Sedona, 2016

Caroline is on another order of fries-the ones that came with her burger long since finished. She picks one up, waving it at Mason, "you see? This is exactly the down side of talking to people. You can't stop gorging." She pops it into her mouth, making a face.

Mason rolls his eyes, "well you can, but you won't. Honestly I don't understand you girls and your obsession with snacks. You need something to go with the conversation? You've got booze for that."

"Admit it, guys just think they look super cool when they are drinking." Caroline smirks, "you'd all be taking selfies with a glass of whiskey in hand if it doesn't clash with your image." She can't help it. She has to do the bunny-ears quotation mark with her hands.

Mason laughs at her gesture, clearly amused, "you've got us all pegged, huh, wolf girl?"

"Yep, pretty much." She wiggles her brows smugly, "after all I've got years of practice." Her eyes dims at that, stuffing another fry in her mouth without continuing.

Fortunately Mason's been running the diner for a long time now. He knows when to change the subject, "so…you are going into the forest later?" He looks out at the late morning sun, "I heard there's a pack around."

Caroline shrugs, "well I'll make sure to steer clear out of their way. But the Coconino's big enough." She turns to Mason curiously, "what about you? Ever turned in the wilderness?"

"Several times over the years." He sounds less than enthusiastic, "I don't think that's really the thing for me though." He stops a minute to gather his thoughts, his face grim, "it's too…raw. And tempting. It feels so easy to just give in to it. They were right about this being a curse."

"I know what you mean. I used to feel the same way." Caroline smiles with nostalgia, "When I was little, my parents and other wolves would go deep into the woods at sunset every full moon, leaving the ones who hadn't triggered the curse to look after us kids. I remember when the night fell we'd gather around, playing games or reading stories. And then there came the howling. All night long it never stopped."

"Must be pretty scary." Mason mused.

Caroline shook her head, "not really. I wasn't so much scared of the howling itself as I was of the fact that I was drawn to it. It almost felt like every sound I heard was calling for me. I had this notion that I wasn't supposed to connect to it, you know? Because it was the complete opposite of Disney princesses and ball gowns and singing to innocent little animals, which apparently, I enjoyed immensely." She shared a laugh with Mason.

"So I was scared of myself when sometimes I just wanted to jump out of bed and join them in the woods. Seemed pure evil." Caroline grimaced, "it didn't help when I later learned about the bone breaking thing."

Mason gives an exaggerated shudder, "yeah that one's a bitch."

"Tell me about it." Over the years the shifting sped up and her pain threshold got higher, but it still sucked no matter what, "but after a while I got used to it."

"And that's when the fun kicked in?" Mason speculates with a raised brow.

"Sure I had fun." Caroline thought about all the times she turned in different forests around the world, the distinct feeling of earth under her paws from soft blankets of pine needles to crunchy layer of oak leaves; of air against her fur from brisk and icy to moist and fruity. "But it's more than the fun. It's liberating, owning up to what you really are and enjoying it."

"That makes sense…I guess." Mason draws, not quite convinced but definitely intrigued by her cheery look.

"And it kicked in about five minutes after I completed my first transition." Caroline grins.

"Now you are just showing off." Mason snorts, before something comes to his mind, "wait, when did you trigger you curse? You look really young to have been doing this for years."

Caroline's expression sobers instantly, "when I was seventeen. It's been long enough."

Unlike so many other wolves who triggered the curse by accident, hers was intended-well planned even. She had to be able to shift in order to fully lead her pack, and that was something she would never let herself chicken out of. No matter how conflicted she may have been about the inevitable task.

Klaus was so subdued those days, staring at her with troubled eyes whenever he thought she wasn't looking, as if he was the one about to go through the ordeal. And maybe he was-he always seemed to take her pain harder than herself.

He didn't say anything about her choice of victim. A middle-aged guy, alcoholic, beat his child every time he was wasted. Caroline did the whole investigation-spied around his house for months. And she would always remember Klaus' eyes when she revealed her decision to him. Those hollows where all the pain, rage, shame and loss were trapped under thin ice, threatening to break lose in a roar of fire.

And yet he hadn't uttered a single word. Just helped her bury the body, stood by her through the ritual, and led her to a secluded cave afterwards.

To this day Caroline looks back at those times and sees him as a firm lighthouse. In retrospect there was no doubt she could have trudged through the tumultuous darkness all by herself. But he made sure she believed in her own strength even then.

"So you enjoyed it? Even the first time?" Mason's voice brings her out of her memories, "anything to do with your beta?"

A smile blooms in Caroline's eyes so tenderly, "you have no idea."

He also made sure she embraced the darkness as the wolves that they both were.

Mystic Falls, 2009

It smelled clean. The thought came to Caroline as she sat on the ground, examining the small dark cave. She'd expected a suffocating mixture of sweat and fur and even blood, but the only thing she could detect was old leaves and a hint of water-which was how she knew they were near the falls.

As if reading her mind, Klaus spoke up from beside her, "no one's been here except me. I discovered it a few years ago." He waved to the entrance, "the others are probably in the vicinity. But we don't necessarily shift together, you know. It can be somewhat…private."

Caroline huffed a laugh, "yeah, I really don't need to see Jenna or Miranda naked. Or John." She made a face, "ew."

"Ew's about right." Klaus smirked, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Caroline sighed, "it's gonna be okay, Klaus. Everyone's been through this. Well, almost everyone." She reached for his hand and squeezed gently, a gestured they'd shared thousands of times, "and they all came out fine. So will I."

Klaus brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, "of course. You are one of the strongest people I've met, sweetheart. You'll turn into a ravishing wolf for sure."

"Aw, you and your sweet talk." Caroline batted her eyelashes at him coquettishly, trying to lighten the mood. Klaus smiled shaking his head, pulling her into his arms and held her close. Caroline inhaled deeply, his familiar woodsy scent calming her nerves. "Any minute now." She whispered, aiming to sound cheery, but the slight tremor at the end of the sentence kind of ruined the effort.

Klaus' hand went up into her hair, stroking in a steady rhythm, "yes, it will start soon. Given this is your first time, it may take longer to complete the transition. But don't worry, I'll be here the whole time."

"Does it hurt very badly?" Caroline couldn't stop the stupid question from rolling off of her tongue.

Klaus hesitated for a minute, "yes." His voice was low, but the way he said it somehow made the answer bearable. That was one of the things Caroline loved about him. He never sugarcoated things. And a straight answer prepared you best for the worst. That she could handle.

"Okay." She breathed into his shirt, closing her eyes briefly. After a few minutes she suddenly gave a humorless laugh, the sound almost eerie in the dark. She could feel his questioning eyes on her, but she remained leaning on his shoulder, "nothing. I just feel that…I kind of deserve it. The pain."

Klaus sucked in a breath, sounding appalled, "how could you possibly think that?"

"I committed homicide. I should be in jail." She cut off whatever he wanted to say to excuse her with a steely voice, "I don't regret it. I did what I needed to do for the pack and that guy was a monster. But I stilled killed him." She bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, "so in a way, the pain I'm about to endure is pretty justified."

The cave fell into a heavy silence, the tension weighing on both of them until Klaus tilted her chin up, covering her lips with his. He gently licked the spot she'd bitten into before delving into her, the taste of blood tainting their mouths and she just wanted it to melt away so she could taste exactly him and nothing else. So she sucked harder, brushing her tongue everywhere she could reach, and little by little it was really just him on her tongue, all flesh and heart and soul.

When they finally broke apart, Klaus lingered a breath away a moment longer, murmuring against her lips, "you are too stubborn for your own good, sweetheart." He gave her another affectionate peck on the lips before resuming his original posture, leaning against the wall of the cave.

Caroline looked up at him smiling teasingly, "well that's why you like me."

"Someone's full of themselves tonight." Klaus peered at her, his own lips curling into a smirk.

Caroline shrugged, "every bone in my body is going to snap in the next hour or so. At least I'm going down feeling good about myself."

Klaus sighed again, his face now somber, "you don't have to remind me, love."

Caroline was quiet for a while, knowing nothing would ease his over-protective mind. It was sweet and made her warm inside but she was under enough pressure as it was, she didn't need the extra spotlight. So she summoned up her courage and asked the question that had been hovering in her mind these past days, "Klaus…you never told me how you triggered your curse."

When he didn't reply immediately, she carefully turned to him to study his expression. He was facing the entrance of the cave, the moonlight shedding over his features like a silver veil, and his eyes had a glassy look in them. He seemed so isolated in his own silent despair that for a moment Caroline felt she was starting to shift-the pain piercing through her took her breath away.

"I was fourteen." His voice was barely audible, but it still startled her, "I was staying with my foster family at the time-the one that kept me for the longest. I had a little brother, Henrik." His lips twitched into a heartbreaking tiny curl, "he was the only good thing in my memory of that time. We used to be inseparable."

Having a vague idea of where this was going, Caroline slowly circled her arms around his waist and rested her head against his stiff back, hugging him from behind. Klaus jerked in surprise, but took her hands in his shortly after, continuing his story, "on one full moon we sneaked out at night when all the adults were in the woods. Henrik wanted to see them shift. Unfortunately we ran into a bloody vampire. I had no idea what he was doing roaming the forest on a full moon with wolves all around, but he was there, and he spotted us immediately."

Caroline shuddered, sensing the tragic turn, but Klaus was still as stone, "we didn't have a chance to flee. He was too quick. The only thing I managed do was shoving Henrik to the side. The vampire fed on me, but before he could finish an elder wolf jumped out and bit him. Saved my life."

"What about…Henrik?" Caroline was almost too afraid to ask.

"I…shoved him too hard. He fell off a slope and hit his head on a rock." His voice sounded close to a whimper, like the faint gurgle from someone who had fallen into freezing water on a winter night, sealed under layers and layers of ice, "he didn't make it."

Caroline closed her eyes, not able to utter a word. Anything felt insipid and trivial in the face of this. The omnipresent web of life that no one could escape. It didn't swallow you-that was death's job. It only poisoned and maimed and weakened, leaving you struggling to your last breath. Incomplete, impotent, inept, but struggling.

So she just held him with all her strength till their bones dug into each other, hard enough to leave lasting bruises.

"You might be right about it, Caroline." She heard Klaus choke out, "we deserve the pain."

"Then we hold on. We hold on, and we don't lose ourselves to it." She intertwined their fingers and this time Klaus reacted, pressing his fingers into her hand like he was seeking for something, and Caroline didn't hesitate to give it to him, "we keep in mind what we were trying to protect and we'll pull through." The pain, the guilt, everything. It would always be there, but it would not defeat them.

They stayed in that position until the first crack of her bone.

It was in her left upper arm. Caroline cried out in surprise, cradling it with her right one, but the next second that one started to break as well. Klaus was instantly crouching down across from her, watching her with concerned eyes, "shh, it's alright love. It's about time."

Caroline groaned at another set of pain blowing up inside her. This time it was her ribs. One by one they snapped with abandon like beans shooting out of the pod. Caroline would have laughed at the ridiculous notion if not for the insane amount of pain. She squeezed her eyes shut, her breath broken just like her bones, "all the preparation I've done in my mind and…I still didn't expect…this."

Klaus reached out to stroke her sweaty forehead, "it can be overwhelming. Try not to talk too much. Save some strength." Caroline could detect the imperceptible tremor in his calm voice, "this could take a while."

She bit back a scream at her fingers breaking, one joint after another, "I didn't realize…there are so many bones in me." Uncontrollable tears were streaming down her cheeks along with big drops of sweat and Caroline didn't even have the heart to feel ashamed about it.

But Klaus was there to wipe it away gently, "sadly you are all bones sweetheart. Tough to a fault." Suddenly he drew back with a jerk, a low grunt grazing out of his throat. It dawned on Caroline then that his transition was starting as well.

Apparently used to the suffering, Klaus was quiet about it. His breathing was heavier and more erratic, but other than the initial grunt out of surprise, he didn't make a single sound. Calmed by his actions Caroline focused back on her own transition. The pain was still a bitch, attacking her like never ending tides from all the places in her body that she hadn't imagined possible. But now that she was expecting it the process became less frightening.

Yet something seemed odd and Caroline couldn't put her already broken finger on it. After about half an hour (or maybe longer? She had lost track of time) she finally figured out what was wrong. Klaus shouldn't be still shifting. He was older and had been doing this for six years, according to what she was told it would be faster for him, which meant he should have finished his transition by now.

"Are you…suppressing it?" Caroline managed to croak out, "Klaus-" She was interrupted by her thigh bone breaking, the pain sent her bending in half, sick to her stomach.

"Don't worry about me, love." Klaus' voice cut through her foggy mind, "focus on your breathing."

"But…" This time she heard it. The distinct crack sound coming from his side, closely following her own. Klaus was, indeed, slowing down his own transition to match the agonizing speed of hers.

"I said I'd be with you the whole time." He breathed out.

Caroline willed her eyes open in the torturing haze, and she was instantly met with Klaus' blue orbs. She wondered for a second what color they would be when he turned into a wolf. Would they still be this intense and penetrating like torches in the dark, or even more so. The thought felt like a balm on her hurting body, cushioning the next brutal blow when her spine began to snap.

In the sound of his mirroring crack, she whispered, "too stubborn for your own good." And she heard his labored chuckle just inches away.

It felt like hours. There were a few times when the pain was so intense that Caroline saw white in her sight, and she almost mistook those for the light of dawn. But as long as it lasted the pain was gone in a blink. All of a sudden she heard an unhuman growl in the cave. Startled she looked down, only to see two greyish white paws.

Her paws.

Another growl echoed hers, causing Caroline to look up. Before her eyes at the entrance of the cave, bathed in silver moonlight was the most beautiful wolf she'd ever seen. He was huge, with dark grey furs akin to black, and just a hint of brownish gold around the top of his head. His eyes were glowing in the dark, fixed on her like flickering flints.

So they were golden. She mused to herself.

Wolf Klaus huffed a breath, drawing back her attention, then turned to the outside with a slight shake of his head. Caroline could swear there was a hint of smile in his eyes, but he was gone in an instant, leaving a brush of wind in his wake.

Caroline snorted at his back unamused. He was such a show-off. She tentatively took a step forward, amazed at how quiet she was, the moist earth in the cave touching her paws softly. A surge of eagerness rushed through her and before she realized she sprinted out of the cave after Klaus like an arrow.

This was supposed to be a trapping curse but Caroline had never felt so free. Everything was fresh and vibrant, the wind combing through her furs swiftly, making a whistling sound in her ears like horns announcing the embarking of ships, boosting her adrenaline until she was high on clouds. She knew she was mixing metaphors in her head but she didn't care. She was running on the ground, above the waters and in the sky, with each step feeling more and more powerful, fearless, invincible.

She caught sight of the dark grey wolf, now just a few feet ahead of her, and with a cheerful bark she sped up to pounce on him. They ended up on the ground with Caroline pinning him under her paws. She smugly bit his ear without much force, swinging her snout left and right slightly for effect. But Klaus quickly rolled them over with a grumble, now stepping on her chest for a change.

Caroline wasn't about to go down without a fight. She threw him off of her with all her strength, and without a pause rushed towards him again, this time going for his throat. Klaus evaded her attack in a smooth move, bumping her in the side to throw her off balance. She bared her teeth, using the momentum to bite him in the leg, but Klaus saw through her intentions and pawed her in the face instead.

They sparred playfully for a while longer, until Klaus being stronger and more experienced, once again threw Caroline on her back and hovered over her triumphantly. The predatory look in his golden eyes shifted to something else, equally dangerous but more searing, his pupils dilated with desire. Slowly he lowered his head and licked her on the corner of her snout with his rough tongue.

Caroline couldn't believe the soft whiny sound came from her own mouth.

Klaus huffed above her, the sound almost feeling like a laugh to her ears. With his hot breath in her neck she couldn't help but lick him back, his unique scent sweet and arousing on her tongue. He closed his eyes and reveled in the sensation for a few moments before releasing her.

Caroline jumped up expectantly, eager to run and roam and chase something into the woods. But to her surprise Klaus stayed still beside her, not making a move. At her curious stare he turned his face slightly up to the sky, closing his eyes once again and sniffed. He looked so relaxed and contented, his left front paw scratching the ground in excitement. Caroline skeptically followed his lead, closing her eyes and sniffing.

And it hit her.

Innumerable scents floating in the wind flooded her heightened senses all at once. All the creatures in the woods, near and far, present and past, all their traces lingering in the wind like millions of signals waiting to be deciphered. There were as many of them as there were stars in the sky, and their smells, like the starlight, traveled through the infinity of time and space, reaching her with silent earnest, twinkling, burning, whispering.

And then there was him.

His warm, steady, comforting scent surrounding her, like the canvas of a night sky to the myriads of stars.

She opened her eyes to find him staring at her, seeming bewitched. She laughed inside-it was kind of weird that wolves couldn't really laugh out-and inched closer to him. Klaus held still as if in a trance, or just in anticipation, and when their noses finally touched she sniffed him. The smell filled her senses, making everything else fade away except a heady bliss.

The unmistakable hint of smile returned to his eyes as Klaus sniffed back. It became almost like a game, where they mirrored each other's action, no questions asked. If Caroline were still in her human form she'd no doubt start to giggle, but in this case she just nudged Klaus lightly and jumped a step away, her eyes challenging.

When she rushed out towards the falls she heard him following without missing a beat.

The wind became moister as she ran, her furs heavier, but her steps still lithe and swift. The way her bones and muscles collaborated in perfect synchronization made her want to cry out in pleasure. She felt she could run like this forever-as long as she could sense him with her without even a side glance.

When they neared the pool under the falls a strange scent captured her attention. Sweet and tempting. The scent of prey. Every fiber of her being livened up in excitement, silently buzzing for the chase. She slowed down to a halt, crouching down quietly in the shrubs, her body tense like a wound-up spring.

It was a herd of white-tailed deer, resting on the shore. Caroline looked sideways to see Klaus just a few inches behind, also in attacking position, nodding at her. He was letting her take the lead.

Caroline turned back facing the herd, taking a deep breath before shooting out of the shrub. A stag heard them almost immediately, jumping up in a frantic move and blew to the rest of the herd. The low warning sound sent the herd into action. One by one they galloped away to the far end of the shore, their white tails raising like a crowd of sails.

The sound of the stampede was foreign to Caroline. Sure she'd seen them on television, but the real life version of a herd of deer fleeing was completely another thing. Their hooves pounded on the ground like thunder, the vibration echoing on her fast-beating heart. She could almost taste their fear on her tongue, and it was such an addictive taste that she couldn't help but craved more.

So she ran faster. Racing with the herd, with the wind, with herself. But she could still sense Klaus right behind her, every step on the way.

Eventually she spotted a young stag at the end of the thinning line, his antlers without much branching, clearly not strong enough to keep up with the herd. She took a few quick steps and jumped, landing half on top of his back. The stag soon lost his balance and stumbled, trying desperately to throw Caroline off but Klaus was flanking him on the other side, giving another strong push.

The stag fell to the ground and Caroline pinned him down hard, her snout at the side of his throat. He was still struggling and she could feel the blood rushing just under his skin, with each pulse the smell radiating off of him in waves. She reveled in the amazing feel for a minute, then abruptly jumped back.

Startled the stag stumbled up whimpering, then galloping off unsteadily.

She turned back and came face to face with Klaus. He seemed…teasing with his head slightly tilted to the side-that is if a wolf could actually look teasing. But this was Klaus. He could pull off pretty much anything, even in his wolf form.

Caroline could tell he was not even a bit surprised she let the stag go-she enjoyed the hunt enough. She didn't need the kill, although it was in her nature to want it. But Caroline had never been one to just succumb to nature. She was wolf and she was human, and yet first and foremost she'd be Caroline.

She tilted her head to the side proudly, mirroring Klaus' gesture, resuming their little game. But what Klaus did next took her aback. Something he rarely did as her beta. He drew back his right leg in a slow motion, and bowed to her.

All thoughts left Caroline's mind. The only thing left in dominance was a primal urge, and this time Caroline complied. She raised her head to the moon, the dark curse they couldn't shake, the beautiful pull they wouldn't renounce. And for the first time in her life, she howled.

Once again right by her side, there was Klaus, howling with her in a code that only they had the key to.