A/N: Okay, please don't kill me! After an unacceptably long wait, I give you chapter 37! I'm sorry it's so short. I hope you like the direction of the story. I know some have expressed that they don't want her to be a wolf, but it was kind of the only way to do this, so... Now we have the wolf and the witch (Irina and Bonnie) of our prophecy. I wonder who the hunter could be? Hmm... Do we have a Sherlock in the bunch?! Haha. Next chapter is graduation, and then New Orleans! woo!

ALSO: I'm busy drafting another fic! It's Klaroline, but it also has some ElijahxOC. I really like my OC so far, so... (There could also be some KolxOC in later chapters, but we'll see. I haven't gotten that far yet.) I'll let you know if it ever gets posted.

I asked Saint Christopher
To find your sister
She ran out in the woods
'Cause she ran out in the woods

- Woods by Daughter

They drove as quickly as they could to the mansion. It seemed farther than it had ever been before, but they eventually made it. There were a few lights on outside, but the inside was almost completely dark. Only one light shone through on the second floor. Bonnie practically threw the car in park and left it running as she ran to catch up with Jeremy who was almost at the front door.

He knocked once, and Bonnie could only hope that Klaus would be the one to answer. They didn't have time to explain it to anyone else.

Thankfully, Bonnie's hopes were answered. The door opened minutes later, and they were face-to-face with a very confused Klaus whose expression looked as if Bonnie and Jeremy were the biggest inconvenience for him at the moment.

"Oh good, the hunter and the witch are here," he said.

"Klaus, we need your help," Bonnie said.

Klaus sighed. "Of course you do," he said. "Unfortunately I'm a bit busy at the moment, so you'll have to come back tomorrow."

Klaus began closing the door, but Jeremy stopped it with his foot. In retrospect, it was probably a stupid move, but he was only thinking of helping Irina at this point. "Please, it's Irina. She needs help," he said.

Klaus' eyes narrowed. "What happened?"

"We're not really sure," Bonnie replied. "She was really out of it, and then she just left. She ran out of the house like staying inside was causing her actual pain."

Klaus seemed to think for a moment, and Jeremy added; "Her eyes were glowing yellow, too."

Without warning, the door slammed shut and they were left on their own. They were about to leave and find Irina on their own when Klaus opened the door again and stepped outside. There were clothes in his hand, and somehow, they didn't look like they were for him. As funny as it would have been, Jeremy couldn't picture Klaus wearing a pink tank top.

"Come with me," he said.

They followed him in the direction of the car, but he walked right past it. Jeremy followed without question, but Bonnie didn't. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"You won't be able to find Irina in a car," Klaus said. "We walk."

Since they didn't have time to argue, Bonnie grabbed her grimoire out of the back and followed them. Klaus seemed to know exactly where they were going, even though it was far. They walked for ten minutes before they came upon a stone structure that looked as if it had been there for centuries. Neither Bonnie nor Jeremy had ever seen it before.

Klaus pointed to a raised area of the structure, and said; "You two sit there and wait."

"What are we waiting for?" Bonnie asked.

Klaus sighed. "Just wait. Trust me."

Trusting Klaus was the last thing on their to-do list, but it didn't seem like they had much of another choice. He flashed away, and they didn't have any hope of following him, so they waited as he asked. It didn't take long before they realized why they were told to wait. About ten minutes after Klaus left, they heard twigs snapping to their left, and out of the trees walked a wolf.

It wasn't what they were expecting from a werewolf. To be honest, Caroline and Elena were the only ones to have actually seen a werewolf in their wolf form. Bonnie and Jeremy were a bit underwhelmed to say the least, because the only way you could tell this was a werewolf was by the glowing gold irises. Also, it seemed to be snarling at them. It was circling the stone structure like a boxer circles his opponent in the ring, and Bonnie almost ran out of the circle to get away, but Jeremy held her back.

"What are you doing?" Bonnie asked.

"We're supposed to wait here," Jeremy said. "Look…"

He pointed to the ground where they wolf was pawing to get in, but it couldn't enter the stone circle. There was a barrier between them that the wolf couldn't walk through. As long as they stayed here, they were safe. Klaus had protected them… but why?

Suddenly, the wolf's attention was shifted to the opposite direction when another twig snapped and a wolf came walking from the shadows. This one was bigger, and its eyes were glowing a different color – they were more yellow, rather than gold – and somehow, they knew it was Klaus. He walked slowly towards the other wolf, as if he were trying not to startle it. It didn't really work, because the smaller wolf snapped at him and bared its teeth. His growl was much louder, and it didn't take long for the other wolf to catch on – he was the alpha here, not them.

That made the smaller wolf turn its attention back to Jeremy and Bonnie. It continued to paw and dig at the edge of the circle, but there was no way it could get inside. Eventually, it began to whine and, for some reason, ran off in the direction Klaus had come from. Klaus followed, and the two of them were left to wait once more.

"What the hell just happened here?" Jeremy asked.

"I think that was Irina…" Bonnie replied.

Pain…

All she could feel was pain. What had begun as a mild discomfort had grown into blinding agony as her bones broke and her skin shifted. Her insides were moving and there was no way for her to stop it. She had made it to the middle of the woods, away from the houses and people of Mystic Falls, but she thought she could see lights on the distance, so she kept moving in a different direction. Eventually, she came across a stone circle, but she couldn't enter.

It wouldn't have mattered anyway, because eventually she lost all clues as to who she was. She was just... animalistic. Her bones snapped into new formations, and no matter how much she tried to fight it, she was changing. Eventually, the animal inside became too much, and she just let go. It was over quickly after that, and then she woke up - shivering - in the middle of the forest.

If she were honest, all she really wanted to do right now was sleep, and sleep a long time. She was exhausted and trying to process what just happened. She looked down at her hands and saw that they had been cut, and blood covered them. They stung, but pain had been put into an entirely new perspective after what she just went through. Overall, they weren't that bad.

She tried to stand, because she needed to walk home, but she couldn't stop shaking. She was freezing, and she was afraid, and she didn't know of a way to get help so she just curled up to try and keep warm, and cried with her head resting on her knees. She didn't hear him walk up to her until his hand rested on her shoulder, and she let out a squeaking noise in fear. For some reason, the person she saw made her fear subside, and she felt relief as she never had before.

Klaus was here.

Granted, due to their history his very presence should have filled her with terror, but there was no malice in his eyes. Instead, she saw understanding and sympathy - she saw a her father's love for his daughter was still strong, no matter how long it had been since he'd expressed it. The relief was so strong that it caused a new wave of tears to spill from her eyes.

He knelt in front of her with a comforting hand on her shoulder for a few minutes, and when most of her tears were gone he finally began speaking. "Irina," he began, "do you know what happened?"

She had a pretty good idea, but she wasn't at all ready to face it yet, so she said; "No."

He handed her a set of clothes, and it was only then that she realized she was freezing because she was naked. She took the clothes from him and waited for him to turn around before getting dressed. These were most certainly the cheapest clothes from Rebekah's closet, but they were still more expensive than her entire wardrobe, and she was ruining them by putting them on her dirt-covered body.

He turned to face her when she told him she was dressed, and he still had the look of understanding in his eyes. "Is that a bit better?" he asked, taking his jacket off and wrapping it around her shoulders.

She nodded, but noticed that he was dirty too, just not as much as she was. "Why are you covered in dirt?" she asked.

"That normally happens when you turn," he replied.

"You turned?" she asked. "Why?"

He paused to choose his words. "Irina, the witch you met in the mausoleum... I think she returned your wolf side to you, and activated it," he replied.

"Is that possible?" she replied.

He sighed. "In powerful hands, anything is possible."

She took deep breaths and willed herself to not cry. She fought back the tears until they no longer threatened to fall, and said; "What do I do now?"

He thought for a moment, and then said; "The other day, Rebekah came to me with a plan, and I think it's a good one. My family spent a lot of time in the French Quarter - we made it into something grand. If you'd agree, we'd like you to join us there - maybe just for the summer, after graduation. We still have a thousand years of separation to make right, after all."

She couldn't deny that it sounded tempting, but could she really leave her friends and family behind? It was only for the summer. Instead of saying yes or no, she simply said; "It sounds fun, so I'll think about it."

He smiled and they began walking. "I won't try to sway your decision, but I'd like to make my argument. I know it's difficult to leave your friends, but it wouldn't be forever. Besides, I think you'd love New Orleans. There's so much life there! It's perfectly suited for a girl as fun as yourself. I know they call New York the city that never sleeps, but New Orleans..." he said, trailing off with a fond shake of his head.

"Thank you, Klaus," she said.

He gave a small nod and said; "You seem surprisingly okay with all of this."

"Oh don't worry. I'm going to be crying in my room for quite some time. I think I'm still kind of in shock to be honest," she replied.

Klaus stopped walking and placed his hands on her shoulders. "If you need help, or even if you just want to talk... I'll be here. I know what it's like to turn, and I will help you Irina. I promise," he said.

She knew that this was rare. He didn't willingly offer his help without strings attached, but right now he was. "Thank you," she said. "Really, thank you."

He didn't reply. He simply smiled and they walked the remaining distance in silence. She thought he was walking her home, but they arrived at a stone area in the middle of the woods, and she saw Bonnie and Jeremy standing there. She ran towards them, and when she looked back, Klaus was gone.

Klaus returned home to find the house alive with talk and activity. He shook his head and walked inside, waiting for the questioning that was certain to come. As expected, Rebekah and Kol were the first to meet him when he walked in.

"What the bloody hell happened? You run into my room and take my clothes, and then you leave," she said.

"Why do you smell like dog?" Kol asked with a wrinkled nose.

Klaus rolled his eyes and tried not to give into his brother's baiting remarks. He needed to talk with his mother, and possibly Elijah. Esther could most often be found in the library of his manor, which wasn't shocking. She was always a fan of reading and the arts as a human - more than Mikael had been - and now there was much more material for her to enjoy. He opened the door without knocking and found her reading, with Finn close by skimming through a grimoire. Her expression was knowing. She had been expecting him.

The others followed him into the room, but he paid them no mind. "Mother," he said. "I have news."

"What has happened, Niklaus? The magic in the entire area is fluctuating like crazy."

"The witch Irina met... She gave her back her werewolf side, and then activated it. Irina turned tonight," he said.

A silence fell over the room. "Mother, is that even possible?" Finn asked.

Esther sighed. "It's very possible, and it's news that's both good and bad."

"Meaning?" Elijah asked.

"The witch that did this - Bela, I think she wished to be called - she is very powerful. She's powerful enough to undo a spell of black magic I performed over a millennium ago. However, she's not in her correct body. The human body she's in wasn't originally a witch, so her power is still limited. This giant burst of magic she used would have weakened her immensely for a while," she replied.

"How long?" Klaus asked.

"I'd say months, but I can't be sure."

"So she'll turn every full moon?" Rebekah asked.

Esther nodded. "Yes, she will... unfortunately. I have no way of stopping it. I wish I could."

"Mother, you performed a spell to turn us all into vampires. You alone found a spell to prevent us from burning in the sun. You bound a werewolf side before! Why couldn't you do it again?" Kol asked.

"No!"

"No."

Esther and Klaus has spoken at the same time. They looked at each other and shared a look of understanding - her werewolf side would never be bound. That was a mistake she wouldn't make again. "Irina will not have part of herself locked away," Klaus said. "That's final."

"Besides," Esther said; "The only reason I took her werewolf side in the first place was because I needed the power to bind Niklaus' werewolf side. I also had Ayanna then, and I don't now. There's no way I'd ever be able to harness that much energy again, and I wouldn't want to."

"There has to be a way of keeping her from turning, and I doubt she'd want to be a hybrid," Rebekah said.

Everyone thought for a moment, and then Esther seemed to remember something. "Perhaps there is," Esther said.

"What?" Klaus asked.

"It was a spell that I only used once. I didn't write it, and I don't remember it clearly, but I do remember what was needed." She paused until Klaus motioned for her to continue. "It's called a moonlight ring. I made it for a man who visited our village once. He was from the werewolf clan," she explained.

"What does it do?" Finn asked.

"A wolf can call on it to prevent transformation during the full moon. It's the werewolf equivalent to your daylight rings."

"Okay then, let's get one," Klaus said.

Esther shook her head. "I no longer have the spell, Niklaus! I wasn't permitted to keep anything important about the spell. It was a guarded secret within their clan. If it still exists, it will have been passed down through the generations," she explained.

"We have to find it, mother!" Klaus said.

"Then I suggest you start looking, Niklaus! I may be a witch, but I can't just pull information out of thin air! I will help you as much as I can, but even my knowledge has its limits. Until you find it, I can make transformation easier for her with some herbs, but that's all," she said. Everyone stood around, not sure of what to do. "Well, what are you all waiting for? Go! Research!"

They all reluctantly left the room. Klaus stopped outside the door as it closed behind him. Rebekah and Elijah stood next to him. "What are you thinking Niklaus?" Elijah asked.

"I think we should go to New Orleans. I remember wolf packs there - old, undiluted bloodlines. It would be a good start... but we can't leave mother here on her own." he said.

"I'll stay," Kol said. "Finn will probably want to stay as well. We can take care of things here."

Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah narrowed their eyes at the same time. "You're volunteering to stay behind?" Rebekah asked.

"Yeah, don't make a fuss," he replied before flashing away.

Bonnie drove the three of them back to their house. Jeremy called Elena to let him know that he was okay, and Bonnie filled Caroline in on what happened. Irina was the freak now, and it didn't feel good. Bonnie left to go to Elena's and explain to everyone what happened. Jeremy was being overly-attentive to Irina, and he looked afraid that she was going to go crazy again like she had before.

"Jeremy, I'm fine. I promise," she said.

"I know, but... I was just so worried about you. I'm just happy you're safe," he said.

She smiled, but it wasn't a happy look. "Even though I'm a freak now?" she asked.

Jeremy scoffed. "I see ghosts, my sister has a five-hundred year old look-alike, your father is a hybrid born a thousand years ago, and you think you get to call yourself freak?" he asked with a smile. "Irina, you've never been normal. Before you were a werewolf, you were a witch. How is this any different?"

"Because before I was among company. Now... the only person I have is Klaus."

Jeremy shook his head. "No," he said. "You have me. I might not know what it's like to turn, but I love you, okay? Never forget that! I'm here for you."

She smiled and hugged him. "Thank you," she whispered.

He kissed her head and took her hands in his. She hissed when the cuts stung, and he looked at them. "You're hurt," he said.

"No, really. They're just scratches."

He walked out of the room and she could hear him rummaging around for something. He came back a few minutes later with the first aid kit, and sat on the bed. She sat across from him, and he gently took one of her hands in his. At first, the antiseptic stung, but eventually it went away. She couldn't take her eyes off of his face. She always knew he was attractive, but had he always been so hot? He was concentrating 100% on her hands, and the look on her face was so sexy. His eyes flickered to hers for a moment, and she smiled before looking away quickly. What the hell was going on with her? She'd never been like this before.

He started working on the other hand - cleaning out the scrapes and making sure it wouldn't get infected. Once again she couldn't stop thinking about how much she wanted him right now. Where the hell was this coming from? Sure, they'd had sex before, but this was new. Now she wanted to jump his bones without even thinking about it. She didn't care about where she was, or that Bonnie could return at any moment. They could have been in the middle of the town square and she'd still want to do it. This was weird, but the feelings were rapidly replacing any shame she felt.

When Jeremy was finished, he laid the first aid kit on the bedside table, and said; "There... good as new."

He could barely finish the statement, because her lips were on his in an instant. Any protests he thought were appropriate to make died on the tip of his tongue, and really, they would have been half-hearted attempts at best. Any hope of either of them getting rest was gone for the rest of the night, and when Bonnie found them asleep together at six in the morning, she didn't bother waking them for school. They deserved a moment of rest after the craziness that was the previous night. She just pulled the cover up around them more and closed their door quietly, before spending the entire drive to school thinking of excuses for the both of them.