I really like this chapter, and we definitely see a darker side to Damon begin to appear.

Hope ya'll enjoy :)

We had just left the hotel when George called with news.

A Mutt, documented and accounted for, had stopped by the Manor to speak with Alaric. He'd left, but had promised to return.

Alaric assured him that we were on our way back.

And we were.

Until we crossed into the town square.

I froze, "Wait."

The others paused, looking back at me, "What's wrong."

I sniffed the air.

The scent was faint, but fresh, "Kol."

Damon's eyes hardened, and Alaric deliberated.

"Damon and I can follow," I told him, "You should probably get back to the Manor."

Ric considered it, then nodded, "Alright, but be careful. If you can get him without drawing attention, bring him to the house."

Damon and I nodded, and Alaric tossed me his keys.

"You'll need the SUV."

He and Mason left then, I assumed to find some woods where they could Change, and I turned to Damon.

"It's a fresh trail. And it's just him."

"Let's go get him."

The smell wasn't easy to follow.

It seemed that Kol had ran a lot of errands around town this morning, because his scent kept crossing, like some twisted maze.

However, my nose was considered the best for a reason, and eventually I singled out the freshest trail, and we followed it to one of the gas stations, towards the outskirts of town.

The same car that had been in the hotel parking lot a few days ago was parked off to the side.

"He's here," I muttered, "And I have an idea. But I need you to hang back."

Damon nodded.

For as much as he fought me on everything else, when it came to hunting Mutts, his trust had no bounds.

"Stay downwind," I told him, "Give me a minute to distract him."

Damon did as I asked, staying off to the side, out of sight, and I walked over to Kol's car, and waited.

Kol came out a few minutes later, a bag in his hand.

He paused as his eyes landed on me.

Then he reacted the way all Mutts did when they saw me.

By realizing there was nowhere to run, and immediately began begging for his life.

Yeah, I wished.

In reality, he tensed up, and his eyes scanned his surroundings, looking for Damon.

Mutts only feared me, because they knew what my presence meant.

It didn't matter if I could hold my own or not.

To them, I was simply the red flag, the announcement of their death, never the cause of it.

"Where is he?" Kol spat.

I shrugged, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah right," his eyes narrowed.

I smirked, and held up my hand.

I focused on my pointer finger, and extended the nail into my wolf claw.

Then, with a wink over my shoulder, I placed it against Kol's car, scraping down the side.

He growled, and stormed over, "You're gonna pay for that."

I stepped back as he set the bag down and faced me.

"I'm waiting," I told him, getting into a fighting stance.

Kol rose a brow, "You think you can beat me?"

I smiled, "Easy. You're stupid and slow."

He growled again, and made his lunge.

I laughed, as I sidestepped him.

Though, to be fair, it really wasn't that he was slow, I was just faster.

He swung at me, but I dodged each hit, flipping around him, not even bothering to attack yet.

Kol was growing frustrated, "I'm done messing around."

He moved around me then, and I lunged.

My strikes landed in his ribs, but he caught my arm, and pushed me back.

I was trapped between him and the car.

Kol smirked in victory, but this was the moment I'd been counting on.

A hand, adorned with a silver ring, dropped onto Kol's shoulder, and he froze.

The smile turned into a scowl, and he didn't even bother turning around to see who it was.

He didn't need to.

"I knew you wouldn't be too far behind your bitch," Kol spat.

Damon yanked him around, his face contorting in a way that left no doubt that all the rumors about him were true.

Kol knew he stood no chance.

But still, he lashed out, swinging a fist around, which Damon caught easily, and twisted behind his back.

Another quick maneuver, and Kol was pinned face down onto his car.

Damon pulled him back up and locked him in a chokehold.

I hesitated, catching the look on Damon's face.

He was enraged, adrenaline and instinct pumping through him.

And Kol's face was turning purple.

"Damon!" I hissed, "Damon, stop."

I threw a quick glance around, to make sure that no one had noticed our little scene.

Thankfully, this far out from the town square meant very little traffic.

We were safe.

But Kol wasn't.

"Damon," I spoke again, grabbing his face, "Listen to me, you can't kill him. We need him alive. Damon, please."

Somehow, my voice cut through Damon's nature, and his eyes held onto mine.

A moment later, he dropped Kol, who was now unconscious.

"Sorry," he muttered.

I stroked his cheek, "You're okay. But we have to get him back to the Manor."

Damon nodded, and helped me lift Kol.

I found his keys in his pocket, and unlocked his car.

We got him into the back seat, and I drove us back to the square.

Getting him into the SUV without being spotted was a little tricker, but we managed.

Damon let me drive again, as he sat in the back, making sure Kol didn't wake up.

I called Alaric on the way, and when we pulled up to the Manor, Tyler and Stefan were both waiting to help transfer the body.

The two of them, and Damon, took Kol down to the cellar, while I found Ric.

"We got him," I said, "He's out right now, but we'll be able to question him when he wakes up."

Alaric nodded, "Good work."

"Did the other Mutt come back?"

"Not yet," Ric assured me, "But I don't doubt he will...did anyone see the two of you grab Kol? Damon isn't always the most subtle."

"I'm pretty sure no one saw anything," I told him, "Damon was itching for the kill, but he was able to control himself."

"This time," Alaric sighed, "With Enzo's death, I can't trust that restraint to last."

"I've got Damon," I promised him.

He nodded, "I know you do...and thank you, for coming back. I didn't get the chance to tell you before."

"Of course," I told him, "I know what I said, but a member of the Pack was murdered. That changes everything."

Ric nodded, "I know. I'm just glad you're here."

I smiled softly, "Me too."

Alaric sent Tyler and Mason back out, to dispose of Kol's car, while the rest of us waited for the Mutt in question to wake up.

We were interrupted by a knock on the door.

I stood, but Alaric held a hand up, stopping me.

He walked into the foyer, to answer it, Damon close behind him.

"Alaric Saltzman," a voice drawled, "I'm Derek Lawson. We had a run in, a few years ago."

"I remember," Alaric clipped, "I heard you were looking for me."

I could hear the man's smirk, "I was. You see, word around is that the Pack isn't doing too good. That it's gotten weak. Like you. Kind of sounds like you've lost your edge. I'm here to challenge for Alpha-"

He barely had the words out, before Damon's growl filled the hall.

Stefan and I both shot from the place we'd been waiting, into the foyer.

"Ahh!" The Mutt winced, as Damon, who'd reached around Alaric to pull the man inside, threw him to the ground.

"The Pack is weak?!" He spat, picking the guy up to his knees, his hand closing around his throat, "Sounds like you've been listening to the wrong rumors. That'll be your last mistake."

The Mutt clawed at Damon's hand, but to no avail.

"Damon."

Alaric's calm voice made us all look at him.

"Let him go."

Even quiet, the command was given in the Alpha voice, and Damon hissed, but dropped the man.

The Mutt jumped to his feet, backing up a step as he reclaimed his breath, then, with a shake off his head, marched towards the door.

George joined us as it slammed shut.

"Everything okay?"

He was ignored.

"Why didn't you let me take care that?" Damon demanded.

Alaric met his gaze, "We have enough to worry about without adding the death of a random Mutt to the list."

"That's besides the point," Damon wasn't ready to back down, "Did you not hear what he said?"

"I did," Ric assured him.

"He thinks the Pack is weak. That you can be challenged, because he doesn't fear retribution."

Alaric's eyes narrowed, "Are you suggesting that I have made a mistake? If so, perhaps you know better than I? Do you wish to challenge me now, Damon?"

Damon set his jaw.

I could tell that he was fighting the urge to press his point.

"We should have at least found out who sent him," Damon said instead.

"At the moment, it doesn't matter," George stepped in, "But the fact that Mutts are coming here, to the Manor is enough. We need to consider what we will do, if we want to avoid a revolution."

Alaric nodded, "I've considered the possibility."

George sighed, "Well, I suppose we could always relax on the set law. Maybe drop the rules regarding territory, in exchange for swearing loyalty to the Pack."

"No," Damon growled, before Alaric could answer.

Ric stared at him, "Then what would you suggest, Damon?"

Damon didn't hesitate, "Station a nation wide Mutt hunt. Push them back down to submission, and remind them of who's in charge. Kill the ones who put up a fight, and use them to make an example to the others. They already think you're weak. All relaxing the laws will do, is further prove it true."

Silence met his words.

Alaric blinked, his demeanor changing into something cold, "You believe me weak?"

I flinched at his tone, but Damon didn't back down, "The Mutts do. That's all that matters."

Alaric was still staring at him, when someone began pounding on the door again.

Derek Lawson had returned, and barged inside.

"Wait," he said, as Damon took a step toward him, "I have the right, as a wolf, to challenge the Alpha. One on one."

I tensed, but Alaric nodded, "He speaks the truth. By law, it is his right."

He shot a look at Damon, "You will not interfere."

Damon set his jaw, but didn't comment.

The rest of us backed away, as Alaric stripped off his overshirt.

I grabbed Damon's hand, knowing how hard it would be for him not to protect his Alpha.

But we didn't have to worry.

Alaric wasn't the man he used to be, but he was far from washed up.

With moves that only years of experience could bring, he fought the Mutt.

Derek barely touched him.

Alaric was fast, and stronger than he appeared.

In a few short moves, he had the Mutt on his knees, execution style.

Ric's chest heaved, but he was otherwise alright.

His eyes lifted to Damon, "Take him downstairs. Put him in the cell, but cuff him and Kol to opposite walls."

Damon nodded, releasing my hand to do as he was told, the Mutt yelping out in protest.

I walked over to Alaric.

"You okay?"

He smiled gently, "It's been a while."

I nodded, and he led us into the study, so he could sit down.

I wanted to press the matter of his wellbeing, but didn't.

I knew better.

But something felt off, as Ric poured a drink, and took a seat in his chair.

His gaze was unfocused, as if his mind were turning over a deep thought, and as he kept glancing at the hallway, I could only assume it was about the Mutts...or Damon.

Alaric reached into his desk, and removed something from it, but I couldn't make it what it was from my seat.

He began fiddling with the object as we waited.

Damon entered the room a moment later.

"He's restrained. Kol is still out."

Alaric nodded, "Good."

He stood back up, then, turning to Damon.

"I want you to find out where he heard those rumors from. See if it relates to our Mutt situation here. Then-"

He grabbed Damon's hand, placing the object he'd been holding into his palm, "I want you to make an example of him."

I realized, as Damon looked down at it, that the object was a pair of pliers.

Which could only mean one thing.

I opened my mouth to object, but George placed a hand on my arm.

He shook his head at me, silently telling me not to interfere.

This was between Damon and Alaric.

Damon's hand closed around the tool, and he met Alaric's gaze.

"As you command, Alpha," he recited the loyalty pledge, "So it shall be."

I still wanted to protest, but managed to keep my mouth shut.

Alaric nodded, and Damon swallowed.

Then he disappeared, heading for the hall that would lead downstairs.

Sooo that's that lol.

Review and let me know your thoughts :)