Disclaimer: I still own nothing that infringes on the CW's rights/Julie Plec and her team's creativity (or rather, I only own it in my dreams)!

AN: Thanks for the continued support! So sorry for the long break between updates, this summer has just been so crazy busy! I decided that in wolf form, Hayley can control herself, and retains her thoughts in spite of most wolves not being able to because of the amount of time that she spent as a wolf. In season I of Originals, Jackson seems to be intelligent in wolf form, and later on in the beginning of Season 2, Hayley seems to be aware of her surroundings at times.

4.

Hayley POV

Fate must be laughing at me, I thought as I turned in the brush and began to track the men who I held responsible for attacking my pack. Both my packs, I reflected, as I heard Klaus follow me into the brush. He kept up with my pace with ease, though he let me lead the way. I used my olfactory senses to trace the men back the way that they had come.

I ran for about ten minutes, channeling my concentration so that I focused only on tracking the men, not letting myself dwell on Abby, Kayla, or even Hope. Klaus ran in silence as well, and I stopped only when the acrid tang of gasoline mixed with the men's trails. Klaus picked it up as well, slowing, and signaling for me to wait in the brush. I flattened my ears to show my distaste, but let him lead the way. I could already hear that the car was empty, and the lack of human heartbeats in the nearby area told me that it was completely deserted.

"Nothing." Klaus had wasted no time in searching the abandoned vehicle. He turned back to me. "Can you smell anything?" He asked. I turned my head, and began walking in a few circles. The vehicle was parked on the side of the road, pulled over, so it was hard to tell anything from the mingled scents of impersonal gasoline and lingering tar from the road. I shook my great head, and Klaus growled.

"Change back, and let's go get Hope. We'll have to try another way." He said. I gave him a wolfy glare, and then loped back into the woods, heading back towards Hollis' bar.

The walk back, however, gave me plenty of time to think, too much in fact. My first concern was Abby. My older sister was a gentle soul, even though she was a self-professed arachnophobe she hated to see even a spider killed. Now, I had gone and murdered half a dozen men in front of her. Maybe Abby had overcome the fact that I was responsible for her twin's death and her own obvious injury, but then to turn around and keep murdering in front of her. Part of me wanted to send Klaus in to retrieve Hope and then to flee, but I knew that that was not really an option.

I paused on the edge of the forest, watching the bar. From inside, I could pick up on voices, mostly male, almost all of whom were talking to Kayla. They, like me, were doing their best to comfort the kid and I felt the familiar pang that I endured every time that I thought of the rough transition that newly turned wolves endured. Adam, Sam, Phil, Tim, Kate, the voices and accompanying scents flooded into my senses, a bittersweet reminder of everyone who I had left behind.

Suddenly, my sensitive ears picked up another sound; the rumbling of an old motor. A beat up red truck pulled into the parking lot with a cloud of dust and a woman of petite stature jumped out. She had copper hair tied back in a messy bun, her skin was tanned naturally from being outside so much, and her walk told anyone who looked that she meant business.

When Sue Kimson stepped in, the bar fell silent. The wolves all recognized their alpha, and the tension seemed immediately seemed to increase.

"What's all this?" She demanded.

"Pack meeting." Phil rumbled, his deep baritone the only sound from inside of the bar.

"Who called it?" I could practically see Sue glaring around at her motley pack, "because I certainly did not."

"Hayley did." Hollis said, and I would have been able to hear a pin drop.

"Hayley Marshall?" Sue asked flatly, her voice edged in steel. "Since when do we take orders from Hayley Marshall?" She demanded a minute later, and I could only guess that Hollis had given her a non-verbal affirmation.

"Since she came back an alpha." Javin replied.

"Why's the human here and where on earth did that baby come from?" Sue snapped, ignoring the apparently larger problem.

"I'm here because Le-" Abby cut herself off, "Hayley," she corrected, "is my sister. You all know that, and I'm not about to leave. As for the baby, this is Hope, my niece."

"Sister or not, you're a human and this is pack business." Sue declared, and I felt a growl rise in my throat. At one time Sue had been my alpha, but like Javin had pointed out, I was an alpha in my own right now, or I had been. Abby had every right to be there, I knew I owed her as much of an explanation as I did the rest of the pack.

I emerged from the woods, and padded in through the open door. Sue turned, and for the first time in my life I saw her stare dumbfounded, while there were quiet curses from around the room. It took a matter of seconds before I rose to my full human height, ignoring my nudity as I looked at my former pack.

"Abigale stays." I declared. "She has as much the right to know what's going on as any of you do." I met Sue's glare evenly, refusing to bend before my old alpha.

"Well, I'll be damned." Sue said. "The little omega finally turned into an alpha. Whatcha doing back here, Marshall, I thought you were done with us backwater dogs." Sue had no love for me, I knew that, but neither was I about to bend back down to her.

"I was never a true omega, and you knew that from the start, didn't you?" I jumped right at her. "This birthmark," I whirled to show her the crescent-shaped mark, "the same one that you said you had no idea about, it makes me a Crescent." I glared at Sue, "and compared to you Green Mountain lot, we are wolf aristocracy, and you knew it. I'd stake my life that you also knew that they were all but wiped out, but still you sent me trotting off happy, expecting to find some long-lost family." I stepped forward, towering over Sue, who to her credit, did not back down.

"Can't deny any of that." She shrugged up at me. "Not sure though, why you decided all of a sudden to come back. Were your precious Crescents not good enough? Looking to expand your pack now?" Her eyes flashed back at me.

"I could challenge you here and now Sue for the pack, and I'd win." I said, and the tension rose even higher because everyone knew that I was right. "But I won't, and not because I like you but, because I respect you. Instead, I'm going to make you an offer, the heads of the bastards attacking your pack." Sue blinked.

"What do you know of the attacks? What rights do you have?" She growled, her hackles rising.

"I have the right as an alpha whose lost pack members to this same group, and I am offering you an alliance as one alpha to another alpha, to hunt them down and kill every last one." I replied, and for a moment my vision changed, and I knew that my eyes would have flashed gold.

"You aren't a wolf anymore, so what makes you think I'd accept your word as an alpha?" Sue demanded.

"My birth name is Andrea Lebonaire, the last of the Lebonaire wolf line. As a hybrid, I married Jackson Kenner, and we merged our packs as one. They accepted me as I was, and I made them into the strongest pack alive because I gave them the ability to change at will. If you refuse my offer, then I can promise you, it'll be the dumbest thing you've ever done." I turned away from Sue, looking over the familiar faces as I fought to gain this pack's trust.

"I'm not your alpha, but I am an alpha. I have fought for my pack, I've shed sweat, blood and tears to give them what they deserve. You might be a small back country pack of wolves, but I can give you back your dignity. Humans have driven you to this, a scrap of the pack that I remember joining. How long has it been since you last gathered at the Sanctuary? Since you ran under the full moon as a complete pack? I can give that back to you, the dignity of being a wolf. It's not a pretty life, I know, but honour isn't about living pretty, honour is about how you choose to live. So, do you want to keep hiding out in this backwater bar, or do you want to join your sisters and brothers as proud wolves?" I saw the stirring of energy, I could feel it, and I could smell the excitement that hung over the bar.

"You overstep, Marshall." Sue growled, her own eyes flashing gold, and the drop of excitement felt akin to a balloon popped with a pin. "You dare to come back here, and to sabotage my rule?"

"I would advise against trying to fight her, she's quite vicious you see, my Little Wolf." I had felt Klaus lingering outside, but suddenly he appeared inside, and the atmosphere tensed again.

"You're the Original hybrid, the one that turned Marshall into this beast." Sue snapped.

"Wonderful, you've heard of me." Klaus shot her a sardonic smile, and even Sue seemed about ready to take a step back.

"He's with me, Sue, and he's not going to do anything stupid." I glared at Klaus who promptly clasped his hands behind his back in a would-be-harmless gesture.

"Only so long as there is cooperation. You see Hayley is, without a doubt, the more reasonable of the two of us. She's also far more patient than I am, you see, time is rather of the essence here, and unlike her I make no promises not to fight you. Certainly my Little Wolf could kill you, but she wouldn't because she respects you. I hold no such qualms." I bit back a growl as I glared at Klaus, though he ignored it. The other wolves in the room rippled with visible agitation, though no one made a move. Instead, everyone waiting to see what Sue would do.

"Klaus." I growled in warning.

"We don't have time for pleasantries, Little Wolf." Klaus fixed me with a hard stare. "Those hunters are the same ones who were in the bayou hunting you and your pack, a coincidence, I think not. They know." There was a golden tinge in his eyes, and I fought my own reaction, names rising in my mind. Michael. Ben. Asher. Zoe. Wayatt. Anna. Faces flashed before my open eyes. My pack, the ones that these hunters had killed, they were all good wolves with family, friends, and futures. All dead wolves because of these hunters.

"Your pack? They know about wolves?" Sue might be a hard ass and determined to annoy me, but ultimately, when it came to the safety of her pack and the species you didn't want to cross her.

"They hunted her pack almost to extinction, now they turn up here also hunting wolves. There aren't enough wolf packs around for this to be a coincidence." Klaus said, and I had to admit that he seemed to be right.

"You think someone is hunting wolves. Why?" Sue demanded, meeting Klaus's gaze without fear, the gaze of a fellow alpha, I reflected.

"Why not?" Klaus countered, and it was a valid point. "Any normal vampire hates wolves, you kill with one bite, why not hire a human company to take out the wolves." He shrugged.

"Are your siblings behind this?" She demanded.

"No." I replied before Klaus could, and Sue's gaze shifted to me, just as Klaus also turned, though at a slower rate. His eyes twinkled, and I knew that any further protest of my love for his brother would be futile.

"Why do you defend them so ardently?" Sue demanded, her sharp gaze narrowing as it landed on the ring on my left hand. "You a Mikaelson now?" She accused me.

"No." I replied immediately.

"Practically." Klaus objected simultaneously, and I glared at him.

"Who put that ring on your finger?" Sue was done with preamble.

"Jackson Kenner, alpha of the New Orleans Wolves." I replied shortly, biting back an actual growl as I knew that Sue had heard when I had explained my situation earlier.

"And that's his baby?" Sue pointed to Hope.

"She's our daughter." Klaus stepped in, and for a moment Sue's head moved minutely back and forth as she looked from me to Klaus and back again.

"Before or after you were married?" She demanded.

"That's none of your business." Klaus snapped, saving me from having to answer.

"If I am supposed to work with you, to let you in to mingle with my pack, then I will decide what is and is not relevant." Sue growled. "And Marshall's conflicted interests certainly bring up questions." Across the room, Hope began to cry, and in a few measure strides I had arrived at my daughter's side, and scooped her up out of her carrier.

"My interests revolve around this little girl here." I turned back to Sue. "She's my daughter, and I won't stop until she can have a happy safe childhood."

"So that's why you've turned tail and run from New Orleans?" Sue demanded.

"Yes." Klaus took me by surprise, answering the question before I could respond. "You see," I sucked in an almost-silent breath and waited, "Hope is our daughter, she is the future of the Mikaelson family, and we will all do everything in our immense power to ensure that she is safe and happy. At the moment, that includes ensuring that the men who destroyed her pack are gone. You see, before his untimely death," I withheld a wince, "Jackson Kenner accepted Hope into his pack as a member of his own family, and so it was not only Hayley who lost her pack, but also my daughter Hope. Now, those same men are threatening your lives, and the lives of your loved ones." No matter what people would say, Klaus certainly had a way with words when he wanted, and this was a stellar example. "So, will you help me, and will you help Hayley, to avenge their pack?" The wolves were hanging on to his every word, you could feel it, and risking a glance at Abby, I could see that my sister was also captured by what Klaus had to say. It was hard though not to, and even I felt my blood rising, my wolf craving the feeling of the hunters' skin tearing under my teeth.

"And if I were to say yes, not that I am, what would you want from my wolves?" Sue demanded, and looking around the room, I could tell that she was perhaps the only person in the room who was apparently unmoved by Klaus's speech.

"Come with us. Find these men, and make sure that none of them survive." Klaus replied, and I looked over to him, in confusion. Sure, they were stronger than humans, but I of all people knew that they were far too vulnerable compared to Klaus and I. He caught my eye, and read my concern in my gaze. "Mostly though, I would ask that you all protect our daughter, a werewolf princess with the blood of two great bloodlines. She can be a queen of you all if you let her. She might have lost most of her own pack, but if you will accept her, then she can be raised with the knowledge of werewolf customs, she will be an advocate for your species." I watched Klaus, and I could see the hope burning in his eyes. He might have spent most of his thousand years as a vampire, and he might be the reason why many werewolves were dead, but his actions never made him less of a wolf, not really. We hadn't really talked about what our own wolf heritage meant for Hope, but hearing his words reminded me that no matter how many atrocities he had committed, he did genuinely want to be a good father to Hope, and that obviously meant acknowledging all of our daughter's unique characteristics.

"So you want me to volunteer to protect your child so that she might become the next alpha in my place?" Sue asked.

"No." I interrupted. "We want you to protect our daughter so that she can fight for your pack. If you become her family, she'll protect you as her family. You don't trust vampires, as a wolf neither did I, but Hope, she's going to have a foot in both worlds. Klaus and I have a foot in both worlds, I was a member of your pack, Sue, but you still don't trust me. If you were there to help protect and raise Hope, then would you trust her? She's a blank slate, and we're offering you the honor of being a part in her life, and in turn of having the chance to influence her, to teach her the ways of wolves." Sue stared back at me, her expression unreadable, and inwardly I held my breath. If she accepted then Klaus and I could count not only on Hope's safety, but on an extra 15 strong wolves in our fight.

"And say that we do take you up on this offer, we protect your daughter, teach her how to be a proper wolf," I ignored Sue's jibe, "what else is in this for us?"

"Protection, supplies, whatever you ask, if it is within my considerable power to grant, then you will have it." Klaus did not hesitate, and Sue eyed him again.

"We don't want your money." Sue said scathingly.

"I wasn't just offering that." He replied calmly.

"We are doing fine for ourselves right now." Sue reiterated flatly.

"I understand that, but I am sure that you always could use some kind of help." Klaus said.

"You're loosing wolves, why are they moving away?" I stepped in, again, looking around the familiar faces. "I left years ago, I don't see anyone new. How are you bringing in pack members?" No one disputed my obvious statement. "We can bring in new blood, we'll craft a legion of wolves if you want, an Alpha Council. Wolves could travel if they wanted, visit other packs, bring in new members, and not have to hide. You want to go to school? To explore the world? We could make that happen. You name it, we'll do what we can." I looked directly to Kayla. "Last time we talked, you wanted to go to Brown University. You still want that? I'll make it happen." I saw the spark in her gaze, though she knew better than to speak out.

"The Little Wolf is right. Packs are a dying tradition. We can help you be great again. You are the remnants of a once-mighty Green Mountain pack. Accept our help and we'll make you great again. Imagine, filling this room with one hundred pack members, with five hundred wolves, we can make that happen. It doesn't matter if you're all running on moons, we're not talking about making you have children who are cursed, we're talking about the culture and the traditions that your Pack has preserved for generations. Maybe one day changing wolves will be rare, but your traditions shouldn't have to die." Klaus took over for me, and looking at him and feeling the energy in the room rise, I realized that no matter how much we might have fought in the past, when we worked together then we were a powerful team.

"And, imagine a world where no one had to hide what they were. I changed, and had no idea because my family were persecuted for being wolves. No child should ever be put through that. No wolf should ever have to hide who she or he is. We are wolves, and we should be proud of that. We deserve that. So, will you stand with us, and be proud wolves?" I looked straight at Sue, and there was a certain gleam in her eye that told me that I had somehow struck a nerve. She might not like me, she might despise Klaus and the other Mikaelsons, but she was a proud Alpha, and she fought for her wolves, and for all wolves.

"We'll leave you to discuss with your pack." I turned to retrieve Hope, and found Abby moving towards me, still holding my daughter.

"I need to talk to you." My older sister said as I looked down at her, and I nodded once.

"Klaus, will you take Hope?" I looked over to him, and a moment later he had taken the cradle from me, and then I followed Abby out of the bar, carefully watching her limp in front of me, a pain filling my chest as I watched her each and every step, and felt entirely responsible for it.

Author's Note: Thanks again for reading! Please leave me a review! Sorry for how long it's been since the last update, I'll try to be better, I promise, but reviews could make me update faster too!