movement as the small vaewolf threw the man up just enough and kicked him effortlessly into the nearby brick building. It shook the foundation and cracked the walls. He was a bit more sturdy than that being what he was but it still did great damage. Celeste’s ears had picked up the sound of ribs cracking and perhaps more than that.

The man fell from the wall and landed on the ground. “Now, I was going to bring you home for Ivan to toy with.” She jammed her foot into his back and applied great strength to it. His back popped in ways it probably shouldn’t have as he screamed. “However, I am greatly having second thoughts about how agitating you are and I don’t know if I can tolerate the two of you being in a room together,” a low hiss left her lips as she spoke.

To kill him now and drag his lifeless corpse back home or to take him to Ivan for her little pet to play with? Both were entertaining thoughts and she would need a moment but the longer she was out in the moons’ lights the more pissed she was getting towards the situation.

Things were going well for the vixen. Her belly had not gone without blood and her bed was warm more often than not. The vampire was making new connections with interesting people. Albeit, none were terribly powerful but she didn’t need their power. She would garner her own in time. Instead, her new life was slowly unfolding. Every decision that could impact things in the long run had to be careful. When she questioned where things were going, she thought of the encouragement her dark guardian had given her. She could do this - and she would in style.

The vixen glanced at her bed and briefly wondered where her plaything had scampered off to. She shrugged, caring little. Veah slipped on a satin robe on her naked form. Then she prowled forward and opened up the doors to her balcony. The chilly air felt divine against her skin. Her emerald gaze looked up to the moons with a smile. She had grown used to the violet hue and did not bother worrying about the imminent doom that they apparently signified. The vampire pivoted around and decided to get dressed for the evening.

She stepped out in tall boots, leather pants, and a sapphire corset with silver embroidery. A long silver necklace hung around her neck with a piece of moonstone. She wore her ring that matched one of Nemesis’s rings, a symbol of their former world and the guild they built there. Her hair was held back with her assassins comb. Her favorite accessory was new, a cat o’ nine tails with obsidian tips. The vampire may have been struggling to find a decent pair of elf crafted boots but the rest of her toys were coming together nicely.

Her nostrils flared at the scent of fire. Her head tilted with amused confusion, deciding to follow the trail. Suddenly she came upon a tiny, angry woman handling a male with an abundance of fury in the doorway of a burning building. She watched the girl dragged him and kicked him around. The redhead had no interest in intervening. It was really none of her business but she was too amusing to look away. Instead, she prowled closer. Neveah’s lips twitched to a smile. The scent of his blood caused her fangs to ache and her eyes to dilate. Then her ears perked up at the name she recognized. Her hands balled into a fist, her nails nearly piercing the skin.

The wife.

The vixen now recognized the girl from the statue, but had not realized she was so petite. Veah could have walked away and been fine. She really didn’t need to meet the woman who had tamed the Dark Kaiser. Her life would continue just as well - but she paused to question if Nemesis would have wanted the pair to meet. Honestly, she couldn’t be sure. Veah believed she was nothing in his world but the fact that she too was a statue indicated that was not entirely true. So, she leaned on a brick building across from the chaos with her arms folded and one ankle crossed across the other.

Celeste was in a particular kind of mood tonight. She was volatile more than normal and it led her work being on the sloppy end compared to others. It was still better than what Ivan would do. Celeste’s eyes darted out. “I know you are there Dog. Come out here.”

There was a scurry and a man who looked haggard at best. “Lady Celeste… What will the council think?”

The vaewolf reached and twisted the man’s arm more before stomping on his neck to mute the noise. Her red eyes were staring into the werewolf’s eyes. “You’ll tell them exactly what I’m telling you… Do you understand me?”

The man shook just a bit and nodded. “What would that be?”

“There was an accidental fire and I was able to pull poor Maurice out of the fire. Sadly, he died from injuries. Being that he is a good friend of our family…” Celeste used her other heel to put into the back of Maurice. “We opted to bury him in our family plot since he has none in Karuyo.” The youngest of the alpha Volkovs never moved without reason. The council would find no reason to think she was lying and even if they did… They wouldn’t move to punish her. “Now… run along and tell your mother hello for me.” The werewolf was sweating and he took off without another thought.

Like he would have the balls to tell the council anything anyways.

Now that there was a witness but also an alibi just in case she grabbed hold of the man’s legs and pulled him. “Help me please!” The vampire cried out towards another being and Celeste was quick to actually snap his neck this time.

“…I was going to kill you when I got home.” There was a light sigh from her. “Pathetic.” Looking up to the other individual she had sensed her eyes got a bit wide for a moment. She recognized the woman from Nemesis’s garden. The women of importance. If she had been Sera there would have been a fight but Celeste had no interest in being the type of woman who did such a thing.

Without dropping her dead body’s leg Celeste moved her hair over one side to keep it from the blood. “I don’t know your name but you know my husband. Perhaps you would like some tea of some sort back home. I might need help with my garden depending on if my beta has taken off.” Knowing Ivan he was on the first ship out of Kurayo knowing his mama was upset. “I wish to get away from the moonlight.” The silver flecks in her skin were glowing now the higher the moon got up and it sending wisps of smoke almost like the sun burning a vampire. It wasn’t going to kill her but it was going to hurt.

Either way, she had dropped the invitation and began to drag the body. Whether or not this woman would want to talk with her was entirely up to Nevaeh now.

Neveah knew Nemesis had business in Kurayo but the thought of running into his wife had never crossed the vixen’s mind. She assumed the other woman would stay in the glorious temple. Looking back, it had been a foolish thought and Veah was not a vapid woman. She felt silly for not realizing that surely this mystery woman would have other interests than sitting around idly. A woman like that could not have captured Nemesis’s attention for longer than a night or two, much less managed to tie him down in matrimony.

Her eyebrow arched as she watched the scene unfold and another begrudgingly approached. The wolf reeked of sweat and fear. It was delicious. He took orders like a good bitch and then scampered off. Veah had not found any particularly interesting or intelligent wolves in this world. They all seemed to fall into the filthy mutt category from what she could tell.

Then attention fell upon her unexpectedly. The redhead couldn’t help but chuckle as the smaller woman killed him for this act of desperation. She pushed off from the wall she was leaning on, deciding the show was over. It had been interesting but she was growing bored and a little hungry. Then her emerald gaze met with a pair of crimson eyes. She saw the recognition spark in the femme’s gaze. Veah did not back from; she physically couldn’t even if she wanted to. It wasn’t in her nature.

The redhead nodded in agreeance when the vaewolf began. The other woman did not seem to care about Neveah’s tense, mildly aggressive stance. This allowed the redhead to relax slightly, but she still had no idea what to expect. The vampiress walked towards the other woman. “I’m Neveah,” she offered with a neutral tone. “I’m sorry but he did not share your name.” Her tone remained matter of fact, not trying to start a fight with the other woman. There was no need for biting remarks. Her gaze went down to Celeste’s skin. “Allergy?” she questioned with a confused tone. She never knew another vampire or wolf race that did not relish their time under the moon.