Chains rattled, and there was the distinct sound of people speaking. I couldn't make out what it was they were saying. It was all very muffled.

Why was I here?

Last thing I remembered... Jackson had been over for a supply run... we'd talked about the pack. About a very pregnant Pamela and her overly worried wife.

Then... nothing. It was blank.

I was vaguely aware that something firm was wrapped around my wrists and that I was lying on a dirt floor. Had I been kidnapped?

My skin was crawling, like I had a thousand ants nestling beneath it.

A man's voice came through the fog with such sharpness, I flinched. "What have you done to me?"

"I knew you would be resistant to my offer." A woman, must have been the other person, soothed. "I'm going to give you what you've always needed. Her."

"She means nothing to me."

"Perhaps not yet, but she will."

What the hell?!

"You could have what you've always wanted. A family of your own. A home. I saw the way you looked at Niklaus' child. The longing glances at her mother. If you agree, you can have this woman. You can have everything."

A beat.

Why was he hesitating?!

"No." Something in my chest loosened at that. The chains rattled again as if he were fighting them.

"Fine. There's still time. Your siblings are unaware of your disappearance as of yet. I think it'll be easier with Rebekah."

Rebekah?

Niklaus... Rebekah. As in the Mikaelsons?!

Fuck.

A set of footsteps left, a door slamming shut.

Had they gone?

"I know you're awake."

My stomach twisted, but I did open my eyes, and wasn't it a sight to behold. Good lord. He was fucking gorgeous.

Covered in sweat from the humid air.

His arms were strung out on either side of him, bound in chains bolted to the stone walls. Mine weren't much better off. At least mine was made of duct tape.

I sat up.

"Why are we-" Fuck. My voice trembled. "Why are we here?"

"My mother is attempting to redeem herself by returning her children to their natural state." He seemed so unbothered. "To fix her mistake."

"And what do I have to do with it?" Beyond being an apparent gift wrapped bride, which made my stomach churn.

His eyes were kind. "I imagine she picked you off the street. A kidnapping of convenience."

But that was impossible. I didn't make a habit of venturing into the city very often.

Damn it. How did I end up in these situations?!

God. I needed to calm down. Remember what Bill taught you. In all those grueling survival lessons, what had he said about duct tape? I swallowed, eyeing the floor beneath my feet.

This was going to be shit.

I maneuvered myself until my wrists were parallel to the ground and began methodically dragging them back and forth across it, biting my tongue to stop the whimper. The meat of my hands stung, and I really did try and focus the friction on the tape... but there was only so much that could be done, and soon I tasted iron in my mouth.

"Stop." It was a weak command, like he knew I wouldn't listen.

I couldn't.

Not when every survival instinct I had ingrained in me was screaming.

Fuck that hurt.

Come on. Come on.

The tape finally gave way, and I tore my wrists from it.

So it really did work.

I quickly unwrapped my feet and made toward the exit, hesitating when I caught sight of the now nearly unconscious man.

My apparent husband to be.

Do I leave him?

If Rebekah is his sister... that is not a fight nor a world I want to be in. Still, I couldn't leave him there.

Groaning, I gave one last glance to the door and moved toward him. The cuff held firm when I tried to open it, unsurprisingly, the blood on both my fingers and his wrists made the metal slippery.

A large stone sat not far from him.

Vampires could heal, right?

I felt sick thinking about it. With shaking hands, I grasped it, raising the rock above my head. Do it. Don't be a coward.

"What are you doing?" The woman was back and the stone slipped from my hold, falling to the ground with a thunk.

I ducked under the Original's arm. As if he could protect either of us. "What do you want from me?!"

She was a dark skinned woman who held her hands out in front of her. "You are meant for more than the wolves you hide behind."

"Is that why you chose me?"

She offered a small smile. "I would never claim such a right. Your life was set in stone the moment you were born."

What the fuck? "Whatever this is, I want no part in it."

"One cannot escape their destiny." Her tone grew firm. Like a mother admonishing her child.

"Who are you?"

"Esther."