This chapter is dedicated to those few people reading this story rn. I see you. Every chapter I see you. Love y'all. Seriously, you guys are legends nobody reads my shit istg.

The man that I saw in front of me took a step back before whispering just loud enough that I could hear him, "This is bad. This is really bad."

"Are you kidding me? Little sister is Stefan Salvatore really your mate? Out of every single man in this world?" Nik looked distraught, like something had just unknowingly backfired on him and created such a terrible outcome that it had truly baffled him.

I frowned at my elder brother. "Do you really think that I would joke about something as important as my soulmate, Niklaus Mikaelson?" Nik gave a wounded whimper and shook his head, bending down and nuzzling into my neck as an apology. I let out a hiss and moved his head away from me, still a tad bit upset with his accusation. "No, I'm still upset with you, Niklaus." He knew I had been waiting for 1000 years to find my mate. He knew just how important this man was to me.

"Uh - Well I don't exactly know what to say," my mate, Stefan Salvatore, says, his words stuttering slightly. It was cute.

"Well, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Astrid Mikaelson, the youngest Mikaelson daughter. I am also known as the Original Heretic Vampire," I stuck out my hand and took my cue. His hands were rough and huge compared to mine, almost twice in size. I blushed as our hands met for the first time, a spark running through my veins.

"Stefan Salvatore," He says. I beamed. It was stupid, I was much stronger than this man. I should be more dominant, but I just wanted him to accept me. Most men don't appreciate a woman who takes charge. Hopefully things have changed while I was out. I don't want to scare my mate away.

My brother looked like he was going to scream. "Striddy, you need not act like a fair maiden. We all know you're a freak in more ways than one."

I blushed a bright red and hit Nik on the chest. "Stop embarrassing me in front of my mate, Nik!"

"Leave our poor sister alone. Hopefully you won't end up like all of my former lovers, Stefan. I would tell you to talk to them, but talking to a grave seems counterproductive," Rebekah smirked at Stefan and zoomed her way out of the room, leaving Stefan, Nik, and I alone.

"I'm going to need to be updated on what exactly mates are. I've only heard of them as legends, more fictional than factual," Stefan informs us of his ignorance. I nearly cried out. How do these supernatural creatures not know about their other halves, their true mates. Soulmates should be universal!

"A mate is your soulmate, your other half. All supernatural creatures have them. Witches, Vampires, and Werewolves. Sometimes a mate can be of a different species, but that is very rare. The second that a vampire completes the transition, a witch taps into their power, and a werewolf kills its first victim, they are able to recognize their soulmate. Humans technically have them, but they are never able to know. If a supernatural entity is mated to a human the mate bond will be blocked and the supernatural creature will not be able to know until the human becomes supernatural. The only supernatural creatures that do not have mates are dopplegangers. They are unable to have a mate. It's honestly sad. It's a mercy at this point to just kill them," I explained. Stefan's face paled and Nik started to let out booming laughter. "What is so funny about this, Niklaus?!"

"Oh, this is pure comedy, sister. I'll let dear Stefan explain away this one, love, I have a necklace to find," Nik pats Stefan on the back and starts laughing once more as he walks out the door.

"Look, Astrid, I know this is going to sound really bad and I get that you may not want to be with me at all after you hear me say this: I technically have a girlfriend who is a Petrova doppelganger who lives where you and your family used to live," Stefan looked like he was ready for me to leave the room and just reject the bond altogether.

"Stefan-" I tried to speak but he caught me off.

"No, I get it, Astrid, the Mikaelsons hate the doppelgangers and you hate me for being with one of them." I sighed. He looked so upset, so broken as he assumed so much about my family. I could see that he truly believed that I wouldn't want to be with him, my soulmate, just because he had been with another woman before.

"Stefan, what I was going to say is that it's okay. I don't care that you've been with one of them. Hell, I wouldn't care if you had been with five of them. It would be a shitty thing to judge you based on your past. Mikaelsons are known for their pasts, their deep and dark pasts filled with blood and ruin. We break everything that we touch. I should be the one that warns you. You may not see it right now, but in my eyes you are perfect. I don't care what people say about you or your past. I'm just glad that after a millennia I found you. Just having the chance to meet my mate is enough for me," I say honestly.

"Well, I've been with two. They both wanted me and wanted my brother. Elena denies it, but she wants Damon as well," He admits.

"They always try to get in between brothers. If they can't decide, why not have both? It's in their nature. The first doppleganger I met, Tatia, as kind as she seemed, got between Elijah and Klaus. The second did the same to them. Katerina Petrova was my friend, mind you, but I will never forgive her for what she did to them. They have never been the same," I scolded myself on the inside. He may be your mate, but spilling your past will do nothing but drive him away! He won't want a girl with as broken of a past as you!

"The first one was Katherine. You know her as Katerina Petrova, but I knew her as Katherine Pierce. She was with both my brother and I at the same time. I thought that it would be different with Elena. I thought she just wanted me. She said she wasn't Katherine but now that I look back at it she always gave Damon the same look she gave me."

It was sad for me to hear about how two women he fell in love with also fell in love with his brother behind his back. Open communication is important in every relationship. If she wanted both of them she should have brought it up. Not everyone would have been okay with that but being honest about what you want is better than lying and practically cheating on your partner because you secretly want something.

"They do that. I don't know her personally, but she sounds like a selfish person. Would you have been open with her being with both you and your brother?" I wasn't trying to insinuate that I would want to be with two people at the same time. Stefan is my mate and unless I have a second mate I would never want to be with anyone but him.

"No, she never asked anything like that, but if she had been more open I would have considered it. That would have made her so much different than Katherine. She . . . she never really cared about what either of us wanted anyways. Damon is too in love with her to see how much she hurt me. I just want my brother," Stefan's voice cracked as he talked about his brother and his technically-girlfriend. The status seems complicated.

"Just know, I would never play you. I won't string you along. If I do end up having another mate you'll be the first person to know. If that does happen I won't just dump you or lie to you about things. There's a reason why I'm the only person that Nik can trust at this point. I don't betray, I listen." Stefan nodded and brought me into a tight embrace.

"Do you promise?" He whispers.

"Of course I promise. You're my mate. You're now a Mikaelson. Always and Forever."