CHAPTER SIX

Running through the woods was one of the only times I felt truly safe. In my human form, I was nearly as weak as most humans, but in my animal form, I was powerful. When I was a wolf, I had the ability to fight back.

I jumped over a fallen tree as I ran. My paws were silent as they continuously hit the ground, a skill my father had taught me. Despite my clumsiness as a human, I was incredibly stealthy as a wolf. I had been running through the woods for nearly two hours, time slipping away from me. It was so peaceful, letting my instincts take over. When I was a wolf, my thoughts and worries slipped to the back of my mind, unimportant.

Sometimes, when experiencing a traumatic event, werewolves retreated to their wolf form, refusing to become human again. They would simply shift into a wolf one day and never turn back, choosing to let the human part of their identity fall away until the wolf was all that was left. If it wasn't for my father, I knew that I probably would have done that.

My attention was briefly caught by the squawk of a crow and I looked up to see one fly overhead. I instantly noticed the position of the sun in the sky, indicating that I had been running for a very long time. I would have to head back home shortly to avoid being out when it was dark.

It was a rare blessing, being able to change at will, as was my ability to read minds. I was definitely an anomaly when it came to werewolves. My whole family had been slaves to the moon, forced to turn every month. I, on the other hand, never suffered from that lack of control. It had been a complete mystery my whole life and I now knew that the reasons behind it probably had something to do with my mates.

I was so lost in the thoughts that I barely noticed when my legs slowed and I eventually stopped. I realised that I was now standing on the outskirts of the forest and I cursed myself for being so foolish. If a human saw me, I could end up all over the news and there would likely be a hunt for my head.

I forced my feet back into the forest, where I hid behind a tree before turning back into my human form. My chest rose and fell as I panted from exertion. My eyes warily scanned my surroundings and I froze upon seeing a familiar building in the distance. My heart began to pound as panic flooded my body.

"You stupid bitch!" I cursed my wolf as I looked at the building in horror, "I can't believe you brought me here!"

Unlike me, my wolf was not opposed to the idea of my mates. Unfortunately, that meant that she had brought me to them.

I pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance. I just wanted to move on with my life, which would be completely impossible if I kept being put into uncomfortable situations. I lent against the tree and let out a long sigh as I attempted to purge to panic from my body. I had just managed to settle my erratic heartbeat when a foreign thought settled into my mind.

She looks half feral... This will certainly be fun...

I looked around for the owner of the thought but the surrounding trees were empty. I held my breath as I balled my hand into a fist and continued to look around. I allowed my gift to reach further, allowing me to hear more of the mystery person's thoughts.

She has great tits, it's a shame she belongs to them...

The sound of a twig snapping behind me triggered my werewolf form to take over, transforming me in an instant. I had been unable to locate the threat as a human, but as a wolf, I immediately detected them.

I pounced.

So many things happened in the next few seconds. There was a startled grunt as I knocked my would-be attacker to the ground. This was followed by a cry of pain and clawing hands as I tore out his throat. I found the action disgusting but it was definitely effective. I then panted as I stood over the dead body of a vampire. A feeling of pride overwhelmed me that I had managed to bring down a vampire so swiftly.

I tensed once more at the sound of clapping.

"It seems you did not need my help after all." Klaus Mikaelson looked down at me with a soft smile. I wanted to narrow my eyes at him but in this form, the mate bond was stronger, almost irresistible. Without permission, my wolf sauntered over to him and began to rub around his legs like an oversized cat. Klaus let out a small chuckle, knelt down to my level and ran a hand through my fur, making my wolf practically preen at his attention. "You are absolutely beautiful, little wolf." he murmured into my ear.

The anxiety and panic I felt the last two times I had seen him ceased to exist. In my wolf form, my trauma failed to affect me. Being so unaffected by his presence made guilt well up inside of me. My wolf clearly already loved him but being with him was not something I could ever allow to happen.

I forced myself back into my human form before I could do something stupid like pounce on him as lick his face. When I changed back, I became acutely aware of the metallic taste in my mouth, causing bile to come to the surface. Bending over, I spat the residue blood onto the ground and rubbed at my jaw in a futile attempt to get rid of the blood.

"Absolutely vile." I whispered, grimacing as the dead vampire, who lay on the forest floor.

"I must say, I am rather pleased that Damon Salvatore will no longer be an issue." Klaus mused, walking forward with an amused smirk and kicking the body. “I was prepared to kill him myself but you have graciously already taken care of it.”

"You're welcome." I huffed and Klaus looked over at me with a curious eyebrow. Despite everything, I did not feel uncomfortable beneath his gaze, even when it traveled downwards for a split second. He looked back up at me with a guilty expression and from that point forward, he kept his eyes firmly above my shoulders.

"What are you doing here, Bree?" Klaus asked after a moment, his voice delicate.

"I was running," I answered lamely, crossing my arms over my chest, "I didn't realise where I was."

“Your wolf is absolutely stunning.” he said and then his eyes widened, as if he hadn't meant to voice that thought aloud. I was grateful that he had since I was unable to read the minds of my mates.

“She is also very vain, so be wary of that when you compliment her.” I replied with a small smile.

"Can I get you anything? Some clothes maybe, or perhaps you would like a shower to wash away the blood?" he offered and I noticed a flicker of hope in his eyes.

"No, thank you, I should probably be going." I said awkwardly, turning to leave.

"Bree!" Klaus called after me and I looked over my shoulder and raised an eyebrow in question. "Please be careful. Esther told my enemies about your existence. Damon Salvatore will not be the last one to attempt to hurt you to get to me. No doubt word has already spread about who you are to myself and my siblings."

I sucked a breath, "Are you saying that all of your enemies are now mine by association?"

"Yes." Klaus told me, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Fucking fantastic." I muttered before turning one more and beginning my run home.

A/N: *shrugs* I'm the kind of author who likes to shatter Damon's plot armour.