He sensed his mate once he crossed the border into Mystic Falls. The pull was there, heavy in his heart and urging him forward. The wolf inside him howled at the prospect of a mate after centuries of being alone. Klaus tensed in his seat, his hands clenching on the steering wheel as the submissive scent of his mate drew him forward.
The car lurched and growled as he pressed down on the accelerator.
Klaus stopped the car outside a bar, the only one in the small town. The pull was stronger here, as was the submissive scent and the need to claim what was rightfully his. He locked the car and followed a young woman into the building.
He almost staggered under the scent of his mate. After centuries of waiting, it was almost impossible for Klaus to deny the hope that built in his chest. Finally, after all these years someone to call his own, someone who he could trust...
The dim lighting did nothing to deter Klaus. Even without his sight, he knew exactly who his mate was. His mate was at the bar, a glass of Bourbon in his hand. His dark hair gelled into a scruffy mess and the leather jacket covered broad shoulders and clung to his slim frame. He was laughing with a blond man beside him which made Klaus tense and a grimace cross his features.
He took the seat beside the dark haired man and ordered a glass of whiskey for himself. Out of his eye corner, he watched the duo interact with each other. The blond placed a hand on his mate's shoulder while he laughed, congratulating him on his latest kill. The hand stayed on his mate's shoulder too long and the look in the blond man's eyes made Klaus snarl lowly.
Immediately their conversation stopped and they both turned to look at him. His mate was looking at him with a frown, his eyebrows pulled together over piercing blue eyes. He was young, appeared just over twenty but a light blush was staining his cheeks. He continued to look for a few seconds before his eyes glanced away and he fidgeted on his seat. He was clearly affected. Klaus smirked which seemed to irritate the blond further.
"Do you need anything?" The blond asked, his voice conveying his annoyance. He glanced towards the dark haired man, confusion and worry on his face. "Excuse me?" He said when Klaus failed to answer.
"No," Klaus replied, keeping his eyes firmly on the dark haired man. He appeared to be looking anywhere but Klaus. Definitely submissive. Fro the look on the blond man's face his behavior was anything but normal. "Is he ok?" He reached out and touched his mate's wrist, feeling the erratic yet stuttering pulse beneath his cold skin. A vampire then. He almost laughed at the irony.
The dark haired man snatched his wrist away as if he had been burnt by Klaus' touch. Confused blue eyes met Klaus' as he placed his hand over his heart beat.
"No, he's not." The blond man's voice brought Klaus' attention away from his mate. "Damon, come on. I'll take you home." He placed, a hand on Damon's shoulder and tried to guide him out.
Damon shook his head and glanced at Klaus once more before a shudder racked through his body. "Ric, my heart...it's started..." he mumbled as he bit his lip in frustration. He made to stand but staggered and the blond man caught him.
Klaus watched with interest. His wolf seemed settled with the minor claim he as made in front of the blond man. He could smell his own scent on Damon's wrist and he could now hear the faint stuttering of Damon's heart as it slowly began to beat again. A vampire. Definitely a vampire. It was only their species whose heart would begin to beat when their mate was close. Klaus had seen the worry that had clouded Damon's eyes and the way he cast fearful glances towards Klaus. It made Klaus wonder if Damon had already sensed the dominant side to his mate.
"You've had a drink," Klaus interrupted Damon's mumbling. "Let me drive. I'll get you home safely." He reached out towards Damon's hand and when their skin touched he saw a blush light up Damon's cheeks but his breathing calmed and the startled look on his face relaxed. Even if his mind wouldn't respond to the calming effects, his body would react to the presence of his mate.
"No," Damon replied, his voice stronger. He took a step away and allowed Ric to guide him towards the door. "I don't want you to."
Klaus made to stand and snatched Damon's wrist. A growl rose in his throat but it stopped as soon as Damon looked at him. His blue eyes were pleading and his voice was soft. "Please?" Damon glanced down to look at his feet.
And for some reason, Klaus let him go.
"Damon, what happened back there?" Alaric asked as they sat in the lounge in front of the fire. He took a sip of his drink, watching as the vampire finished his third blood bag. Alaric had never seen him drink so much. He appeared to be gorging himself on blood. "Damon?" he asked again, when the vampire had finished.
"Nothing. Nothing happened," he answered too quickly. Damon raised a hand to whip the blood from his mouth and his fangs slowly retracted. "Why do you ask?"
He frowned at his friend, perplexed at his strange behavior. "When that man - whatever he was - snarled, you changed. It was as if you were a different person." Damon swallowed thickly but couldn't meet Alaric's eyes. "And you were talking about you heart."
They sat in silence for a while as Damon moved uncomfortably in his seat. His hands clenched in the fabric of the couch as he began to talk. "Every vampire has a mate," he began slowly, still refusing to look at Alaric. "Just one mate, for the rest of eternity."
"How do you know when you've found them?"
"Our hearts begin to beat again," Damon's hand ghosted over his chest, his fingers lingering over his heart. He didn't notice the disappointment that flashed across Alaric's face. "We get stronger emotions, and the switch goes away. We can't turn our emotions off again; we feel everything our mate feels."
Alaric tried to keep his voice flat. "What's bad about that then?" He voice cracked but Damon seemed oblivious.
Damon reached for a fourth blood bag but drank this one slower. "In the pair there is a submissive and a dominant. The dominant is the one that can feel the pull towards their mate. They're the one that finds the submissive, not the other way around." He leaned his head back on the couch. He placed the half empty bag beside him. "A lot of submissive mates hide from their dominant."
"Why?" A feeling of dread was beginning to pool in Alaric's stomach.
"Dominants are stronger than their mate. They can easily abuse them. The amount of submissive mates that commit suicide is so high." His voice cracked and if Alaric wasn't mistaken he saw tears in the vampire's eyes. "I saw the broken bones that Rose suffered, she had bruises that wouldn't heal. Even with her healing abilities." He paused, his breathing heavy as the grief for his friend resurfaced. "Once they've found their mate they won't let them go. The follow them until they can claim them and their rage and anger is unrivaled. A slight touch - even off a friend - can send them into a frenzy."
"So does this mean? What does this mean?" Alaric stuttered as a he struggled with what Damon had just told him. He took a large drink from his glass and used the burn in his throat to ground himself. "Was he even a vampire? What about Stefan? Can't he do anything?"
Damon shook his head. "Stefan can't do anything. It would be death if he tried to stop the claiming. But he's safe at least, he's a dominant. I've been hoping that his scent would mask mine if we stayed close to each other." He laughed though it held no humor. "It obviously didn't help."
Alaric turned to Damon and was surprised when the vampire leaned into his touch. "What was he? And what are you?" He repeated though regretted as Damon stiffened beside him.
"He's a dominant werewolf. And I'm his submissive mate." Damon's shoulders fell and he seemed smaller than Alaric had ever seen him. Vulnerable. Beaten. "I can't let him claim me. I can't." His voice was barely audible. "I can't," he repeated and Alaric drew him closer to his body.
"I won't let him. I'll go with you, where ever you want to go."
The following morning, Klaus found himself standing outside the Salvatore boarding house. After compelling a bar maid he had quickly found out where his mate was. The house was saturated by a dominant's scent which made Klaus' instincts rise. Who was this other dominant? Was he Damon's lover? The thought made Klaus see red and all intention of this being a calm meeting fled his mind. He had to see Damon, to prove that he was his and no one else's.
He knocked on the door heavily. There was a slight noise before, obvious movement of a vampire. The door opened with a creak and a brown haired man opened the door. He looked younger than Damon but the dominant scent saturated him.
"What can I do for you?" Klaus saw the vampire move the door so nothing of the house was visible. He appeared tense and worry clouded his eyes. The vampire's nose twitched at Klaus' scent but otherwise showed no recognition.
"Is Damon here?" Klaus asked as someone moved behind the brown haired vampire. He glanced over the vampire's shoulder and spotted black hair and pale features. Damon's sweet scent assaulted his senses and he moved closer to the vampire. "I have to see him."
"Why?" he repeated, moving the door to block Damon from view.
"Stefan, don't let him him!" Damon's voice was urgent and his tone was fearful. "Please don't let him in." Klaus snarled in response to his mate's denial which caused Stefan to growl back, deep low in his chest as his brother was threatened.
Stefan focused on his brother, noting where he was in the house and the danger that might be presented. As he did he noticed the heartbeat, strong yet slow. So different from Ric's. "He's your?" Stefan asked but he already knew the answer. This werewolf, the man in front of him, was trying to claim Damon. "Ric?" he shouted, watching as rage descended over the dominant's face. "Take Damon away. Dress him in my clothes and get him away from here."
Fury filled Klaus. They were threatening to take his mate away from him. To hide him! He felt his eyes glow amber and the wolf inside him howled viciously. "You're not taking him away from me! He's mine!" He roared and pushed against the vampire. Stefan stumbled back in surprise but threw himself at Klaus, his fangs bared and his eyes black.
They landed on the tarmac outside the house is a flurry of snarls and growls. They grappled at each other as Klaus fought to get to his mate. he couldn't allow a bloodsucker to take his mate away! Stefan aimed a punch at Klaus' face but it didn't stop him. He spat the blood from his mouth and pulled at the vampire's arm, causing a scream to erupt as his shoulder dislocated. Klaus raised his hand to pierce through the vampire's chest; wanting death for the one who threatened his claim.
"Protect my brother!" Stefan shouted as Klaus' hand stopped just before his chest. Klaus' eyes cleared as he stared at the man beneath him. Brother? They weren't lovers?
He darted away from the vampire and into the house to find the human attempting to drag Damon away. Klaus smirked. Damon might not want him but his body needed him regardless of what his conscious wanted. "Damon?" Klaus whispered and the vampire's head shot up, blue eyes meeting Klaus'. Klaus watched the inner battle within his mate as his mind wanted one thing, his body another. "Come here," stated Klaus softly. The human appeared devastated as the vampire moved forward towards Klaus.
As Damon took a second step, something heavy hit Klaus in his back. Stefan. The vampire was atop of him once more. A rain of hits landed on Klaus' body and blood spilled beneath him. "I won't let you claim him. Not until you can prove tat you won't hurt him!" Stefan raged. Through the hits, Klaus saw that Ric had managed to move Damon away and was in the process of changing his t-shirt - presumably one of Stefan's.
The way the human's eyes raked over his mate's body fueled Klaus. No one would look at his mate like that! He forced Stefan away from him and sent the vampire into the wall. The plaster cracked with a satisfying crunch.
Klaus ran towards his mate, pushing him away from the human. He could smell the human's scent all over his mate. On his clothing and even on his skin! He let out a deafening roar and grabbed the human by the throat and pinned him against the nearest wall. He could feel the muscles in the man's throat clenching. He watched as the man turned red and his hands grasped Klaus's arm -
"Leave him alone!" It was his mate's voice, filled with fear. Klaus looked over his shoulder, keeping the human against the wall.
In any other circumstance he would appreciated his mate more. He would have allowed himself to look upon Damon and notice his beauty. But all he could notice was the stake pointing precariously over his mate's heart. "Let him go!" Damon's voice shook and the stake quivered in his hand.
"You wouldn't." Klaus dared. He saw Stefan moving towards Damon, ready to grab him should the other make a deathly move.
"Let him go! He's my friend!" Damon's eyes widened as he saw his friend gasp for breath. Klaus saw him gulp, and Damon pushed the stake into his skin. A groan escaped him in pain as blood stained his borrowed t-shirt. "Let him go," he whispered, "or I'll do it." Stefan looked between his brother and friend, conflict on his face.
Klaus tensed his hand, causing his fingernails to draw blood. "What would you give?"
"My life." Damon said.
Stefan launched himself at his brother, knocking the stake away from his heart. A gasp of pain sounded around the room. Klaus dropped the human and rushed to his mate's side. Blood spluttered from his mouth as Damon coughed loudly. He was scared and tried to move away as Klaus came closer. Stefan looked at Klaus. "Can you help him?" he asked, cradling his brother's head in his lap.
"I can give him my blood." Stefan nodded his consent. Beneath him Damon kicked fitfully in an attempt to free himself. All to no avail. He shook his head and his breathing spiked as Klaus neared. He appeared more scared of Klaus than the stake that protruded from his lung.
"Calm yourself, Damon!" Stefan shouted. "Look at me!" Damon's submissive side reacted to his brother and he his body calmed and he stopped kicking. "Just a but of his blood. That's all, you'll heal quicker." Stefan wrapped his fingers around the stake and nodded to Klaus. When he pulled the stake out, Damon gasped, his mouth open in pain.
Immediately, Klaus placed his bleeding wrist to Damon's open mouth. Despite Stefan's soothing words, he struggled and his hands left welt marks on Klaus' forearm. He sat on atop his mate, pinning his thrashing legs while the look of fear and betrayal began to grow. Stefan massaged Damon's throat gently with two fingers in an attempt to make him swallow. For a few moments Damon resisted, but eventually he sagged under Klaus and hesitantly drank his blood.
He pushed Klaus' wrist away weakly and let his eyes fall shut. "Please, leave me alone. I want to be alone."
"I'll take him upstairs," Alaric offered. The marks around his throat were slowly fading.
When Klaus made a move towards the human, Stefan shot him look of annoyance. "Yeah, that'll great," Stefan motioned for Alaric to come closer. "If he will let you, clean him up. If not, just get him to bed." Alaric nodded and helped Damon stand. He watched in silence as the human lead his mate away.
"So," Stefan began once Damon was safely away. "You're his mate." He said the words as if they offended him and left a foul taste on his tongue. "I give you my permission to court Damon. But if you abuse him, or claim him before he's ready I will kill you. I will torture you before I kill you. Are we understood?"
Klaus nodded. He knew the vampire would find it difficult to kill him but he didn't say that. Let Stefan think he had the upper hand. "And when his heat comes?"
"You stay away from him. Take yourself far away. I don't care where."