Chapter Thirty Three: The Alphas
Klaus smirked when he saw Hayley beckon him upstairs. It only took him a few moments to enter the room where she was waiting, and her smirk matched his own.
She was leaning against the windowsill, her green eyes bright with lust and love. Her hair was loose today, falling softly around her shoulders in dark brown and golden waves. Due to the unexpected warm weather, she was wearing a light summer dress that matched the color of her eyes and had a row of enticing buttons down the front.
Klaus' fingers twitched by his sides, wanting to undue each button slowly, so he could watch those green eyes darken and hear her murmur his name.
Hayley seemed to know where his thoughts were going, and her slender hand lifted to teasingly pluck at the first button, smirking widely as his eyes hungrily followed the motion.
His eyes darkened as well, noting the rather dark shade of indigo her mood ring was, which sat on her index finger. His mind briefly flickered to the memory of him watching her buy it while she explored the streets of the Quarter... but that thought dissolved when that finger and her thumb began slowly undoing those buttons.
Klaus was about to reach out, to move her hands away so he could finish the task, but the door suddenly swung open. He turned to face the intruder with a frightening snarl.
Rebekah barely blinked at her brother's expression, and her impassive gaze flickered over Hayley, who stood there with wide eyes, her bare chest exposed, before the blonde vampire huffed. "Honestly, you two are like human teenagers," she sighed with an air of exasperation.
Hayley recovered from her brief shock, and buttoned her shirt back up. She didn't feel embarrassed from her state of undress, thanks to being a werewolf, nudity was a daily part of life amongst the pack, but rather she felt a sharp jab of annoyance towards the Original for interrupting.
"I do believe I have mentioned that knocking is appreciated, dear sister," Klaus hissed.
"Oh Nik, I do believe I heard you," Rebekah replied. But I don't care, was left unspoken, hanging in the air.
Klaus shot Hayley a look, and she shrugged in response. She didn't have to deal with snotty siblings.
"What do you want?" Hayley asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"Your protege is here," Rebekah said, before leaving the room as quickly as she burst in.
Hayley straightened, then stepped forward when Tyler entered the room. They embraced before Hayley moved aside so the younger Hybrid could face his sire.
"Tyler," Klaus greeted calmly, all traces of heat and desire gone from his expression.
Tyler didn't miss the lingering scent of desire in the air, and with a grimace, he nodded towards Klaus. The relationship between sire and protege had not been as tense as it once had, mostly thanks to Hayley, but both men could not be labeled as friends.
"They're here," Tyler told Hayley, his gaze turning back to her.
Hayley lifted her chin slightly in acknowledgement. She nodded at Tyler, silently telling him to go, before she walked back to the window.
Klaus joined her, looking over her shoulder. His brows were furrowed, and the crease between them deepened when he saw a trio of unfamiliar wolves standing at the entrance of the Abattoir.
As if she heard his thoughts, Hayley simply stated, "The Alphas are here."
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Klaus glanced down at Hayley. "I was not aware we would have company."
Hayley's gaze flickered towards him, picking up on the slightly tense tone that Klaus spoke in. She turned, placing her hands on his chest. Her eyes were calm, and she spoke in an equally calm voice. "They have been waiting for me to call of them since they... sent me here," she said decisively. "I chose to send Tyler home so they could see him themselves and extended an invitation for them to join us here, at the Quarter, so they can meet you."
"Meet me?"
Hayley's calm was replaced by a sort of forced patience. "Yes, you, the one their..." Hayley pulled in a sharp breath, before forcing out the next few words, "Queen chose as hers."
Klaus' eyes fell to the spot between Hayley's shoulder and neck. The mark he had left there was still visible, but it was faded and pink against her tan skin.
The tension in Klaus' expression relaxed when he smirked. "Their Queen chose as hers, hmm?"
"Their words, not mine," Hayley sighed.
Klaus gave her a playfully confused look. "So you didn't choose me?"
Hayley's eyes narrowed, but her lips twitched. "I think we chose each other."
Klaus grinned rather widely, pulling her close. "Indeed... my Queen."
Hayley felt as though those words should have made her snort, roll her eyes, or feel annoyed, instead she felt something respond deep within her, not unlike the strong feeling she had experienced when she had accepted her birthright, or when she had realized she was in love with the man in front of her. It was a feeling not unlike a key unlocking a door, but it was more, different when it was Klaus saying them, and her eyes flashed gold in response and she pulled Klaus down for a searing kiss.
When they pulled apart, Hayley looked into his eyes imploringly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this. It was..."
"Pack business?" Klaus finished with a lifted brow.
Hayley nodded.
Klaus brushed his thumb across her cheek as he cupped her face in his large hand. He understood that her pack was still her business, even though the pack had come to accept him and his relationship with her. His own relationship was limited with them, and he had not been apart of their lives or meetings. He mostly saw Mason and Eve, but that was during the meetings with the others regarding the truce.
Something tightened in his chest, and he realized he wanted a place among them, something more than simply being her mate. He wanted to earn his place among them, he wanted to earn their trust...
Shaken over this, Klaus lowered his hand, then glanced back towards the three Alphas who were still waiting outside.
You have to start somewhere, a voice told him, that voice that sounded uncannily like Elijah's.
Klaus took Hayley's hand in his. "Shall we begin?"
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Lana stood with the other two Alphas in front of the Abattoir entrance, her dark eyes studying every detail carefully. She picked up on the sounds of voices within the building, along with the sounds of the people bustling in the Quarter. Her inner wolf was alert, yet it was not edgy nor nervous.
To her right stood Oliver, arms crossed in front of his massive chest. Like usual, he was quiet and pensive, his expression giving nothing away.
The same could not be said of the final Alpha, who was pacing with an annoyed air behind Lana. Aiden had his dark eyes fixed on the entrance, moving more like a caged cat rather than a wolf. He was muttering under his breath, and the sound sent a bolt of irritation down Lana's spine.
Sharply, she growled, her gaze turning towards him. "Stop."
Aiden sneered, but ignored her.
The sound of approaching footsteps had three sets of eyes swinging around.
Lana smiled first, moving forward. "Hayley," she said warmly, extending both of her hands.
The green eyed Alpha smiled back, gripping Lana's hands. Hayley then looked to the two male Alphas. She dipped her chin towards Oliver, who lowered his gaze respectfully in turn. When her gaze turned towards Aiden, she did not miss the animosity etched across his features, all of which was aimed towards Klaus, who stood slightly behind Hayley.
Hayley reined in a sudden flash of temper. Aiden had always been a thorn in her side, and she felt that thorn bury itself deeper as she resisted the urge to command him to stand down. He was, after all, an Alpha like her, even if his bloodline was not royal.
Patience, Eve's gentle voice instructed her in her mind.
You try to have patience with his pup, Hayley told the voice in a clipped tone.
The voice did not respond.
Hayley forced herself to greet Aiden just as respectfully as she had the others. "I'm glad you have all made the journey here," she addressed them. Then she took a small step back, so she was shoulder to shoulder with Klaus.
Hayley briefly wondered if she had imagined how Klaus seemed to relax when she did, but she pushed that aside.
"Please let me introduce you to Niklaus Mikaelson," she said. "Klaus, this is Lana, Alpha of the northern Pack, Oliver, Alpha of the southern Pack, and Aiden, Alpha of the eastern Pack."
Klaus met the gaze of the other female Alpha instinctively, since Hayley had addressed her first. His own wolf recognized the other Alphas, and the one in front of him was clearly the oldest and the most powerful, second to Hayley.
Neither of them moved at first, but it was Lana who extended a hand first, the proverbial olive branch. She gave him a kind smile.
When he shook hands with Oliver, Klaus eyed the Alpha's considerable bulk, but the other wolf had an amused gleam in his light eyes, and Klaus could not tell why it was there. It didn't make him uncomfortable, merely curious.
Klaus finally faced the eastern Pack Alpha, whose gaze had been burning a hole in him ever since he had emerged from the Abattoir with Hayley. Klaus stiffened slightly under the Alpha's snide expression. He glanced briefly at Hayley, and saw a hard, angry look in her eyes. Clearly there was tension between this Alpha and the others, and it was not just from meeting Klaus.
Aiden shook Klaus' hand but his grip was much tighter than the other's, and his expression was not welcoming nor amused, but rather hostile.
"The Hybrid," Aiden surmised, dropping his hand back to his side. "Your reputation proceeds you."
Eyes narrowing at the implications that one sentence held, Klaus schooled his expression into one of cool indifference.
Hayley's voice cut through the palpable tension. "Please, come inside. I'm sure you're tired after your trip."
Klaus assumed his place by Hayley's side as they lead the others inside. He turned to look at her, and saw her shake her head very slightly.
Later, she mouthed.
With the briefest of nods, Klaus saw more emerge from the doorway of the Abattoir. Tyler, Mason, and Eve were joined by the three Mikaelson siblings.
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The two groups paused a few yards away from each other. Once again, Lana was the first to move, greeting her fellow wolves first before taking it upon herself to greet the Mikalesons before introducing them to the other Alphas.
Elijah met Klaus' gaze after he had met Aiden. Klaus frowned, then jerked his shoulder in a shrug.
Kol smiled lavishly at Lana, before Hayley cleared her throat in a pointed manner. He gave her an innocent grin, which earned him an eye roll.
The groups merged into one as they sat at the long table that had been placed outside under the sun. Hayley sat at the head of the table, with Mason and Klaus at either side of her. Lana occupied the seat across from her, flanked by Oliver and Aiden. The other seats were occupied by the Mikalesons, who chose the seats on the side where Klaus sat, and Eve and Tyler sat across from them.
It took a while for conversation to start and smooth out, starting with the story of the Hunters and Hayley's arrival to the Quarter. Lana and Oliver listened intently when the story turned to the truce that had come out of the confrontation against Alaric. Aiden, on the other hand, looked bored as he ate the meal in front of him. His eyes only flashed up briefly to look at the faded mark on Hayley's neck, and anyone who had been looking at him would have seen the clear disgust flicker in their black depths.
Elijah, who had been casting subtle glances towards the newcomer, was the only one who did see it. His gaze then turned to the tall glass that had been filled with the blood of his choosing, frowning inwardly.
Across the table, Eve did not need to look at Aiden to know exactly what his expression was, or what his thoughts reflected. It was nothing she had not seen before, but instead of that disgust and anger being focused on Hayley, it was aimed at the Hybrid. Eve suppressed a tired, wary sigh.
Tensions between Alphas was not unusual, especially between an Alpha as powerful as Hayley and one as young and jealous as Aiden. But, if time had showed her anything, these tensions rarely ended without conflict. And if this tension was going to worsen due to Aiden's obvious dislike of Klaus, Eve knew it was only a matter of time before it came to a head with Hayley.
Eve lifted her pale eyes towards the Hybrid and her Alpha. They were sharing a private look, as if they were reading each other's thoughts. A frown crossed her lips only briefly.
This would not end well, she thought.
Shaking her head, she casted aside those dark thoughts. They faded away at last due the bright laughter that had escaped Hayley, whose eyes were still locked on her mate.
No, this would not end well. Her gaze slid back towards the glowering Alpha down the table. For him.
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Disclaimer: I do not own the Originals.
Author's Note: Thank you again for your patience while waiting for this update.
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