Written as a bday gift for accidental-rambler.

Mates AU

Klaus was stunned, the stranger in front of him looked exactly like the girl from his dreams.

Blonde tresses that fell into waves and blue eyes that haunted him in his sleep whenever they could.

It was both thrilling and terrifying, he thought, that all those ridiculous notions about fate and destiny spun through the ages had the audacity to be true. A mate. For him of all people.

He blinked, the sounds of mingled conversations in the background becoming clearer in his head. With little effort, he caught up with the topic discussed, every now and then casting his eyes over the girl sitting at the end of the table.

She seemed to be discreetly assessing the occupants of the room, and he watched in wry amusement as her eyes flashed in irritation at some of the annoying comments.

His attentions were called upon by one of the alphas speaking to him - Mason Lockwood, if memory served. "What do you think Alpha Klaus, should the negotiations be held this month?"

His eyes unwillingly fell back on the mysterious figure only to find her nowhere in sight. The only indication that she was still there was the retreating click of her heels as they made contact with the floor.

He couldn't remember answering a question faster in his life.

He was being one of these stalkers in those tv shows his sister was so fond of during her teenage phase, he knew, and yet he could not stop his attentions from being recaptured by the blonde sitting a hundred meters or so away no matter how much he tried.

A vision of an angel, he could say, so similar to those ethereal works of art he had seen throughout his life. His hand itched with the effort he made to restrain himself from walking forward and touching her.

The wolf under his skin hummed with the desire to know her - anything of her really, her name, her hopes, her dreams, everything she wanted in life.

It felt like he was dying when their eyes made contact, and he knew for the first time how much the forest and the sea could unite in one colour.

Caroline. Caroline. Caroline.

The name kept going back and forth in his head. Like a melody of haunting tones and deathly silence and whirling hurricanes.

How much energy did he spend forcing himself to focus on all the deals and talk? On the reason he was here on Forbes territory in the first place;to gleefully watch as all the pack leaders fought so pathetically over scraps of land?

How much energy did he spend on not surrendering all his senses to a canvas of porcelain and fresh vanillas and that hint of spice that had his wolf growling to take a closer taste of?

He never realised how utterly doomed he was until he saw a cheshire grin briefly bloom on her face as they all bore witness to the crescent clan refusing the offer.

There were two wolves in the room who knew what this meant.

A chance to lay a claim.

Another day, another negotiation gone wrong and another wolf pack stepping out of the so-called civillary. The Forbes alpha seemed to grow more disappointed with each failed attempt at peace, and Klaus found himself wondering if the fool truly desired to unite the lycanthrope species, when the Forbes were a mark of power and strength and dominance. Things that only the Mikaelsons had ever managed to acquire through history.

It was entertaining to think of how glorious the victory would taste when he claimed the Forbes territory and joined it with his own.

"Was it the Lockwoods this time?" asked a sweet melodic voice, and his head snapped so fast in its direction.

Caroline.

Klaus's blood thrummed at the feeling of her, his mate, so near. So close that if he stepped forward he could see the exact place where the green and the blue in her eyes met.

Despite his attempts at appearing unaffected, his throat constricted. And for a moment he allowed himself to briefly bask in her presence.

She was looking at him expectantly and he realised she was still waiting for an answer to her earlier question.

"No," he replied, watching as look of both disappointment and anticipation flickered on her face.

Tonight was a time free of meetings as per the Alpha's agreement, a time for all the pack leaders and their people to celebrate and rejoice in the joining of half the world's lycanthropes on one land.

He could tell by the extravagant decorations that the Forbes alpha had no problems with sparing a considerable amount of money on the party.

Bored quickly with the incessant chatter, Klaus decided to head for the outside gardens, having spotted the space earlier; it would provide a very much-needed reprieve from all the wolf meetings, following the sound of water through the thick green.

He came to a halt at the sight of Caroline sitting on the edge of the fountain, her hair swaying to the rhythm of the wind and her eyelids closed in seeming bliss.

He coughed, breaking her out of her trance causing her eyes to snap open and blink at him.

"Hello," she greeted, enough pleasantness in her voice along with bits of weariness present that he deduced she must not have remembered their earlier conversation.

Strangely enough his heart clenched at the thought, and he cursed every deity responsible for mates and werewolves and everything in between. That his heart was breaking and mending at the whim of her eyes, she who was practically a stranger, had him internally roaring in rage.

"Hello, sweetheart," he said, moving to sit beside her. She was staring at him, and he wondered if her wolf was as curious as his was, if she could feel that bond humming under her skin.

It was like this for a few moments, them both shooting glances at each other, until she turned her eyes in another direction, sighing wistfully.

"You know, daddy says I can't be a princess," she began, her lips briefly pursed in thought and he angled his body slightly in response, intrigued by her words.

Her head snapped up to meet his, expression full of mirth and challenge. "Do you think I'd make a pretty princess, Alpha Klaus?"

It was a trap, he knew by the anticipation on her face and the raised eyebrow. A test to see if he was worthy.

Well, let it never be said he wasn't up to it.

He shrugged, like it was the simplest thing in the world, "Queens can't be princesses, sweetheart."

He was not particularly proud to say that he could have died in Caroline's answering smile and it would have been enough.

"You draw?!" came out Caroline startled question. His head turned to the side to see her standing in front of him, eyes darting between him and his sketch at an impressive speed, seemingly unnerved by the presence of said object.

Instinctively he tried to hide it from her sight in an attempt to somehow ease her discomfort and she seemed to sense his actions, the tension draining from her shoulders.

"Sorry," she muttered, looking apologetic. "It's just, never mind."

He nodded to tell her he understood, and she quirked her lips up before making room for herself beside him, completely ignoring his chuckle.

Silence resumed in the garden once more, the sunlight enveloping them in a pleasant aura.

"Do you have any idea how weird it is to see you draw?" she exclaimed quietly. "I mean, I don't think I've ever seen you look at a painting since you came here, much less hold a sketch."

He smirked, amused at her rambling behavior and enamored with it all the same. A small blush bloomed on her face as she took notice of his staring, though other than that she appeared every bit as confident as she did at the party or the secluded meetings that she quietly attended.

"I am not exactly vocal about it, love," he said before returning to the charcoal filled paper, aware of Caroline's gaze on him.

Tentatively, he moved his body enough that she could have a look, feeling her maneuvering herself beside him as her eyes tracked the lines he created.

"It's very beautiful," she commented, some awe in her tone.

It wasn't much but it was a start. He grinned at his thoughts, not a full one but enough to be spotted.

He was this close to leaping forward and strangling the Lockwood idiot, the only thing holding him back were the surrounding people and an admittedly big table.

Mason kept going on and on about his family's right to the Crescent clan's land, imploring all the packs to lend him strength for him to take it back, and honestly he was making a spectacular fool of himself.

"As they retreated from the peace, the law states that a claim can now be laid by another pack." Mason finished his speech, his nephew looking as embarrassed as anyone in his position would.

"You know what you're saying is practically bullshit, right?" said a feminine voice that he knew like the back of his hand.

"Oh do tell, Miss Forbes," Mason mocked, and Klaus held himself from growling at the threat in his tone, knowing that Caroline wouldn't appreciate him fighting her battles for her.

She gave Mason a predatory smile in return, calmly crossing her legs in a regal posture. "The law declares that if the werewolves were to band together for peace and an alpha disturbs this unity, then yes, another pack can lay a claim on his territory, as a sign of his unworthiness of the position, however, only one alpha may challenge another."

A dozen sets of eyes widened at this, Mason's by far the biggest, as he slowly processed what she said.

If possible, Caroline's grin became more feral as she leaned back in her seat. "Meaning should you wish to take over the Crescent's land, I am afraid you'll have to do it yourself, no help involved."

"Caroline," Bill gritted out in warning and she quickly morphed her expression into one of innocence, apologetically looking at him and muttering a 'sorry, daddy'.

The alpha nodded, though his eyes still held a touch of fury. Caroline, probably deciding that nothing important were to happen, stood up as usual to leave.

But as she approached Mason, she leaned into him slightly, whispering a saucy "I'd study the rules well, if I were you" before walking through the door completely undisturbed.

"May I ask what is the nature of your relationship with your father?" Klaus asked, watching closely as the emotions flashed across Caroline's face.

She breathed deeply at his question, shooting him a glance out of the corner of her eye. "He thinks that I can't efficiently lead the pack," she said, her voice hard. "That I am too reckless and take unnecessary risks that would endanger us all. I laughed in his face when he said he'd invite all the alphas here, you know. Who in their right mind would ask all these people to meet in the same place as if half of them weren't at war with the other."

He chuckled darkly, "Certainly not me."

She sighed, her ire quite prominent. They both took their steps leisurely, the air calming the anger Caroline harboured.

"I keep hearing what each is going to do for the peace," he whispered, his voice lilting. "But what about you, love?"

She bit her lips contemplatively, her expression devious in the broad sunlight.

"I would burn them all to the ground and take over all the land," she replied, her hands pulled behind her back as she gave him a wicked smirk. "Even yours."

He laughed throatily at her words, what a fine mate he has been blessed with.

It was astounding, really.

Here they were, still negotiating but with only five packs instead of the thirty something that they started with. The Lockwoods were still trying to walk away with an advantage, and Klaus knew they'd step out soon, their list of advantages thinning out little by little courtesy of his and Caroline's excellent manipulations.

He could feel his mate's roar of victory as they declared themselves outside of the peace, foolishly leaving their lands ripe for the taking.

Their taking.

Caroline giggled as he twirled her around in a circle, her laughter bouncing off the walls and echoing in a series of soothing sounds.

Her eyes twinkled with happiness as her hair floated around her, and she looked at him with that look that was reserved just for these occasions, when they were alone and away from the scheming of wolf politics and just irrevocably them, dark and tainted and selfish but them all the same.

Spinning her around once more, he revelled in the peaceful feeling that settled in his chest, almost in disbelief at its presence for a moment.

Caroline's laughter dwindled down as she stopped mid-spin. "You're nice today," she remarked teasingly.

He snorted "I am not."

"Yes you are," she drawled out before wrinkling her nose. "Although I seem to be the only one that that rule applies to."

Klaus hummed, half listening to her as she said, "You looked like you wanted to kill the Salvatores and eat them for dinner earlier,"

Gently, he grasped her hand, rubbing little patterns on her inner wrist. "Had I not known how poorly that would have gone over with you, I would have." A meaningful look passed between them.

"I would've killed them both then ripped you to shreds if you had."

A dark, almost unsettling smirk crept on his face. "So mean," he reprimanded.

She snickered, her cheeky expression luminous even amidst the brightly filled room. "Well, I am evil or I am not, you could always choose which side you want."

He raised an eyebrow at her declaration, murmuring "Are you so cruel as to deny me the luxury of having both?"

The blue in her eyes flared as she said "I thought you'd never ask."

He was proud to say now that he could die in Caroline's answering smile, and it would always be enough.

Please tell me what you thought everyone. Did my attempt at spinning a dark element with the mate trope work? Did Klaus's feelings on the bond make sense? Did the progression of the relationship between Klaus and Caroline feel natural?

Thank you for reading and have a nice day.