Our Hope • Ava Rose Mikaelson

6. Wheel Inside the Wheel

"Okay, so what do you want from us?" Marcel asked.

"Just a little distraction. Finn is the one that's controlling the werewolves. If you can keep him out of the way, I can go get Oliver myself."

I turned to leave, but Marcel vamp-speeds around me and blocks my way. "You can't take on all those wolves by yourself. You'll get killed, and then I'll get killed for letting it happen."

"I'm not going in alone." I told them. "I'm finding Jackson and I'm resigning from being Alpha. I don't like it. The wolves will listen to him because they know him. I hope they'll listen to him. I just have to find him."

***

I'm somewhere deep in the bayou looking for Jackson while Marcel and Gia took care of distracting Finn. I came across a trailer. I could tell someone was living there. I walked over to a trailer when I heard a creaking sound. I quickly turned and saw two arrows coming towards me. I quickly catch both arrows before it could hit me.

"Come on now! Show yourself. I'm in a mood for a fight!" I shouted as a man comes out of the woods and walked towards me.

I smirk as I got ready to throw the arrows back but someone grabs my arm from behind. "Stop."

I turned around and I saw Ileana. "What—what are you doing here?" I asked as Jackson and Hayley comes out of the trailer and run over to me. "You found them?"

Hayley looks at me for a long moment before pulling me into a hug. "Ava. I see you met my friend Ansel." Ileana said as Hayley and I pulled away from the hug.

"You know her?" Ansel asks, confused.

"Yeah..." Ileana said. "She's my mother."

***

We're all sitting around the fire pit, while Ansel sits on a log across from us and sharpens his knife. Jackson is telling me everything that happened on the day my daughter was born.

"After Francesca Guerrera took over the wolves, she offered me a moonlight ring as long as I'd call her Alpha. I declined. So, a couple of her brothers dragged me out here and left me for dead. By the time I healed up, word had spread about what happened to you, and to your baby."

"I knew it was over so I found Jackson and we ended up here." Hayley said. "And that's when we met Ansel. See, he's been teaching us the old ways, the traditions. What it means to be a wolf."

"You mean by living out in the ass-end of nowhere?" I laughed. "This is worse than where you were living before."

"Hey, easy. Your kind makes him ornery." Jackson said and I rolled my eyes.

"How is everything over there?" Hayley asks.

"Great. I supposed. I mean, I lost my daughter and my brother is dead. Esther is back from the dead. So is her suicidal son Finn. Had to break Elijah's heart so he can get over me. I hope it worked. Nik and I are good, I guess. We spent four months arguing about anything and everything."

"Ileana told us about Damon." Hayley said. "I'm sorry."

I didn't know what to say to I just smiled softly.

"Oh, yeah, for the reason I came here." I said as I stood up. "Jackson, the wolves they need you as their Alpha. I'm a vampire and they don't trust me. Besides, I don't want to be Alpha. The wolves need an Alpha. Oliver needs one, too."

"Yeah, I heard about that." Jackson says and he stood up. "The thing is, Ollie betrayed me. He plotted with the Guerreras. He spilled his own people's blood."