His Hope (Only His Series: Book 2) *OLD VERSION*

Chapter 24

Alex's P.O.V

I was hanging up some clothes for the Crescent werewolves to put on when they turn into human with the full moon. As I was about to leave, the golden-eyed wolf who has been protecting me appeared, it stared at me and I smiled at it.

"Hello again. I'm looking forward to meeting you soon. Sorry Hayley couldn't make it though." I said and looked up at the moon, before looking back down at the wolf with a smirk.

~

I had just walked back inside, where I was tidying up empty cups and beer cans in the living room. Rebekah was outside dancing with one of of them. A man with shaggy, curly brown hair came up behind me and joined me in the room.

"I seriously doubt you invited us here to wait on us." I turned around and smiled at him. He paused for a beat. "You're Alex, Hayley's friend. I'm Jackson. It's nice to see you again." He said and I turned to him completely.

"You're the wolf who's been watching me." I said and he walked up to me.

"I gotta keep my eye on you. Precious cargo and all." He said and gestured to my baby bump.

"Right. Gotta protect the miracle babies." Jackson laughed. "Sorry Hayley couldn't make it."

"It's ok, she had a good reason." He said and I nodded. "But you didn't have to do this."

"I've been searching for you guys for over a century. Why wouldn't I do this?" I asked him and he smiled at me.

"I like you." He said and leaned against the piano, then looked at me. "What would you like to know?"

"Do you know anything about my father?" I asked him.

"A little.." Jackson said and I looked at him happy.

"So, Hayley and I are related."

"Yes. Your dad had another girl, before you, and then she continued the blood line. You're Hayley's great, great, great aunt, Alex. And I'm not just protecting your baby, I'm protecting you as well." Jackson explained and I nodded. "Everybody has their part to play, and...we had our part, too." He explained.

"What part was that?" I asked him and he sighed.

"...I'm an Alpha and so are you." Jackson said and I stared at him in shock. Jackson was sitting at the piano in the living room, playing quietly, while I stood there next to him. "I know it's a lot to take in." He said.

"You think? I just wanted to meet my family. I never imagined I'd be my best friend aunt, find out a had a sister that I never met, and that I'm an alpha of a werewolf pack that I just met." I explained to him.

"I guess you don't know about any of this because there was never anyone around to teach you. The Crescents aren't just any pack of wolves. The bloodline goes back to the very beginning. My family and yours.. I guess that makes you and me royalty." Jackson said.

"This is a joke, right? I mean, if you're royalty, where's the throne? Also does this make me some kind of queen?"

"New Orleans used to be our town, and we lost it all because of some in-fighting. The vampires came after us, and if our families were united with each other, we could've taken them. But they always talk about how you were a vampire and how if you found us, you could save us. So, I guess you are a queen and a savior." He said answering all my questions.

"I'm sorry. This is ridiculous." I said him.

"Look, obviously things didn't work out the way anyone thought they would. Our pack made a huge misstep with the vampires when we refused to back down, and Marcel had us cursed by a witch. These people will follow you. You can help them - you and what you represent." He explained.

"And what is that exactly?" I asked him.

"A time when things were different. When our people fought back. And after everything you went through to find us... You are the one who's gonna break our curse." Jackson said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your witch friend. She told Eve she was coming here tonight to set us free." He said and now I was really confused.

"Wait, what witch friend?" I asked him. He seemed as confused as I was and I called Elijah.

"Alex." Elijah said over the phone.

"Elijah, something's going on with the witches." I told him.

"Listen to me. You and Hayley were right. Celeste is back. Niklaus, Rebekah - you're all in danger." Elijah said to me.

"What's going on?" Jackson asked and I was still on the phone with Elijah.

"It's a trap. I didn't make a deal with any witch." I told Jackson.

"What?" He asked me in shock.

"Alex, you have to find Rebekah. You stay with her until I get there." Elijah said and a fire started around the perimeter of the plantation house.

When Jackson and I go to rush out the door, we couldn't because a boundary spell has been set over the threshold. "Elijah, it's a spell. They're trapping us inside." I said to him. "We have to get out of here." I said to Jackson as I started to cough because of the smoke.

Jackson tried to break through the window with the piano stool, but it shattered upon impact, leaving the window intact. The flames continued to grow inside the house, torching the curtains and carpet. Jackson grabbed the tablecloth from an end table and poured the water from a vase of flowers onto it before handing it to me.

"Here. Breathe through this." Jackson said and I did as I was told, but I continued to cough harder and harder.

The fire continued growing in size, burning its way up the walls toward the ceiling. Suddenly, the window shattered. It's Elijah, who had thrown himself through the wall from the outside. He grabbed me and sped me outside to safety.

"Where's Rebekah?" Elijah asked and I shook my head.

"I don't know. She went off with one of them." I looked at him urgently. "Elijah, my friend is still in there." Elijah sighed and rushed back inside. Elijah came back outside with Jackson and deposited him next to me on the ground. I started to check him out.

"Are you ok? Are you hurt?" I asked Jackson and he looked at me, then shook his head.

"I'm ok, Alex." Jackson said and I hugged him close to me. He was still coughing a little and I looked up at Elijah, then smiled.

"Thank you." I said and Elijah nodded at me, before rushing off to find Rebekah.

~

Jackson and I were standing outside in front of the burning plantation house. Jackson sighed and pointed to the sky. "I have to go. The moon." Jackson said and I nodded.

"Listen, Jackson. I wanna thank you for protecting me. Not just tonight." I said and he smiled.

"I have been dreaming about this since I was a kid. I never thought it would go like this, though." He said and I laughed.

"Hey. I won't stop until we find a way to break this curse. I promise." I said to him. Jackson said nothing. He just gave me a long look before he left.