me. The road into the Smokies narrowed as the towns fell away behind me, leaving only the quiet stretch of forest ahead. I did not know what Caroline hoped to uncover, only that it mattered enough for Klaus to take note. That alone was reason to meet her in Cosby & see what waited once she arrived.*

goes, I go. I can meet you in Cosby. It is quiet enough to keep unwanted eyes away. If you are already in the mountains, meet me there. Whatever led you into this, we will face it with a clearer eye once you arrive. >>

I slipped the phone into my pocket and set out at once, taking the ledger with <

knows one truth about me better than most: wherever those books travel, I follow.

I composed a message to her, letting the tone remain steady and unhurried.

<< Klaus believes you may require assistance. I cannot promise relevance, but I have a book that may hold something you should see. Where it<

ruled the darkest corners of this country left their stories scattered, half erased, half protected. I reached for those tomes with a reluctance I could not quite explain. If Caroline had stepped toward something that gave even Klaus pause, then the answers she sought might lie among them. And he <

it was enough to make him wary of leaving her to face it without someone who could see the danger coming.

Klaus has always been aware of the books I keep hidden from the world, especially the collection of mountain histories and the fragmented bloodlines buried in their pages. Families who once <

*Klaus is not known for subtlety, yet when he spoke her name, there was an undercurrent he did not bother to hide. He pretended the subject had slipped his mind, but his eyes said otherwise. Whatever Caroline had begun to chase, it was enough to make him wary of leaving her to face it without <

I wanted to walk toward her and not feel like I had blood on my hands.

And how impossible that’s become.*

Hayley stood just beyond the gate, framed by the haze of streetlight and cigarette smoke. She didn’t move. Just watched.

Maybe she already knew what I’d done. Or maybe she was waiting to see if this time I’d say something different. Be something different.

But all I could think was how damn much <

my jaw, in the weight of my shoulders, in the way the city holds its breath around me.

I’d handled it, of course. I always do. Quick, quiet, efficient. The kind of violence no one speaks of but everyone expects from a Mikaelson wearing a suit.

And then I saw her.

@Awolfofbeauty.bsky.social <

in the weight of my shoulders, in the way the city holds its breath around me.

I’d handled it, of course. I always do. Quick, quiet, efficient. The kind of violence no one speaks of but everyone expects from a Mikaelson wearing a suit.

And then I saw her.

Hayley (@asinfulwolf.bsky.social) stood <