Hey! Here's the official first chapter, I'm excited to see what you guys think of it!
*As always, I do not own TVD or TO, nor do I own Sortilegio, all credit reserved to the respective owners.*
Hope you enjoy xx
Chapter 1: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
"Beware, beware, be skeptical,
Of their smiles, their smiles of plated gold.
Deceit, so natural,
But a wolf in sheep's clothing
is more than a warning."
- Set it Off, Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
Mystic Falls, VA - A few days earlier...
Caroline Forbes had lived in Mystic Falls, Virginia for as long as she could remember. The small, picturesque town was founded in 1860 and is rich in folklore history and legends. Many believed that in the past the town had been inhabited by mystical creatures, but of course, those were simply myths and although, to outsiders, Mystic Falls seemed dark and mysterious, to its less than seven thousand residents it was safe and serene, the perfect place to live. Caroline disagreed. Unlike her fellow residents, she thought of this town as a cage, one that no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't escape.
She had escaped for some time when she moved to her dorm room at Whitmore College; the few months she'd spent there had been amazing, she'd learned to be independent and self-sufficient, she'd learned to believe in herself and her potential to achieve her goals. It was strange to think that at one point Caroline thought that her biggest achievements in life would be becoming a cheerleading captain as a sophomore and winning the Miss Mystic Falls competition; she realized how wrong she was the minute she left Mystic Falls and got a tiny taste of what the world had to offer.
Caroline had been ready to embark on her new journey and enjoy every second of it, but unfortunately, life had other plans for her.
She would never forget the night she received the terrible news of her father's death, how could she? That was the night she and her sister had lost the only family they'd ever known. That was the night she stopped being a college student and became legal guardian to a then fifteen-year-old Davina. Adapting to her new role hadn't been easy, she'd been forced to grow up and mature quicker than anyone her age, half the town had expected her to fail, but Caroline had proven them wrong. Becoming Davina's guardian allowed her to recognize the things that truly mattered in life and gave her a new perspective to view the world with and although she still dreamed of leaving Mystic Falls, she no longer thought of it as a cage.
"Hey Care, I brought you lunch." A young brunette said as she entered Witchy Antiques, Sheila Bennett had found the name appropriate since her ancestors were rumored to have been some of the strongest witches. She didn't actually believe any of it, of course, but there was always a few who did and the old woman enjoyed scaring them with her cryptic and spell-like rambles. Caroline always had a good laugh when teenagers would run out of the shop scared of the 'old witch.'
"Oh god! Thanks, Dee, I was starving," Caroline said putting aside some artifacts she'd been cleaning and taking the bag of food gratefully. She'd been so enthralled trying to finish as much work as possible before her vacation that she'd forgotten to have some lunch, luckily, Davina had called and offered to pick up food.
"Did you pick up your dress already?" Davina asked excitedly as she began eating her food.
"Yes, I left it in the house! You know it's nothing super fancy or expensive, but it's beautiful" she said smiling with excitement. She couldn't afford anything extravagant, but the dress she'd chosen was lovely. Besides, Caroline didn't really care about the dress, all that mattered was that in a few days she would be happily married to the man that she loved.
"My god, Care I'm so excited for you!" Davina told her. "You deserve all the happiness in the world! You're the best sister that I could've asked for. You always look out for me and do the impossible to make sure I'm happy. Dad and mom would be so proud," Davina said with a happy smile.
Caroline sighed with a small smile and grabbed Davina's hand "Dee, you know taking care of you isn't a burden for me. I'll continue doing it even after the wedding, you're my little sister and I love you."
"I love you too," Davina said with teary eyes and a smile.. "Will Klaus' family be at the wedding?" she asked, changing the subject back to the wedding before they got carried away with their sappiness.
"No… his siblings live in Europe and they won't be able to make it," Caroline said as she continued eating her food.
"Oh. That's too bad… Are you excited though? In just a few days you'll be Mrs. Mikaelson," she told her lifting her brows jokingly.
"God, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him."
Davina giggled at her sister's excitement, watching her jump at the sound of her ringtone and immediately answering, knowing who it was without even glancing at her screen.
"Hey, Klaus" she greeted with a cheesy smile.
Klaus ended his phone call with a smile as he got off the elevator and walked towards his car. He'd spent his entire day at the office meeting with potential investors, discussing the possibility of new projects for the company. He had plans of expansion for the company and wanted to make sure all urgent matters were taken care of before his trip. He was contemplating whether to inform his siblings of his plans when he spotted Lucien walking across the parking lot towards the elevator. Needing to discuss some important issues with him, he walked a little faster until he caught up with him.
Lucien Castle... now he'd been a surprise. Lucien had come to New Orleans a few years ago claiming to be Klaus' brother. Klaus had laughed in his face labeling him a maniac, but Lucien had insisted, so much that eventually, Klaus agreed to take a DNA test. He'd done it simply himself of Lucien, sure that the results would be negative. Imagine his surprise when they revealed the opposite.
That was how he'd discovered that he'd been lied to his whole life, that Mikael Mikaelson wasn't his real father and that his actual father was dead.
Everything had made so much sense after that revelation, it was then that he'd understood so many things: Mikael's treatment of him, their sudden move from Europe, his constant feeling of not belonging… everything.
Angry, Klaus had confronted his mother and demanded an explanation. Amidst tears, Esther had confessed everything to him and explained how Mikael had discovered the truth and decided to move the family to a different country in an effort to avoid a scandal. Something that wasn't a surprise since the Mikaelson's thrived on their reputation and were never very fond of anything that could jeopardize their image.
His conversation with his mother had been imperative and although he was upset with her, he was glad to finally learn the truth.
He'd learned a few things about his biological father from speaking to his mother, like the fact that he enjoyed painting, which finally gave Klaus a clue as to where his talent and interest in art came from. The rest he learned through Lucien, who had clearly had a great relationship with Ansel, he spoke of him in a way that Klaus would never be able to do so about the man who raised him.
It'd been difficult to learn of Ansel's death, to accept that he would never meet his real father and that all his questions would forever go unanswered. All he had from his biological father was a letter Lucien had given to him, in it, he confessed his great regret for not being a part of his life and shared his hopes for the possibility that he and Lucien would grow to accept each other as brothers.
Ansel had been Lucien's only family, his mother had passed away years before his father and he'd never had any other siblings. He'd traveled to New Orleans with no intentions of staying, he simply wished to search for his estranged brother and give him the letter from his father, but after meeting his brother and seeing all that the city had to offer he found himself prolonging his stay.
His stay later became permanent when Klaus offered him an opportunity to invest and work in Mikaelson Inc. An opportunity that Lucien had been unable to reject. He had come to New Orleans to meet and get to know his estranged brother, what better way for that to happen than to work alongside him?
Everything had been great at the beginning, working together had allowed the brothers to connect with one another and form a brotherly bond. Klaus had been pleased to at last have a sibling that shared the same interest and ambition for business as he, together they were able to develop several projects that were highly beneficial for the company. Lucien had taken his role in the company very seriously, his hard work and merit eventually landing him the CFO position.
Things had changed in the last year, however, Lucien had become avaricious and antagonistic, making reckless business decisions with no consideration for the consequences. Lately, he'd done nothing but make a mess of things and leave Klaus to deal with the repercussions. Klaus was unsure of the reason for the drastic change, but he had simply grown tired of it. Lucien needed to get his act together before Klaus was forced to make an unpleasant decision.
"I heard you approved the resort project for the territory in Miami," Klaus said, finally catching up to him in the parking lot.
"That's right," he replied matter of factly.
"And you did so even after Stefan warned you that it was a possible flood zone?"
Lucien scoffed, "Stefan, is an idiot that makes things up to make himself feel more useful and important to the company," he told him.
"Stefan is a professional, it's his job to determine whether the land we acquire is safe for construction. He's the head engineer, I trust he knows what he's doing and frankly, I'm growing tired of your stupid mistakes Lucien. "
"I won't allow you to speak to me that way!" Lucien said staring at him with rage.
"The one that won't allow you to keep participating in my business will be me if you don't quit acting so ineptly" Klaus spat stepping towards him threateningly. "Do not try me, Lucien," he spat angrily. "Call the office and tell them to cancel the project," he said with finality.
Lucien watched him get in his car with hatred, he really couldn't stand the smug bastard anymore, not after what he'd discovered. Not after learning that he was the reason his father was dead. Klaus Mikaelson was to blame for all his misfortune and soon he would pay for that. Lucien would ensure it. His plan was ingenious, really. He'd planned every detail meticulously knowing there was no room for error, not when the outcome of this plan was the key to finally destroying Klaus Mikaelson.
Lucien sat in his room in the manor going over the very last details of his plan. He'd been planning this for months and the day was finally approaching.
Destroying Klaus hadn't been his intention when coming to New Orleans, his intention had truly been to fulfill his father's last wish and get to know his estranged brother, but that had changed when he discovered the truth about his father's death. That was the moment his planning began.
Killing him wouldn't be enough. No. He wanted more, he wanted everything that he had; his success, his power, his money, his family. Everything.
Of course, getting his hands on the Mikaelson fortune wouldn't be simple, Klaus wasn't an idiot, he wouldn't give up his power just like that and in the event of his death, everything would no doubt be inherited by his siblings. He thought about killing them all to avoid that scenario, but that would be too messy and Lucien wasn't fond of messes. No. He needed something that would give him access to the fortune without having to kill them all, he needed a loophole.
And that loophole had come in the form of an unsuspecting blonde from Mystic Falls.
He'd met Caroline Forbes on a random trip to Virginia and was instantly smitten by her. She was beautiful and had the most captivating eyes he'd ever seen. She was innocent, naive… she was perfect.
He pursued her (impersonating Klaus' identity) and clueless to his deception, Caroline fell in love with him, so much so that she'd accepted his marriage proposal after only a few months of knowing him.
After finding Caroline, the rest of his plan was quickly assembled.
He watched Klaus for months, learned his schedule, his routine (not a hard task when you spend more than 10 hours a day working with someone). The challenging part had been learning to forge his signature. Obtaining it hadn't been difficult, not when he had access to thousands of documents signed by him. The difficult part had been to test the accuracy of his forgery, mastering the signature so that even Klaus believed it to be his own. He began by testing it at the office, replacing simple documents to see if anyone noticed any discrepancies, slowly escalating to documents with more importance until he became confident in its authenticity.
The final part of his plan was crucial, for if it failed all his work would be pointless.
Klaus had to die.
He debated on taking care of that himself, but eventually decided against it, he couldn't run the risk of anything going south, so instead, he'd hired outside sources to do the honors.
The men that Tristan hired would guarantee his demise and once Klaus was out of the picture, everything else would fall into place.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, Tristan was finally back, he allowed him inside and made sure to close the door behind him, the help tended to put their nose where it didn't belong. "Is everything ready?" he asked as he emailed some final details to the judge he'd hired for the wedding.
"Yes sir, we will proceed, as planned, as soon as Klaus leaves on his trip," Tristan informed him.
"Perfect," he said with a malicious grin. "I need you to get me a plane ticket to Mystic Falls," he told him.
"The ticket with your brother's name, I presume."
"Obviously," he said irritated. "I trust that this will be perfectly executed, I will not forgive any errors," he told Tristan menacingly. Tristan nodded watching Lucien walk towards the window with an evil glint. "It's perfect," he whispered. "Klaus will go to the glen to inspect the land, but as we know the road is very dangerous, accidents happen all the time…" he said with fake innocence, "that is where he'll die, and once he's dead..." he said looking at Tristan "I'll keep his money and his widow" he said with a smirk.
"And the girl? Will she agree to this?" Tristan asked.
"Absolutely. I have her eating from the palm of my hand," he whispered arrogantly. His plan would work; he was sure of it.
Mornings at the Mikaelson manor were fairly normal, breakfast being the one meal the siblings all enjoyed together. It'd been a routine that Esther began when they were children, a routine they'd all silently agreed to continue out of habit, which is why they were all currently sitting in their respective seats conversing while the help finished serving their food.
Lucien had joined in on these meals ever since he began living at the mansion. The siblings had been hesitant to accept Lucien, but they made an effort to get along with him for Klaus' sake.
Klaus had been worried that his siblings would look at him differently after learning that he wasn't Mikael's son, but they never did. As was expected, they'd been shocked at the news, finally understanding Mikael's drastic change with Niklaus, although that did not justify Mikael's harsh treatment of their brother. Klaus had no say in the matter if anyone deserved Mikael's cruelty it was Esther, not him.
Instead of pushing him aside, like Klaus feared they would, they'd embraced him and repeated the promise they'd once made as children, "always and forever." That was when Klaus realized that he'd been a fool to doubt his siblings, because no matter whose son he was, he was their brother, their family, and family always stuck together.
We stick together as one, always and forever.
The staff finished serving breakfast as Freya took a seat in one of the chairs next to Klaus, whom as always sat at the head of the table. She unrolled her napkin and placed it on her lap as she informed Lucien that she would be accompanying Rebekah to one of her college tours after he asked what her plans for the day were. He nodded politely and wished Rebekah good luck before taking a sip of his black coffee.
"Tatia called," Freya said in-between bites, looking at Klaus.
"What did she want?" he asked, looking up from his plate.
"She wanted to join us for dinner tomorrow," she told him with a funny smirk.
Klaus rolled his eyes as he let out a small laugh, "Well, she can come if she wants, but I won't be here to tend to her. I have business to take care of all weekend," he told her.
Tatia was his… friend, to say the least. Okay, maybe 'friend' wasn't the correct term. They'd had a nice fling going until she began pressuring him for something more serious, something Klaus wasn't ready for, which is why he'd been avoiding her for the past few weeks.
"When are you leaving to the glen?" Lucien asked, changing the topic.
"I'm not sure probably the following week, I have other matters to see to before heading there," he replied as he took his mug of coffee and sipped on it.
"What is the glen?" Rebekah asked curiously.
"It's an old valley of land the company is trying to acquire, I have to go take a look at it and determine whether it is suitable for one of our new projects," Klaus told her.
Rebekah nodded her head in understanding. "Will you be back in time for the fashion show? You promised you'd be there Nik" she reminded him.
Rebekah had started her modeling career a year before and would be starring in her first runway show in about a week, something she was very excited for.
"Of course, Bekah. I promised I would be there and I intend to keep that promise, besides I wouldn't miss it for the world" he told her with a laugh causing a satisfied smile on his sister's face.
"Yes, Bekah, we all want to watch you fall and embarrass yourself," Kol said mockingly.
Rebekah gasped annoyed. "Take that back Kol!" she said throwing her napkin at him.
They all burst out laughing.
"Kol, leave our baby sister alone," Freya said calmly, used to her siblings' constant bickering, it wouldn't really be a family meal without at least one quarrel. Rebekah gave a quick eye roll in Kol's direction before returning to her food with a pout.
Not much had changed in the Mikaelson residence.
"I need to get to the office," Klaus said as he stood from his chair, "Lucien, please don't be late to this afternoon's meeting," he said grabbing his briefcase and walking out the door, waving a quick goodbye before getting on his white convertible and driving off.
Lucien rolled his eyes, annoyed, as he watched him leave through the dining room's window, reveling in the fact that he wouldn't have to deal with him for much longer.
The days went by faster than Lucien expected. Before he knew it, he and Caroline were exchanging vows and signing a marriage certificate.
He'd hesitated for a second, wishing their marriage wasn't part of a ploy. He loved her, in his own twisted form of love, one that didn't deem her enough to give up his vengeance.
Nothing was as important as that, so he'd forced the slight feeling of regret to the back of his mind, signed his brother's name like planned, and kissed her passionately as soon as the judge pronounced them man and wife.
"I love you Caroline, no matter what happens don't ever forget that."
Caroline watched him curiously as his hands softly held her face and his eyes stared intensely into hers, revealing a hint of perturbation. In different circumstances, the blonde probably would've nitpicked at the cryptic way in which he had spoken, as if he knew something bad would happen, but she didn't. She was too excited about the step they'd taken to stop and analyze everything like she usually did.
She would hate herself for missing all the signs of his deception.
So many things should've triggered her suspicions, and yet she'd failed to notice them, too in love to even consider the possibility of his betrayal. Too in love to realize she was dealing with a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Lucien wasn't foolish enough to believe that things would be easy once she became aware of their reality. He knew her moral compass would be an obstacle to his plans, but he also knew that Caroline Forbes loved him, the type of love that blinded women. At least he believed she held that type of love for him. He believed it enough to be confident that he would be able to use it to his advantage. He'd invested a lot of time into this plan and there was no way Caroline would be the cause of its failure. She would help him. He would make sure of it, even if he had to rely on threats and intimidation.
He knew he ran the risk of sparking her hatred, but he wasn't too worried, there would be plenty of time to earn her forgiveness. He wasn't sure how he would go about that just yet, but he had time to think of that later, right now all he wanted was to get out of this car so that he could finally rid her of that dress and make her his.
He'd never driven as fast as he was now, nearly speeding through every red light to finally arrive at the damn apartment; however, things wouldn't go as planned, and he realized that the minute they were interrupted by the incessant beeping of his phone.
He cursed the damn electronic, the thought of ignoring the call crossing his mind, but he decided against it when he saw the name on the screen. The second he heard what the caller had to say, he was glad he hadn't ignored the call.
"Tomorrow? But he said he was going next week!" he hissed, irritated.
Klaus had moved up his trip to the glen, which meant he would have to leave to New Orleans immediately.
"I don't know the details all I know is that he's leaving tomorrow. Should I cancel everything?" Tristan asked.
Lucien looked at Caroline, who was staring at him expectantly, trying to figure out what the call was about. He sighed, disappointed, he'd really been looking forward to finally spending the night with her, but as much as it pained him to leave, he had to be in New Orleans to oversee his plan. "No. Don't cancel anything, I'll leave immediately. Send a car for me first thing in the morning" he said, ending the call with an irritated expression. He looked up to meet Caroline's confused expression.
"You're leaving?"
"Yes, something happened at work and my boss needs me to go take care of it immediately," he told her.
She looked at him quietly, her brows furrowed in thought, "but does it have to be tonight?" It was their wedding night, they were supposed to spend it together.
"Yes, darling, unfortunately, it's an urgent matter and if I'm not there I'll probably lose my job. I'm sorry darling, you know that if this wasn't important I'd stay here with you, but I really do have to take care of this," he said pecking her lips several times. "I really am sorry, forgive me?" he pleaded, pecking her lips a few more times. Caroline understood how important this job was to him, she couldn't be mad at him for being responsible, so she smiled sadly in understanding.
Lucien was disappointed, to say the least, it really was a shame he wouldn't enjoy their wedding night. He'd been longing to make her his since the first night he'd met her, but she'd been adamant about saving herself for marriage and now that they were finally married, Klaus had to ruin it. Fortunately, this would be the last time that bastard ever ruined something for him, because in a matter of hours he would finally be dead.
Thank you.