Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

The father and son drank in silence for a short while, before Ivan started to gaze at his son. His eyes overflowed with pride before he started pouring another glass.

"Nikolai, I am proud of you. I hope you know that."

"How embarrassing Dad."

Nikolai took his glass, sipping more of the burning whiskey, but what surprised him was that after three glasses, the heat became comforting and the taste came through thicker.

A sweet caramel taste with hints of dark chocolate and tobacco with earth and a rich malty flavour filled his mouth.

He couldn't stop from smacking his mouth, licking his cheeks to savour the flavour, when he noticed his father's amused expression.

"Haha, did you finally appreciate the taste?"

"It's delicious, the subtly sweet flavour enhances the earthy malt flavour."

"Look at you, my little boy trying to sound sophisticated, how did the years pass so fast, Nikolai?"

Nikolai watched his father drinking faster than before, an atmosphere that even his blood arts couldn't understand fully, a complex emotion of delight and equal sorrow.

"Dad, are you drunk?"

Smack!

A thick hand slapped Nikolai's head, causing him to grimace. Though the pain wasn't that big, he couldn't help but react the same as he did ten years ago, a nostalgic interaction.

"Haha, sorry Dad don't get upset."

"Cheeky boy… I was just being emotional."

Nikolai couldn't help but admire and respect this old man. His face was handsome with a few wrinkles of a long hard life, with battle scars criss-crossed all around. The nose was straight and tall and his eyes piercing silver, while his short hair started to grey.

Ivan Volkov, the man Nikolai aspired to be for most of his life.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?" Ivan responded with a gruff voice, but his gaze oozed affection towards the young werewolf.

"Have I been doing well, am I on the right path?"

After three cups of extremely strong whiskey, even Nikolai started to become drunk, asking about something he constantly considered and worried about.

He had done things differently from everyone and acted unusually, though not always by choice. But he needed an assurance from his dad, who knew better, someone he trusted. Who could give advice he would never hear from anyone else.

"I don't think the right path exists," Ivan replied after some silence, his voice filled with nostalgia.

Nikolai was startled because it didn't seem like drunken talk, but words with meaning.

"You see Nikolai, sometimes even the right path can lead to disaster, and a loss that you cannot bear. But if you changed that path, what if you lost something else, would it be worth it?"

Ivan pulled out a locket from his neck and snapped it open. When he turned it towards Nikolai, it showed the image of his beautiful black-haired mother, holding a small child, with the happiest smile on her face.

"If I was given the chance and changed the past, what if I lost you instead?" Ivan's voice dragged, almost a stutter as he smacked his lips, before gazing at Nikolai seeking his answer.

Nikolai stared at the happy picture and thought. In the photo, his mother wore white with two gold pins at the shoulder, while her straight hair flowed down her side and she cradled him gently like the world's most precious treasure.

[You still have this picture, Ivan?! I told you I looked horrible… my makeup was all wrong.]

"But what if you could have mother beside you again?"

"…a life with Elizabeth at the cost of you isn't worth it. You are the treasure we both created." Ivan answered without hesitation.

Nikolai was surprised once again, and his father noticed. Though not usually so open, he continued.

"A treasure, your very existence, saved me in my darkest moments."

"Even if I am the reason mother died?"

Nikolai saw his father flinch. He didn't expect the man to avoid him at such a critical moment, though after a brief pause, his dad looked up again.

"Every "If" comes with regret, Nikolai, but every second you existed made your mother happy," Ivan explained in a soft voice.

"So if you are here, I am sure she is out there somewhere. Happy, and watching from beside you, her little treasure."

A gentle expression and wet eyes gazed at Nikolai, showing him a rare sight. His father's tears were something that rarely appeared in all his memories.

Whether it was from the alcohol or the subject, Nikolai could feel his father's feelings for the first time, and he became immersed in an ocean of emotions, carried from those silver eyes.

Grief. Love. Pride. Regret. Longing.

They wrapped around his mind like a warm embrace, and the burning whiskey seemed cold compared to the heat welling up from deep within his chest.

"I haven't given up on finding a way to bring her back." Ivan's sudden words shook Nikolai to his core. His father's eyes showed determination and an iron, unbreakable will.

"But until I know you can stand on your own two feet, and those idiots stop messing with you. I will clear the path you follow, Nikolai."

He said nothing more about that topic and lifted the glass, emptying its contents down his throat in one go. But Nikolai felt everything his father wanted to say more but stopped.

"Do you love them?" Ivan asked in a lighter tone.

"They're all wonderful people who deserve everything good in this world. If anything, I am the one unworthy of their affection."

"But do you love them?!" Ivan repeated, emphasising each word as if scolding a child.

"I would rather not lie, even now, I find it difficult to put into words what exactly I feel. But when they are gone I long for them, if they cry I want to comfort them, if they need me, I want to be there for them. If someone hurts them, I feel anger, and a need to punish them. When they laugh, I wish to share it with them and see their smile. If that is love." Nikolai paused for a moment in his ramble before blurting out, "Yes, I love them."

Silence lingered between them, but only for a moment until his dad reached over the table, pinching his cheek.

"Don't be so dramatic and long-winded, how about Kumiko, do you feel the same about her?"

After being scolded, holding his sore cheek. Nikolai was honest and admitted the things he denied because he worried the other women would be upset.

"I fell for her at first sight, and fell even further after getting to know her." Nikolai smiled fondly at the thought.

"Why does that feel weird to hear coming from my son, haha!" Ivan laughed before sighing.

"You remind me of your mother, she always liked stories with happy endings, I think she would be delighted by your group of brides," Ivan spoke with nostalgia before taking another sip. Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire

Astonished at his mother's proud look, Nikolai almost spat out his drink before gulping it down.

"Nikolai, I only ask that you don't abandon them if you've sworn to love them and stepped past the line of return. Remember, a Volkov man never turns his back on his wife. It will be harsh for you, with the others judging you, since most werewolves only have one partner."

Ivan tapped the table, his eyes half closed, with a deep smile. "But you don't have to stick to the rules, fuck that old man he's too stingy, make them all your Luna, who cares if you have four, or five wives. Treat them right, and Dad won't beat you."

"Dad?"

Nikolai felt confused. He hadn't expected his father to accept, let alone support his love life going in an odd direction, but he couldn't help but feel happy, from his father's honest words.

"I only ever saw her, it was a destiny carved into my fate, and every bone in my body longs for her still. But that's just me… no, your mother was simply that special, haha."

"Dad you're drunk!"

"I know, but my son is going to become a father, I will be a grandfather! I am so happy, this moment, I wanted to share it with Eliza."

"Oi, Dad, stop crying."

"Oh shut up."

"Ok."

The two sat in silence. Ivan recovered his composure, smiling awkwardly.

"For a long time, I dreaded becoming a father. Much like you right now. I didn't think I was good enough, or had the skills to become one."

"What did you do, dad?"

"Well, your mother kicked my ass and told me to stop being stupid."

"Pfft, what?"

"Yup, then she told me. No one starts a good parent. But if you try your best, you will never be terrible, or even good. But she was right. The moment I saw your dumb little face poking out, the world around me changed. If your mother made my world colourful, then you… You made it shine. That's what having a child is like Nikolai, I can't put it into words."

Nikolai sipped his drink, taking in his father's words.

A heavy responsibility and pride mixed with fear of failure and many unknowns plagued Nikolai's future.

'But I've never felt so close to my Dad before.'

"If you trip, or fall, I will be there. So, live however you want and when you face a wall you can't surpass, then I will give you a boost."

"Thanks, dad, I'm grateful to have you."

"You'll be even more grateful, wait and see. So just focus on what makes you happy, Nikolai."

"Oh… we finished the old man's favourite whiskey, haha, he's going to be pissed."

Later that night, Nikolai realised that even now, there were parts of Ivan that remained childish, much like him. But seeing these parts only cemented his father's image, helping Nikolai to accept his own faults.

They were scolded by Viktor for drinking his prized whiskey, but the smile on his father's face was a memory that Nikolai etched deeply into his heart and mind.

Thanks to the discussion, his feelings became clear, like a fresh stream in winter.