Hello my lovelies, here's a slightly longer update to make up for being gone, hope you enjoy. Thanks to Klarolineepiclove and klovec for their betaing skills, and jomosfamilyjewels for my beautiful cover. And a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed or Favorited this story. I love you all.

Part Three

As she ran on all fours through the woods, Caroline felt a sense of peace she hadn't felt in a long time. She had been able to turn and go for runs by herself while at school but it paled in comparison to how it felt to run through the wildness of woods that she had grown up in with her pack. Not to mention the feeling of having her pack so close.

Her father had arranged this hunt to mark her homecoming and while she had hated the attention, she was enjoying herself greatly. At first she had ran alongside Stefan, Bonnie and Lexi but when they had gone off to hunt, she had gone off by herself to run.

Dehydrated Caroline decided to take a break for a drink, refreshing herself when she came up to one of the streams. As she drank, Caroline could hear her pack mates moving through the woods, tracking various animals or like Caroline herself, simply relishing the event. So far she had only seen Klaus from afar, and she wondered if she would at some point. Her wolf very much wanted to, the girl though was not so sure.

As if the mere thought of him somehow summoned him to her, Klaus appeared from the brush just behind her, and she wondered if he hadn't been tracking her. She wouldn't be surprised if he had been, considering he didn't look a bit startled to see her there. Instead he moved towards her, his head slightly bowed as he watched her carefully, his eyes the same blue color in wolf form as they were in human, waiting to see if she would bolt at his appearance. Her human part said she should, that she should run and avoid him again but couldn't make herself do it. Not even when he came so close that their coats brushed against each other as he circled her or she felt his nose bump her muzzle in greeting.

Wolves as a whole were a touchy bunch, they enjoyed skin to skin or fur to fur contact so their interaction felt completely natural to her, especially considering who it was. Caroline couldn't deny it, even to herself that she had missed him, which was why she afforded herself a moment of weakness to reciprocate his affections. Later if she had to, she would just blame her wolf and what the time away had done to her to explain her actions.

His tawny coat held the familiar mix of smells that was uniquely Klaus; a scent that made her feel safe. She also noticed that the only scent she could pick up was his, and not of any other wolf, specifically Greta. It made her heart jump within her chest in joy, before she rubbed her head along his jaw and buried her nose into his neck.

The two of them continued reconnecting for several moments; it wasn't until she felt him put one of his paws up on top of her neck that she realized what he was really doing. Klaus wasn't just trying to show her attention or show that he might have missed her too, he was marking her; making sure that she was covered in his scent so that anyone who came near her, especially males, would know that she belonged to him. Well that was what he thought.

Turning her head quickly, Caroline lashed out, catching Klaus' leg between her teeth. She didn't bite hard enough to do permanent damage, but hard enough to let him know she wasn't happy, and just in case he didn't get the idea, she followed it with a deep growl. Klaus yelped at the attack, and pulled back though he didn't withdraw completely, letting her know that he understood but that she didn't scare him off. No longer wanting to be near him, Caroline took off, heading back towards her home. Unfortunately Klaus decided to follow her and stayed on her tail, literally, the whole way.

As they reached the clearing where the hunt began, Caroline used her anger to push her body to its limits in an attempt to speed up the process of her shifting back to human but Klaus still managed to best her, standing tall in front of her as she came back to herself. But if he thought that gave him the upper hand, he was mistaken for the second time that night.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Caroline yelled as she glared at him. "How dare you mark me like I am yours!"

"Because you are," Klaus snapped back.

"Well I have a feeling your girlfriend might have a bit of an issue with that." She acknowledged.

"Jealous, sweetheart?" He challenged.

Caroline thought to lie, but she knew he would know it was the moment it left her mouth. However her silence gave him an answer regardless. "It is eating away at you isn't it? Earlier, I could see the rage burning just underneath, something I recognized because I felt a similar rage when I found out that you were so quick to replace me."

"What are you talking about?" She asked confused. Caroline racked her brain to try and figure out what Klaus was talking about. Yes, she had gone on dates with guys, very casual dates that never went past the first one, so she had no idea who Klaus was talking about.

"You knew that your father sent wolves to keep an eye on you, did you not think that the news that you had a new beau would not reach my ears?" Klaus questioned but didn't let her finish. "Daniel said he saw you being quite intimate with a fellow classmate, tall lad, short hair, dark skin..."

"Jesse." Caroline said, as much to herself as to Klaus. "Not that I need to explain it to you but Jesse is and was not a boyfriend. He was a TA that was helping me with classes who became a friend but thought it was something more. He kissed me, which is probably what Daniel saw, but what he didn't see was me pulling away. He is nothing but a friend."

She could see that what she told Klaus surprised him; he had thought that she had so easily replaced him. She couldn't blame him, considering the way things were when she left. "What about Greta, Klaus? Do you care about her?"

"Yes," Klaus answered, and Caroline felt her chest clinch up at the words. "Although not as you believe us to be. We are friends albeit intimate ones, but only friends."

Though she had told herself and her friends that she was okay with his association with Greta, Caroline couldn't stop the combination of relief and satisfaction she felt at his confession.

"There is only one person I care about." Klaus stated. "And as much as you might want to ignore things between us, no matter how far away you run, it doesn't change that you are mine Caroline."

Before Caroline could argue back, Klaus was in front of her, so close that she could feel the heat of his body, as well as his breath on her face when he cupped her cheek. "Just as I am yours and have been since the first day we met. You and I are mates."

At his declaration and his touch, Caroline couldn't help but close her eyes at the sensations that overtook her. The bond between them felt just as intense as it had before she left, more so possibly due to how long they had been apart and all she wanted to do was wrap herself into it, into him. Her wolf wanted to roll in his scent before letting him take her in a primal way that would make her body sing. The intensity of her desire scared her and she knew that she was falling into its trap. So instead of giving in, Caroline pulled back yet before she could turn tail and run; Klaus grabbed her and stopped her escape. "I'm not making it that easy on you love; I'm not letting you run away from me again. Not until you talk to me."

Caroline could see by the look in his eyes how serious he was, his dominance flowing off him in waves, and knew she was stuck. Suddenly very aware of how naked both of them were, and not wanting to have this conversation in that state, she nodded as she said. "Fine, but put some clothes on first. I can't talk to you seriously like this."

A cheeky smile twitched on his full lips at her words. "What's the matter, love? Is my nakedness too much of a distraction for you?"

"As if that were true." Caroline said as she grabbed the first pair of sweats that she thought might remotely fit him and threw them at him while she looked for something for herself to wear. Wolves knew not to wear their favorite clothes on the night of a run; you never knew what might happen to them.

"Wouldn't be the first time, or the second or third…" He trailed off as he pulled the pants on over his long legs just as Caroline pulled a large t-shirt over her head. It only fell to her mid thigh, but it was enough to make her feel a bit more comfortable.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Caroline demanded, making sure to keep a little bit of distance between them while also trying to ignore how the sweatpants sat low on his hips.

"I want to talk about you," Klaus explained. "And why you took off without a word to me, waiting until I was out of town for your father instead of talking to me face to face. I never knew you to be a coward Caroline."

Caroline flinched at the words, at the harsh statement, though she didn't argue because they were true. How she had left him had been very cowardly. Only because she knew if she had she probably wouldn't have left. But it was something she had felt she had to do even it was one of the hardest things, if not thee hardest thing she had done in her young life.

Looking into those same eyes now, she answered him. "Because I knew if I saw you, you'd try to talk me out of it...and I knew that you would probably succeed. And if only for a little bit, I needed to get out of this town."

"And away from me." Klaus added.

"Yes, but not the way you are thinking." Caroline admitted. "I was scared."

"What are you so afraid of?"

"You." She answered her voice louder than it needed to me. "I'm afraid of you."

"How could you be afraid of me? I would never do anything to hurt you." Klaus declared.

"Because I never planned to meet the man who was my forever when I was 17!" Caroline exclaimed, stunning him at her admission. "All I ever wanted before that was to have a small chunk of my life to be mine! To be somewhere where I wasn't just the future Alpha female, but Caroline Forbes."

"Then you came to town, and I fought the pull towards you for as long as I could. Nevertheless, things got so intense between us so fast, causing my head to spin. And I saw how the pack looked at us and I knew what they were thinking. With my meeting you, the security of the pack's leadership was ensured and they would expect us to have a mating ceremony as soon as possible and start having kids. It just became too much. I felt like I was losing myself, just like I always feared I would."

"So being away at school, away from your pack is better?"

"It's...simpler." She replied. "I'm just like every other student and I don't have so much on my shoulders, worrying what people will think if I make the wrong decision."

"But is it better?" He repeated as he reached up to tuck a wild curl behind her ear, invading her space again but she did nothing to stop him. "Are you happy?"

Caroline found that she couldn't reply him, because she didn't know the answer. Was she happy? She enjoyed school, the challenge it gave her and the opportunity to meet new people, try new things but she still felt like a part of her was missing. A part of her that she suddenly felt restored now that she was home with her pack and around her mate.

"If you have to think about it Caroline, I think that gives you your answer." Klaus argued.

"Fine, yes, school isn't perfect either. I don't have the feeling of being smothered but it's also a bit lonely." She admitted. "I have friends and activities, but I feel like I was missing...something."

Klaus didn't need her to explain what that something was, because it was the same way he had felt since she left. As if there was an emptiness inside him that couldn't be filled, no matter how hard he tried, when she wasn't there. "Answer me something else, did it ever cross your mind to ask me if maybe I would want to go with you?"

"Yeah, as if that was a possibility." Caroline scoffed in disbelief, but then she saw the seriousness on his face, her skepticism died. She could see the truth in his eyes, he really would have gone with her if she'd had asked. That bit of knowledge changed everything for her. She had always believed that he would never want to leave Mystic Falls again.

"Klaus." She sighed as she met his gaze again, but before she could say more, he closed the distance between them and kissed her. It was the opposite of what she expected, not rough and passionate but soft and gentle, loving. As if was trying to show her how he still felt and it sadly ended quicker than she wanted it to, causing her to whimper as he broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against hers.

"The pack has become a part of me but they are not my home, that's you." He whispered, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. "All you have to do is say the words Caroline."

Caroline tried to gather her wits out of the fog that Klaus' kiss had put her but before she could, several members of the pack, both in wolf and human form, came crashing out of the nearby tree line effectively breaking the moment. They were all laughing loudly, not aware of what they had interrupted even as they made their way towards Caroline and Klaus. Caroline opened her mouth to say something but Klaus cut her off. "We can talk more about this later, unless you plan on disappearing in the dead of night again?"

Caroline shook her head, trying not to let the jab bother her too much before saying. "No, Dad wants me here for a few weeks."

Klaus nodded before he let himself be pulled away, leaving Caroline with a lot to think about.

FLASHBACK

"Caroline, you have to calm down or you are going to make me wreck the car. My dad will lose his shit if I do considering it would be the second car I've totaled since I got my license." Lexi declared.

"Third." Bonnie piped up from the back seat.

"Hey the Jeep doesn't count, Dad said it wasn't technically totaled, he just said it was so that my mom would let him give me his car so he could buy the Thunderbird." Lexi retorted. "But seriously Care, you need to chill."

"You don't think I've tried?" She asked. "Every time I think I have things under control, poof he shows up with that incredible body, charming accent, and those damn dimples. Not to mention that when he is near me for longer than a minute, all I can think about is…"

"Him ripping your clothes off and going at it for hours in the woods?" Lexi finished for her, grinning widely when Caroline glared at her.

"Yes."

"Well isn't that how it is supposed to be? Nature's way of ensuring that the species thrives, making sure that the mates desire each other?" Bonnie asked.

"Clearly nature sucks." Caroline grumbled. Since that day at the laundromat, she and Klaus had entered into a friendship of sorts, which had her spending more time with him. While spending that time with him was creating chaos within her, both her hormones and her thoughts as she got to know him, it did give her wolf a sense of peace. At least for the moment, soon she knew that the wolf would be demanding more.

Her statement seemed to amuse Lexi, if the chuckle she heard was any indication. "It's not funny, I have plans, I want to live a life away from here, if only for a few years before I'm shoved into something I didn't ask for."

"Getting involved with Klaus doesn't have to mean the end of that." Lexi said as she pulled her car up in front of Caroline's house.

After saying goodbye to her friends, Caroline began to make her way to her door when she heard a noise from the side of the house by a set of large bushes. She brushed it off as an animal until she heard it again, this time the hair on the back of her neck rising as her instincts picked up that someone or something was watching her. She turned towards it, letting out a growl when the bushes begin to move but it died in her throat when the culprit made his appearance.

The wolf that limped towards her was covered in mud, leaves, and what smelled like blood but she instantly recognized Klaus in his wolf form. She didn't know what had happened to him but he was definitely in bad shape. While it seemed that he was there looking for help, she approached him cautiously. Trying to help an injured wolf was a dangerous undertaking, helping an injured werewolf could be deadly. She held her hand out in front of her for him to catch more of her scent as she spoke gently. "It's okay; you're safe. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to look at you and help."

After a few more words of encouragement and steps, Caroline's hand brushed against the tip of Klaus' nose gently before moving over his head and down his back to his leg. Klaus flinched a little at her touch but made no move to stop her explorations, not even whimpering when she found the cause, at least the big one, for his distress.

"Oh my god," Caroline exclaimed when her fingers touched what felt like a spike lodged into his side. She wasn't able to see too much of it, and what she could feel was slick by Klaus blood. "We need to get you inside, I'll call Dr. Fell and…"

Klaus cut her off by growling, and she whipped her hand away from him before she realized he wasn't growling at her, just her words. He didn't want her calling the doctor. "But we need to get it out of you, if we don't you won't be able to turn and it won't heal. We need the doctor."

Her argument was only met with another growl before his muzzle moved under hand, nuzzling it to tell her something that he was able to vocalize. He wanted her to do it, to pull out the stake. She gulped at the thought while they moved inside. The house was empty, her mother and father were out, she couldn't recall where at the moment as she thought about what she needed to help Klaus.

She took him to the large mudroom where her mother kept spare towels for those times when they might come in wet after a run as well as a few other things. She tossed an old blanket on the floor, something Klaus was grateful for if the noise he made when he collapsed on it was any indication.

After grabbing a few necessities, she kneeled next to him and carefully began to examine him closer. His fur was a mess, matted and wet with blood but it looked like the only injury she could find was the spike. Caroline didn't think it went in too deep, but it needed to come out. It appeared to be just a crude piece of carved wood, something that might have been carelessly thrown away that was until she touched it, and it burned her skin.

"Shit…" She hissed. There was only one thing that would cause that kind of reaction, wolfsbane. The spike was laced with it and she couldn't believe that Klaus was still conscious with how the poison would weaken him. She quickly moved to clean the area as much as she could, both of the wolfsbane and blood so that she would be able to grip the wood. Once that was done, she wrapped her hands around it before looking down at Klaus.

"I'm sorry." Caroline whispered. "But this is going to hurt."

Moving quickly, she pulled the spike out before she could rethink doing it, ignoring the burning of her skin before tossing it to the side. Klaus let out a loud snarl, snapping his jaws but she ignored him as she used a towel to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding.

By the time the bleeding stopped, his growls had dropped to a whimper and he lay exhausted on the blood soaked blanket. Caroline simply stroked her hand down his back, trying to comfort him. She knew Klaus turning was the best way for him to heal, speeding up their already accelerated healing capabilities, but it would be extremely hard for him given what he'd been through. "Klaus, it's up to you now."

He looked at her as if he was waiting for her to leave, and she probably should have but she shook her head. "I'm not leaving, I'll be right here."

Relief shown clearly in his blue eyes as he nuzzled her hand; Caroline smiling slightly when she felt his warm tongue as well. The two of them stayed like that for several minutes, Klaus taking comfort from her touch as he gathered his strength. She was beginning to worry that the injury had been too much for him when she heard the first shifting of his bones. Despite what he'd been through his turn happened quickly, showing a measure of strength only known to be in alphas, not that she was completely surprised. Alphas were typically mated with other alphas, another of nature's way to help their species survive, and Caroline had been born an alpha female.

Taking the only unsoiled blanket, Caroline wrapped it around Klaus' naked form but not before checking on his wound. The skin had closed and had a bright pink appearance, looking as if it was weeks old rather than minutes. Another turn and you would never know it was there aside from a small scar, a souvenir of the wolfsbane that she had been unable to completely wash away.

"You're going to make me self conscious love if you keep staring." Klaus teased, his voice only containing the smallest trace of strain.

"Pfft, not with your ego." Caroline responded with a roll of her eyes. "How do you feel?"

"Better than I felt when I got here." He replied.

"Not surprised now that you don't have a stake protruding from your side. Why on earth were you out at Pastor Young's farm? Didn't anyone warn you about it not being a safe place for our kind?" She asked. The humans of Mystic Falls knew the truth about the wolves, and as long as there was no violence, they lived in peace. Had for generations. However Pastor Young was the exception to that, he believed the wolves were servants of hell and it was his duty to protect the humans from them. Many just ignored him, and stayed away from his land which had been covered with traps, such as spikes coated in wolfsbane, to keep the wolves away.

"It wasn't my intention to cross into his territory, I was hunting and didn't realize where I was until it was too late." Klaus answered. "Then all I could think about was getting help."

"The smarter thing to do would be to head into town to Dr. Fell's office." Caroline chastised. "You could have bled out, still could have once you got here, I'm not a doctor."

"I know that," He acknowledged, "But when I was injured, you were the only thing on mind."

"Why?" She asked with bated breath. She had an idea why but she wanted to hear him say it.

"Because I might be part of the pack now, but I've been on my own for a long time, and I don't trust anyone enough to be at their mercy." Klaus explained before he caught her gaze. "Except you."

"Klaus…" Caroline sighed, his confession melting her resistance to him away, something that must have shown clearly on her face. He kept his eyes on hers as he leaned his head down while Caroline raised hers.

Very gently Klaus pressed his lips to hers. He kept the kiss soft as he moved his other arm around her waist. Caroline responded just as gently to his kiss as her own arms slowly made their way to his shoulders.

After a moment Klaus pulled back a little, his eyes scanning her face before he captured her lips again. When he ran his tongue over her bottom lip, Caroline couldn't help but moan softly. Encouraged by her response, he parted her lips and tangled his tongue with hers.

Caroline growled deep in her throat as she lifted her arms to wrap around his neck and opened her mouth wider. He teased her tongue with the tip of his, drawing it into his mouth and sucking on it gently, before releasing it and thrusting his own tongue back into her mouth.

After a few moments Klaus released her lips slowly. Her eyes fluttered open and fell on his. Caroline cleared her throat, "That was…"

"You are a glorious kisser." Klaus said, cutting her off.

A shy smile lit up her face as she stared up at him. She was glad that he seemed to be as affected by the kiss as she was. "You're pretty good yourself."

Klaus smiled back at her before he slipped his arm around her waist and gently pulled her towards him. Thinking of his injury, she attempted to stop him. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine." He assured her, "As long as you don't push me away."

A low groan escaped her throat and she pulled Klaus closer to her. "Definitely not."

"Good." Klaus growled before covering her lips with his once more.

Look at that, you guys got not one but two Klaroline kisses! I hope you liked the seeing them in their wolf forms, it was fun writing them.