The Court of the Alpha King

TVD; Klaroline; AU; werewolves

Chapter four

'I trust you found your new accommodations to your liking?' the Alpha King said. I paused, glass of wine mid-way to my lips. I had wondered how small talk between the blood-niece of a traitor Alpha and the King who had slaughtered that girl's rebellious family would begin. I guessed this was it.

'Oh, yes,' I said. 'My rooms are beautiful. I mean, the house, the whole complex is, uh, really something.'

'It is,' Niklaus said. 'We are very fortunate. My sister Rebekah has a lot to do with some of the more modern aspects of the interior.' He smiled. 'She has a flair for design and a love for the history of our pack's ancestral home, so her renovations only ever seem to enhance the charm that is already evident.' I studied his face as he spoke. Niklaus obviously loved the estate he had grown up on. I could certainly relate to that. Despite the atrocities I had survived in Mystic Falls, the Lockwood manor would always hold a piece of my heart. My mother was born and died there. It was my first and only home.

'I am sure you'll grow to enjoy it here too,' Niklaus continued. 'New Orleans is a vibrant, exciting city and the bayou has its own kind of unconquerable beauty.'

'I'm looking forward to getting to see it all,' I said, and it was the truth. Despite my many misgivings about the way in which I had landed here, I had always longed to see much more of life than Mystic Falls, Virginia. Werewolves tended to be homebodies by nature: it was the territorial instinct in each of us. Still, my pack after the massacre had been, of necessity, particularly reluctant to stray far from home. Branded as traitors and lacking the safety of numbers, it had been prudent to stick together and keep a low profile. 'I haven't been able to travel, really,' I said before I'd thought better of it. I covered my embarrassment by gulping down the remainder of my wine. The Alpha King, however, was the picture of courtesy as he reached to personally refill my glass from the decanter in front of him and kindly ignored my flaming cheeks.

'You're young,' he said, the dimple in his left cheek showing as his lips upturned. 'There's a whole world for you to explore, sweetheart. Great cities, and art, and music. New Orleans is a fantastic place to start, if I do say so myself.' Despite myself, he made me smile.

'Thank you, Niklaus,' I said, gesturing to my refilled wine, but meaning more than that.

'Please, Caroline, call me Klaus,' he says.

I nodded my agreement and, for a moment, our eyes met. I was suddenly aware that, beneath the veneer of pleasantries, the Alpha before me was very seriously trying to get my measure. He seemed to look behind my eyes, as if the secrets of my soul were imprinted there for him to read. Then he blinked and the impression vanished, leaving only the powerful but amiable host in place.

'Nobody calls me Niklaus, except Elijah, that is. Every time he walks into a room speaking my full name it makes me feel like I'm six years old again and my father is about to tell me off for misbehaving.'

'In fairness, brother dearest,' Elijah said, hearing his name and leaning across from the other side of Tyler to join the conversation, 'there's usually a reason for that. You're not known for keeping out of trouble.'

Klaus chuckled; a throaty sound. I was mesmerised by his blonde facial scruff and the way the muscles in his jaw moved.

'Elijah has a point,' he said to me, 'but there's no point being King if you can't enjoy it once in a while.'

I murmured my agreement, aiming for politeness, unwilling to give anything away. I didn't trust my place here enough to speak my mind yet, but that didn't stop a hundred thoughts swirling around my mind. I remembered what my aunt Carol-Anne was like as an Alpha; so strong in her convictions, so secure in her leadership. It was been different for Tyler, of course. He'd inherited his mother's role much too young and in terrible circumstances. He was never meant to be Alpha—that should have been his older brother Mason. I wondered what Tyler might have been like if he had become Alpha otherwise than standing in a pool of our pack's blood. Would he have been more like Klaus—taken joy in his rank, felt the thrill of power rather than only a terrible weight?

I caught Tyler's eye from down the table and he raised his eyebrows at me, a wordless check on how I was coping. I reassured him, just as silently. He was in conversation with Elijah, but I knew he would never stop watching over me, never stop worrying. In a way, I was glad he, Vicki and Alaric would be leaving so soon. Tyler's over-protectiveness only made me more nervous. I needed to learn how to thrive here by myself. I didn't want worrying about me to be another burden to my Alpha, or my pack.

Gathering my inner strength, I flicked a wayward curl of hair over my shoulder and turned my sunniest smile on Klaus. I knew that as long as he accepted me, life with this pack would be a whole lot easier and, right now, the one thing I could do was try to make a good impression.

'So how do you enjoy yourself then, Klaus?' It was a bit more flirtatious than I'd intended, but the handsome Alpha-King didn't seem to mind, if the dark flash of his eyes was anything to go by.

'With all manner of pursuits. For one thing, I am a lover of the arts. I've been known to dabble in sculpting, but more often I paint.'

'Really? What do you paint?' I said. I wouldn't have guessed that Klaus was a creative soul, but now he'd said it I could kind of picture him as the brooding artist type.

Klaus smiled.

'Portraits, mostly, after a fashion. Maybe I'll show you sometime.' He leaned in, so close I could feel warm air on my neck. 'Maybe I'll paint you, Caroline.' My breath hitched at the implied seduction in his comment, but he was already sitting back, flashing a benign grin and making me wonder if I had misunderstood what I knew I'd heard. 'Aside from that, well, there's plenty to do to entertain yourself around these parts, sweetheart. Music, dancing, great food, parties that go on until dawn.' He caught my gaze again. 'What kind of things did you like to do in Mystic Falls?'

'Oh, nothing that interesting.' I tried to wave him off the topic. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about the life I was being required to leave behind.

'I'm interested,' the Alpha King said.

I gulped, and took a deep breath.

'Well, if you must know, I love dancing. I was the captain of my high school cheerleading team. I'm- I mean, I was—on the Town Beautification Committee. It's traditional for the immediate past Miss Mystic Falls to head the committee.'

Klaus looked both amused and duly impressed.

'And of course that was you,' he said. I gave him my duh-obvious look, before remembering I was talking with the Alpha-King of the Twelve Packs and schooling my face. I thought Klaus noticed though; his mouth twitched.

'I've completed my first year at Whitmore College. That's the local university. I was trying to decide if I want to major in politics or anthropology. I guess,' I paused, feeling a wave of sadness come over me, 'I guess that's not so important anymore.'

Klaus frowned.

'Why do you say that?'

'Well,' I hesitated to say anything that might annoy him. 'Whitmore isn't exactly within commuting distance for me now.'

'There are excellent universities in New Orleans,' Klaus said. 'There's no reason for you not to continue your studies here. I am sure we could arrange the credit transfer—my family are long time donors to Tulane, Loyola and the University of New Orleans. There's a Mikaelson library in the law school at Tulane, actually. I have sufficient pull in this city to get you a place at any University you choose.'

I could hardly believe what I was hearing, but couldn't stop the first genuine smile since I'd arrived here from creeping across my face.

'I didn't realise that would be a possibility.'

'You're not a prisoner here, Caroline.' Klaus' blue eyes seemed to bore into me. I struggled not to retreat under the intensity. 'Lune Beni is your home, for however long that may be, and I want everyone who lives here to have a fulfilling and happy life. If that means finishing university, then you will be supported in that.'

'Oh, um, really?' Realising I was just staring, guppy-like, at the Alpha-King, I dropped my gaze and pushed some food around my plate while I gathered my thoughts.

'You should find Cami tomorrow. She's partway through her doctorate in psychology. I'll let her know you need some help checking out your study options.' It was pretty clear that when Klaus wanted something done, it happened, and I could only hope this Cami was more willing to help me find my feet in New Orleans than I suspected some would be. The last thing I needed was an unwilling or hostile buddy system forced upon me. I'd have preferred to find my own way and trust my innate Caroline Forbes charm to make me some friends soon enough.

As if he sensed my unspoken resistance, Klaus's eyes sparkled with mirth. 'Cami's one of the good ones,' he said. 'A pure soul.'

I was left to ruminate on that concept, while Klaus was distracted by his sister Rebekah calling for his attention. The model-esque blonde was in fine spirits tonight, looking every inch the reigning Mikaelson princess she was as she selectively engaged with her favorites in the room, ignoring the rest of the considerable company surrounding us. I wondered what she made of me, or if I even registered on her radar. When she'd left the assembly room to follow Sage earlier it had definitely seemed that she had done so on Klaus's nod, to appease her Alpha, rather than because she felt any particular affection for Sage. Then again, Finn had been Rebekah's brother, not just Sage's mate. Rebekah hadn't really had the chance to make public her thoughts on my arrival at Court, yet, and I hoped I would have the chance to start things off on the right foot with her. If her constant presence at Klaus's side was any indication, his sister was highly valued in the pecking order of this pack, and I would be a fool not to try and get on her good side. That was, if the reputation of my pack alone had not set her irrevocably against me.

I glanced over to the Salvatore's table to see how Alaric and Vicki were faring. Alaric seemed to be engrossed in some kind of tête-à-tête with Damon Salvatore, but Vicki looked about as comfortable as a fish under a blowdryer. I could read the lines of tension in her body easily enough and knew she would be unhappy at being separated from Tyler—not for romantic reasons but because her instinct as Pack Beta to protect her Alpha must have been flaring up pretty strongly in this tense and unusual environment. I felt for her. All around us was music and noise and raucous laughter, but there was an undertone of expectation in the air. No-one knew quite how this reconciliation was going to play out. Least of all, me—the Fell princess whose blood that simultaneously exalted and damned me.

:::

It wasn't until after dinner that I was able to take my leave of Klaus, removing myself from the scrutiny of his royal gaze and finding some much-needed breathing space. Vicki had instantly relocated herself to Tyler's side and I found myself on Alaric's arm amidst the New Orleans wolves as the pack spilled out of their palatial home onto a stunning courtyard. It was bordered with sweet smelling flowers and lit with what looked like hundreds of fairy lights. Off the far edge of the patio, covered walkways cut through the manicured lawns, intersecting at painted gazebos and fancy water features. Beyond that, the scent of lush green wilderness beckoned.

'You're going to be ok here, Care,' Alaric said, giving my arm a light squeeze. Of course, I knew how Alaric had fought with Tyler against me coming here. He was probably trying to convince himself, as much as me, that his Alpha had made the best decision.

It must have been difficult for Alaric and Jenna. The massacre of our Pack had affected us all in a myriad of brutal ways, but Alaric and Jenna had the added burden of suddenly becoming guardians of the five of us children who had survived, when they were barely adults themselves. They raised all of us, but perhaps their greatest accomplishment was giving an angry, scared, teen-aged boy the love and support he needed to grow from all that wreckage into the promising young Alpha he became. We all had faith in Tyler's instincts and, though Alaric many not always agree with him, both he and Jenna would cede to Tyler's wishes as their trueborn Alpha. Still, it had to be rough for them, learning to loosen their grip after years of being the decision makers; trusting Tyler to be the one to keep us all alive.

'I know,' I responded. 'You don't need to worry about me.' I was serious about that. Though far from sure of what life had in store for me at Klaus's court, I was determined I could deal with whatever these New Orleans wolves could throw at me. For Tyler—for my pack—I would walk through fire. I wouldn't fail them.

'So,' a smoky voice came from next to us, 'you're the new princess in New Orleans.' I turned and saw the beautiful young woman who had been sitting with the Salvatore brothers at dinner. Her dark, cat-like eyes were full of intelligence and humor, as she extended one delicate hand to clasp mine, and then Alaric's, in greeting. 'I'm Katherine.'

I nodded and forced a polite smile.

'Caroline,' I said, unnecessarily. Alaric offered his own murmured greeting. Standing this close to her, I realised what I had failed to from across the room earlier—Katherine was not a wolf. Her scent gave it away, though she didn't smell human either and I was somewhat at a loss. The only thing I could say for sure was that she radiated supernatural power, and lots of it.

Katherine's small, secretive smile said she'd noticed my confusion, though she offered no explanation.

'What do you think of our Alpha King, now you've met him in person?' she asked.

I narrowed my eyes, aware of how many wolves were in earshot.

'The king has been incredibly gracious to welcome us back to court.'

Katherine smirked, though she could have hardly expected me to say anything else.

'Of course,' she said, 'and, between us girls, don't those piercing blue eyes make you dream of having your perfect feathers all ruffled?' Katherine twirled a perfect, shiny ringlet round one finger. 'You should take him for a ride sometime, Caroline, you won't be disappointed. Klaus has very favorable reviews.'

I felt Alaric's hand on my back—a gentle warning as well as comfort. I couldn't tell what reaction Katherine's provocative line of conversation was designed to illicit, but I wasn't going to be derailed by it.

I put on my best 'Miss Mystic Falls' smile and met Katherine's gaze.

'Thanks for the recommendation,' I said. 'I'll take it under advisement.' I flashed my teeth. 'Just between us girls.'

When Katherine laughed in response, it sounded almost impressed.

'You should come and visit me, one you're settled in,' she said, with a sidelong glance at Alaric, who had remained silent through the exchange. 'Once your bodyguards have gone back home.' Maybe sensing I was about to demure, Katherine's gaze turned sharp. 'Seriously. You'll need friends here. There's lots that we should talk about.'

Taken aback, I glanced at Alaric, who raised an eyebrow at me. Apparently he didn't know what to make of Katherine either.

'Sure,' I said. 'I will do. Do you live here at Lune Beni, too?'

Katherine's smile faltered only for a fraction of a second, before she shook her long dark curls over her shoulder and inclined her head at me.

'Yes, I've always lived here.'

The sound of raucous whooping caught my attention at the same time as a general rise in the energy of the wolves occupying the courtyard.

'Well, I'll leave you to it,' Katherine said, with a sultry smirk that I thought was for Alaric's benefit. He was, after all, a handsome man, even if his mated status was clear enough from his scent. 'Watching a bunch of wolves get all excited and run through swamp mud isn't exactly my idea of a good time. I'm going to steal one of Damon's decent bourbons and find some fun of my own.'

With a final flick of her hair, she sashayed back towards the main house. Soon, the energy of the pack surged, with the excitement of a group run ahead. Despite being around so many new wolves that I didn't know or trust, I couldn't help but respond to my base nature, and the wolf within me wanted to be let free. Tyler and Vicki appeared nearby, and I saw the same gleam in their eyes that echoed the pounding of my blood. It would be the biggest run I'd ever been part of, and I was aching for the shift.

Through the crowd I saw Klaus wrapped around the brunette who'd yielded her seat to me at the banquet, and from the enthusiastic way she was sucking on his tongue it didn't seem she held a grudge. I saw Klaus's laughter as he pulled away from the kiss, his arm still loosely wrapped around the dark-haired wolf as he turned to his pack and raised his voice, eyes dark and shining.

'Let's run!'

With joy, we all plunged forwards, shedding clothing and human skin without shame and letting the moonlight see our true selves.