I am sitting in the dining room with all my brothers. Kol and Finn are still bound by the manacles. Compelled waiters are placing all kinds of breakfast foods on the table.
Nik is speaking to all of us, "We arrive into this world as innocents. Wide-eyed. Vulnerable. It is the job of our parents to nurture and protect us. Unfortunately, our own parents failed miserably at even the most basic of parental tasks. But, we are not beholden to the past they created for us. Today, a new future awaits. Forget your animosity toward Elijah, Else, and myself. Instead, join us against she who truly deserves your ire our mother." Kol rolls his eyes at Nik and Finn just seems bored. "Do this, and we will welcome you with open arms!"
"Well," Kol starts. He reaches for a plate of pastries with his shackled hands, but Nik pulls it out of his way. Kol sighs and rolls his eyes again.
Nik smiles. "But, if you continue to oppose us, a denial of pastries will be the least of your concerns."
Kol sighs again. "If all you wanted was my allegiance against Mother Dearest, you should have said so! Save me a night shackled to the wall."
"Yes, this was Niklaus. My recommendation was to remove your limbs, one by one, until you comply," Elijah remarks.
Nik laughs as he stands up. "We've... we've no desire to torture you." He stands behind Kol and Finn and squeezes their shoulders with his hands. "Provided you vow to stand beside us as brothers."
Finn shrugs out of Nik's grip and looks at him skeptically. "Brothers... Does that word even apply to us? After all these centuries of betrayal? And, has loyalty to you ever rewarded? If so, tell me, Niklaus where is our sister, Rebekah?" I glare at Finn. "She was blindly loyal to you for a thousand years, and now? Nowhere to be found. Where did our sister go? And, how did she escape your vile machinations?"
Nik laughs at Finn. "Heh! You think me vile? What, then, do you make of the one who cursed us?"
Finn shouts in frustration, "She was trying to make you mortal again!"
I pick up a knife from the table and start swirling it in my hand. Finn is starting to get on my nerves.
"And, you three refused her." Finn laughs. "It only proves how far you've fallen. But, I expect Rebekah will have a different response to her proposal. See, unlike the three of you, she always did cling to her humanity."
"Rebekah is off-limits to you. You pursue her, and you will suffer," I warn Finn.
"Do not let him goad you, Else. Neither he, nor Esther, will find Rebekah unless she wants to be found." Nik turns to address Finn. "And she does not."
"Esther is quite determined," Finn tells us. "She's been searching for Rebekah since the day she returned. I imagine it's only a matter of time."
Elijah completely loses his temper, grabs Finn by the collar, and slams him onto the table before vamping-out and feeding on him.
Nik quickly pulls Elijah away from Finn and shoves him into a nearby wall. Elijah puts his hands up defensively, so Nik backs off. I tug Elijah's handkerchief out of his jacket pocket and hands it to him so he can clean himself up.
"I enjoy a good bloodletting as much as anyone, but our brothers have power, as well as knowledge of Esther's plans." Elijah wipes the blood off his face while he listens to Nik. "We need them alive."
"Imagine what they would do to Rebekah. To Jolie," Elijah whispers.
"Rebekah has been cloaked by powerful magic. Focus on the task at hand," Nik states. He looks to Finn and Kol making sure they can't hear us. "We need to persuade our brothers."
"I'm through with persuasion," Elijah states before turning to leave.
I grab him by the shoulder to stop him. "Has the earth shifted on its axis? You needing restraint from me?"
Elijah looks taken aback by my words. He is distracted by his phone going off. Bekah is frantic on the other end, "It's me. I have the baby, and we're on the run. Esther found us. We're safe, for now. I've lost her bloody starlings, but I have no idea where to go."
"Tell her to head west," Nik demands.
"Do not tell Else!" Bekah shouts. Too late for that I think. "Esther's too smart for that. The only advantage that we have is that she thinks the baby died. Text me the plans." Bekah hangs up the phone.
Elijah sighs. "Go both of you. I'll take care of Kol and Finn."
Nik looks at Elijah annoyed. "Splendid. And, in your hands, I assume they'll be dead by nightfall."
"I will show restraint. Jolie needs her mother," Elijah urges.
"What she needs, what we need are allies to help us defeat our mother. Finn and Kol must be turned to our side. Without their help, there will be nowhere left for Jolie to run. Plus I should be here to look after Jack. The last thing I need is our mother going after him." I tell him.
"Else, your child," Nik starts.
I interrupt him, "I have waited months to see my daughter." I pause for a moment. "I can wait one more day." Elijah looks at me sympathetically. "Elijah. Do whatever it takes to keep her safe."
"I give you my word," Elijah promises.
After Elijah leaves I turn towards Nik. "I trust you can handle our brothers. I need to keep an eye on Jack. I meant what I said. I don't need our mother going after him."
Nik nods his head. "Take care of that wolf man of yours. I would like my niece to be able to see both of her parents."
I take off and head to the Bayou. I sit with Hayley, Aiden, and Jack outside of Jack's trailer.
"The wolves are freaking out. They know it had to be an insider who took down Vincent last night, seeing as no one could have been anywhere near him," Aiden tells us.
"Did anyone suspect it was you?" Jack asks.
Aiden shakes his head. "No, not yet. But, they're gonna figure it out, which pretty much means I'm screwed unless we come up with a plan."
"Call a meeting. The whole pack, tonight. If they're so scared, now's the perfect time to convince them they need to ditch Esther," I reason.
Aiden holds up his hand, on which he wears a familiar-looking silver ring with a black stone. "She gave them moonlight rings."
"Well, those rings make you slaves," Hayley tells him.
"No! They make us powerful. We were exiles before, but now we run the city! The vampires are scared of us, and nobody, including me, is just gonna walk away from that because," Aiden starts.
Jackson stands and approaches Aiden. "Set the damn meeting." Jack walks away.
I give Aiden a look before following Jack. I find Jack at the dock on the pond. He is sitting drinking a beer.
"So, are you gonna work on a rousing speech, or just get day-drunk?" I ask him.
"Little bit of both," Jack tells me. I snatch the beer from him, and take a sip. Jack chuckles a little as he grabs a brown leather bound journal. "You know, for months, I wrote down every single word Ansel said. The entire history of our people. If only I'd known he was your father, I would have asked him a hell of a lot more." I frown at the mention of Ansel. He was my real father and I only got to know him for a few hours. "You know, I was up all night looking through this, trying to find something, anything that will help me figure out how to get our people back together." He tosses the book back onto the table.
"Let me guess, no such luck?" I question.
Jack sighs. "Nothing viable. And now, Ansel's dead... along with Ollie."
"Trust me Jack I feel the loss of Ollie, maybe not as much as you do. But Ansel was my father, and I only got to know him for a few hours. I would give anything to have the months that you had with him." I pick up the brown notebook. "Now I am going to go through this and I am going to find a way to help our people."
Jack nods his head. "Take a crack at it. If you can find anything let me know." Jack walks away.
I sit on the dock reading through the book. I feel like I am getting to know my father in a way. Everything in this book is something he said to Jack. It's about my family's history. It's about what my father knew, what he saw.
After a while I head to find Jack. He is chopping firewood near his trailer. I hold up the leather journal. "You wanna stop playing mountain-man and explain why you kept this from me?" Jack looks at me unsurprised. "Why don't I jog your memory? 'The werewolves' power can be traced back to the myth of the Unification Ceremony, a ritual that bestowed certain unique abilities onto every member of the pack.'" Jack looks slightly guilty. "Do you believe this?"
"I didn't at first. And then Ansel swore he saw it with his own eyes. And then he dies, and I found out he was resurrected from a thousand years ago, which means he was alive to see it!" Jack tells me.
"How did I not know about this?" I question.
"You didn't grow up out here. Yeah, every kid grows up hearing the stories. Back in the day, werewolf bloodlines were all distinct, right? Some had speed, some had strength, some could sense enemies from miles away. Now, to evolve, we would perform a ritual. A shaman would marry the alphas of each bloodline, and then the special abilities of each would be... inherited, mystically, by everyone who participated in the ritual. See, after a few centuries, everybody had the same abilities, so alpha marriages became political. They became about... power, about territory," Jack explains.
I look at him for a moment, taking in all he just told me. "But I have a unique ability. Because I'm a hybrid, I can control when I change! So, if this mystical marriage thing works, then... then our people get my power, and they can ditch the rings!" Jack looks torn. "Which means my mother no longer has a hold over them!" Jack nods slightly. "Jack, this is exactly the answer that we've been looking for! Let's find a shaman, we'll say some vows. Hell, we'll make it a party!"
Jack doesn't look too happy. "It ain't just a party. If the vows ain't honored, it doesn't work." My face falls. "It's gotta be a real marriage, in every way, for the rest of our lives. Are you up for that?" I don't know what to say. Am I up for marrying Jackson? "Didn't think so."
Jack goes back to chopping firewood. I head out to see what I can learn about this unification ceremony. I call Cami on the way.
"Else, hey. What's up?" Cami asks.
"I need a favor," I tell her.
Cami agrees to let me into Father Kieran's old apartment. We look through his files. Cami groans and rubs her forehead as she leans over the desk.
I look at her concerned. "You sure you're okay?"
Cami sighs. "Yeah, I must just be coming down with something."
"I'm sorry to drag you out of bed for this," I tell her.
Cami smiles. "Please. You just discovered an ancient marriage ritual with pretty drastic supernatural and personal implications. The least I can do is get out of bed." I smile at Cami as she gestures toward a pile of files and books on the desk. "So, this is everything I found in my uncle's files about werewolf ceremonies and rituals. Mostly, it sounds like old folklore and fables." I nod at her. "...But, I'm guessing you're not here looking for some kind of proof."
I shake my head. "I don't know what I'm looking for."
"Not to pry, but... does Jackson have any answers?" Cami questions.
"He doesn't even want to talk about it. He doesn't even want to put me in this position. He's a good, decent guy, if those even exist anymore," I tell her.
Cami smiles. "Well it's not like you don't know Jackson. You did have a child together, you must feel something for him."
"Honestly we've barely talked since we lost Jolie. But, still, he is..." I trail off.
"Under your skin?" Cami questions. I nod my head, unsure. "Well, there is no right answer to this." She starts to pull her hair back into a ponytail. "You just have to figure out what's best for you, and think long and hard about your decision, because you're the one who's going to have to live with it."
I sigh. "No pressure."
Cami turns to start putting the files away. I notice a vertical line of what looks like large pin-pricks that runs down the length of Cami's spine. "Hey, what's that on your back?" I ask her worriedly.
Cami, concerned, walks over to a nearby mirror and turns so that she can see for herself. She looks at me in horror.
I feel bad, but I need to leave Cami alone to figure out what is wrong. I need to think about what I am going to do with Jack and the wolves. I head to the compound. I have sometime before the meeting. I know it sounds crazy but I think Nik can help me through this.
I find him in the courtyard. "Nik, can I talk to you?"
Nik smiles at me. "Not now sister. I still haven't gotten enough out of Finn yet."
Nik starts to walk towards the ballroom and I follow after him. "Nik, really I need your help."
Nik ignores me and starts talking to Finn, who is chained up by the manacles around his wrists once more. "So, brother ready to embrace your new life of freedom?"
"I'm already free, brother," Finn states.
"You're aware our mother cares nothing for you?" I ask. If Nik won't help me until Finn talks, then I'm going to get Finn to talk.
"Else, I assure you, my mother loves me. She loves all of her children. You would not exist without her sacrifice," Finn tells me. Nik smirks and walks towards the door. "Do you even know the truth? That she was barren? And she grew so desperate for a family that she begged one of the most powerful witches in history for help her sister, Dahlia. Of course, Dahlia's price was high. She agreed to make our mother fertile, but in exchange, she sought the first-born as sacrifice. Having no other choice, our mother gave away our beloved Freya."
I look at him skeptically. "Our sister died of plague."
"Esther gave her away. Think about that. The pain, the grief," Finn tells me.
I walk up to him so we are face to face. "If what you say is true, then death is far too delicate a fate for her."
"She loves us more than you realize," Finn instits.
"And is love the reason she wanted my child dead?" I ask angrily.
"She was trying to protect you from Dahlia's curse!" Finn shouts.
"WHAT CURSE?!" I shut in frustration.
"Dahlia demanded the first-born of every generation. Had your child lived, she would have paid the price! And, if anyone had tried to protect her, Dahlia would come and destroy us all," Finn tells me.
I glare at Finn before leaving the room. Nik tries to shout after me but I don't stop. I've made my choice.