"𝓁ℴℴ𝓀 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎ℴ𝓊 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝒶𝒹ℯ 𝓂ℯ 𝒹ℴ"

Allison Argent's death was her fault. She should have done more, no, she could have done more. Ophelia had given into the pain and fallen unconscious; she didn't even know she could fall unconscious. But she gave in. She had been weak. She was a coward. If she had put herself aside for a moment, she could have saved Allison. Her friend would still be here. Even though she didn't stab the blade through the girl herself, Ophelia would continue to blame herself until the end of time.

As she sits with Stiles, Kira, and Noshiko in the Yukimura's home, she can't help but feel as guilty as ever. Her friends didn't want her at the police station because the nogitsune had been committing crimes wearing her face. Noah Stilinski had pulled a few favours and wiped the security tapes in Eichen House whilst Ophelia had compelled pretty much the entire building so they never saw her during the violent attack. But there's only so much they can do. They didn't want people assuming or jumping to the conclusion that she had something to do with Allison's death, so she wasn't there with her friends to deliver a statement. She knows they don't mean anything more than just trying to protect her, she knows, but it still hurts. It really, really fucking hurts.

Stiles watches his best friend stare into the empty space before her in concern. It's crippling. Sure, he had known Allison longer than he had Ophelia, but he wasn't as close with the Argent as he is with the girl next to him. He's terrified that, somehow, she'll come out of this dead as well. Her skin is snow-white, her eyes are sunken, and she's shivering like she's inside a freezer. Kira gives her a small smile as she hands her a soft blanket, something Ophelia grabs eagerly and tightly wraps around her body. It's safe to say everyone is more than worried about her.

Noshiko finishes pouring tea into a ceramic cup and slides it along the table to her. "Here, drink this," she says. "It'll help calm you."

Stiles narrows his eyes suspiciously. "What is it?"

"Tea."

"Magic tea?" Ophelia questions hopefully.

Noshiko and Kira share a look of amusement. "Chamomile tea," the woman corrects with a smile. The blonde-haired girl visibly deflates in disappointment. "Drink it."

As Ophelia cautiously sips the hot drink, Ken Yukimura walks into the room, a grave look on his face. "She's not safe here," he announces.

"She's not safe anywhere," his wife points out.

Ophelia sighs. "It really sucks to be me right now," she mutters.

"But Allison killed one of them," Kira says. The teens beside her look to her in shock. This is the first time they're hearing about it. "Doesn't that mean something? She killed an oni."

"I thought those bastards couldn't die," Ophelia exclaims in bewilderment. "How the hell did she kill one?"

"Is that even possible?"

"I'm not sure how," Noshiko answers her husband's question.

"But she did it," Kira reiterates. "She killed one of them."

Ophelia sets the tea back down. "Yeah, then they killed her," she says quietly. The room is engulfed into an uncomfortable silence as everyone is reminded of the fact that Allison Argent is gone. "Allison's dead." Tears spring to Stiles' eyes and one finally falls down his cheek at the distraught displayed on his best friend's face. He knows she's blaming herself. "And now I guess the only good thing is that by some bloody miracle... I'm dying, too." Another tear drops down Stiles' face.

She looks up when Noshiko sits beside her. "The nogitsune made a powerful move by splitting the two of you," she says gently.

Kira takes one of the stones off the Go board siting on the table in front of them and asks, "So, what's our move?"

"At this point," Ken begins. "You need a divine move."

The three teenagers look to each other. "What's that?" Stiles questions.

"In the game of Go, it's what we call a truly inspired, or out-of-the-box move," Noshiko explains. "The nogitsune has had sente, the advantage, until this point. What you need is a divine move in order to turn the game around."

Stiles puffs out a breath of air. "Anyone happen to be feeling divinely inspired?"

Ophelia snorts. "Absolutely not."

Kira's eyes are squinted in thought. "Mom, you said you trapped it in a glass jar, right?"

"It wasn't the jar that trapped it," the woman responds. "It was where I buried it."

"The Nemeton," Stiles says.

"A place I don't know too much about," Noshiko informs them.

"Who does?" Kira asks.

Ophelia and Stiles lock eyes. "Deaton," she answers. "Deaton knows a hell of a lot about it."

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The girl with blonde hair slowly walks to the nurse's station inside the hospital, passing numerous patients and staff members on her way that don't give her as much as a second glance. When she reaches the desk, her fingers drum against the counter and she smiles at the man in the blue scrubs focused on his paperwork. "Hi there!" she greets cheerfully. Her smile widens when his expression changes to one of terror as two oni materialise on either side of her. "Could you page Melissa McCall for me, please?"

The nurse looks between her and the two figures, but before he can do anything, one of the oni jabs its ninjatō through the desk and into his stomach.

The lights flicker uncontrollably above as Ophelia watches the oni wrench its sword away. The man looks up to her in horror, clutching his wound. She arches a brow impatiently, then he collapses to the floor. "There is it." She sighs and turns her head to look at one of the oni, then slowly turns to the other. "Well, I guess I'll just have to find her myself," she snarks.

The nogitsune ignores the phone ringing away and whistles as she strolls down the hallway, the oni on her heels. As they turn the corner, she falls behind the masked creatures. She listens to the sound of swords slashing against skin, screams of terror, bodies falling to the ground, blood spattering onto walls, and she smiles. But even though the dark spirit is feeding off the chaos, strife, and pain all around, it's not enough. The host is part vampire. And, well, the vampire is hungry. As one of the lights blow out above, a doctor bursts out of a nearby room to stop abruptly at the sight of glowing red eyes lurking in the dark.

There's another scream.

Then silence.

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They need an unthinkable solution. They need a move so out-of-the-box that would be able to catch the nogitsune off guard. However, as Kira and Stiles help Ophelia walk into the animal clinic, she can't help but feel like they're all running out of time. And quickly. Upon seeing Lydia inside, it becomes clear that Ophelia isn't the only one thinking so. Deaton, Scott, and Lydia fill them in on what they had recently discovered: that the triskele box, made from the Nemeton, holding the deceased Talia Hale's claws would be enough to entrap the nogitsune. The plan is to meet Derek at the school to get the box and hopefully outmanoeuvre the dark kitsune.

As they all pile into Stiles' Jeep, it becomes obvious that everyone can see how quickly Ophelia has deteriorated in such a short amount of time. They all know that she's dying. When they finally screech to a stop before the school and she takes a step out of the car, Ophelia stumbles forward, catching herself on the banister railing in front of her. She breathes heavily and Lydia and Stiles are the ones to rush over and wrap arms around her to keep her standing.

Rushing to the entrance as fast as they can with the dying girl, right before they push through the double doors, Ophelia stops them. "Wait, hold on," she calls out weakly. Everyone turns to look at her. "I... I know what you're all thinking. If whatever we do works, it might kill me, too." She feels Lydia's grip on her waist tighten. "But even if it does, you have to promise me to go through with it. Stick with the plan." Scott opens his mouth to protest and she glares at him. "Promise me."

She watches the group all share an uneasy glance with each other. "The plan is to save you," Scott says firmly. "That's the plan I'm going with. That's the plan we're all going with." He takes a deep breath and pushes open the doors, forcing himself not to look at the expression on his best friend's face.

However, instead of being greeted with the familiar hallway and rows of lockers like they were expecting, the group of six step inside a winter wonderland (soon to be nightmare) of a frosted Japanese garden covered in snow. The doors creak behind them, then slam shut.

Ophelia pulls the coat covering her body tighter. "Well, fuck," she deadpans.

"This is definitely not part of the plan..."

Fully transformed into his werewolf form, Derek walks through the tunnel outside the high school, approaching the three figures on the stairs. Ophelia grins at the sight of the triskele box in the man's hand and she throws her arms up joyously. "Oh, Derek, I didn't take you for the generous type, but is that a present for me?"

He sets the wooden box down onto the ground littered with rain drops and looks up to the carbon copy of his friend, eyes glowing blue. As if on cue, Ethan, Aiden, and Elise Steiner appear behind him growling. "I brought two," he calls out.

She arches a brow in amusement. "Now, I've heard of an Alpha pack, Derek, but not a pack of former Alphas. It's a little sad, don't you think? But the girl..." Elise's eyes glow bright red. "Now, she looks like an Alpha."

The three werewolves slowly stalk toward them. "I might not be an Alpha anymore," Derek begins. "But I can still fight like one."

After a moment of silence, the nogitsune bursts out laughing. The twins share a look. "Oh, that's hilarious!" she exclaims. She turns to the oni behind standing defensively. "Isn't that just hilarious? See, even they think you're full of it, Derek."  A wide smile spreads onto Ophelia's' face when they all roar and lunge forward.

Inside the school, the group of teenagers examine their new surroundings in shock. Ophelia moves her body closer to Lydia to try and get a little warmer as she feels snow land on her head. She and her friends spin around at the sound of boots treading against the icy ground to find the nogitsune in its bandaged appearance that once was Rhys. Ophelia's blood runs ice cold at the sight of her nightmare. She feels Stiles still beside her, equally as fearful to lay eyes on the figure that had tormented him for so long. As it moves closer to them, Kira quickly unsheathes her katana.

"Like I promised, Stiles and Ophelia," the gravelly voice speaks. "We're going to kill all of them. One by one!"

Oni suddenly appear behind them, their swords dragging through the snow as a threat. Ophelia clutches onto Lydia's arm, the banshee and Stiles protectively pulling their friend behind them. The five try to move away from the nogitsune and its soldiers but find oni waiting for them at every corner.

"What the hell is this?" Scott questions. "Where are we?"

"Between life and death," the bandaged spirit admits.

"Bardo," Lydia realises.

"But there are no peaceful deities here, Lydia," it corrects, shaking a finger at her. "You're dying, Ophelia," the nogitsune hisses. "And now, everyone you care about is dying, too."

Ophelia pushes her friends off her so she can move closer. She swallows the growing lump in her throat and misses the anxious look Stiles and Scott share with each other. "What are you talking about?" she asks hoarsely.

"I've captured almost all of the territories on the board. The hospital... The sheriff's station... And now, the animal clinic." The nogitsune enjoys their concerned and horrified expressions for a few moments as they all take in the information. "Do you know the ritual of seppuku, Ophelia?"

She clenches her jaw. "Just shut your damn mouth," she snaps.

If the spirit had eyes, she's positive they would have rolled. "When a samuri disembowels himself or herself with their own sword to maintain their honour, but that's not the cut that kills her. The killing stroke is made by her kaishakunin, who beheads the samurai with their own katana." A bandaged finger is pointed to Lydia Martin. Now Ophelia is the one to push her best friend behind her. "Lydia is your kaishakunin." She feels Lydia's hand grip onto her own with a vice-like grip. "I'm going to make your best friend kill you, Ophelia."

Fear spreads across the pack like wildfire. A hybrid can die of two ways: the extraction of their heart, or decapitation. If they were wrong and she isn't actually dying... this would certainly kill her.

"And you're going to let her," the nogitsune continues, looking straight at the girl with blonde hair. "Because just like you, they're all going to die. Everyone touched by an oni's blade." It stops just before her, holding its bandaged hand up. "Unless Lydia kills you first."

From her peripheral vision, she can see all of her friends bristling with rage. Lydia's initial fear is gone. She looks like she would be able to murder everyone in this room. But Ophelia Stone is so tired. She's exhausted. "Why?" she whispers, feeling her eyes burning with tears. "Why are you doing this?"

And just as quietly, it responds, "To win the game."

Suddenly, the oni swing their swords, prompting Scott to shift and Kira to grip tighter on her katana. Stiles, Lydia, and Ophelia scurry back out of the fight, only able to watch their two friends take on the oni. And once again, Ophelia is left feeling hopeless. She watches Scott and Kira struggle to fend off the masked creatures and guilt overtakes her again. All she wants to do is help them, but she can't. She can't do a damn thing.

After kicking one of the oni back, Scott ends up with his back to Kira. "How is this happening?" he yells. "How are we in this place?"

"You're asking me?" Kira retorts. "A month ago, I'd never even touched a sword!"

Quickly, it becomes apparent to Ophelia that there is no way they would ever win this fight. They're severely outnumbered. She feels a tear slowly drop down her cheek. She couldn't – she wouldn't – let any more of her friends die because of her. She watches Kira face off with one of the oni, but its sword hits hers with such force that it's knocked out of the kitsune's hands. She watches two of the oni corner the now defenceless Kira. She watches Scott try to dodge the remaining two.

Then Ophelia breaks away from Lydia and Stiles. With a deep breath, she crawls over to the abandoned katana on the snow and grips it tightly in her hands. And as she looks down at it, she feels oddly calm. Perhaps it's because she knows that if she does this, she'd be able to end it all. All the pain and suffering. Gone.

When Lydia and Stiles realise that their best friend is no longer beside them, their eyes flick around until they land on her. Lydia's face falls in terror, similar to when she had realised Allison was about to die. "Fi, no!"

As she hears the banshee's voice crack, Ophelia's grip falters. The blade of the katana sits at the base of her throat, pressing against her skin firm enough to draw a line of blood.

Stiles hurries over to her, Lydia right by his side. His hands shake as he holds them up in front of her. "Okay, just wait a second," he pleads. When Scott and Kira realise what's happening, their eyes widen in horror.

Ophelia's eyes close briefly. "What if it saves you?" she asks anxiously. "What if this saves all of you?" The katana draws a jagged line along her throat when one of her hands begins to tremble.

"What if it's just another trick?" Scott cries out.

"No more tricks, Scott," the nogitsune says lowly. Its head turns to the strawberry blonde. "Do it, Lydia. Do for her what she cannot do for herself." A sob leaves her mouth as she watches Ophelia's hand steady. "Do it, Lydia. Be her kaishakunin. Give up the game."

As Ophelia sucks in another deep breath, just about convincing her friends that she's about to go through with it, she turns her head to the side slightly and her eyes land on the end of the katana. Her brows draw together as she stares at the reflection in the metal. A math textbook covered with a shallow layer of snow. She'd recognise one of those things anywhere. In confusion, Ophelia turns around, removing the blade off her throat, and spots the book with her own eyes. Then she begins to notice other things that don't fit. Other anomalies.

A desk and chair from the school.

Another textbook.

And in the distance, a locker.

Realising that she is starting to see through the illusion, the nogitsune argues, "You have no moves left."

Ophelia stares at the katana in her hand for another few seconds, then lifts her head, looking straight at the bandaged monster. "Yeah," she says weakly. "Yeah, I do." She tosses the sword back to its rightful owner and Kira swiftly catches it. Ophelia's lips lift into a small smile. "A divine move." As the snow continues to pour, Lydia and Stiles rush over to help keep her standing. "Stop fighting them. It's all an illusion." Scott looks to her then to the oni. "Scott, you have to stop fighting them. It looks real and it feels real, but you have to trust me." She watches the doubt on Scott's face disappear the second she says 'trust.' "It's an illusion, okay?"

The True Alpha slowly turns around to the nogitsune standing before the doors. The oni arrange themselves in a square before the dark spirit, and when Scott starts to lead his friends through the creatures, the oni begin to slash at his stomach. He groans in agony but Ophelia's voice rings in his head. It's an illusion. So he takes step after step, Kira right behind him as they take the pain of the swords. And as Stiles, Lydia, and Ophelia walk after them, they're spared of any violent attacks. When Scott finally reaches the nogitsune, his eyes glow bright as he tackles the creature through the doors with a yell.

Then they're back through the front doors of the school and enter the main hallway. Ophelia sighs in relief as she clutches onto Lydia's hand. Both Scott and Kira glance down to their torsos previously covered in slashes to find themselves completely fine.

"We're okay," Scott mutters in disbelief. "We're all-"

He doesn't get to finish his sentence as Ophelia causally tosses him into the lockers, instantly knocking him unconscious. As the rest of the group spin around in shock, the nogitsune with the face of the hybrid smiles at Kira then hits her across the face. Her katana is tossed down the hall.

Ophelia thinks she's stopped breathing. Seeing the bandaged form of the dark kitsune was terrifying enough. But this? This is different. She's facing a carbon copy of herself that reminds her of the darkest parts within her. It's hard to remember that that isn't the case, that what is facing her is a demon. When she compares herself to this... she isn't the monster. Not anymore.

Lydia's grip on her best friend's hand is bone crushing. With terrified expressions, herself and Stiles push Ophelia behind them once again as they back down the corridor with an urgency, not so much fearing for themselves right now, but instead her.

"This was my game." Ophelia meets the soulless eyes of herself. "You all think you can beat me at my game?" They watch the nogitsune's eyes glow crimson and the distinguished features of the vampire come out. "Divine move," they hear her murmur mockingly. The next words come out as a terrorising yell. "Divine move?" The teenagers scurry away from the nightmare of a figure as fast as they can. "You think you have any moves at all? You can kill the oni, but me? Me? I'm a thousand years old, you can't kill me!"

"But we know your weaknesses."

When Ophelia locks eyes with Malia Tate, she feels warmth crash over her. Even though she's on the brink of death, she feels safe. Whilst the three of them stare at her in shock, Malia gives the blonde-haired girl a small smile.

As she turns back to the nogitsune, her eyes are cobalt blue. "You tried to kill my best friend," she growls. "But when you choose your host to be a supernatural creature, you share her flaws." Malia holds up a familiar looking glass jar with a black powder inside.

They all watch the façade break. The little colour that remains in her face immediately drains. "Mountain ash," the nogitsune whispers. 

In one motion, the contents of the glass jar are thrown into the air and the mountain ash settles onto the ground as a circle around the dark spirit. As she tries to escape the invisible barrier, Stiles locks eyes with Kira who alongside Scott is now awake. Being the one person who can cross the mountain ash, she hands him the katana, then he turns to Ophelia. For the first time in a while, Ophelia Stone genuinely smiles. "Do it," she tells him.

So Stiles stabs the sword straight through the nogitsune's chest. They watch Ophelia's copy freeze and as Stiles rips the sword back out of her body, he creates a gap in the mountain ash with his foot. The nogitsune falls to the ground on her knees, appearing to choke for a few seconds, then coughs up a fly. They watch the insect buzz down the hallway until Isaac traps it inside the triskele box and slams the lid shut.

They all stare at him in relief before their attention is directed back to the girl on the floor. Ophelia convulses for a few further moments, before suddenly coming to a still. Her eyes bore into the hybrid as she turns to stone. Cracks appear and as she crashes onto the ground, the body immediately dissolves into dust.

And it's like she can finally breathe again. A gasp leaves Ophelia's lips as she stumbles back a few steps. Then she feels someone grab onto her waist to steady her. This time, it isn't Lydia or Stiles. She locks eyes with Malia and spins around to hug the girl, a sob leaving her mouth. The brunette grabs onto her just as tightly, a few tears dropping down her cheeks as she closes her eyes. "I'm so sorry," Ophelia whispers.

Malia places her hands on the girl's shoulders, calmly looking at her as she says, "If you say that one more time, I'll kill you myself."

She laughs. She has to laugh. She's so incredibly relieved. Then she remembers something as the confusion returns. She stares at Malia for a second. "Why were you here?" she questions. The werecoyote smiles and Ophelia whirls around to Scott, grimacing as she instantly feels dizzy by the abrupt movement. But Malia's already holding her again. "You did this?"

Scott nods with a smile. "We needed someone to bring it," he says.

However, before they can relish in the newfound safety and relief any longer, Lydia turns to look at the double doors at the end of the hallway. She slowly stands up as everyone follows her movements in confusion. Her walking turns into running as she bursts out through the doors, her friends not far behind her.

When Ophelia gets outside, she immediately finds out what's wrong. She sees her best friend standing before the stairs, but the tell-tale is the strong scent of blood hanging in the air. Below them in the distance is the body of Aiden Steiner, his siblings cradling him in their arms as they sob. Lydia spins around and throws herself into Ophelia's arms. They had proved her wrong. After all the bickering and physical fights, the twins had proved Ophelia wrong. They were willing to fight for Scott and the pack until the very end, and Aiden did just that.

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Over the following week, life had returned to normal. Or things were starting to return to normal. It would take time, maybe a lot of time, for everything to finally be like it used to. The biggest change was the loss they had experienced in such a short time. Allison Argent had been a force to be reckoned with, and even though she doesn't walk among her family anymore, Ophelia can feel something there with them. She likes to believe that the huntress had found peace so she would be able to watch over those she loved and continue to protect them, even in death. Lydia was grieving Aiden. It wasn't as big of a kick to the gut as Allison had been, but Ophelia knows that her friend had cared about him a lot more than she had visibly and verbally shown. Chris Argent had left for France with Boyd and Isaac by his side. Understandably, it was too painful to remain in Beacon Hills. He needed time away. And the two werewolves had promised they would be back, they couldn't leave for forever.

The last thing Isaac Lahey had said to her before getting in the car to the airport had been, You're a much better Alpha than Derek ever was. How Boyd had smiled and nodded in agreement had been their way of telling her that she was their pack. That they looked at her as their Alpha. Ophelia Stone had never been prouder to finally accept the idea of being in a pack.

She was finally beginning to feel like she would be ready to feel comfortable with herself again, too. She still feels it, every day, just like Deaton had warned them. She feels the cloak of darkness around her heart. It's not as heavy as it was before, but it's a reminder that she won't ever be free. She still couldn't be alone, at home or at school. Her friends understood. They understood the fear that she and Stiles would continue to feel for a long time. Even though the nogitsune was gone for now, they were paranoid. After being tormented for so long, the suffering had become the norm, at least for Ophelia. She was so used to being in pain and struggle that the feeling of freedom was... strange. It didn't feel right to her. Even though the nogitsune didn't literally have a hold over her anymore, she still feels like she's trapped in a way.

With a community of support around her from her friends, she had managed to return to school. Of course, she still wants to rip into someone's neck every time she lays her eyes on their vein, but it's not as a prominent thought as it was a few days earlier. The bloodlust isn't as controlling because Ophelia is slowly learning to control it.

As she stands by Lydia's locker as the girl files her books away, she takes her phone out as Kira continues to talk to the banshee. A single message sits on the screen. It's from an unknown number, but the content tells her exactly who it's from.

You're not too bad after all, Ophelia Stone.
Not too bad at all.

Derek had never been much for words or feelings. However, this is the closest she thinks she'll ever get to a 'love you.' As she smiles down at her phone, she tunes back into the conversation being held beside her. "I wish I could say something to him," Kira says. "I wish I could say something to all of you. But I don't know how much space of how much time I'm supposed to give them... or you."

Ophelia smiles at her and gently pats the top of her head. "All in due time, little one."

"You ever run track? I mean, you have excellent muscle definition."

The second she spots Malia walking with Coach, a bright smile adorns her face. It's not long before Malia spots her and her own expression quickly mirrors Ophelia's. "I sometimes ran from cougars trying to eat me," the dark-haired girl responds to him.

"You and me both," Ophelia mutters.

"I've had the same problem," Coach confesses. "So, listen, we're gonna start off slow. You know, a few classes here and there. Don't worry, you'll learn fast!"

Malia rolls back her shoulders and confidently smiles. "I intend to."

It's only another hour before she finds herself back at the McCall residence. With his friends around him, Ophelia can tell that Scott has considerably perked up. She's realised that having a good support system changes everything. Stiles sits on the end of the werewolf's bed as he watches his best friends demonstrating how to change at will.

Malia stares at Ophelia and Scott's claws, then squints her eyes in concentration before trying to bring her own out. She squeezes her fist together and after a second flicks her hand out. She visibly deflates in disappointment. "Hey, don't worry, just try again," Ophelia reassures, giving her a smile.

Scott nods. "Yeah, don't think about it too much, just try to let it happen."

She closes her eyes and when she brings her hand down for the second time, her claws flick out. Malia's eyes widen in excitement and she spins around to show Stiles who she startles to the point where he scrambles back on the bed to get away from her. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry!" She stares at her claws and smiles proudly, and when she turns to Ophelia, both girls jump up and down in the air with laughter streaming out of their lips.

The next lesson for the day takes place out in the Preserve. Stiles and Malia lean against the Jeep as Scott and Ophelia walk a little way away from them for some space. The hybrid clears her throat. "Okay, Scott. Make me proud, all right?"

The boy winces. "I'll try..."

She rolls her eyes. "At least sound like you're going to try a tad harder than that."

He takes a deep breath, and as his eyes glow scarlet, a roar echoes through the trees around them. Breathing heavily, Scott looks to her hopefully.

Ophelia stares back at him blankly. Stiles places a hand over his eyes. "Are you fucking with me?" she exclaims. Scott's eyes widen. "My niece wouldn't flinch at that. Actually, she might even laugh." Malia snickers. "You're a bloody werewolf, Scott. An Alpha werewolf. So start acting like one." Ophelia jabs a finger against his chest as she says, "Roar."

He closes his eyes and slowly inhales another deep breath. This time, it exceeds all of her expectations. Stiles and Malia cover their ears as the roar that leaves Scott's mouth causes the trees in their vicinity the shake.

When it finally comes to a stop, Ophelia wipes a tear off her cheek. "Oh, my God, I've never been prouder in my entire life," she praises.

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Although things with her family in Beacon Hills have been going incredibly well, things with her real family are still... at a standstill. It's been over a month since Ophelia has heard from any of the Mikaelsons and it's safe to say that she's extremely worried. Being so wrapped up with her own catastrophic problems meant she had barely thought about what might be wrong with them. She doesn't know anyone in New Orleans apart from her siblings, so even if she wanted to there's no one to call.

Another week passes with no contact. Then another. And just as Ophelia is about to hurry out of her home to the airport to go and visit them in person, she hears a knock at the front door.

"Hello?" she hears a female call out desperately. "Ophelia?"

She recognises the voice instantly. She speeds to the entrance and just about rips the door of its hinges. The dark-haired woman standing before her looks incredibly tired; if she wasn't also a hybrid, she would be collapsing out of exhaustion. Ophelia's eyes widen in both confusion and shock. "Hayley?" The mother to Hope Mikaelson holds back a sob as she quickly lunges forward to hug the teenage girl. Ophelia pats her back awkwardly. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but..." She pulls away with a face of thunder. Hayley flinches. "What the fuck? What the hell has been happening?"

She watches a tear roll down Hayley's cheek. "I think it's better if I just show you," she says quietly.

Ophelia follows her out the front to find a large removal truck in her driveway. "Okay, seriously, what is going on?" Hayley doesn't respond. Instead, she opens the doors to the truck and lets the sunlight flood inside. Ophelia stares at the four coffins inside. "All right, I appreciate you trusting me enough to bring me dead bodies to hide, but-"

But when the closest coffin to them is opened, she feels her entire world falling apart all over again. Inside lays Rebekah, her sister. The Original vampire is pale. Paler than she would normally be. Ophelia scans her body and there's no dagger. But she's unconscious. Her neck isn't snapped... But she's unconscious. Ophelia watches Hayley move to the next coffin to reveal Elijah, then Kol, then finally, Freya.

"They've been poisoned," Hayley tells her, moving to stand by her side.

Ophelia shakes her head in disbelief. "And... what, they're dying?"

"They're safe right now. Something... Something happened, Fi. Something happened to Klaus." Hayley watches the girl's face turn as white as a ghost. "He's being held captive by Marcel in New Orleans. It's complicated to explain, but... it was part of the plan, it was the only way we could have kept them all alive. Freya tethered them all to him, Klaus, he's an anchor."

"Jesus bloody Christ," Ophelia whispers.

Hayley's eyes fall onto the coffins. "As long as he stays alive, so will they. They're just unconscious, Freya made sure of that. So now it's up to me to find a cure for her poison, Bekah's hex, and Eljiah and Kol's bite." The girl stares at her in confusion. "That's another story. Look, I know it's a lot to ask but I need your help-"

"Done." Ophelia watches Hayley's surprise slowly morph into a smile. "I'll do whatever I can."

It feels like she's just come out of one agonising event and been thrown headfirst into another. Being a Mikaelson, she should be used to dealing with threats, attacks, and people dying all around her. However, seeing her family on the brink of death is different. It's different being on the receiving end of all of those things instead of dealing them out herself. She can't leave it all up to Hayley Marshall. She's just saved her family in Beacon Hills. Now she needs to go and save her other one. Whatever it takes, always and forever.

𝘞𝘏𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖 𝘛𝘏𝘈𝘛𝘚 𝘈 𝘞𝘙𝘈𝘗 𝘖𝘕 𝘚𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘖𝘕 3 🥳🥳 𝘐 𝘬𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘍𝘪... 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘚𝘖 𝘋𝘜𝘔𝘉

𝘚𝘰 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 4 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘧... 𝘐 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯.

𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘓𝘓𝘠 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦. 𝘚𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵, 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘖𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴.

𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 4 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭... 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 😭

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵 🥰