The sequel to The Summer King. An Originals AU.

Summary: Trouble brews from the French Quarter to the quiet foothills of Colorado as vampires, werewolves, and witches are threatened by the newly minted alliance between a power hungry Alpha and a turncoat Hunter. Klaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall find themselves with targets painted on their backs, and along with this threat on both of their lives, a new prophecy and vision hangs over them both. Faced with an uncertain future, can the two new mates survive it all, even when it seems that even fate is against them?

Rated M for violence, language, and sexual situations.

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"If you were going to die, I was going to die with you. I couldn't stop thinking it over and over as you screamed, as I tried to kill her: you were my mate, my mate, my mate."

-Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)

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Chapter One: Threes

Three funerals in three months.

First, it had been the werewolf elder, Dedrick. The second murder came the following full moon, which left a vampire ravaged by a werewolf, and left for dead in the sunlight of the impending dawn. And when the third came, and the witch's body had been found in the ancestral grounds of the French Quarter, still no one asked nor wondered who had committed the crimes.

Tensions were high all along the land, from the vibrant life in the Quarter all the way to the quiet valley that held the quiet community of the Crescent Wolf Pack. A tentative alliance between the vampires, werewolves, and the witches were tested more and more as each month passed, and as each group had to bury one of their own. The alliance seemed ready to collapse in on itself as quickly as it had formed.

Somewhere in the heart of a forgotten ranch in the middle of nowhere, a large group debated what action needed to be taken next. An even mix of the three affected groups, they rationalized, argued, and talked their way through several days without reaching a conclusion.

Seated amongst the other vampires, Rebekah Mikaelson tapped her long, red fingernails against the wooden table in a rabid rhythm. On either side of her sat her brothers Kol and Elijah, the former looking bored and the other reserved as ever.

"Must we continue sitting through this?" Rebekah asked in a low voice.

"Yes. He asked us to," Elijah reminded her.

"If this is so important, why did he show up?" Kol challenged, rubbing a hand over his eyes in exasperation.

"He's coming," Elijah said, the perfect picture of patience. "You and I both know why he was held up."

"I don't know why they had to bother with it at all-,"

Elijah interrupted his sister, casting her a raised brow look. "Must I explain it again, Rebekah? I do believe there is nothing wrong with your hearing, dear sister."

Ignoring the slight, Rebekah blew out a breath, scattering her bangs from her eyes. Her gaze turned towards the dark skinned vampire seated close to the liaison for the werewolves, Mason Lockwood, and her lips curled.

Marcel was in the middle of a debate with a witch, whose named slipped Rebekah's mind. Bonnie, perhaps, she thought. But she kept an eye on her vampire, appreciating how he was wearing the new shirt she had recently purchased for him-

The barn door swung opened, interrupting Rebekah from her musings.

The others stood as a pair entered the barn side by side, each looking equally tired and drawn. It seemed only respectful to stand for the former Summer King and the Werewolf Queen.

Hayley Marshall moved to stand at the head of the table closest to the werewolves. Her hazel eyes were shadowed, but they did not waver as they scanned the crowd before she spoke.

"Thank you for coming here. I know we were delayed for some time, and I apologize. The funeral for the witch Katie went on longer than we anticipated." Her attention turned towards the witches, to whom she gave her condolences.

Hayley then moved to sit next to her Beta, Mason, while Klaus moved to take the seat which Elijah had reserved for him. Klaus nodded at his siblings in greeting, noting the bored look on his sister's face, before turning his attention back on Hayley.

Folding her hands, the Alpha sighed deeply.

On the inside, Hayley tampered down the urge to shift and run away; away from all of this, the murders, the search for Aiden and Damon that seemed endless, the constant trouble... She wanted a moment of peace, to enjoy some quiet away from a crowd. But right now, she wasn't just Hayley, she had to be an Alpha for her pack, for the other packs, as well as an equal member of this meeting.

Before she spoke again, she turned her gaze towards an awaiting pair of dark blue eyes.

Even though he sat twenty feet away from her, Klaus could feel the turmoil inside his mate as if it were his own. And perhaps, it was shared. He knew she was tired. He was tired. Lately it seemed like there had been nothing but death and traveling from one funeral to the next, before making the journey to the neutral grounds on which Hayley had requested this gathering be held at.

A old and still familiar rush of rage coarsed through his veins, making his fists clench beneath the table. He could still see the haunted look on Hayley's face as she buried a member of her pack, and the cold and almost vacant expression she bore when she watched Marcel bury the vampire Thierry, which had stayed in place when they had both paid their respects to the witches.

And the culprits were still roaming free. Somewhere out there, the werewolf Aiden, with delusions of power and birthrights, was working alongside the Hunter Damon, who had turned his back on the truce brokered between the Hunters and the other supernaturals.

I will kill them both with my bare hands, snarled Klaus' thoughts, Or with nothing but my fangs.

Then Hayley leaned forward, and the shirt she wore gaped slightly, exposing his bite mark to his burning gaze. Its reminder took the edge off of Klaus' anger, the reminder that despite all of this, there was a promise of a future.

If you live that long, a small voice whispered in his mind.

Shaking his head, Klaus offered Hayley the smallest of smiles and a slight nod of encouragement. He watched as she drew in yet another breath, before she began addressing the crowd again with the latest updates.

With the echoing whisper of doubt, Klaus plastered on a neutral face and tried not to think of all the ways he would kill the fools who dared to stand between him and his future with Hayley.

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Author's Note: Welcome to Eternal Reign! Thank you for following our heroines on the next step of their journey- are you ready?

As always, inspirational songs that remind you of our beloved Klayley are very welcome and will be added to the Summer King Spotify playlist.

Please review!