Dark Moon | Klaus Mikaelson

Chapter 63

As promised, she spent her morning writing spells.

She hadn't even paid attention to Finn and Kol when she went down for breakfast once she'd sent Damon everything she had to give. She finished her meal, kissed Klaus, and skipped off to the Bayou to check on Jackson, who was meeting with a very worried Aiden.

"The wolves are freaking out," Aiden told Jackson, Hayley, and Esmeray. "They know it had to be an insider who took down Finn last night, seeing as no one could have been anywhere near him."

"Did anyone suspect it was you?" asked Jackson.

Aiden shook 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," Hayley suggested. "The whole Pack, tonight. If they're so scared, now's the perfect time to convince them they need to ditch Esther."

Aiden held up his hand to show off his moonlight ring. "She gave them these."

"She put them on a leash," Esmeray noted. "She turned them into slaves."

"No!" said Aiden incredulously. "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—"

Jackson got up in Aiden's face. "Set the damn meeting," he said gruffly.

Aiden looked down before stepping aside. Jackson moved toward the docks, and Hayley followed, but Esmeray lingered behind. "I know they make you powerful," she said quietly. "I can make those same rings for all of you if we get more black kyanite. The difference is that I'm not going to use that as leverage. I'm not going to say that you all owe me for it. Esther is using you. I want to help fix things, but we can't do that if everyone is misinterpreting Hayley and I's intentions to help the Pack. Have them come to the meeting to discuss their concerns in a group setting."

Aiden sighed. "Look, Esmeray, I respect you. I do. You're rational and you don't answer to anyone, so you're fair about things. You've been really nice to me even though I'm sure you've heard by now that I'm dating Josh—"

"Why wouldn't I be nice to you?" asked Esmeray curiously. "I'm pan, Aiden. Just because I'm dating Klaus doesn't mean I'm not going to be accepting anymore. Love who you want to love, and don't let anyone give you shit for that."

"The point," he said, "is that you've made me feel good about being a wolf. I just need you to know that I honor what you've done before I say... that I don't think this is going to work."

"I get that you're concerned," said Esmeray, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Please, let us address those concerns at the meeting so that we can all work through it together. Maybe they won't want the rings if they come from me. But I at least want them to see that rings from me will mean no forced servitude. I want them to hear me say that."

Aiden nodded, and walked away. Esmeray turned back to see Jackson had gone in another direction, deeper into the Bayou, while Hayley remained on the docks, flipping through a familiar leather-bound journal belonging to Jackson.

"Esme," said Hayley, speeding over to her and holding the journal open to a particular page near the center. "This is what you told me about, isn't it?"

Esmeray could see that Jackson had taken notes, clearly from when he and Ansel were getting to know each other. At the top of the page, 'UNIFICATION RITUAL' was written, and underneath, bullet points about how it worked. "Yes," she said, reading over it. "He wasn't kidding when he said Ansel used more detail than I did. I knew most of this, but not that specific. I attended the ceremonies, and knew most of how it was done, but since the Poldarks never did it, I didn't know about this thing he mentions... the trials."