Dark Moon | Klaus Mikaelson

Chapter 21

Klaus was being unnaturally nice.

Esmeray wondered how much her words had really sunk into him, because the next few days made her feel like she was getting to know a whole new person.

She had brought Rebekah to him the following morning after convincing Damon that it would help him ease up while she located Stefan. Damon hadn't told her that he already knew where Stefan and the coffins were, because he knew Klaus would kill her if she kept it a secret from him.

The house looked a lot better this time, and Esmeray had been given a tour by Paige, who had apologized profusely after what'd happened with Mikael. Klaus had remained out of her way until it was afternoon. He'd not-so-subtly shown her to a particularly nice room that had a door leading to the backyard, telling her it would be 'a fantastic room for a witch.' Obviously, she knew he was trying to get her to stay there.

"What a coincidence," she said, examining the bedsheets. "Teal. My—"

"—favorite color," he finished awkwardly. He tucked his hands behind his back. "Well, then, I ought to get going."

"Where?" she asked, taking a seat on the bed. It was comfortable.

"Just... out," he muttered, thinking she didn't want to speak with him anymore. He dashed away before she had the idea to ask him if he could stay.

Before the sun could set, had returned to the Salvatore Boarding House to gather her clothes. No one was there, and she gave a soft sigh before heading out to quarry, taking the long route just to mentally prepare herself. She tried to think, Just a few more months of this. Once we figure out the ritual, I'll never have to do this again.

She wondered why she hadn't pushed to make the ritual happen sooner. She supposed that having to turn humbled her. It would take hard work and strength to reach her full potential, and if she had to suffer a bit before that, she'd understand, even when she no longer lost control of her powers, what it felt like to be hurt. It would keep her from unnecessarily hurting anyone, and though it pained her, she appreciated it. She knew that if her parents were here, they would have thought this to be brave.

"Hey," came a text from Anya as she set her things down on the usual log by the clearing. "Good luck tonight. I know you have it rough. You can do this!"

Esmeray was grateful to have Anya in her life. A light blush dusted her face as she messaged back, "Good luck to you, too," before she shut off her phone and sat on the ground.

The hours of pain were hard to get used to, but somehow, she managed to get through it, time and time again. The process could never be painless unless she performed her ritual, and yet, it gave her a lot think about in the time when she was waiting to turn back into a human again. She respected werewolves, and all her ancestors who had gone through the process before, as long as werewolves had existed. There was a beauty in being able to become a wolf, though she hadn't experienced it herself. Many thought of wolves to be nothing but beasts who were pitiful servants to the moon.

But Esmeray remembered how her father told her of the freedom that came with being a wolf. How empowering it could be when someone gained control of their wolf form and could see the world through the eyes of a creature who was loyal and powerful. Her inner wolf was hard to tap into, but she was there, and Esmeray knew that the day she connected with her, her power would nearly be limitless, because every last fiber in her body would be energized, and one day, she could run and think of the success that she'd long awaited, even if her parents weren't around to see it.

When she woke up, she expected to find herself still out in the forest. Instead, she was in the teal room from before, wrapped in Klaus's jacket once again, a tray of hotcakes, sausage, hash browns, oatmeal, and waffles waiting warm and ready on her nightstand.