VENGEFUL QUEEN • N. MIKAELSON [3]

Chapter 23

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Morning after, Nik started doing his agenda for the day by visiting the Mikaelson Mansion. Inside, Rebekah had also already returned, and Elijah entered the living room in the middle of their argument.

“Elijah's home. There's only one dagger. Which one of us will you be punishing today?” Rebekah got straight into the business, facing his brother’s back.
 
Klaus tilted his head to the side. “I contemplated a game of eenie-meenie-miney-moe.” In a blur, he sped to his sister from behind and pointed his dagger at her head. “You betrayed me. You betrayed Lia. My own sister!”

“Niklaus, don't you dare!” Elijah warned.

At this, Nik pointed the dagger at Elijah instead. “Perhaps it should be you, brother! Stealing my child away with every fawning moment of tenderness you show to Hayley!”

“This has nothing to do with Hayley.” Elijah defended.

“It has everything to do with her! She's adored you since she arrived. And now my child, my blood, will grow up to call you father!” He shouted.

“Is that what it is?” Rebekah asked, bewildered. “You are once again worried that you will be left behind? Has history taught you nothing? We don't abandon you, Nik, you drive us away!”

“Is that so? What have I done lately, other than cooperate? I bow down to you, brother, to make up for daggering you. For the greater good of our plan to reclaim our home. Look the other way, sister, while you repeat the same cycle with Marcel. Falling again for a man you shouldn't be with, while he controls the empire that we built! That he took!” Nik poured out his frustration to his siblings.

“Now, I make no excuses for past sins. But in the one moment when you two could have chosen to stand by me-- to believe in me, to believe my intentions for my own child were pure-- you chose to stand against me, to side with my enemies. I wanted our home back. Now I have it. So, I'm going to live there. And the two of you... you can stay here together and rot.”

He angrily shoved the dagger into Elijah's hands as he left the house. Rebekah and Elijah both look guilty.

Once outside, Nik found Hayley sitting on the front steps and headed toward the car. “You're coming with me, little wolf.”

Hayley scoffed. “Why would I go anywhere with you?”

“Because, Hayley, that child you carry is the only thing on this earth that matters to me. Now you can fight me on this, but you will lose.” He opened the door to the passenger's side of the car and waited for her to get in. “As will anyone else who tries to stop you getting in this car.” Hayley sighed and reluctantly got into the car.