Chapter 37: Corks and Claws

Author's note: Thanks so much for continuing to follow and support my work! Your reviews have been the best part of my day! This story ended up being bigger than I originally thought, so I've already decided to write a sequel for this chapter; I have it mostly mapped out and hopefully will be able to finish writing it soon!

Also, the Klaroline Awards are going on now, so please be sure to go nominate your favorite authors and their stories!

In this chapter, as alpha pack leader of the Crescent Clan, Caroline has enough to deal with keeping her wolves in line, but then a familiar sexy hybrid returns with his own set of problems and she can't help but get involved...


"[I]t is the wine that leads me on,
the wild wine
that sets the wisest man to sing
at the top of his lungs,
laugh like a fool — it drives the
man to dancing...it even
tempts him to blurt out stories
better never told."
— Homer, The Odyssey

Werewolf claws made excellent corkscrews. Caroline's blue eyes twinkled in delight as she finished wedging the cork out of an aromatic ruby red cabernet and set it out on the picnic table to breathe. Her gaze swept over the gently rolling hills of her pack's vineyard, Aconite Kiss. The sun burned high overhead and she could see the idiot Salvatore brothers were trying to water the grapes at noon rather than waiting until evening when the heat would be less likely to cause the vines to shrivel. With an impatient wave of her hand, Tyler quickly approached, reassigning them to one of the cellars to help the interns catalog the latest batches of wine.

The musical notes of the delicate copper pipes of her wind chime danced on the slight breeze, but her nose twitched as she sensed trouble was on its way. A low growl of aggravation rumbled in her chest as she placed the worn bookmark made of dried prairie grass back in her book. From her vantage point sitting atop the tallest hill in the area for miles, her blue eyes narrowed suspiciously as she spied a black Cadillac Escalade slowly make its way over the gravel roads toward her home. She scoffed when she noticed how the bitter Oklahoma dust had coated the once-sparkling finish of the pretentious SUV. Good.

Caroline grinned wickedly as she recalled the first time Klaus had showed up on her pack's land, a cocksure grin on his handsome face as he assumed a pair of unexpected dimples and accent-laced sweet-talk would convince her pack to join his silly hybrid army. Suffice to say, his visit didn't turn out quite the way he had assumed it would. She shifted slightly in her white Adirondack chair, making herself more comfortable as she watched the attractive asshat unfold his lean, muscular frame from the vehicle, not bothering to see if his traveling companion was following him as he climbed the steep steps to her wraparound porch.

"Caroline, it's been too long," Klaus told her with a short bow. His gray eyes danced with mirth, but underneath his bravado, Caroline could sense he was troubled.

"Not long enough, depending on what shenanigans you've brought to my doorstep," she muttered, turning her attention to the sullen girl that stood a foot behind him, glaring at her feet with her arms defiantly crossed in front of her. She was clearly a werewolf, but her scent carried some interesting secrets. "I'm Caroline. And you are...?" she asked the girl expectantly.

The hybrid quickly answered for her, his accented voice clipping off words in aggravation. "This is Hayley. She's unfortunately become enmeshed with my family and now that her life has been threatened, I thought to bring her here for protection as she's also a pack member of the Crescent Clan." His eyes traced the half-moon birthmark perched near Caroline's bare shoulder that all werewolves born into her pack carried.

Hayley's brown eyes suddenly found Caroline's, a note of challenge in her tone as she said, "I'm the pack's queen."

Klaus sighed in irritation at the girl's bold statement, but otherwise remained silent while Caroline couldn't help the small chuckle of amusement that escaped her lips. "You're the Crescent Clan's queen? Now that is interesting. The Crescent Clan doesn't have queens. We have an alpha who leads us."

The girl's whole demeanor changed as she straightened her posture, pushing out her chest as she quickly scanned the vineyard's property as though evaluating the various men she saw working to determine which one was the pack's leader. "Okay, so which one's the alpha," she asked with an odd pout.

"That would be me," Caroline smoothly answered, silently enjoying the way the sullen girl's eyes widened as she took a further step back. A small, petty part of her relished in the way the young wolf had subconsciously started to submit in her presence. She sniffed, noticing how the air quivered suspiciously around the girl, putting Caroline on high alert. Her wolf made its presence known, straining against her skin to be released as it sensed a potential threat to her pack. Caroline soothed it for the moment, her eyes briefly flickering her signature wolf silver as she evaluated her options. Her pack must come first. Sensing his alpha's concern, Tyler immediately rushed to the bottom of the stairs, silently waiting for her to speak.

Klaus curled his lip at her pack beta's arrival. He asked condescendingly, "Here to play fetch, runt?" Tyler's answering growl made Hayley jump, her eyes darting nervously between the two aggressive males as they postured and puffed up more like peacocks than wolves.

Caroline rolled her eyes, holding up a hand for silence. "Enough. Tyler, this is Hayley. Take her to the private dining hall and keep her company. Also, please inform Bonnie we may need to gather the pack for a conclave tonight." With a quick nod, Tyler wordlessly maneuvered Hayley down the steps and herded her across the vast lawn toward a small cabin off to the side.

"Tell me, love, does his obedience training extend to the bedroom," Klaus asked in a petulant tone, steel creeping into his glare as he watched the retreating figures.

She scoffed, standing up to reach into the alcove above her table and pull a second goblet from the rack. Pouring generous servings of the hearty cabernet, she handed him his glass before taking a sip of the heady wine. "Honestly, Klaus. You are a thousand-year-old hybrid, not a jealous schoolboy with his first crush. Tyler is my pack beta — you know damn well I don't shit where I eat. The harmony of my pack is far too important to screw it up by screwing one of my own." She tilted her head, her tone condescending as she added, "Besides, you certainly don't have the right to ask me intrusive questions when you bring a pregnant wolf to my door."

Klaus' eyes widened, and she was surprised by the myriad of emotions she found upon his handsome face — shame, regret, anger, and even fear. Clearly there was more to this situation than she first imagined. She sympathetically watched him take a shuddering breath, settling into a chair next to hers as he stared blankly at the vineyard activity bustling below. He took a long drink from his wine, seeming to lose himself in the strong, spicy-sweet flavors as he searched for the right words. She allowed herself to admire the way his dark henley stretched across the smooth muscles of his chest, his collection of necklaces casually slung around his neck.

Finally, he set down his glass and said hoarsely, "It was a drunken one-night stand." He shook his head angrily as he continued. "It was supposed to be meaningless. She was there to give me information on Katherine, an irritatingly resourceful vampire that I've been hunting for centuries."

Caroline bit her lip, trying to determine the best way to tell him what else she knew. She gently questioned, "And then she tracked you down and told you she was pregnant? Did she ask for something in return?"

"Actually, a clan of witches that want to try to overthrow my family kidnapped her, revealed to me that I'm the father, and bound her and the baby's lives to that of the witches so that I cannot harm them," Klaus explained, his anger at feeling so powerless was evident in his ragged tone and the way his knuckles turned white.

He glanced over at Caroline, arching an eyebrow. He curiously asked, "How did you know that she was pregnant?"

"Seriously? Any supernatural creature can hear the second heartbeat. I cannot believe human witches had to point it out. You're the worst wolf ever. I bet you haven't even turned since you first broke the curse, have you," she teased, taking another sip of her wine.

"I've been a bit busy, love," he muttered defensively, refilling his glass.

Caroline nodded to herself, cheekily announcing, "Yup. Worst. Wolf. Ever." Clinking their goblets together she added, "And here's further proof: I bet you haven't tried to find out if the baby's really yours, have you?"

"Of course I have," he snarled, his eyes darkening dangerously. "Witches performed some sort of spell that proved it."

"Witches. You mean like the ones that are currently threatening your family," she asked flatly. She refilled her glass as well, her blue eyes sweeping across the vineyard and noted with pride the way her pack worked together as a well-organized team as they sorted the grapes to prepare for pressing later that week.

"These were different witches, ones that are loyal to my family," he answered in aggravation. "I'm not a bloody idiot."

"Right. Because witches on your payroll couldn't possibly be on someone else's payroll too," she mocked, unable to keep from rolling her eyes at his idiocy.

Suddenly alert, he straightened in his chair, his tone eerily soft as he carefully considered her words. "What are you not telling me? Did you sense something?"

"Obviously," she scoffed. "In addition to the ridiculously shady circumstances in which Hayley became enmeshed with you and your family, I noticed a couple of things." She sighed, mentally preparing for his undoubtedly hostile reaction at what she was about to tell him. "Klaus, Hayley doesn't have your scent. The baby she's carrying should smell like both of you. Whatever Hayley and the witches told you was a lie. The baby isn't yours."

Klaus blinked, his fingers twitching so violently that they neatly snapped his goblet stem in half, spilling the cabernet across the center of her wooden table. "It isn't mine," he half-stated-half-asked in a strangely hoarse voice. "It is nothing more than a plot against me! To keep me distracted while the witches try to overthrow my family," he growled, eyes flashing a feral, murderous gold as he clenched his fists. "I'll have that wretched wolf's head for this," he swore, leaping to his feet.

Caroline let out a threatening snarl, the same authoritative cadence she used to keep her own wolves in line. "Sit. Down." Her sharp claws erupted from her fingertips, but she kept the rest of her wolf at bay for the moment. The power behind her words seemed to give him pause, and he reluctantly took his seat, the angry yellow of his eyes glowing brightly. "Seriously, Klaus, with that impulsive nature of yours, it's no wonder I was able to so easily thwart your attempts at waging war against my pack when we first met."

He growled lowly at her mocking tone. "It was a simple misunderstanding, sweetheart. I merely arrived with an enticing offer for your pack and you tried to kill me."

She smiled fondly at the memories he raised. Back then, the foolish hybrid had no idea what he blundered into when he first approached her pack.

Klaus had caused quite a stir in pack communities across the nation when he broke his curse to become a powerful hybrid. What he hadn't anticipated was how knowledgeable Caroline and her pack had become regarding his plans for a hybrid army in addition to the Originals and their weaknesses. By the time he had arrived at her vineyard, she had dozens of contingency plans in place to ensure her pack's survival as well as their continued freedom.

When the arrogant hybrid greeted her with a flirtatious smirk, she had allowed him to spin his seductive tale of power and immortality and how he would selflessly give this gift to her pack once they submitted to his will. But Caroline would never submit. For generations, the Crescent Clan had been fiercely loyal to its own, and that was not about to change just because a pair of dimples and a sexy grin strutted onto her pack lands. Also, she could read the threat of violence in the powerful line of his muscles and knew that his promises of peace and goodwill were clever little lies meant to soothe her wolves into complacency before their freedom was snatched away.

She had welcomed Klaus warmly to the vineyard and invited him to a feast in which she proposed they open negotiations. Although suspicious of her offer, he amicably agreed, sending her a heated gaze that she couldn't help but reciprocate. After all, what general didn't enjoy a side of wooing with their war? Seated next to him in her pack's banquet hall, she easily distracted him with witty banter and sly little touches, winding him up to the point that he was oblivious to Bonnie, her pack's healer, deftly swiping the protection talisman from around his neck.

Once Caroline noted all the necessary pieces were in place, she enacted the next phase of her plan, and invited her wolves to raise their wine glasses to toast their honored guest. As they all drank deeply, Klaus suddenly began choking, clutching wildly at his throat.

At his furious glare, Caroline had stood over him calmly, explaining in a cold voice, "Aconite. Also known as 'wolfsbane'. Also, just a touch of white oak ash." As Klaus valiantly fought off the effects of his drugged wine, she added matter-of-factly, "You should guard your secrets more carefully, hybrid. Like we do," and then flicked her wrist, causing the powerful immortal to fly through the air until he was pinned to the wall by her unexpected magic.

"You tricked me," Klaus grumbled, pulling her out of her fond memories.

She laughed, her long blonde curls dancing about her bare shoulders. "You wanted to be tricked." She patted his hand in mock sympathy. "We eventually reached a favorable understanding, Klaus." Her blue eyes narrowed as she recalled the reason for his visit. "Clearly our alliance has paid off for you, considering you're already dumping problems on my doorstep."

He huffed, fists still clenched in anger as he said, "You have destroyed the witches' leverage over my family. Once I learn the depth of the girl's treachery, she will be swiftly dealt with along with those bloody witches."

Caroline crossed her arms in front of her chest and said defiantly, "Not on my watch you won't. You've brought the wolf to my lands which means I now have a say in her fate. Hayley's still pregnant and that's a line we don't cross." The silver of her wolf danced in her eyes momentarily, a warning she expected Klaus to heed. Although his strong jaw tightened in annoyance, he nodded in agreement.

Taking a breath, she leaned forward in her chair and kept her voice even as she calmly explained, "The other unsettling thing I noticed about Hayley is the way the air around her shimmered slightly. One or more spells are at work here and I'm suspicious of that wolf's incredibly convenient birthmark."

Raising an eyebrow, Klaus asked, "You think she's not part of your clan? I've never heard of pack marks being magically altered before. Are you sure it can be done?"

Caroline grimly answered, "With magic, anything is possible. I'm more curious to know why my pack was brought into your family's shenanigans." Reaching a decision, she stood up, draining the rest of her glass before telling him, "So let's go ask her." Not looking back to see if Klaus was following her, she headed down the steps, determined to learn the truth.

If her pack had an enemy, she would find out. Her pack must come first.