Hello fellas it's good to see you again. I can't believe this story made it to chapter 13, well that's thanks to you my loyal fans. Enjoy reading.
Previously
"Why so hasty" Elijah questioned, inspecting the hybrid's face with a skeptical look.
"urm I was coming to you actually" she replied as she tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.
"How is he?"
"Doing well. So far" she replied lazily, trying to shorten the conversation as possible.
"Hayley does he know that he has been taking your blood over the past two weeks to not desiccate?" Elijah's tone was serious but Hayley responded with an unworried smile "He's just woke up, I will tell him when he comes".
The water felt so warm as it lapped through his chilled body. Even Hope who wasn't at first willing to get into the tube started to enjoy the warmth of the bubbles that surrounded her tiny body like a mountain of lather. Her already cherry cheeks were now tomato red and her dump blond hair clung to her forehead, forming adorable bangs. And like a grown up, she clutched the soap with her tiny hand and started to rub it against her father's chest diligently, mimicking her mother's imperative moves. Klaus raised his head to give her access to his neck and when he decided to do the same, she broke into hysterical giggles at the contact of the tickling sponge, causing her father to laugh too. Even Hayley and Elijah could hear their laughter from the dining room.
"See I told you. He's fine" Hayley blithely said.
"He's fine because your blood is still in his system" Elijah croaked while tracing the edge of the wooden table with the tip of his index.
"That was during the day he wasn't under the treatment but now that he healed , it won't make any difference"
"What if he grows addicted" he left his seat to close the ajar door.
"Vampires feed on human blood not Vampire's" Hayley highlighted.
"Wrong! I thought Klaus instructed you everything about being a vampire when you turned but it figured he overlooked the entire chapter of Vampire's Eating Habit . They do feed on animal blood, human blood, vampire blood if they want to. You must be wondering how and why. I'm going explain this" he seated before her, joined his hand together before he began to talk "We feed on human blood instead of vampire's because obviously there are more human than vampires in the world we live in so numerically speaking, it's easier to have access to human blood. Besides, human are compellable, easily subduable compared to vampires of course"
"I heard that vampire blood is more sustaining than human blood, let's say that the former is Vodka while the latter is more like cheap Red Dog Beer"
"Not false but there is something else you need to know about feeding on vampire's blood. The first time it does nothing, only it establishes a sort of a link between you and the vampire you feed on. That link remains inactivated but the moment he or she drinks from your blood, it automatically turns into activated mode" Elijah explained seriously to the hybrid before him.
"What is this link thing?" She asked, leaning her elbows on the table with a curious head tilt.
"a bond that entails, in infrequent cases, a notable change in behavior in the two vampires" Hayley's mind drifted subsequently to the night of the lake house and she remembered how she drunk from Klaus' wrist after he fed on her.
"Elijah the only reason why I gave him my blood is because I was desperate to communicate with him in any possible way. While shaking his body and screaming in his ear proved to be a waste of time, I thought that maybe if I wanted to get inside his mind I had to get inside his body in the first place. During the first two attempts he rejected my help because he considered me as an illusion. But later, my blood helped build a bridge between the two of us and that's how things worked"
"Maybe you're right but bear in mind that the link has been activated" His tone was dead serious as he looked deep into her soul, making her feel bare inside, completely exposed to his gaze. Instantly, her legs shifted under the table with discomfort. She squeezed them tightly together to close the space between her thighs as her mind raced with memories from the penthouse. She recalled the way Klaus' and her kissed until their lips drew blood, and that was the first time they shared blood. Then Elijah showed up and she rushed downstairs with Klaus' blood all over her bottom lip. That afternoon she had been wondering whether Elijah payed attention to it or not . But given his answer now, it was one hundred percent sure he did notice her blood stained lips.
"Elijah, your worries are unwarranted. Maybe there will be consequences after that but let's not deny that it was thanks to my my blood that he came back" she spoke lightly in the attempting of trivializing the issue in front of Elijah who appeared so discontent with the blood bond thing.
"I don't know but I have this feeling that you were full aware of the adverse effects of the blood sharing, yet you chose to take the risk" his words shot her like arrows and she gnarled with outrage "Of course not" feeling deeply revolted by his accusation.
Elijah regretted his statement as soon as words left his mouth and was about to apologize for his rudeness when he heard light footsteps behind the door. The two vampires froze in their place. A second later, the doorknob turned slowly and Freya appeared.
"Brother I'm going to the voodoo market" she announced abruptly.
"I will send one of the Strix to go with you and don't pout"
" I won't but please don't make that 25 foot read-head Yeti escort me, he's scaring kids everywhere I go" She whined like a little girl who had just been grounded.
"Take Sebastian with you then. He's well groomed not to mention very heedful" Elijah insisted and she let out a defeated sigh. Hayley watched pouty Freya stomping out of the room in a fit of frustration.
"Speaking of vampire guards" Hayley cleared her throat for attention "today I'm going to the bayou and no Elijah you won't escort me" she ordered him before he could protest "Today is the ceremony of proclaiming the new alpha of the crescents so my attendance is obligatory and trust me the last person in New Orleans they're willing to welcome to this party is a vampire, let alone Klaus' older brother" Elijah ran his fingers through his perfectly styled hair "I guess you leave me no choice but to comply with your wishes" he said with a half sigh that Hayley answered with a triumphant smile.
The hello kitty bathe coat hugged Hope's body and she looked like one of those babies in shampoo commercials, adorably chubby and with a perfect posture. Klaus looked at her admiringly and he grabbed his discarded cellphone from the bed to take a few pictures of his daughter before she got squirmy. He wiped the cracked screen that made the task of unlocking the phone quite challenging and he was going to reach the home page when zillions of missed calls from Freya and Elijah popped up and they all dated back to three or four weeks ago. He scrolled down for a short moment until Cami's name appeared in the list and he felt a pinch in the heart. He knew if he would dwell on the past he won't be able to move on. Knowing well that grieving wasn't something he was good at, he threw the phone back on the bed before his mind would delve deeper.
"We're going to dress up then we will join the rest of them right?" he watched fondly Hope who was sitting cross-legged on the bed. She extended her arms enthusiastically to her father but shortly lost balance and ended up falling hard on her back. Laughing already at her clumsy move, Klaus pulled her left arm to help her sit down while she giggled sillily with him. But suddenly her beaming smile broke into a scowl as she joined her hands across her chest then pressed them down her belly. Klaus squatted down next to the bed until he was face to face with her.
"What's wrong darling, is there something bothering you?" He asked anxiously and she nodded "poo". It took him a few seconds to realize that she needed to pee, or probably poo . And fort the first time in his entire immortal life he felt completely useless as he had never had the guts to change his daughter's diapers or even dared watching her mother changing them to learn at least how to do it.
"Hayley!" he called urgently but he received no answer whatsoever even after calling her name several times. A short moment later Elijah dashed into the room to find his brother pacing back and forth while holding his baby up in the air.
"She's been out" Elijah's announcement struck me as odd and he spun his head abruptly to his direction.
"What?! Where did she go? her daughter needs diaper change before things get messy" Klaus cried in a whiny tone.
"My My, your daughter is going to maternity very soon and you sill haven't learn how to handle a dirty nappy" Elijah commented with a raise of brow, mocking his panicking brother. "and spare me the lecture Elijah. Why would I play the nanny when she has a mother, and an aunt" he protested.
"That's the most misogynistic statement I've ever heard from a man since the late 20's" Klaus rolled his eyes at his brother's so uncalled-for feminism and questioned again before he gave him Hope "where the bloody hell has she gone?"
"To the bayou to attend a sort of coronation ceremony. A new Alpha will be titled this afternoon and she was invited to take part in this event"
"And let me guess, she went alone?" he groaned
"She insisted that she went alone and you know how stiff-necked she could be"
"Your Strix minions proved to be as useful as a rabbi in an Irish wake" Klaus pointed out sarcastically.
"It's the bayou she's going to. Name a one vampire who dares setting a foot in a mazy zone brimmed with werewolves" Elijah justified as he began to remove the diaper of his niece who was lying in the cozy bed. Klaus looked up and down approvingly then spoke "Maybe the bayou is the safest place for a wolf but as much as I trust her with her pack, I still can't let her go without keeping an eye on her because those wolves lost their Alpha in a Mikaelson fight and they won't let it slide so easily. I would go vindictive if one of you dies because of a wolf business" Klaus theorized.
"Are you suggesting that the crescent wolf might be holding a grudge against Hayley because of what happened to Jackson"
"As long as their grudge does not evolve into a sheer vendetta against us, we're pretty much grateful" Somehow, Elijah was completely taken aback by Klaus' uncommon reasoning . His brother, he who never bowed or shown an ounce of fear or weakness to his enemies or even friends no matter how powerful he/she could be, was exhibiting an unusual sense of gratefulness towards the very wolves he always perceived as pack of errant beasts. Maybe Klaus grew into a wise man after one thousand year of perpetual failing decisions, but it might be also due to his vulnerability that forced him to renounce a big part of his super-massive ego. Elijah wondered deep down.
"So you think that invitation is a trap to lure her into an ambush?"
"Possibly" Klaus answered plainly.
"You've got all the right of the world to be paranoid but don't you think that your theory is a bit too theatrical"
"How about I go check myself and see if I'm dramatizing things or not" Klaus said before he stormed out in a flash, leaving Elijah in a brooding state.
When Hayley arrived at the edge of the swamp, the wolves were still busy preparing for the party. Some were hanging ribbons on the branches of the firs, others were setting the tables. Every wolf in the bayou was charged with a task and it felt so warm to see them celebrating something again. Hayley raised her head to the cloudy sky when she felt a drop of water on her forehead. It was thoughtful of the wolves after all to set up a tent big enough for a whole pack as it was getting chilly.
"Hayley!" an old woman called out and Hayley turned back to see Marry waving at her. With quick footstep, Hayley headed to Mary's hut to greet her. The old lady welcomed her with hugs and kisses before she poked her arm.
"Where have you been hybrid girl" Mary inquired with concern and Hayley was going to answer when she spotted an olive skinned guy sitting on the couch behind, eyeing them with speculation.
"Hi Jade" Hayley waved at him and he smiled back"It's a long story, we'll need a whole bottle of scotch for that" Hayley turned to Mary while she pulled out the liquor bottle from her leather bag.
"I will drink that when you bring my grand-daughter to me. I haven't seen her for ten days" Mary croaked before she snatched the bottle with a teasing smile "This is good stuff from the Mikaelson royalty you thief" Hayley stuck out her tongue with a wink at her.
"Oh I forgot to tell you. Jade is the new Alpha. You two guys know each other, don't you?" the old werewolf turned around to face the broad-shouldered werewolf.
"We sure do" he affirmed as he extended his arm to Hayley "It's a good thing to see you" They shook hands formally.
"Jade wants to talk to you so have a seat Haley" Marry beckoned to the wooden chair.
"And I'm listening to you Jade" Hayley said as she seated.
Freya looked any different from Willy Wonka with her massive sunglasses that her brother insisted she should wear to stay undercover. Every time she asked Elijah for permission to go out he would have a fit of anger, starting an endless lecture about safety measures by forcing her to hide half of her face with long scarves or cowboy hats. Kol wasn't any less lenient, he as well liked to play the overprotected brother. And given the way they treated her like a vulnerable child, Freya wondered how Rebekah survived living with her smothering siblings all these centuries. That must be a living hell.
The Strix bodyguard walked behind her the entire way, following Freya's steps like a robot. Freya felt extremely flustered and turned around to the stalking Strix.
"How about we swap our places, it's better I walk behind you because people will think you're checking out my derriere like a creep and I don't think you like being judged pervert" she crossed her hands across her chest sassily.
"and who am I suppose to follow then? it's safer if I walk behind you"
"You're a vampire you have strong hearing, my footsteps will guide you and by the way can you smile, you're scaring people with that grumpy face of yours" She checked out the Strix exasperatedly, the later snorted throw pursed lips "and risk your brother's wrath if something bad happens to you. No thanks"
"I'm a Mikaelson witch and I can take care of yourself, which makes your assistant so unnecessary. So either you do what I say or I will turn you into a donkey" she gnarled loudly, faking an innocent smile and he bowed in accordance, not wishing to continue this sterile debate any further.
"First thing first, we're happy that you accepted our invitation, you've been away during the breeding season and we were wondering if you were still alive" Said Jade with a good-natured gin but his beaming eyes turned sad by the moment as he looked down "Your husband Jackson was a great leader, a friend of mine and of every crescent wolf. He fought for the pack and shown braveness and shrewdness in difficult times" the soon to be Alpha spoke heart-brokenly "He will always have a place in our hearts and so is you Hayley. You freed us from the curse, saved us from the witches' tyranny and more importantly stood by us against Klaus Mikaelson"
"We're family, it's my duty to protect you" Hayley's heart melted at the sweetness of Jade's words, feeling for a first time a strong sense of belonging after Jackson's death.
"Unfortunately, during your absence one of my pals disappeared in the woods and we still don't know if he's still alive or not. A week after, another disappearance of a young teenager followed and now every one is freaking out" he leaned back, took a deep breathe before he resumed "Witches had always enjoyed undermining us and we're still investigating on that but vampires haven't meddled in our business for long time , which leaves us Klaus. No one have heard or seen him lately" his once warm green eyes turned icy emerald as he stared at her with an accusatory regard.
"No Klaus hasn't done anything of this sort" she objected vigorously.
"How can you be sure of that, things of this sort are no strange to Klaus" Jade stated with a wry smile, almost sarcastic.
"I know what I'm talking about. I've been with him during the past two weeks. I can assure you that he didn't make this move"
"You've been with him like 24h? have you been supervising him during his sleep or spying on his extra curricular activities? it's Klaus we're talking about" he quizzed dubiously.
"Yes I was with him 24h because Klaus Mikaelson was enchanted by a very powerful spell that put him in a deep sleep for more than two weeks. Hence, he's innocent" Marry's eyes widened at the piece of news and so were Jade's.
"What if he was implicated in this before his extended nap?".
"If so, I'll give you my word that I'll kick his ass myself" she deadpanned, her eyes blazed with outrage, not bearing hearing any more accusation against the original hybrid of any sort of bad deeds. Because she perfectly knew he was innocent, and also because she couldn't take listening to people tearing him down for nothing.
Mary was watching the heated conversation like a bystander until Jade stood up from his seat.
"Where are you going?" grandmother asked.
"I'm gonna help the others with the tents, it's raining cats and dogs outside" he answered Marry then turned his gaze to Hayley "Make no mistake Hayley, if we're accusing the vampires it's because of the history we have. I hope you don't feel offended by my words" he said, emphasizing the word "offended".
"At all. You leave the vampires to me, I'll handle them" Hayley assured him with a strained smile, still pissed at the bad news. But deep down she knew she was more angry at the way the wolves would think the worst of Klaus and point fingers at him without solid factual proof. She felt her cheeks reddening as she thought back about her defensive reaction whenever someone blamed him or accused him of something. She knew he was far from being an angel, yet she couldn't allow anyone to demonize him. She couldn't stand watching people being rude, judgmental or mean to him. Hayley caught herself burning with indignation and she asked herself that moment, why was she playing the advocate of the devil all of a sudden. Since when?
Mary let her gaze follow Jade's back as he made his way out of the house then sighed deeply"He reminds me so much of Jackson" the grandmother's eyes were stained with tears and it broke Hayley's heart into pieces, knowing deep down that she was partly to blame for those tears as she dragged her grandson to his downfall because of her blind devotion to the Mikaelsons.
"No one is like Jackson, your grandson was unique in every sense of the word" she rested her hand on her engagement ring and began to fiddle with it, itching to remove the offending jewelry. And for or a moment she felt her heart was about to stop. Appalled by her own insensitively, she opened her mouth for air and took a deep breathe to shake off the ugly thought. How dares she take it off? a scolding voice yelled at her from the back of her head but her mind was dealing with another voice. A one that was urging her to free herself from everything that reminded her of him. Hayley glanced at her ring, the very ring that brought sweet memories of her dead husband every-time her gaze fell upon it suddenly became the symbol of her disloyalty and selfishness. She found herself looking away, not bearing the mere sight of the it because the longer she watched her ring the greater her long for freedom was and she found herself rubbing her hand with irritation, like a dog scraping at his chain.
"Hayley!" Marry's voice startled her from her inner battle "What's distracting you?" She looked at the blemish face of the hybrid. Hayley's gaze shifted to Mary as she gained her composure.
"Actually I was wondering about this breeding season Jade mentioned earlier, what is it?" she tried to put her best unflustered face to her mother-in-law. Mary glanced at her with confusion before she puffed "Sometimes I wonder if you're a werewolf because no wolf ever asked this question"
"There are plenty of things I ignore about werewolves traditions and lifestyle" Mary shifted in her seat and titled her chin up to meet Hayley's eyes.
"I'll tell everything I know and I guess It's everything you need to know. The wolf's mating annual season or what Jade referred to as the breeding season starts around October and ends in December so mainly it lasts through the fall and ends at the beginning of the winter. This period of time entails a sudden increase in sexual hormones production in both male and female wolves" The old lady's explanation peeked Hayley's interest and she find herself leaning on the small table that filled the space between them " the female wolf would ramble the woods to look for their mate by displaying affection to the opposite sex. Each one is using her own technique to lure the male until he responds to her advances and only then the male begins to show mutual interest to the female" Hayley's mind was clouded by so many key words. Fall, attraction, sexual hormones and mating, those terms did not make sense each by itself but somehow she felt that she could draw something useful out of these scattered words if she managed to find a link between them.
"I thought the male is the one who picks his female like old days but I guess we wolf are the modern type" Hayley jeered.
"That's what cats do and you're not cat woman. You're a wolf Hayley, you must have gone through this at least once in your life. Have you ever felt attracted to a werewolf during the fall?" Hayley shrugged at the outspokenness of Mary.
"Attracted to a wolf like chasing him for sex? NO" she lied, because she knew that she was falling head over the hills for Taylor Lookwood the moment she first saw him in the Appalachians and if her memory didn't fail her, she remembered how they met at the end of the summer and how she traveled miles away looking for him because she was damn attracted to the black-haired hunk.
"I just thought it was inevitable since you're an alpha and you cannot leave without an alpha in your life. It's in your nature. Sooner of later your instincts will lead you to him, my grandson was betrothed to you for this reason"
"He was betrothed to me so that I won't be looking for another Alpha" Hayley deducted.
"Exactly" Hayley paused for moment to process all these information before she turned her gaze to Mary.
"Those heightened sexual impulses during the breeding season, do Hybrids like me experience them too?"
"I don't know but If there is something I know about hybrids is that they tend to have more control over their instincts. They can turn whenever they want and probably mate any time in the year" Now that things got clearer to her, Hayley's mind began establish a chronological connection between what the old lady said and all the mess that happened in California and the lake house. Klaus' sudden fondness started at the beginning of the fall, and if what Mary said was true that meant the breeding season was also behind their one night stand in mystic fall, given the fact they did in the fall, October precisely.
"And after the mating, what happens, they become what? married?" Hayley found herself asking a lot of questions.
"It's more than marriage, it's a mystical bond that goes beyond any regular bond. Such a link only death can break. The female becomes automatically the male's propriety after the mating, thus, no other male can touch her or even dare coming near her because from that moment she becomes off limit to anyone except for him. As for the alphas, their bond is even much greater, they grow impossibly attached to each other that no one can ascend them apart. They become a one soul, slaves to each other's desires and that's what makes their link unbreakable" Hayley felt her heart beating so fast as she listened to Mary's zoology course, partly freaking out with the bond story yet strongly amazed by mother nature.
"I'm an Alpha, so is Klaus. We did it but there was no bond between us, we hated each other with every fiber of our being" she hoped Mary didn't pay attention to the past tense.
"The bond is still buried somewhere in your sub-conscience. Don't forget, you two are hybrids and things do not go the same way with people of your kind. It doesn't matter what kind of bond you have with that crazy beast, your marriage with Jackson obliterated it completely" But Jackson is dead now, Hayley wondered deep down. Did that mean that the bond was reactivated? but she had already activated her blood bond with him when they shared blood? are the two bonds behind their out of the blue attraction? Her mind was exploding with groundless theories that she was desperate to prove significant.
Dark garlic, red candles, borage, agrimony and almond, those were the things Freya bought from the voodoo market. She threw the items in her bag and turned around to check on her Strix escort but was surprised when she didn't find him in his usual place, behind the electric pole. It appeared that he had enough of being treated like a useless chaperon and after all decided to go off duty. She fought her way out of the market that was brimmed with people and was about to get into her car when she saw a pitbull running towards her in high speed. Before she could chant a spell to change his direction, the dog jumped at her and planted his fangs in her left arm, ripping at her flesh. Freya cried with pain as she collapsed on her knees. Her blood stained her white top and it was only then that she missed Sebastian's service.
"Sebastian!" she called out the Strix's name through pursed lips, blood cascading down her arm. She felt her head spinning and before she would pass out she pulled out her mobile from her bag and dialed swiftly Elijah's number. But slowly her vision got blurred and ended up falling unconscious on the ground, drowning in her own blood.
The conversation with Mary turned out more instructive than Hayley expected and she found herself on the edge of her seat while listening to the knowledgeable lady. But her concentration was quick disturbed by the wolves squabbling outside. She could hear their loud nattering and in no time, their howling turned more like a war cry. Hayley and Mary paced out of the hut to see what was going on. It rained extremely heavy and the fog hazed over the swamp as the rain and humidity collided, The wolves gathered in large number and it was impossible to see around whom they were gathering. Hayley elbowed her way through them to reach the center of the crowd and was beyond surprised to find Klaus standing in the middle, resting his hands on his waist like the master of the universe while watching everyone from above.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she yelled loud, enough to silent everyone around. He raised his brow, jeering at the massive crowd and bawled confidently"I came here to fetch the mother of my child but I didn't expect such a welcome party"
Jade's nostrils flared at the hybrid's taunting tone "You're not welcome sleeping beauty so bugger off"
"And who is this mouthy specimen?" Klaus glared at Hayley for her reckless disclosure before he scoffed derisively at the werewolf.
"I'm the Alpha, you ought to show me respect" Jade barked, his eyes blazed gold.
"displeased to meet you, I am the Alpha of the Alphas, so you ought to show me fear" Klaus' eyes flashed icy grey defiantly as he took a few steps forwards.
"Enough!" Hayley whooshed between them before they would rip each other's throat.
"This ridiculousness needs to stop now" she grabbed the father of her child by his elbow and leaned closer "You and I need to talk" Klaus faked an offended "oh" as he allowed the female hybrid to drag him out of the crowd from his arm like a disobedient child. The wolves watched them while Klaus galloped behind her in a detached fashion and slowly they both disappeared in the fog, leaving every one staring at their back in bewilderment.
I hope this chapter quenched your curiosity and gave you the answers you were looking for. The best is yet to come so stay tuned and see you next week, or month (let's pray for a week)