A boat lay in the river, a body wrapped in white placed in the center. Jackson stood stoically in the front, a bottle in his hands.

I leaned against a tree toward the back. Oliver was my friend. Or at least, he had been.

He was dead.

"He sided with witches, did he not?" Ansel.

"Jesus." I stepped away. "Can you not be creepy for two seconds?"

"Did he?"

"He made some bad decisions alright, he still gets a proper funeral."

Ansel hummed in disapproval. "Betraying his pack earns him an unmarked grave. It is the way it has been for centuries."

"Are you a vampire or something?"

He still stood too close for my liking. "Do not dishonor me."

Right. Wolves and vampires are mortal enemies. "Sorry."

"I used to be an alpha like Jackson. I protected my pack, but they were lost to me. One man's rage slaughtered many. He came in the night with his friends and tore lives from bodies in their beds."

Oh my god.

"You'd do well to be grateful you were not born in that time. Lest his cruelty be turned on you." What the hell kind of sentiment was that? "Tell me, sweet Ezra, could you ever love a monster?"

"I don't- how am I supposed to answer that?"

"Honestly."

What the fuck? "Depends on the monster I suppose." Maybe if I answered him, he'd leave me alone. "Why?"

Ansel shrugged. "It's just a question."

"You're worse than Esther." I crossed my arms and tried to inch further away. "Also this is a funeral, have some respect."

Jackson let loose a flaming arrow, it landed in the boat.

More often than not, wolves were so simple. They wanted their pack, their family, and their home. Wolves did things that benefited all three. Power wasn't something to be sought, unless one wanted to challenge the alpha, which did not happen a lot.

Or at least, in my experience.

I was surprised when wolves sided with the Guerreras.

Then again with the witch.

It'd taken a large portion of our pack, but we recovered nonetheless. Jackson was the alpha and those that still respected him stayed.

"Esther gave me two missions." Ansel didn't let me get far, matching each of my steps with one of his own. "In exchange, I am able to walk among the living as one of you."

"Sounds like you made a deal with the devil."

He hummed. "When you met Elijah, did you notice his eyes?"

Ansel said the most random things. "Not really." I only saw him when I dreamed, which sounded cheesy and stupid, but it was true.

The way my skin tingled, I couldn't get it out of my head.

"So you did not see how his left is similar to yours? How perfectly matched the brown and green are."

"Plenty of coincidences in the world, Ansel." What did my eye have to do with anything?

Murmur rose within the crowd as it began to disperse.

Hayley was here.

For some reason.

"Ah, but to have the same color combination?"

"My right eye is green and blue, his was not. There's a hole in your theory." Jackson caught sight of our conversation, and stalked toward us.

"I thought I made myself clear." He pulled me behind him. "You won't make members of my pack uncomfortable."

"She's not a wolf." Ansel crossed his arms. "She belongs with more of her own kind."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please. You're kissing a witch's ass. I don't think you have much room to judge."

Jackson let out a long, heavy sigh. "Can we not piss off the ancient werewolf."

"He started it! He and Esther know something about me and neither will fess up! It's pissing me off."

"Esther?" Hayley moved toward us in interest. "It's not often I hear Esther and witch in the same conversation, and when I do it always has to do with the Mikaelsons. Spill."

I shifted. "I don't know if I'm more freaked out by the kidnapping or Ansel being creepy."

"Wait. You were kidnapped?!"

"It's not that big of a deal. Esther just kept me for like a week."

"What did she say?!" Hayley urged.

Jackson and I exchanged a look. "A whole lot of nothing. Elijah said it was a crime of opportunity, she needed a human and I was there."

Her eyes widened. "You were trapped with Elijah?! You're the woman?!"

"I'm not understanding why you care so much."

Hayley glanced around as if someone was out to get her. She immediately pushed me further from the group, far enough that other wolves couldn't hear. Jackson took it as an opportunity to speak to Ansel. "Ezra, you need to listen to me. Do not spread that. If Klaus finds out, he's going to drag you into the compound. He's hellbent on waking Elijah. Shut up about Esther and Elijah. Anything Mikaelson related."

"It can't be that bad-"

"The second he knows Esther sought you out, he'll want answers you don't have. I'm saying this as someone who didn't, if you get caught up in their world, you won't survive."

Hayley was scared. Beyond just persistence, there was fear.

"Okay."

She let out a breath. "I'll do what I can on my end, but Elijah's been mumbling something about a woman, and I hope to god it isn't you."