Claudia Lockwood-Mikaelson

Chapter 8 - Some truths, some lies

As I enter the compound I bump into Elijah. He's speaking to someone on the phone in the gentle coaxing tone I've only ever heard him use with Maeve. Once he sees me he ends the phone call almost immediately, reassuring his wife that I am safe in the compound and strides over to me. I speak before he has the chance to.

"Let me guess, you're keeping secrets from me too, Elijah," I spit my words at him. The walk here hadn't calmed my anger, it's only intensified. "I might as well go home, at least Dad will be honest when I have questions."

"I've never lied to you Claudia," he speaks calmly. "And I don't intend on ever doing so. If you believe Maeve has, all I can ask is that you wait for her return before you make any rash decisions such as leaving. I cannot prevent you from going home but I do wish that you try to make amends with my wife before you do so."

"It's not just Maeve lying, it's Nik too and that hurts more than anything. Which makes me sound like I'm going crazy but I'm not." I say finally admitting it. I had tried to convince myself it didn't matter to me that he was so secretive but it did. It really did. It's caused a painful ache in my stomach which isn't going away.

"He knew my secret and put me in a vulnerable position by announcing it to the world without giving a second thought on my reasons for wanting to keep it hidden. I bet he's told you all about it already," I shout, my eyes flashing with anger. Elijah says nothing and I can see by his face he knows exactly what I'm talking about.

"Of course, he has," I snort. "You're the one that told him to find me weren't you? You two clearly made up quickly," I hear a noise to the side of me and see that Nik has appeared.

"Claudia love, I thought I could hear your beautifully cheerful voice," he grins cheekily but I'm not in the mood for his humour right now. I shoot him a glare and the grin drops off his face faster than I can blink. 

"I was concerned when Maeve informed me you were coming to stay after an argument with your dad as we are aware you two are very close. She couldn't imagine what may have caused a rift between you apart from the Lockwood curse being revealed to you. We did suspect you may have triggered it but we did not know until you arrived here." Elijah tells me honestly, paying no heed to his brother's arrival.

"We? We?" I shoot daggers at him with my eyes. "Maeve has known all along?" My voice rising again. Elijah inhales deeply through his nose as if considering how to tell me, before nodding.

"So you have been lying to me. All of you," I whirl around to Nik. "And you? Are you even a wolf? And don't you dare lie to me."

"Yes I am. Well, sort of," Nik answers.

"Sort of? What do you mean sort of?" Why can't any of them just give me a straight answer. It infuriates me. "It's an easy question Nik, yes or no?

"It isn't that simple Claudia."

"Why not, how thick are you? Yes or no, are you a wolf that changes every full moon?" I don't understand why he's being so difficult.

"No," he snaps at me having lost all patience. "Stop being so dramatic, you're lucky Maeve cares for you or you'd no longer have your head by now, especially talking to us like this." I'm taken aback by his admission as he continues, "We should forbid you to leave and demand you pay for your offences." He winces as if in regret as the words come out of his mouth but he doesn't take them back.

Silence follows. Even Elijah is shocked into silence at Nik's insinuation. All the anger building up in me turns to disbelief and then to fear and hurt. This morning he apologised for threatening me and promised he wouldn't hurt me and yet here he is repeating it all again. After our conversation about wolves and killing to activate the curse I can't tell if he is serious right now, genuinely meaning it or straightforwardly lashing out. My hands feel clammy and the cramps start up again.