He isn't always like that, truth be told. When Caroline first moved in, Klaus was out and about all the time. Opening nights, exhibitions, soirées, premieres, parties - you name it. There were weeks when Caroline would barely see him. If he wasn’t at some event, then he was at the gallery, if not at the gallery, then locked up in his studio. As far as she knew, he was pretty much living the dream.

"He's never there," Rebekah said when she pitched the idea of rooming with her brother to Caroline. She used to share an apartment with Elena, but her friend had decided to take the next step with her dumbass of a boyfriend and since it was her name on the lease, Caroline was the one having to find a new place. Her money was short and so were her options. "Nik has this huge apartment all to himself and no one to really watch over it. All the plants I give him die within a week. He could use a roommate, honestly, and you'd be perfect."

"Is he looking for a roommate, though?"

"Not yet. He will be, when I tell him to."

"Rebekah -"

"Just come and see the place, ok? It's worth it."

It made no sense that a guy with his lifestyle and bank account would want to share an apartment with a complete stranger, and Caroline had the very strong feeling the idea never even so much as crossed his mind. Judging by the spirited spat she overheard between the two siblings while she waited outside, it was exactly the case. On her request, Rebekah went in first to talk to him; Caroline would only follow if he agreed to it. She didn't want to see the apartment of someone who wasn't looking for a roommate. She was about to sneak out through the stairs and pretend she'd never been there when Rebekah wrapped a hand around her arm and pulled her into the apartment. Before she could even manifest her exasperation, her snake of a friend walked out and locked the door behind her, leaving the two of them there to stare at one another in complete astonishment.

"I think we've been set up," she said, affecting an awkward smile.

"Rebekah has never learned the meaning boundaries, I'm afraid," he said, not nearly as fiery as he'd sounded a moment before while arguing with his sister.

"Look, this was not my idea, ok? I was just looking for a place, and Rebekah said — You know what, doesn't matter. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Klaus looked at her — really looked at her — assessing her with such sharpness it stole the wind off her chest. Mikaelsons... they're an intense bunch.

"Since you're here," he said after a moment. "Can I offer you a drink for your trouble?"

He opened a bottle of wine that cost more than Caroline's previous rent and gestured for her to make herself comfortable on the giant leather couch in his living room. He wanted to know what she did for a living, how she knew his sister, why she was on the market for an apartment, what kind of place she had in mind, what her routine was like. It was all obvious questions you'd expect from a prospective roommate, but it never felt as though she was being interviewed. Conversation simply flowed, such an easy back-and-forth she didn't realize what was happening until it was hours later and Rebekah was back with a few shopping bags in her hands and a triumphant smile on her face.

"So, when do you move in?" she asked.

"Whenever she sees fit," Klaus replied, albeit glaring at his sister.

"Wait– what?" Caroline blinked, eyes cutting from one sibling to the other. "What do you mean?"

"A spoiled brat though my sister may be, she does have a point. This apartment could use another soul. If you feel so inclined, you can bring your things whenever it is convenient. The guest bedroom is furnished, but I can put it all in storage if you'd rather have your own set. There's also plenty of room for your personal things in the common areas, you can make it more to your liking. All I ask is that you don't replace the art on the walls. I rather fancy them."

Caroline's mouth moved wordlessly for a long time. "You... I thought you didn't want a roommate."

He shrugged nonchalantly, pouring himself another glass of wine. "I'm known to be rather volatile."

"But I can't — I mean, we didn't even discuss rent and expenses. I'm a med student, I can't afford this place."

"Nonsense. It's mine." Caroline drew the breath in for a righteous protest, and he added, "We can share the bills, if you insist."

And, well. It's not how Caroline likes to do business, way too sudden, with none of the meticulous in-depth analysis she usually applies to absolutely everything, from buying dish sets to choosing a new hairstyle. Moving in with someone she didn’t know at all seemed like way too big a deal for her to simply skip those vital steps. She didn't even compile her pros and cons list. But…

The neighborhood was fantastic, the type where she'd never afford to live in as a student, it was so conveniently close to school, and Elena was pestering the hell out of her to move out so Damon could move in. She'd been to four apartments already: two were incredibly dirty — which told her everything she needed to know about the people living there; another had a single bathroom shared between four people, and the last had a creepy guy across the hall. The floor to ceiling windows alone in Klaus' living room would've sold her the place, and paying next to nothing? It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The conversation with him had been rather nice, if she was honest, and he was Rebekah's brother, so if anything went crazy, she knew exactly who to call.

For the first so many months, the Klaus-is-never-home story was very true. After a while he started inviting her to tag along to some of his events, which she did in a few occasions, especially after he learned she could not say no to puppy eyes. "These people will bore me to death, love, please, save me." Klaus can be such a dramatic baby. The parties were great and the vernissages fancy as hell, but she didn't complain. Going out with him was fun. They got along well, the booze was always A level and Klaus enjoyed taking his time to explain stuff to her. Living with him, she got to learn more about artistic movements than in all her life before. It's more interesting than she ever gave it credit. Or Klaus made it seem so, anyway. The accent kind of goes a long way.

What Caroline came to learn about him after a few months, however, was that not everything was rainbows and unicorns for Klaus as it seemed at first glance. Nothing threw him off quite like his family. He only ever spoke about Rebekah, the only sibling who lived closed by and stopped for visits, even more so than usual after Caroline moved in. She did overhear him on the phone with Elijah a few times, too. The other three, though, Freya, Finn and Kol, Caroline only knew about through Rebekah.

"Nik doesn't get along with our siblings," Rebekah told her when she asked why he never spoke of the rest of the family. "I don't blame him. I don't know what mother nature was thinking when it gathered us all under the same genetic code, we're far too screwed up to be all in the same Thanksgiving dinner."

That was an understatement, in Caroline's opinion. Whenever Klaus went back to England to visit his parents and the rest of his siblings —- something he avoided like the plague but was apparently forced to do — he came back sullen and with a temper from hell. His sour moods could last for weeks. He'd stay locked up in his bedroom or at the studio for days on end, making Caroline slightly guilty for thinking she was the thing keeping him from circulating around his own place.

"Don't be ridiculous," he snapped at her once when she suggested she could move out if he'd changed his mind. "If you move out, I will hunt you down and drag you back here."

It was perhaps slightly too aggressive an answer to be sweet, but Caroline gathers that was Klaus' way of saying he didn't want her to go.

She stayed and learned how to navigate the storms caused by his occasional family reunions. Let him do his thing, don't ask about his parents, offer him food from time to time. They make do. But it still bothers her to no end. Like right now.

It's been a month since he came back from London, more upset than necessarily angry, and he has barely set foot out of the apartment. He stays in his sweatpants and ink-stained Marc Jacobs shirts all day, wavering between having too much coffee and too much whiskey. He hasn't even been painting, which points to an all-time low.

When she walks out of her room all dressed up, putting on her earrings, he's sitting in front of the television, flipping through channels nonstop. His eyes are so unfocused she doubts he even knows what he's doing, his finger just pressing the button mindlessly.

Caroline checks her wristwatch and sighs. Bonnie is gonna be furious if she's late, but Klaus sitting on his ass like that is a waste of a perfectly fine eligible bachelor.

"What are you doing tonight?" she asks.

"Watching a movie," he says flatly after a moment, the information that he'd been spoken to taking a second to register in his brain.

"You mean porn."

He turns his face to her, eyebrows lazily arched. "If you want specifics. I'd ask you to join me, but people are already talking."

She gives him a look and then bends forward, fixing the straps of her high-heeled sandals. "Don't you get tired?"

"Who gets tired of porn?"

"Of watching porn?" He just shrugs. "Men," she puffs out with an eye roll. "Come out with me tonight. I'm going speed dating."

"That's so very boomer of you. It reeks of despair."

"It's old school, so what?" she counters, checking herself out on the antique floor length mirror. She turns to one side, then the other, tosses her hair back. "Is this cleavage too slutty? I don't want to look too slutty."

"What are you aiming for? Moderately promiscuous?"

She turns to him. "I want to say hot but with class, not I have nicknames for my boobs."

He snorts. "You look stunning, sweetheart," he says, his eyes lingering perhaps a bit too long on her décolletage.

"Thanks," she says, crossing her arms in front of her chest, suddenly self-conscious. "Back to the subject."

He sighs, turning back to the television. "Haven't they invented an app for that?"

"I'm tired of apps. It's cold, photos are almost never consistent with the truth and when you ask for a real-time one, all you get is dick pics."

"I hate to disappoint, but you're fooling yourself if you think men won't lie to your face, too."

"You can't blame me for wanting to stay hopeful that men aren't all as cynical as you. I'd have to give up sex forever if I thought that."

Klaus' lips quirk into a lopsided grin. "Well, I wish you good luck on your endeavor."

"I think you need to meet somebody, too," she insists. "You're turning into a couch potato, Klaus."

"I refute that."

"When was the last time you had a date?"

"I don't do dates."

Caroline rolls her eyes again. She has never seen him with the same girl twice, and very few have actually made it to his apartment. Mostly, he's the one who spends the night, not the other way around. He laughed at her face when she tried to tell him he didn't have to worry about bringing friends over on her account. "That's sweet, love, but I don't bring people over unless I have no other option."

"Why not?"

"Because when they know where I live it's harder to get rid of them. Besides, it's such a bore when they decide not to leave in the morning. Women can be rather spiteful."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You are so full of crap. Typical. Sweet-talk women into sleeping with you and then call them crazy when they expect a minimum of respect in return."

"I respect them fine; I just don't want to have breakfast."

"Because that is such a commitment."

"It's far more than I'm willing to commit, yes."

"We have breakfast all the time. What, am I special?"

He simply smiled, the annoying dimples he uses to lure women into bed cutting into his cheeks.

"Fine," she says, stomping her foot. "Your last one-night stand?"

"Should I be flattered you're keeping such close tabs on my life?"

"See? You're becoming this insufferable creature that I can barely tolerate that answers everything with sarcasm. Soon enough, I'm gonna have to move out and I don't want to because I like this apartment."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Come out with me. This way you get to meet twenty somebodies at once."

"Is that why you're going?"

"Last two dates I had were exclusive two hours of complete disaster I will never get back. At least this way I speed up the process of elimination."

"Over five-minute conversations," he derides.

"Five minutes is more than enough time. If they can't impress me or at the very least make me intrigued, then they're definitely not worth a second date."

"You make it sound oh-so-alluring. Like a meat market."

"Klaus," she says, slowly, planting herself between him and the random Discovery Channel show on the TV. "It's dozens of women literally just waiting to be hit on. Your odds at a happy ending are much better than if stay home and watch porn."

He regards for a beat and then sighs in defeat. "How can I say no when you make me out to be a wanker if I refute your argument?"

 x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 "You brought a date?!" Bonnie cries out with indignation when Caroline arrives at the bar with Klaus on tow.

She considered giving her friend a heads up that he'd be tagging along, but she knows what Bonnie would say. She has been saying it for a while, any opportunity she gets. Just make a move already, Caroline! Fuck the guy's brains out and get over it or stop talking about Klaus all the goddamn time.

The fact she's brought him out to meet other people should probably tell Bonnie that she does not want to bang her roommate. Not that she wouldn't, because Klaus is obviously, you know... Alluring. Annoying, sure, prone to mood swings, but also witty and smart and refined and incredibly attentive when it comes to her, not to mention the whole exterior package thing. But they live together, she's friends with his sister, and it would be a totally stupid idea to ruin it with casual sex. Caroline sweeps the whole tension under the rug and keeps Klaus firmly on the realm of healthy, platonic friendship. But Bonnie would've found a way to claim otherwise if she'd said he was coming.

"He's not a date," she counters. "He's a dater."

Bonnie gives Klaus a pointed look. "Blink once if you were coerced into being here."

Klaus makes an effort of blinking, and Caroline gapes in protest. "I did not coerce you. Our couch has a permanent imprint of Klaus' ass. He needed to dive back into the pool. I'm just being helpful."

"I'm here for the drinks, mostly," he offers.

"Well, you just ruined these poor men's lives," Bonnie says, bobbing her head towards the line of guys standing around them, waiting for the thing to start.

She hadn't really noticed, but they're all staring at them. Not at her, or at Bonnie, but at Klaus, with looks that go from mildly concerned to openly hostile.

"Tough luck," she says with a light shrug. "Look on the bright side. They're gonna be forced to bring out their A game."

"Ahh," Bonnie says, smiling at last. "I see your plan now. That’s actually smart."

"What the bloody hell are you two babbling about?" Klaus asks.

Caroline cocks him a disbelieved eyebrow. "Seriously? You can't tell?"

"Look around, Klaus," Bonnie says. "All the girls are checking you out."

"Not uncommon," he replies matter-of-factly.

"And the guys are shooting daggers at you," Caroline adds.

He purses his lips. "Also not uncommon."

"Exactly. This is competition."

"It's not a beauty pageant, love."

"Life is a beauty pageant," she retorts solemnly.

"Let's put it this way," Bonnie cuts in. "Little girls who kiss frogs expect them to turn into you."

Klaus puffs out a laugh. "Why, thank you, Bonnie, for the rather flattering image. But I don't think I'm that good looking."

"Now you're just playing dumb, which is not sexy, by the way."

He turns to Caroline, cocking his eyebrows in doubt. "Yes, you are, Klaus." A sly smirk breaks onto his lips, and she realizes he'd just set her up into singing his praise. Before he can follow up with a snarky and probably inappropriate remark, she slaps his arm lightly. "Oh, shut up."

"I bet you'll walk out of here with everyone's phone numbers," Bonnie says.

"Except for ours, of course," Caroline adds.

"Why not yours?" he asks, somewhat offended.

"You already have my number."

"Not in this context."

"Yes, because I already know you and all the nasty little bits of your personality. These women, on the other hand, don't."

"So you're attributing every relationship I've ever had to my looks?"

"I thought you didn't do relationships."

"Not normally."

"Well, not the whole relationship," she muses. "Just the beginning."

"The rest are the dimples," Bonnie remarks with a serious nod.

Klaus shakes his head despondently. "And here I was thinking women aren't as vain as men."

Caroline turns to him, putting her hand out. "Wanna bet? You can't tell anyone you're a trust fund kid who runs an art gallery. You're unemployed. Don't pay attention to everything they say, pretend to be distracted. And lose the accent. One hundred bucks says you walk out of here with at least… Twenty names. And I'm being conservative."

Klaus narrows his eyes at her. "You brought me out here to get laid and now you want me to jeopardize my chances?"

"On the contraire. I'm saying you can make yourself out to be as interested as you really are, and still get laid."

He finally takes her hand on a firm shake. "You're on."

A gong rings and they all turn to see a woman with a bright smile beckoning them all to approach. "Ladies and gentlemen," she starts. "The fun is about to start. Ladies, please, take your seats. There's a table for each of you. When I strike this gong, each man should sit at the first table they've been assigned to. When I strike it again, date's over, move on to the next."

"Wish me good luck, then," Klaus tells her as they turn around to order a drink from the bar before moving to their respective spots.

"You won't need it, buddy."

 x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 "Hello, sweetheart," Klaus says pleasantly as he slides into the seat across from her.

Caroline lets out a weary exhale. "Hi, number..." she reads the tag on his chest. "26. What do you prefer, a weekend on the mountains or long walks on the beach?"

"Mountain, easy. Too much sand on the beach, it gets in all sorts of awkward places."

Caroline snorts into her martini. "That's actually the best answer I've had to this question so far. Or to any question, really." She raises her glass on a toast. "How's it going?"

He purses his lips. "I've had to answer that question unironically more than once, so I'd say not stellar."

"I'm sorry," she says around a chuckle.

"You don't look sorry."

"Because I'm not, really. It would be unfair for me to suffer alone. Seen anyone you like, at least?"

The smile on his face turns mysterious. "There's one so far."

"Just one?"

"It's hard to speed date when you're pretending to be slow, uninteresting and American, to be honest."

"You could just tell them the truth. That you were dragged here by a friend who took pity on you sitting around, watching porn all day. That would sure scare some of them away. Although some would probably ask what kind of porn."

"What about you?"

"I don't want to know what kind of porn you watch."

He rolls her eyes at her. "I mean, how's your night going?"

"Oh, you know," she shrugs with a lot less enthusiasm than she'd expected to have by this point in the evening. "A couple of contenders, I guess."

"Oh?"

"Still early."

"Forgive me for pointing it out, but you don't seem particularly excited."

She puffs out in frustration. "Every time I tell them I'm a Med student, they ask what kind of doctor I want to be, and when I say oncologist, they start listing every member of their family who's ever died of cancer. What am I supposed to say after a guy tells me his mother died of breast cancer? I'm sorry, would you like to talk about it?" Caroline glares when he erupts into laughter. "Not funny."

"I'm sorry, it's just that sounds like an awfully interesting conversation."

"Why is dating so hard? Am I too picky? Is it wanting a meet-cute too much? To wake up one day and ta-dam, the guy is there, right in front of me."

Something about Klaus' eyes soften just then. "If only it were that easy," he says, an almost wistful tone to his voice that gives Caroline pause.

Before she can dwell on it further, however, the gong sounds and it's time to move on.

"Here I go, then," he says in his American accent.

When her next prospect sits down, she's laughing at Klaus greeting the woman on the next table with a Hey, babe.

 x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 "Here's to making the 1% 100 dollars poorer," Caroline says, raising her shot in the air before knocking it back.

"Cheers, I suppose," Klaus says dully, sipping from his bourbon.

"Oh, come on!" She bumps her shoulder against his as they sit side by side by the bar. "Don't look so gloomy. That's literally a pile of women in front of you," she says, nodding her head towards the cards sitting on the counter. "How many again?"

"Twenty nine," he grumbles.

"Twenty nine out of 40! That's more phone numbers than most guys will get in a year. Be proud."

"Of my deep cobalt eyes or my sultry lips? Yes, I heard both tonight."

Now it's Caroline's turn to explode into laughter while he just shakes his head helplessly.

"You don't have to be ashamed of your genetics, Klaus," she says. "It's not your fault some women are awkward flirters."

"Tell that to my stepfather." His tone visibly changes as he mentions Mikael, the dark clouds coming back to hover above his head.

Before it can get any worse, Caroline prods on. "So. How many of them are you going to call?"

"None."

"None?!" she gapes. "That's at least a month of guaranteed sex. A month where you won't have to watch porn, you can actually perform porn."

"Alright, you're making me sound like a deranged pervert," he objects. "I do not watch that much porn. That was one time and it is not my fault you lack proper etiquette when walking into someone else's bedroom."

Caroline chuckles. She did walk in without knocking, but, in her defense, it was 3 o'clock. What kind of person watches porn in the middle of the afternoon? She was blushing furiously for weeks before she decided to start teasing him instead as a way to diffuse the guilt. Luckily, he hadn't actually been doing... Anything. Although she did notice the suspicious volume in his pants. It was... Interesting.

"It's nice to make fun of you, though," she says. "That was the closest to a blush I've ever seen on your face."

"Whatever makes you happy, love."

"Seriously, though. Why are you not calling any of them?"

"These women think I'm one step away from being a caveman. It says more about them than it says about me that they're willing to give me their phone numbers."

She scoffs. "Don't be such a snob. They came here to get laid, too. You can't tell me you didn't like any of them."

"Well, there was one. But she didn't slip me her phone number."

Caroline' eyebrows crinkle together. "Really? That's kinda hard to believe."

"I guess your theory was flawed, after all."

"But it has been proved nonetheless. Which reminds me..." She lifts a hand, asking for another round. "I'm gonna drink all your money."

"My whole life has been a lie," Klaus says contemplatively. "I thought I had an enthralling personality, an interesting aura, that my wittiness made me charming, and now I find out I'm nothing but a pretty face."

"To be honest, you're also an endless pit of money." Klaus gives her a side eye, knocking back his drink. Caroline scrunches up her face in mock-pity. "Oh, boo-hoo. It's so hard to be handsome. Why are you so upset about that?"

"It's different when that is all you are. I've been deluding myself."

"Who said that's all you are?" Klaus turns to her with a pointed look. "No, that's not what I said. I said women would want to date you after five minutes because you're pretty, not that pretty is all you are." When he sighs, asking for another drink, still obviously unconvinced, she continues. "Look. My first real boyfriend was a total douchebag. He came across as funny and charming and thoughtful, but it was an act. He saw something he wanted and he knew he had to act a certain way to get it, because even at 17, I liked to think I had standards, even though I clearly didn't."

"Are you saying I'm also manipulative?"

"I'm saying, figuring out who people really are takes time. It takes twice as long if they're trying to impress you. You can take from this that all your relationships have been superficial and physical only, or you can believe that people came for the appeal and stayed for the content."

"Except no one has stayed. My temper seems to have a rather short expiration date, it drives people away. Just ask my brother." He punctuates his sentence with a wan smile, and Caroline understands, at last, that this is all somehow related to his family again.

She suddenly finds herself desperately at loss for what to say. Rebekah would offer something outrageous and mildly offensive that would still hit the nail on the head. Caroline just wanted him to have some fun, but instead she ended up pushing him right back to his bad place.

She considers apologizing, saying it was just teasing and she never really meant it, but what she winds up saying, however, is, "I'm still here, aren't I?"

Klaus looks up at her, a mix of surprise and something else she can't identify flickering through his eyes.

"Is that how you rationalize your relationships?" he asks.

She huffs out a little laugh. "I don't think that highly of myself. I'm a tall, long-legged blonde. That ticks some boxes, but it hardly makes me irresistible."

"I beg to differ, love. You're an exquisite beauty."

Caroline laughs a little, thinking he's obviously saying that just to be nice, but then she catches the look in his eyes, that intensity that always seems to rattle something deep inside of her. There's not a hint of condescension about him.

"I... Well..." she stammers, her cheeks burning hot. "Thank you."

"But that's not all you are. You're also strong, fierce, full of light. Anyone who fails to see what's underneath your stunning exterior is a fool." Caroline freezes under his stare, something almost reverent in the way he says it, a spark lighting up his face for maybe the first time in a month. It sends Caroline's pulse racing. She's suddenly very much aware of how close they are, the air around them simmering with energy, releasing a fresh batch of butterflies in her stomach. The room is a dozen degrees hotter than a second before, and Caroline doesn't know what to do, what not to do, thinks maybe she's had enough to drink already because her sense of reason is getting all fuzzy.

“Klaus!”

It came as a surprise to Caroline that the Alpha of the largest werewolf pack in the continental United States would be the one her wolf would choose. Of course, no wolf really knew how mates were chosen; they just knew when they met. They just knew the moment their eyes locked and suddenly the full moon made sense. No longer was Caroline going to have to suffer through a heat with no partner to calm that urge; having refused to take another to her bed since the incident. No longer was she going to have to run wild through the woods, searching for the other half that was to belong to her; only to come up empty. Caroline always knew that one day she would find her mate.

She just never thought it would Klaus Mikaelson.

Caroline came from a small pack located in an out of the way town in Virginia. The founding families of Mystic Falls were all made of shapeshifters who transformed every full moon into a pack of wolves. Packs were scattered all over the world and each pack were territorial of their land; Caroline’s pack was no different. When Klaus informed their pack Alpha, Caroline’s mother Liz, that they were coming for a visit; it set the town on edge. He ensured that he meant no harm but wanted to meet but his reassurance did not sooth the packs worry; Caroline included.

Klaus was known for his brutality and willingness to kill anyone who dared cross him. However, he was also fair and beloved by the wolves that followed him. He took care of his people and took offenses to them seriously. Klaus did not venture far from his home in New Orleans often, nor to simply come and decimate a random pack in the middle of nowhere but it did not settle their nerves.

“What do you want Caroline?” Klaus purred and she whimpered as his voiced echoed through her veins. He kissed his way across her flat stomach and Caroline rubbed her thighs together trying to create some friction; the sight only caused Klaus to chuckle. He enjoyed seeing her squirm and toying with her body; making her release that much sweeter. “You’ll have to tell me what you want, Sweetheart.”

“You. I want you.”

They had not left her small studio apartment in three days. After the moment in the woods when she first saw him, they did not want to leave each other’s side. They created a bubble that was just for them; rarely getting out of bed. It was their Claiming; a werewolf tradition that occurred when two mates meet, and they lay claim to one another. They marked each other, letting others know that they belonged to another.

For the first time in a year, Caroline felt whole.

                                                                  *

Caroline stood by her mother’s side, in the middle of the woods surrounding the town her pack claimed as their territory. The woods were bright with the morning sun shining through the branches. Birds were chirping overhead, and their songs made Caroline’s wolf unsettled. It did not help that her mother invited him. She was nervous and on edge; her wolf itching to reach out and attack but the moment she started to feel Klaus approach the clearing, all worry seemed to end; all that mattered was him.

The leaves bustled and the light breeze that caused Caroline’s hair to flutter caused her to catch his sent. His scent set her on guard; knowing that her mate was near before she set eyes on him. She could hear the cracking to the twinges beneath his boots as he and a few of his wolves hiked towards them. She heard how his feet moved faster and quicker; he could sense her too. The few members of her own pack could feel his presence but not in the way Caroline could.

Caroline felt her mate before she saw him.

Caroline was surprised that Klaus did not take her in the clearing, she would have let him, a fact that surprised even her, but she quickly learned that he was possessive; he wanted no one to lay eyes on her but himself. The moment she saw him with his dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and dimples; she could not focus on anything else. She vaguely remembered him introducing himself, his eyes never leaving hers. Without a thought or a care, Caroline had walked towards him, Liz calling her name; asking what she was doing, but she ignored her. All she could think of was putting her hands on him; touching him and feeling him.

Klaus let her.

It became quite apparent what was happening to all those around them, but she cared not. She didn’t even care that her own personal monster was there. A man in a suit stepped from behind Klaus and took over the conversation but Caroline did not bother to listen to him. All she could see was Klaus and the feeling of her wolf wanting to claim him; to submit to him. She wanted her scent on him, to mark him as hers. Caroline pressed herself as close to him as she could, pressing her body to him while her teeth nipped at his throat.

“Do you have a name Sweetheart?”

“Caroline.”

“My Caroline.”

                                                                *

As they lay tangled in her bed, the days slowly ticking by, neither cared for the outside world; only focusing on laying their claim. In the moments that came in-between; lying beside one another, their bodies covered in sweat; they talked. It felt easy to open up to him and she listened to every word that came out of his mouth. He told her of growing up in a hostile pack with an alpha who he had always known was not his biological father; calling Klaus’s real father out when he realized the child his mate carried was not his. How Klaus challenged him at the tender age of sixteen and won. Hundreds of wolves bowed to him and even when he was challenged, he conquered.

Caroline told him of her childhood in Mystic Falls; how almost everyone was a wolf and those who were not knew nothing of those who were. It was the best kept secret in the town. She told him of her father leaving when she was in high school for a man; abandoning the pack for one in Atlanta. They never spoke anymore. She told him everything she could.

Well, almost everything.

There was one thing she could not bring herself to speak of.

Klaus crawled up her body and gazed down at her; her eyes meeting his. She spread her legs for him for what felt like the thousandths time since she saw him three days previously. Klaus entered her, rocking his hips back and forth. His touch was never going to be enough. She knew she would always crave him, want him; the feeling of his body against hers was beyond the sex she had with the others she had been with; the one still bitter in her mind. Caroline knew it was because Klaus was her mate and that their lovemaking was far more primal than anything a heat could produce.

When they were able to pull themselves from one another enough to allow the rest of the world intrude into their sanctuary. Reality set in and no longer could they hide themselves from their mutual packs. Caroline pulled her phone from the spot she had tossed it days earlier, plugged it in and checked all the messages that had been piling up.

[Elena]: Text me when you can.

That was yesterday. Caroline bit her lip feeling like an awful friend. While her life was changing, faced with the upheaval and decision on whether she was leaving her pack for Klaus’s, Caroline recognized that in some ways, Elena would be facing the same choice but with a different set of circumstances.

[Caroline]: Hey, sorry. What’s up? [Elena]: Can I swing by? I need to talk. [Caroline]: Of course.

Klaus’s arms wrapped around her middle and he placed a kiss on the side of her neck. Caroline moaned but it wasn’t sexual, the feeling of his touch soothed her in a way that she had never experienced. The thought of leaving Mystic Falls terrified her. She had always assumed that if she found a mate, he would join her pack; Caroline never expected that she would be mated with an Alpha.

                                                             *

“I’ll never make you choose.” Klaus whispered to her in the dead of the night, holding her naked body close to him. The stars shined brightly outside her window and the light of the waning gibbous shined upon them through the glass; the full moon only days away. “The alpha here is your mother. I would never make you choose.”

“It’s a scary thought. Leaving.” Caroline leaned up and kissed him. “But I want to be with you. You’re my mate. And besides, New Orleans is not far. I can always come back for a visit.”

“Whenever you want.” Klaus vowed, pushing a small strand of hair behind her ear before kissing the top of her forehead. “She will always be welcome in New Orleans, Sweetheart. Your entire pack is welcome. The city is full of wolves already. What are a few more?”

“Can I ask for one thing?”

“Everything I have is yours, Caroline. Ask and it shall be yours.”

“One more full moon here. I want to run in the woods one last time before we go. I want you to run with me.”

                                                              *

Elena arrived quickly; the knock on the door sounded just in time for Caroline to put on her pants. Klaus jumped in her shower, knowing that Caroline would want the privacy. Elena looked as she always had; long brown hair, doe eyes and a kind smile that made the entire town love her.

Everyone knew the story of Elena Gilbert. A young wolf cub found roaming the woods alone who was no older than three. No memory or way to tell where she had come from; only stating that her name was Elena and she missed her cat. The town took her in, Grayson and Miranda Gilbert adopted her, and she became one of them.

“Hey. How are you?” Caroline opened her arms and Elena hugged her close. “I’m so sorry. I should have called and texted. This must be a shock for you but I just...”

“It’s fine Care. I get it. You found your mate and that would have taken all your time.” Elena blushed slightly, knowing what Caroline would have been doing for the last few days. While Elena was not mated with anyone, she had a relationship with Stefan Salvatore a few years back and Stefan had helped her through her heat more than once. Elena may be prudish, but she understood the concept of a claiming. “Where is Klaus?”

“In the shower.” Caroline replied, leading Elena to the sofa that sat near a window that overlooked the square of Mystic Falls. Caroline had sat in that exact spot a thousand times watching the people pass by in the early mornings. She would miss that view but was excited to see the bustle of Bourbon Street in the dead of night and in the early morning. “What is it?”

“It’s Katherine.” Elena whispered. “She wants me to go back to New Orleans with her. I just don’t know what I want.”

                                                              *

Caroline was distracted, Klaus’s hands were on her hips. She could not hear the voices of the wolves around her. She could not feel the light breeze that were rustling through the trees. She did not see the curious looks the few members of both packs were sending their way. It wasn’t until the man in a suit called for Klaus that her mate was able to turn his head and Caroline got a glimpse of her.

She was identical to Caroline’s best friend. She had the same features, but her expressions were different. She held herself differently and there was something harder about her than Caroline was used to seeing on Elena. If it had not been for the skintight clothing Elena would never wear, the curly hair and the seductive posture, Caroline would have never been able to tell them apart.

“My name is Katherine. I’ve been searching for my sister. Elena. Do you know her?”

                                                              *

“I was born Elena Peirce. My birth parents were John and Isobel Peirce. They died in a car accident twenty years ago. They got stuck in a flashed flood and their car went off a bridge. Katherine and I survived but somehow, I ended up roaming the woods. Getting lost. Liz found me before my birth parents’ pack could begin searching. Apparently, Katherine was in a foster home for a few days before the pack claimed her. Most thought I was dead but not Katherine. She never gave up the search.”

“How did she find you?”

“Klaus. He helped her track me down. It took a few years, but they succeeded.” Caroline’s brow creased. She did not know if she liked the idea of her mate helping another female wolf; Caroline’s wolf howled at the thought, feeling the need to claim him again. As though Elena could sense Caroline’s jealousy, she quickly added. “Katherine is mated to Elijah, Klaus’s brother.”

“Oh.” Caroline replied in a small voice and Elena gave her an understanding smile. Caroline’s wolf calmed and settled inside her. “Klaus won’t make you choose. If you come to New Orleans, he won’t make you cut off your relationship with your parents or Jeremy. Or if you decide to stay in Mystic Falls, you would always be welcome to visits Katherine or me.” Caroline bit her lip, reaching out to take Elena’s hand into hers. “It might be selfish of me, but I would love it if you came with me. I’m excited to start this new adventure but it would be nice to do it with a friend.”

“You’ll be having an adventure with Klaus.” Elena laughed, tossing her head to the side. “He is your mate and your new Alpha. Not only that but you’re going to be by his side. Holding a high position, standing next to the Alpha who commands the largest pack in the United States. Look at you Caroline. Destined to be the Queen of the Wolves.”

“Yeah. Maybe. I don’t know if I’m strong enough for that.”

“Not maybe. Most defiantly. If anyone can do it, it’s you.” Elena told her, a flash of anger in her brown eyes that Caroline had seen many times in the past year. Elena did what she could to build that confidence Caroline had been lacking ever since. “How are things with you and Klaus? Katherine told me what it was like, the claiming.” Elena whispered, blushing bright red again. “She said it is intense. Like a primal need that is similar to but stronger than the heat only it is directed at one person.”

“Yes. That would be a good way to describe it.” Caroline paused before pressing onward. “You know that need that you feel when in heat?” Elena nodded. “It’s like that. You need to…mate…but unlike with the heat that need is for one person, your mate. But its more than just the relief you get from the act. It’s about marking that person. When he was inside of me, all I could think about, well, besides the obvious, was that he was mine and no one else could have him. That he was it for me and I was it for him.”

“It sounds like you and Klaus really have bounded.” Elena replied with sadness. There was a time when she thought that Stefan was her mate but Caroline, and everyone, knew Elena was confusing the intense need of her heat to a claiming. Stefan relived that pain that came with a female wolf’s heat. However, it wasn’t until a wolf by the name of Lexi came to town and Stefan was mated with her. Elena was heartbroken. “Have you told him about, you know?”

Suddenly it felt like a bucket of ice was poured over her. Caroline froze as the memory of ice blue eyes and pain coursed through her. Elena was the only one who knew, besides Grayson Gilbert, and Caroline had every intention of keeping it that way.

“No.”

“Caroline-“

“No. He will demand for a Howling.” Caroline hissed and Elena’s eyes hardened. She knew that her friend was only coming from a good place but it was too much; Caroline could not face it. Elena hated him as much as Caroline, almost more she did sometimes.

“Maybe he should.”

The conversation ceased when Klaus opened the bathroom door and stepped out. Caroline’s heartbeat increased at the sight of him. He wore nothing but the pair of jeans she had washed for him during the spare moments when they left the bed. He was shirtless and Caroline was torn between admiration of his form and growling at the thought of Elena seeing her mate shirtless. Klaus sensed her reaction and tossed her a smirk before grabbing his Henley.

He introduced himself to Elena but allowed for the two of them to continue their conversation while he made a few calls in the kitchen; checking on the status of his pack. Elena went back to discussing the possibility of her moving to New Orleans to be with her sister and not having to watch Stefan with Lexi; but cringed at the idea of leaving her parents and Jeremy behind. When Elena realized that Caroline’s eyes kept shifting to Klaus, and he returned the gaze, Elena bid her goodbyes with a small smile.

The moment Caroline shut the door behind Elena, Klaus came and wrapped his arms around her middle; something Caroline was slowly realizing would become a habit. Not that she minded. She loved the feeling of his arms holding her close. He leaned down and kissed her shoulder, causing Caroline to moan at the touch of his lips.

“Sweetheart?” Caroline gave a soft whimper of acknowledgment as he continued to nip at her skin. Her eyes fluttered shut and she tilted her head, allowing him better access to her neck. She wanted him to suck on her neck but instead he pulled away to place a soft kiss on the top of her head. “Why would I demand for a Howling?”

                                                                *

Her entire body burned. It felt as though she was dying. If she tried to move, she knew that the pain would only worsen. Her naked body lay bruised and broken in the woods. It was not as though she planned for it. Caroline watched as the leaves flowed in the breeze, landing on her. The night sky seemed to torment her as the waxing gibbus hung high among the stars.

She did not mean for it to happen. No more than he did. Perhaps it was it was foolish of them both to neglect protection, but the heat clouded her judgment. Made Caroline beg for release and he had been willing; eager. Yet, when the full moon came, and she did not turn; they both knew why. The next morning it was like he could sense it on her. Caroline remembered his angry face and the fear that surged through her.

Caroline had a cub inside her, and its father wanted nothing to do with it.

The pack would demand he care for it. He would not be able to shrink his responsibilities. He did not want children with her no more than Caroline wanted to be tied to him. She just needed someone to ease the pain. It would not be the first time a cub was the product of the heat; that was the point of them after all. Procreation.

He had dragged her into the woods and beat her until she could not longer move. He stripped her of her clothing, forcing himself inside her before beating her again. He claimed that it was no matter if he came inside her now, he would ensure that she bore no children of his. When he was done with her, he left her there to die.

If Elena had not found her, Caroline was certain that she would have.

“You have to tell Liz.” Elena pleaded with Caroline, but she refused. She did not want to have to suffer through a Howling; of everyone knowing what had happened to her. Elena had brought Caroline to her father, a doctor, and he cleaned her wounds. “Caroline. He can’t get away with this.”

“I just want to forget.” Caroline had whispered, begging both Elena and Grayson to keep their silence. They did, only because they did not want her to suffer more than she already had. “No one else knows that I was unable to turn the other night. I’ll pretend I did. I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings. I got hit by a passing car. Wolves heal quickly. I’ll be fine.”

“Caroline-“Elena started but Caroline shot her a forceful look. “Fine, but I still hate him.”

Caroline turned on the next full moon, feeling empty; her hand always going to the place her child should have been.

“I do too.”

                                                                 *

“I want a name.” Klaus’s teeth were clenched, and his fist balled. Caroline could feel the anger radiating off of him. She wanted to go to him, sooth him with her touch but she could sense that nothing was going to get rid of his fury but holding her assailant’s throat in his teeth; but she still tried. Caroline walked towards Klaus and placed her hands on his chest. She could feel his muscles relax ever so slightly but it did not release his tension completely. The rage he was feeling was unprecedented; even for him.

“Klaus-“

“A name Caroline.” She did not answer, at a loss for what to say. This is exactly what she wanted to avoid. Yes, it was painful to see him almost every day and know what he had done to her, but it was better than putting herself through a Howling. “He killed your child. His own flesh and blood and then he-“Klaus paused, sickened at the thought of what she endured. “I would have claimed that child as my own when I found you. I would have been a father if he did not want him.”

“But he wouldn’t have been yours.”

“Do you think that matters?” Klaus implored as though she had lost her mind. “A heat is a biological response for female wolves. I always knew that my mate would have had others before me. If a child was the product of it then so be it. As long as you are faithful to me- “

“I would never be unfaithful.” Caroline hissed, as though insulted at what he was insinuating. The mere thought of having another after the Claiming was nauseating. “And you better listen to me Klaus Mikaelson. I am not one who is willing to share her mate. I do not care if you’re my Alpha, I will not share.”

“It’s only you. It will only be you.” Klaus leaned down and kissed her hard, conveying what he was trying to say but couldn’t. Caroline wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hoping that her touch would be enough for him to forget his anger; but she should have known better. After a few moments, Klaus broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. “I still want a name and if you do not want to go through a Howling; then I will challenge him.”

“And if you lose?” Caroline whispered, gripping him close. She could not stand for the thought of losing him so soon after finding him, was something that she could not stand for. Images of Klaus’s mangled body and him standing over her mate victorious made her stomach roll. “Please. Can we not just let this go? It was a year ago now. I’ve moved on.”

Lie.

“No. I can’t. Many things, yes, I would be able to let go. If he had just helped you through your heat, I may have been jealous, but I never would have called him out. He abused you. He killed his own child that was inside you and he raped you just to show that he had power over you.” Klaus hissed, the anger flashing behind his eyes once again. “He deserves a Howling.”

“You’d have to speak with my mother. He is part of her pack; not yours.”

“Do you honestly think that I would not disclose why I am challenging him to Liz?” Klaus questioned and Caroline closed her eyes, tears falling down her cheeks. Klaus’s shoulders slumped helplessly. He placed his hands on the side of her face, gently whipping her tears away. “I do not like seeing you cry.” Caroline stared back up at him. “Why do you want me turn a blind eye? Why are you not out for his blood? Make me understand.”

“I’ve never seen a Howling. I know what they are. We all do but to experience it firsthand? I don’t want to put myself through that.” Caroline whispered in a hollow tone. “The entire pack would know what happened to me and I just can’t…” She trailed off before finding her voice again. “They will look at me like I’m something dirty. A failure. Female wolves are taught to keep themselves protected. To prevent children until they want them. They will say it was my fault! That I deserved it.”

“No. It was not your fault, it would never be your fault, Sweetheart.” Klaus told her gently. “And the child? It was an accident. My mother never intended to get pregnant with me. Her heat occurred when her mate, our alpha at the time, was out of town. She needed relief and I was the result of that. That did not make her weak.” He leaned down and kissed her gently. She knew the rest of the story; for he had told her in the dead of night. Esther was mated to their Alpha, but he did not take it kindly when she bore another wolf’s child. “And hear me Caroline. You are a survivor. You are so strong and full of light. He is a monster who hurt you. He was just as responsible for the creation of that child as you were. If he was so concerned about preventing a pregnancy, then he should have worn a condom. You were in heat. Your mind was not going to be able to focus on anything else.”

“Thank you.” She was crying in earnest, tasting the salt of her own tears on her lips. The gaping hole that had been tearing at her insides felt raw but in a way that was bittersweet. She buried her face into his chest, terrified if she lost that contact that she would break down completely. She never had the felt such validation; always having to hide behind a lie that she started herself.

“When we have children, they will be loved. I will never harm you in such a way. You could not turn in the next few days at the full moon because my seed took root and I would not harm you. I will worship the ground you walk on because you would be giving me a gift.” Caroline looked up at him, resting her head against the spot over his heart; hearing its thumping. The sound brought her comfort. “But if it means that much to you, I’ll walk away. We will go to New Orleans and you will never have to see him again.”

“You would do that? For me?” Klaus nodded. Caroline could see the immense effort it was taking not to demand a name from her and call for a Howling at the next full moon. He would wonder who it was for the rest of his life. He would wonder if the wolf would visit his pack when Liz came to see Caroline. He would wonder if he welcomed the man who raped his mate into his home. Caroline realized that she did not want to have that hanging over her head; for their lives to be tainted in such a way. She gave him a year of her life and that was enough. “If we do this. If I give you a name and we do this, will you stay with me? You won’t leave my side?”

“I will hold your hand the entire time and when we change, we will hunt him down together.” Caroline searched his eyes, looking for a sign of dishonesty. She found none. He meant each and every word. He would stand with her, even if she faced scorn at the hands of wolves who would argue for his side.

“His name is Damon Salvatore.”

                                                                *

“I heard you got hit by a car, Blondie.” Damon sneered at her. “Better look both ways next time.”

                                                                *

A Howling always took place during the full moon, bleeding into its apex. The woods held a haunting look to it. Torches had lined the pathway to a clearing and dozens of people lined the edges; watching the spectacle. The silence was deafening. Not a single person spoke. They simple looked on. Listening to their Alpha.

Damon was in the center of a large circle on his knees. His blue eyes boring a hole into Caroline, but she just glared back. Klaus’s hand was gripped in hers, providing her strength; allowing her to stand tall as she faced the one thing, the one person, she feared most. A Howling was terrifying and far worse than she expected but there was one thing it lacked.

Scorn.

Her mother and her Alpha stared down at Damon as though he was dirty and pathetic; tainted by the acts he committed. She detailed his crime for that pack and hearing their hiss of anger was enough for Caroline. Klaus gave her hand a tight squeeze and it allowed the tears to fall freely. For the first time, Caroline realized that she was not weak. She was not broken.

She was far stronger than she had ever given herself credit from.

Liz passed her judgement.

Guilty.

Caroline looked around and slowly each and every wolf lowered themselves to their knees. They all bowed to her justice. Elena’s knees hit the ground first, ready to condemn Damon to a Howling. Katherine linked arms with her sister while Elijah bowed next to his mate. Neighbors and childhood friends stood behind Caroline. Everyone except one.

“Stefan.” Liz replied in a low tone. “Do you want to speak on behalf of your brother? Why should he be spared?” Stefan looked at his brother in sadness, his fate tearing at him. Lexi reached up, yanking on her mate’s arm; hissing her displeasure in his ear. Slowly, Stefan sank down to his knees. “Very well. Klaus? Do you want to proceed? The moon is almost full.”

“No.” Klaus told Liz and Caroline whipped her head around. That was the deal the two alphas had made. They would share the responsibility of handing down Damon’s fate. Caroline looked at her mate in question. Klaus just brought her hand, that he never once let go of, to his lips and gave it a kiss. Caroline knew what he was offering; a chance at closure. “Go. Sweetheart. I’ll be right here. I promised you one last run. Okay?”

With a pounding heart, Caroline dropped Klaus’s hand and made her way over to Damon. He was still kneeling and this time it was Caroline who towered over him. He looked at her with those same eyes she had been terrified of for the past year. She sank down so she was at his eye level and never looked away from him. This time she had all the power. Wolves would howl at the moon, their teeth gleaming with his blood.

“Run.” Caroline whispered. “Run as fast as you can Damon because we will be following you. This is no pack of yours. You do not belong here but you will die here.”