No One's POV
"Good evening, ladies and gentleman. Waiters are coming around with champagne. I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy than to see my family back together as one. I'd like to thank you for all being part of this spectacular evening. Cheers!" Esther announces.
"Cheers!" The room echoes.
"Cheers," Elijah offers, clinking glasses with Brooklyn.
Taking a sip, Brooklyn suddenly coughs, the glass slipping from her grip and shattering on the ground as she begins gasping in pain, struggling to breathe; dark magic, it had tainted the champagne and it was suffocating her own magic.
"Brooklyn!?" Elijah calls, instantly attentive, panic clear in his tone as he places his own glass down to help support her.
"Ge- get Ni- Nik." Brooklyn wheezes out, leaning against Elijah's chest, hoping to appear steady and draw as little attention as possible to her embarrassing slip of glass and the situation at hand.
"I'm here, Brooklyn. Come along, darling." Niklaus sudden says, appearing beside her and herding her and Elijah out of sight.
"What happened?" Niklaus demands, glaring at Elijah, and were it any other situation, Elijah may be attempting to strangle his brother for the harsh command and for getting close to his mate, however, deep down Elijah knew his brother was attempting to help.
"Nothing. She just took a sip of champagne." Elijah frets, helping his brother hold onto a now writhing Brooklyn.
"Out- outside. Th- the forest." Brooklyn chokes out, her eyes connecting with Niklaus hoping to convey urgency.
Nodding in confirmation, Niklaus sweeps Brooklyn into his arms, flashing out of the mansion and into the forest within moments.
Dropping to the forest ground, Brooklyn grits her teeth in annoyance and pain, fisting her hands into the dirt, still struggling to get enough air.
Her magic was fighting the dark magic swirling against hers.
Arching unnaturally, a gold web of light, Brooklyn's magic, bursts from her body, encompassing her form and sending ripples through the air before collapsing, once more containing itself within Brooklyn's form, leaving Brooklyn crumpled on the forest floor exhausted; the dark magic was gone.
Suddenly a twig snaps, twelve pairs of eyes appearing in a circle around Brooklyn, Niklaus, and Elijah, hovering just outside the light cast by the moon; wolves.
"Wait, brother." Niklaus warns, placing a hand on Elijah's arm, preventing him from doing anything or approaching Brooklyn as he had intended to.
Watching as a black wolf, dark as night itself, nearly the height of a man's waist, approaches Brooklyn, the wolf bows its head, snuffling Brooklyn's face and licking, whining loudly.
"Hey Aaron. What a night, yeah?" Brooklyn jokes weakly, reaching a hand up to touch the wolf's snout, the wolf only snorting in response.
"Her twin brother. Also her beta, second in command to Brooklyn." Niklaus explains to Elijah.
These were the Alpha Wolves.
Observing as another two wolves break from the invisible circle, one licks her face the other nudging at Brooklyn's arm.
"Hey Ry, Kaylee." Brooklyn smiles weakly, reaching to touch their snouts.
"Ryan, Brooklyn's gamma, third in command, and Kylee, Ryan's sister, Brooklyn's delta, fourth in command. The Hampton siblings, also twins." Niklaus answers Elijah's unasked question; Niklaus had met Brooklyn's pack before, although the first meeting wasn't as pleasant as the ones that followed.
"I'm fine, guys. It was dark magic. The balance has been upset." Brooklyn speaks to the wolves, her voice then tapering off, using their mind link to talk.
"Mother," Elijah growls, knowing that was the only one witch at the Mikaelson ball other than Brooklyn.
"I would assume so," Niklaus agrees, watching Brooklyn interact with her pack, the color slowly beginning to return to her figure.
"Brooklyn, love, perhaps we should return now? You should rest, you've been pushed to your limit." Niklaus interrupts lightly, but not daring to step closer; he and Aaron most definitely did not get along and Niklaus didn't fancy getting bitten again, it was less than a pleasant experience.
"Yes. Rest sounds nice. We'll talk tomorrow, Aaron." Brooklyn mumbles, easily dismissing her pack.
Nodding in confirmation, Aaron bows lightly to his sister, in an acknowledgement of her status before retreating to the rim of the circle, casting Niklaus and Elijah a calculating, even look before turning to disappear, the rest of the pack following suit.
"Allow me to help you, Brooklyn." Elijah offers immediately, kneeling beside her the moment the wolves had left.
"Mmmm… Thanks, Elijah." Brooklyn hums, allowing him to pick her up in his arms.
"Rest. We'll be back at the mansion in a moment." Elijah encourages his inner vampire barely soothed by his mate back in his arms, the wind and forest flashing by in a blur.
Slipping into the party unobtrusively, Elijah immediately heads to Brooklyn's room, carefully placing her tired figure on the bed.
"Stay with her, Elijah. I must go sooth some tempers. It seems Damon Salvatore decided to snap Kol's neck. Not to say he probably didn't deserve it, but you know how mother gets. She'll be upset if that has ruined the party." Niklaus says lowly, giving Elijah a meaningful look.
"Of course, Niklaus. I will remain here." Elijah assures.
Nodding once, Niklaus quickly disappears, leaving Elijah to watch over Brooklyn, who by now was solidly asleep, exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally from the night's events.
"Sleep well, my love. I promise I will always protect you and be there for you when you are in need, and I shall be here waiting for you when you decide to give me a chance." Elijah promises, whispering gently to her as he sweeps the hair out of Brooklyn's face and presses an affectionate kiss to her forehead.