Author's note: Thanks for sending me your choices for sequels; I really value your input! In this chapter, Original!Caroline has spent lifetimes running from her lover and his family. Despite the centuries of loneliness, she regrets nothing. And soon, she'll bring an end to this madness.

And yes, as you read this, I'm already working on a sequel to this one. :)

Warning: So much angst.


"For all evils there are two remedies — time and silence."
― Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo


A thousand years and she still remembered the smell of Esther's blood. The startling warmth of the witch's heart against the cold of Caroline's freshly turned flesh. The choking scream of the deceitful whore who was undeserving of such a swift death. Mikael's angry bellow as he swore vengeance. And then, there was Klaus.

The betrayal carved into her lover's face haunted her fitful dreams as well as her waking hours. He'd come upon them in the clearing, just as she'd plunged her hand into Esther's chest, destroying her black heart. Anguish became rage as he lost all reason and flung her against a red cedar, his newfound strength breaking several branches that dripped sap upon her cheeks. To this day, the smell of tree sap made her retch. The ferocity of his attack was caused by his wolf. The wolf that no longer would be lost to him thanks to her.

Upon her rebirth, she'd raced away to the woods, confused and terrified as the sun scorched her skin. She longed for Klaus, but was trapped in the caves until nightfall. As she grew acquainted to the foreign sensations and urges, her supernatural hearing caught a most damning exchange between Esther and Mikael. Esther shamefully revealed that Klaus was not of Mikael's lineage; she'd lain with one of the wolves from the forbidden village. Mikael was enraged, but the selfish witch plotted with him to hide her disgrace through the binding of Klaus' wolf. He would never again know that fragile piece that would make him whole. Caroline refused to let that come to pass — Klaus deserved his connection to nature, to his wolf.

She didn't regret taking Esther's life; but she hated herself for not realizing that Klaus bore witness to her wrath. As he loomed over her, she couldn't help but shrink away from the lover she'd entrusted with her heart. He was a mask of pain and fury. A stranger's face. "Spiteful wench, you've spilled the blood of my kinsman, of the woman who bore me."

She barely felt the press of his claws at her throat, too consumed by the madness in his black gaze. If only she could tell him the truth. But there was too much at stake — Mikael had made sure of that. She would never risk that which she loved. Even if she must endure his hate. Despite the power she felt in his body, her own monster rose up, refusing to cower before a threat. Her curved fangs emerged and she lashed out, her body responding to a primal call that caught them both by surprise as she tossed him aside. She fought her newfound instincts to latch onto his throat with fang and claw, knowing that she could never take his life. She was his. But he would never be hers again.

She flashed away, abandoning the only home she'd ever known, her heart forever broken by Klaus' words: "Hell awaits you, Caroline. Upon my oath, I will send you there."


Since that terrible day, she'd hardened her heart, knowing she couldn't allow herself to care for another. And she still had to save Klaus. That fateful day had revealed more than Esther's guilty secret. Mikael took his revenge on both Caroline and Klaus by having the witch bind his life to Klaus'. His vindictive words echoed through the ages, forcing her silence: "Speak nothing of what you've learned to Niklaus. The moment you confess Esther's deeds, I will spill my blood to end Niklaus' retched life."


Caroline sighed, running her fingers through her curls as she glanced around her quiet cottage for the last time. It had been her safe haven for almost a year, and even if everything wasn't coming to an end, she would've had to move on soon anyway. Running from Klaus and his siblings meant that she was never truly safe, and she didn't dare to stay in the same place for longer than a year. It was a blessing and a curse, the way she'd lived — witnessed every sunrise and sunset in every part of the world — but always alone. Her immortal life had been filled with extraordinary beauty and wonder, but it was a hollow shell of what could've been. Mikael's revenge had been twofold — punish her for killing Esther and take away Caroline, the only love Klaus had known.

She couldn't help but hate Klaus a little for that. As a starry-eyed maiden, she'd have sworn that his love was infinite. That he would never believe the worst of her and wouldn't rest until he learned the truth. But now she knew better. His rage had swallowed them both.

Buckling the canvas satchel, she noted with pride how it was overflowing with the grimoire she'd unearthed there in the Faroe Islands, the final piece she'd needed to make everything right after all this time. For centuries, she'd been searching for a way to unbind Klaus' life from Mikael's, traveling to the hidden places of magic so powerful, it was neither light nor dark. Countless shamans, priestesses, and sorcerers had been unable to break the Original Witch's spell, but Caroline refused to give up her quest. Eventually, bits and pieces of magical knowledge were scraped together until everything fell into place.

The bay window showcased the breathtaking waterfalls just footsteps from her cottage, and she felt a tightness in her chest as she recalled another waterfall, long ago.

The air was crisp with the promise of harvest after the next moon. The roar of the falls behind her was a welcome distraction as she finished the day's wash. She'd just finished piling the heavy, wet linens back into her large basket when the arrow rushed past her. Letting out an undignified yelp, she whipped her head around to see a deer collapse into a pile of leaves, the arrow buried deep in its neck. Disoriented, she stepped forward, her foot tangling with the handle of her basket and spilling her freshly cleaned linens on the muddy riverbank.

"Are you unharmed, Caroline," the young man's voice called out, blood draining from his face as he seemed to take in how narrowly his arrow had missed Caroline's head. "I didn't realize anyone was near."

Caroline could feel the blood rushing to her face as her temper flared. Narrowing her eyes, she took in the dirty blonde curls and dimpled cheeks and immediately recognized the boastful son of Mikael. Klaus and his pleasing form had turned many a pretty maiden's head in their village, but she knew better than to fall for such a changeable heart. "Only the laziest of buffoons would hunt for prey at the nearest watering hole. A true warrior would pursue more challenging prey, Klaus."

His gray eyes darkened, fists clenched in anger as he growled, "And maidens shouldn't foolishly venture so far from the village unescorted. There are many dangerous predators that lurk in the woods."

Caroline scoffed, removing her curved iron dagger from her leather boot and hurling it at Klaus' head, the force of her throw burying the blade into the thick tree trunk just inches above his curls. "I am far from prey," she told him proudly.

"Only a fool would willingly part with their only blade," he said, his handsome face breaking into a knowing smirk.

"That you would think that my only blade is a testament to your gullibility," she retorted with an arched brow, scooping her muddied linens to rewash later when her temper had settled. With an indignant flip of her long blonde braid, she told him, "I'll expect that deer hide as compensation for your carelessness, Klaus. And don't you dare bring it to my threshold without properly scraping and curing it!"

After that day, their lively exchanges became more frequent, the teasing somehow turning to kisses and then feverish passion and finally a whispered commitment so tender it took her breath away. She still recalled the innocent trembling of his hands as he presented her with the bracelet, strung with wooden beads he'd painstakingly carved. With that simple gesture, she was his as much as he was hers.

Until he wasn't. Angrily wiping away the tears that had formed when she became lost in her bittersweet memories, she locked up her cottage and drove to the small airstrip where the private plane was waiting.

The final battle was almost upon her. But would her plan be enough?