The Unexpected Mikaelson

23: Soulmate

"Isn't it lovely, all alone? Heart made of glass, my mind of stone. Tear me to pieces, skin and bone. Hello, welcome home" -Billie Eilish

"Hello Sourwolf." Malik greeted, smirking roughly. His appearance was tired and ragged, as if he had not slept in days. Dark circles danced around his eyes as they held a deepness that they hadn't before. His hair was longer and curled around his ears, paired with the scruff of a beard he looked lost, and for the first time since his secret was revealed, he looked his age.

Derek shook himself out of his state of shock. His first reaction was instant as the wolf inside him took over. His eyes glowed their bright blue, his claws extended as he growled threateningly at the man before him, the monster before him. Malik didn't look surprised, he merely raised an eyebrow at the Hale's actions as he slowly stepped down the stairs and into the loft itself.

"I'm guessing you heard then?" The hybrid asked, holding his hands up in surrender. Derek didn't back down.

"I heard about what happened in Greendale." The wolf growled, his blue eyes piercing Malik's soul. "I saw it on the news. How you slaughtered a thousand men and woman in one night. The reporters didn't know it was you. It was just some 'animal attack'," he mocked coldly. The rain patterned lightly outside as the grey clouds covered the loft in darkness. "You would've thought that might be getting old by now." Derek's eyes flickered back to green.

"You would've thought." Malik murmured, looking into the werewolf curiously. "Why haven't you attacked me if you know what I did?" He questioned as Derek retracted his claws, his threatening stance falling back into neutral.

"Because I'm not stupid." The Hale smirked. "I know you could kill me without another thought, I wouldn't stand a chance." Malik tried to read the wolf's eyes, but failed. After many years of hiding your true self from others you become a master illusionist.

Derek's expression dimmed as his eyes met the hybrids in sadness. "I heard about Lydia." He sighed. Knowing the consequences of what he was saying. "I understand." Malik's eyes widened as his heart stopped. Whatever he was expecting it wasn't this. Derek Hale understood why he did it. He understood the pain of losing the person you love. They hybrid stood for a moment in shock and awe before remembered.

"Paige." Malik whispered in realisation. As his eyes filled with tears, at finally being with someone who understood his pain, his suffering. The hybrid gulped as his whisky eyes took in the man in front of him for the first time. Seeing the green eyed wolf in a different light.

"What happened?" Derek asked, crossing his arms over his chest. His face conveyed sympathy in the small frown in the corner of his mouth as his eyebrows creased in concern and the sparkles in his bright green eyes dimmed as he understood with the heaviness of his question. "Tell me what happened to her."

Malik sighed running a hand down his face. He had to tell someone, it was killing him inside, keeping all these emotions bottled up. With one final look at the Hale he gave in, he couldn't resist those eyes.

"We were in Greendale." He started, his voice deepening as he recounted his story. "Lydia had just given birth, I was going to get some coffee and then I heard it. I heard her scream." Malik looked back at the Hale with vulnerable eyes as his barrier finally broke, tears streamed down his face as he poured his heart out to the wolf. "It was Elena Gilbert and the Mystic Falls gang. They had found some book on Kitsunes, thinking that if they killed Lydia it would kill me as I was her soulmate." He shook his head bitterly in recollection as the wind picked up outside, howling loudly against the old glass windows.

"I told them the reason it didn't work was because I was part vampire but that was a lie. It should have worked either way." Malik looked to the floor in shame. A loud crack of lightning  was heard outside as the thunder boomed. "It didn't work because we weren't soulmates." Malik rubbed the back of his hand against his mouth as his voice cracked as he tried to contain his tears. "I loved her with every inch of my being but it wasn't meant to be." The hybrid looked to Derek in hopelessness. The storm was raging now, the thunder roared as the wind thrashed violently at the panels outside. "What does that say about me, that even if I loved someone that much, and they weren't my soulmate. Do I not deserve love? Do I not deserve to spend the rest of my life with someone who held my heart, my soul?" He scoffed shaking his head as he chuckled coldly. "Who would love a monster anyway?"

Derek looked at the broken man in front of him in shock and pity. Malik had been through too much. A thousand years on this Earth, he had experienced too much loss for a person to bear. His mind searched desperately for something to say, words of comfort or understanding to help ease his pain. The wolf came up empty handed, looking to the original solemnly.

"I'm sorry." Derek whispered, his eyes pooling with emotion. He couldn't take it anymore, watching the man in front of him and not being able to help, he needed to something, anything.

So the wolf ran up to the hybrid, wrapping his arms around him in a heartfelt embrace. Trying to convey his sorrows through one simple gesture, as words were not enough. Words were never enough.

Malik pulled away first, the warmth he felt leaving him as he stood in the cold loft. His gaze on the floor until he raised his eyes. Shocked to find that Derek's had gone his bright blue, a quick glance to the reflection in the window showed him that his had gone silver as well.

Derek looked to the window with furrowed brows as the storm raged wildly outside. The two sets of glowing eyes slowly dimmed to their normal colour and the wolf turned to the hybrid in confusion.

"What just happened?"

"I don't know."

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Hey guys! So early update as exams start next week so I'm afraid I'm taking a short break to focus on them, sorry. Any recommendations for the rest of the book/endings etc just PM me and I'll see what I can include, have a good week! Xx