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║ Chapter 49 – The Hunt and the Rescue 🐺⚔️🔥 ║
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Hope's POV
The bond wasn't silent anymore.
It pulsed.
Weak.
Broken in places.
But there.
Alive.
Hope's head snapped up mid-step.
"There," she said suddenly.
Everyone stopped.
"What?" Stiles asked.
Hope closed her eyes, focusing.
Feeling.
Not scent.
Not sound.
Something deeper.
"She's that way," Hope said, turning sharply. "It's faint but—it's her."
Klaus studied her carefully.
"The bond?" he asked.
Hope nodded.
Elijah didn't hesitate. "Then we move."
They did.
Fast.
Through streets.
Past houses.
The tension tightening with every step.
Then—
Hope's phone rang.
She froze.
Everyone stilled.
She looked down.
Nova.
Her phone.
Hope's jaw clenched.
Fury flashed—but it didn't stop there.
The second Hope heard Allison's voice—shaking, panicked—something inside her twisted violently.
The bond pulsed in response.
Fear.
Echoing.
Not Allison's.
Nova's.
Hope's grip tightened around the phone so hard it creaked.
Her breathing went sharp.
Dangerous.
Every instinct screamed at her to hang up. To ignore Allison. To make her pay.
But underneath the fury—
There was something else.
Desperation.
Because Nova was still out there.
Still hurting.
And this—
This might be the only lead.
Hope forced herself to listen.
Barely.
"I was wrong," Allison said quickly, voice shaking but urgent. "Kate is fucking nuts and out of control. I can tell you where Nova is, I can't save her by myself."
"Where is she?" Hope snapped.
A breath.
Then—
"Allison," Lydia said quietly.
"Two houses down," Allison's voice came through. "White house. Basement. Kate's still there."
Hope didn't thank her.
But she didn't hang up either.
"Don't move," Hope said coldly. "We're coming."
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They found Allison exactly where she said.
Leaning against a blue toyota camry .
Alone.
The second Hope saw her—
She snapped.
Hope surged forward, grabbed her shirt collar, and slammed Allison back against the car.
"What did you do?" Hope snarled.
Allison winced but didn't fight back.
"I was trying to fix it—"
"YOU KIDNAPPED HER!" Hope roared.
The air seemed to crack.
"I didn't know—" Allison started.
Hope's hand fisted in her jacket.
"She is my life," Hope said, voice breaking despite herself. "She's not just my girlfriend or baby momma, she's my mate. My family. My—everything."
Silence fell.
Even Klaus didn't interrupt.
Hope's eyes burned.
"And you handed her over to a monster."
Allison's voice cracked.
"I'm sorry."
Stiles scoffed quietly. "Yeah. That fixes it."
Isaac's jaw tightened. "You don't get forgiveness right now."
Lydia said nothing—but the look she gave Allison was enough.
"We move now," Elijah said.
Klaus nodded.
"Simple," he continued. "We breach. We isolate. We eliminate resistance."
Kol smirked darkly.
"Oh no," he said. "We don't eliminate them quickly."
His eyes gleamed.
"We make them suffer."
Hope didn't argue.
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Allison's POV
The house felt wrong.
Too quiet.
Every step creaked louder than it should.
Her heart pounded.
"Kate?" she called.
No answer.
She moved toward the basement.
Each step heavier than the last.
Then she saw her.
Nova.
Allison's breath left her.
Nova hung limp in the chair.
Unconscious.
Her shirt torn open down the middle.
Bruises—dark purple and black—covered her body.
Blood stained her skin.
A car battery sat nearby.
Jumper cables still attached.
And her neck—
Marks.
Dark, bruised impressions scattered along her neck.
Hickeys.
Fresh.
Angry.
Deliberate.
Not from affection—never that.
From possession.
From control.
From Kate marking her like she had any right to touch her.
Allison's stomach twisted violently at the sight.
Allison's hands clenched.
Rage burned hot and sharp.
Kate.
That—
That pissed her off more than anything else.
She rushed forward, hands shaking as she started undoing the wolfsbane chains.
"Nova... come on... please..."
Nova stirred weakly.
A soft, broken sound escaped her.
"...Hope..."
Allison's chest tightened painfully.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't know—"
Footsteps.
Scott.
Kate.
"You were right," Scott said. "She'd try to save her."
Allison moved instantly.
The crossbow fired.
The arrow slammed into Scott.
Wolfsbane.
He dropped with a pained gasp.
Kate lunged.
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Hope's POV
The front door exploded inward.
Wood splintered.
Chaos followed.
The pack surged in.
The Mikaelsons moved faster than sight.
War.
Hope didn't hesitate.
She went straight for Kate.
They hit each other like a collision of storms.
The impact cracked through the room—Hope's shoulder slamming into Kate's chest, driving her back into the wall hard enough to rattle the studs.
Kate recovered fast—too fast—grinning as she twisted, bringing an elbow up that Hope barely caught on her forearm.
"Good," Kate purred, circling, predatory. "There it is."
Hope didn't answer—she lunged.
Claws flashed—gold eyes blazing—as she raked across Kate's side. Fabric tore. Skin followed.
Kate hissed,eyes glowing green then laughed.
Actually laughed.
"Oh, I see it now," Kate said, wiping blood from her lip and tasting it, eyes gleaming with something sick and thrilled. "I understand why you and Allison like her so much."
She tilted her head toward Nova—broken, bleeding—like she was admiring something.
"She's... delicious."
Kate slowly dragged her tongue across her lip.
Hope snapped.
She moved faster—grabbing Kate by the throat and slamming her into the wall again, harder this time. Plaster cracked.
"Don't say another word about her," Hope growled, voice dropping into something inhuman.
Kate's smile only widened even as her back hit the wall.
"Or what?" she taunted, eyes bright. "You'll kill me?"
Hope's grip tightened.
"I'll do worse."
Kate twisted suddenly—knee driving up toward Hope's ribs. Hope blocked it, but the force knocked her off balance just enough for Kate to slip free.
They circled again.
Fists now—brutal, fast.
Hope drove one into Kate's jaw—felt the crack—watched her head snap to the side.
Kate staggered—then laughed again, spitting blood.
"Come on, Mikaelson," she said, breathless but thrilled. "Show me what you've really got."
Hope didn't hold back anymore.
She surged forward, a blur of motion—slamming Kate across the room, driving her through a table that splintered beneath them.
Every hit now fueled by something deeper than anger.
Fear.
Rage.
The bond screaming in her chest.
Nova.
Every strike was a promise.
Every blow a vow.
She would reach her.
No matter what stood in her way.
Across the room—
Derek, Stiles, and Isaac dragged Scott away.
Scott struggled at first, breath ragged from the wolfsbane burning through his system, but Derek didn't loosen his grip.
Not even a little.
Derek slammed him hard against the nearest wall, the impact echoing through the room.
"You think this is something you walk away from?" Derek snarled, eyes glowing, voice shaking with fury that ran deeper than the moment—deeper than the fight.
This wasn't just about Nova being taken.
This was betrayal.
Scott had been part of his pack.
Someone he trusted.
And now—
He'd helped hurt his baby sister.
"You stabbed her," Derek said, voice dropping, more dangerous for how quiet it became. "You looked her in the eyes and did it."
Scott winced, trying to push back, but Isaac drove a fist into his stomach—right where the wolfsbane burned hottest.
Scott doubled over with a choked gasp.
"That's for Nova," Isaac said, jaw tight.
Stiles didn't hesitate either—his punch snapping Scott's head to the side.
"And that's for being a complete asshole," Stiles added, breathing hard.
Scott staggered, barely staying upright as Derek grabbed him again and slammed him back into the wall.
"After everything," Derek continued, fury building, "after everything we went through—you choose this?"
Scott didn't answer.
Maybe he couldn't.
Maybe he didn't have one.
Derek's grip tightened for a second longer—like he was deciding just how far to take it.
Then he shoved Scott down to the ground instead.
Hard.
"Stay down," Derek warned, voice lethal. "Because if you get back up, I won't stop next time."
"You're not walking out of this," Derek snarled, hauling him up.
Stiles punched him hard across the face. "That's for Nova."
Isaac added another hit. "That's for all of us."
Scott gasped, his body trembling—not just from the hits, but from something deeper.
His eyes flashed.
Red.
Bright.
True Alpha.
For a split second, it was there—the power, the identity he had built himself on.
Then it flickered.
Unstable.
Cracking.
"No—" Scott choked, panic rising as he felt it slipping.
The red bled out—
Fading into amber gold.
Then shifting again.
Colder.
Hollow.
Steel blue.
The air seemed to still.
Derek saw it.
And something in his expression went from fury—
to something darker.
Final.
"You lost it," Derek said quietly.
Not shocked.
Not surprised.
Just... certain.
Scott stared at him, breathing hard, confusion and fear flooding his face.
"What—what did you do?" Scott asked, voice shaking.
Derek stepped closer, crouching slightly so they were eye level.
"I didn't do anything," Derek said coldly. "You did."
Scott's breathing hitched.
The truth settling in.
Heavy.
Permanent.
He hadn't just hurt Nova.
He hadn't just betrayed them.
He had lost what made him who he was.
And there was no getting it back.
The girls rushed Nova.
"Oh my god..." Lydia whispered, voice breaking.
Malia crouched beside her, eyes wild. "Nova, hey—hey, stay with us."
Klaus was already there.
One look at Nova—
And something inside him snapped.
His eyes darkened.
His jaw clenched.
His future daughter-in-law—
Broken.
Bleeding.
"Enough," Klaus growled.
He grabbed the chains and ripped them apart like they were nothing.
Metal snapped.
Nova cried out weakly, her body jerking from the sudden movement.
"Elijah," Klaus said sharply.
Elijah was beside him instantly.
His eyes took in everything—
The wounds.
The blade still lodged in her stomach.
"Don't remove it," Elijah said quickly. "Not yet. It could be the only thing stopping her from bleeding out."
Hope's world narrowed.
Kate.
Nova.
Nothing else.
She slammed Kate into the wall.
Hard.
Kate laughed.
Still enjoying it.
Kate's grin widened—then her posture changed.
A ripple moved through her frame, subtle at first, then unmistakable. Bones shifted with a series of low, sickening cracks. Her shoulders rolled forward, spine arching as muscle coiled tighter beneath her skin. Her eyes flared—glowing a vivid, predatory green—as her pupils narrowed to slits.
"Let's make this interesting," she purred.
Fur broke through along her arms and neck in streaks of dark gold and black rosettes. Claws lengthened, curving into hooked talons. Her jaw flexed, teeth sharpening as her smile stretched into something feral.
In a blink, she was no longer just human.
A werejaguar stood where Kate had been—sleek, powerful, and utterly at ease in the violence.
She rolled her shoulders, testing the new form, then focused back on Hope—eyes gleaming with cruel delight.
"Come on, Mikaelson," she growled, voice layered with a low, animal rasp. "Let's see if you bleed as pretty as she does."
Hope didn't answer—she moved.
Faster than before.
She met the charge head-on, claws up, intercepting Kate's first swipe with a brutal forearm block that rang bone against bone. The impact skidded Hope back a step—Kate followed, relentless—another slash, lower, faster.
Hope twisted, but not fully—claws raked across her side, tearing fabric and drawing a thin line of blood.
Kate's eyes lit up.
"There it is," she purred.
Hope snarled and answered with force—driving forward, shoulder into Kate's sternum, then a vicious hook to the jaw. The hit snapped Kate's head back, but the werejaguar only laughed—lunging in close, trying to rake down Hope's chest.
Hope caught the wrist—crushed down—then slammed her knee into Kate's midsection. Once. Twice. A third time for good measure—each strike driving the air out of Kate's lungs.
They broke apart for a breath—only a breath—then collided again.
Kate feinted left, then came right—claws flashing for Hope's throat. Hope ducked under, pivoted, and drove an elbow into Kate's spine. The crack echoed. Kate staggered—then twisted, tailing a backhand that clipped Hope across the cheek, snapping her head to the side.
Hope tasted blood.
Smiled.
"Good," Kate breathed, circling. "I like it when they fight back."
Hope's answer was a blur—she surged forward, grabbed Kate by the fur at the shoulder and hip, and threw her—hard—through a side table into the far wall. Wood shattered. Plaster burst outward in a cloud.
Kate hit, slid—then pushed off the wall and came right back, faster, lower—tackling Hope around the waist. They crashed into a support beam, the whole structure shuddering.
Claws scraped. Hands grappled. Teeth bared inches from skin.
Kate snapped for Hope's shoulder—Hope jammed her forearm between, taking the bite on muscle instead of bone, then hammered a fist into Kate's temple. Once. Twice. Again—until Kate released with a hiss.
Hope ripped free, dragging Kate with her and slamming her face-first into the concrete floor. The impact boomed. Kate snarled, rolling, trying to rake Hope's legs out—Hope jumped it, came down with a heel to Kate's ribs—hard enough to make something give.
Kate only laughed, breathless and feral.
"You're stronger than I thought," she said, pushing up, blood slicking her lip. "No wonder she chose you."
Hope's eyes flared brighter—gold bleeding molten.
"Don't—talk—about—her," Hope bit out, each word punctuated by another strike—body, jaw, throat—driving Kate back step by step.
Kate answered in kind—one claw catching Hope's arm, another grazing her flank—pain flaring, sharp and hot.
They locked again—foreheads nearly touching, breath harsh, power coiled—then broke with simultaneous blows that sent both of them staggering in opposite directions.
For a split second—
Stillness.
Then they moved again.
Faster.
Harder.
Wilder.
Hope ducked a swipe, stepped inside, and drove Kate backward with a barrage—three, four, five hits in rapid succession—ending with a palm strike that slammed Kate into the wall so hard it spiderwebbed.
Kate sagged—then surged forward with a snarl, tackling Hope again—
—and that's when Kol appeared in a blur.
Kol appeared beside them in a blur.
Grinning.
"Enough," Kol said, voice edged with delight and menace. "Step aside, love—this one's mine."
He grabbed Kate and yanked her away from Hope.
"Go," Kol added, eyes gleaming. "Be the loving girlfriend. I'll handle the psycho."
Hope didn't hesitate.
She nodded once.
And turned.
Running straight to Nova.
Her mate.
Her heart.
Her everything.
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Hope dropped to her knees beside Nova so fast it was almost a fall.
"Hey—hey—hey, I've got you," she said immediately, her voice breaking despite everything.
Her hands hovered for a second—afraid to touch, afraid to hurt her more—before finally settling gently against Nova's face.
Careful.
Reverent.
Nova's skin was cold.
Too cold.
Hope's chest tightened painfully.
"Nova... baby... I'm here," she whispered, leaning closer, her forehead almost touching hers.
The bond flared.
Stronger now.
Not fully whole—
But enough.
Enough that Hope felt it.
The pain.
The exhaustion.
But also—
Recognition.
Nova stirred weakly under her touch.
A soft, broken sound escaped her.
"...Hope...?"
Hope's breath hitched.
"I'm here," she repeated, more firmly this time, her voice shaking with relief and fury and something dangerously close to tears. "I've got you. You're okay. You're okay."
Her thumb brushed carefully along Nova's cheek, avoiding bruises, avoiding blood.
"They hurt you," Hope said softly, her voice dropping into something trembling and lethal all at once.
The bond pulsed again.
This time—
Nova felt it too.
Hope's anger.
Her love.
Her promise.
"I'm going to fix this," Hope whispered, pressing her forehead gently to Nova's. "I swear to you... I'm going to fix this."
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