Dark Moon | Klaus Mikaelson

Chapter 61

Esmeray was left dumbfounded.

Which was funny, because after all that she'd seen, nothing should really have had the power to surprise her anymore. And yet, the supernatural world always had something up its sleeve.

She and Hayley met at the cabin, and together, trekked deeper into the Bayou. Hayley was ahead, using her heightened wolf and vampire senses to sniff around for Jackson. After what felt like almost an hour of watching, they could see that a very old looking trailer was up ahead.

They began to walk toward it when Hayley suddenly stopped, whirled around, and caught two arrows before they could pierce her and Esmeray. The werewitch turned to see a distant figure wielding a bow from behind some trees.

"Is that your best shot?" taunted Hayley. "You're gonna have to do a lot better than that if you're gonna kill two hybrids."

When the man stepped out, Esmeray let out a gasp. Hayley looked extremely confused when Esmeray dropped down into a bow, her head facing the ground and palms against the Earth.

"You don't have to do that, Esmeray," the man told her, sheathing the sword he'd taken out to fight Hayley with. He didn't need it anymore.

She stood up just as quickly as she dropped down, staring at him in amazement. "How is this possible?" she asked. "How are you here?"

"I would ask you the same, but I've learned your story by now," he told her. He looked at something behind her, and the two hybrids saw Jackson approaching them.

"Hayley, Esme," he greeted, holding up his hand. "I see you've met my friend Ansel."

Ansel gestured to Hayley. "You know her?"

Jackson nodded. "Yeah, actually. I do. She was supposed to be my wife." He beckoned for them to follow him to the trailer. "Come, there's a place to sit over here."

"I have so many questions," Esmeray said, unable to tear her eyes away from Ansel. "How do you know about me? How are you back here? Have you seen—?"

"I haven't seen him yet," Ansel admitted. "Truth be told, I was hoping to see you first. You met me formally. He never did."

Jackson and Hayley looked almost worried and maybe a bit jealous, as if they were being excluded from an inside joke. "How do you know Ansel, Esme?" asked Jackson. "Were you the one who sent him to find me?"

"No," she admitted, raising an eyebrow at Ansel. He winced, and she realized that Jackson didn't know who he really was. "But— but why haven't you told him? If you knew him, you'd know that he knew me."

"Who is he, Esmeray?" Hayley asked impatiently, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Ansel looked at the girl beside him as if asking for her approval before saying, "I was friends with Esmeray's father. I'm from her time."

"Not just that," said Esmeray. "You were an Alpha."

"The Alpha of the North East Atlantic Pack," Ansel confirmed as he came to sit on a log. Jackson had pulled up three chairs around a fire pit for himself, Hayley, and Esmeray.

Hayley gasped. "Wait, but doesn't that mean—?"

Ansel nodded. "I'm Niklaus's biological father."

Jackson appeared to be almost embarrassed. "Ansel, this entire time..."

"I didn't know how you'd react," Ansel told him. "Knowing you're with the oldest living werewolf."

Esmeray would have liked to turn this entire meeting into a detailed interrogation of Ansel, but she knew that they'd come to find Jackson, so she faced him. "How have you been? I was worried you might be dead."