Callen's first year as a vampire passed quickly but mostly quietly. She had decided against finding her human family, not wanting to disrupt their lives. It was a difficult decision but her mates supported her completely. A few months after she was changed, there was an official ceremony. It was the closest thing the Volturi rules had to a wedding.

Following the ceremony was a ball that Aro insisted they have. Marcus admitted that it would be the best way to introduce Callen to their allies. So, they made the preparations and everything went smoothly. Every vampire she met seemed to be enchanted with Callen and they all wished the best for her.

The newborns in Seattle had been destroyed by the Cullens. Jane reported that none of the Cullens had died or even received any injuries. Caius seemed suspicious of their good fortune but Callen breathed a sigh of relief. Alice and Isabella held a soft space in her heart.

With the help of her mates and the entire guard, Callen quickly learned to control her bloodlust. After only 8 months into vampirism, she could stand in a room full of humans and be completely normal. Her mates were so proud of her, especially Caius. Only his brothers knew that he had struggled much longer than they had at controlling his thirst.

It was nearing the end of June, over a year since her change, when Callen heard from Alice Cullen again. An envelope had been delivered to the castle and it was addressed specifically to the Kings and the Queen. A human secretary brought it to her then skittered away fearfully. Caius didn't like her and she didn't offer anything to the Volturi so the poor thing probably wouldn't last much longer.

Sighing, the vampire sat in her throne. The room had been remodeled so that all 4 royals were sitting in a line. It was probably more intimidating but Callen liked it. Nobody else was with her since her Kings had other business to attend to. This was for the best since the woman reacted very strongly to the contents of the envelope.

Inside, on a thick beautiful paper, was an invitation. Edward and Isabella had decided to get married before her turning. After reading the entire invitation Callen jumped to her feet and danced happily around the room. Drawn by the noise, Caius witnessed the end of her joyful dancing.

"Excited about something my dear?" She giggled and danced across the room toward him as he sat in a stray chair. Even after watching her for a year, the Kings were still fascinated with her movements. Callen, oblivious to her mate's musings, flowed into his lap and handed him the envelope.

"Isabella is getting married and we've been invited! Isn't that just wonderful?! I'm sure everything is going to be amazing!" Caius read the invitation aloud then frowned slightly. A situation like this would need to be discussed between all of them. He sent a guard from outside to fetch his brothers then turned his attention on Callen. She happily received his affections while they waited. By the time Marcus and Aro had made their way to the throne room, the woman was a giggling mess.

The Kings were updated and the conversation began. Aro seemed to think it was a trick. A way to make them think the girl would be changed without them going to investigate. Caius thought the Cullens might try to attack them when they arrived. Callen disagreed, saying Alice wouldn't do that to her. Marcus cleared his throat and they all looked to him.

"If we all go together, I do not doubt that someone would try to take advantage of our absence. Whether it be the Cullen coven or someone like the Romanians, we cannot all go. However, Callen is more than able to protect herself and that coven seems to prefer her anyway. I think she should go on her own." There was an ensuing argument but they all eventually agreed to it.

There were still nearly 2 months until the wedding which gave the royals plenty of time. Callen perfected her self-control even more and worked on her gifts. Her jumps never affected her no matter how quickly she jumped or how far away she went. Since she had been changed the woman realized that along with being able to keep it standing for hours at a time, her shield had different layers. She could see and feel them in her mind then separate them into mental and physical parts. The mental shield only stopped gifts like Jane's while the physical only stopped people like Felix. Each having their own faults that were cancelled out when pushed together again.

This discovery could come in extremely handy if the Volturi encountered someone with a powerful offensive gift. For practice Jane and Alec attempted to get past her mental shield while Felix and Demetri battered her physical shield. Nothing had been able to damage the shields at all, even when Callen was covering the entire guard. Her mates were fascinated with her gifts and constantly praising her for it. There was no worry that anyone would be able to hurt her.