Bloody Symphony | Elijah Mikaelson

Chapter 9

Jackson withheld some important information.

"Look at this," said Hayley, showing her a page marked 'UNIFICATION CEREMONY.' "Did you know about this?"

"Uh, I do recall Ansel telling Jackson about it in detail," said Natanya. "We've known about this since we were kids."

Hayley shot to her feet as Jackson came back around, holding an axe. "You wanna stop playing mountain man and explain why you kept this from me?" She started to read off of the page, "'The werewolves' power can be traced back to the myth of the Unification Ceremony, a ritual that bestowed certain unique abilities onto every member of the Pack.' Do you believe this?"

Jackson sighed. "I didn't at first. And then Ansel swore he saw it with his own eyes. And then he dies, and I found out he was resurrected from a thousand years ago, which means he was alive to see it!"

"How did I not know about this?" said Hayley in disbelief.

"You didn't grow up out here," he said. "At least in this Pack, every kid grows up hearing the stories. Back in the day, werewolf bloodlines were all distinct, right? Some had speed, some had strength, some could sense enemies from miles away. Now, to evolve, we would perform a ritual. A shaman would marry the alphas of each bloodline, and then the special abilities of each would be... inherited, mystically, by everyone who participated in the ritual. See, after a few centuries, everybody had the same abilities, so alpha marriages became political. They became about... power, about territory."

Hayley internalized it. "But I have a unique ability. Because I'm a hybrid, I can control when I change! So, if this mystical marriage thing works, then— then our people get my power, and they can ditch the rings! Which means Esther no longer has a hold over them!"

"Hayley, you're not stopping to think about the implications," said Jackson. "We'd have to honor the vows, or else, it ain't gonna work. It's gotta be a real marriage for the rest of our lives. There's no divorce with these things. Are you up for that?"

The hybrid nodded. "Yes, I am. We were supposed to get married anyway, weren't we?"

"That was when we were kids, Hayley. Everything's changed. I don't want you to feel like you owe me this, or like you owe it to our parents. You don't have to do this just because of something they decided on two decades ago."

"Tell me the truth, Jackson," prompted Hayley. "Would you be okay with doing this?"

He sighed. "You know I would, Hayley, I've been waiting for you for years. I've always wanted to know you, to meet you, to eventually marry you, not out of obligation, but because I've loved you all my life. But—"

"I want to do it," said Hayley. "I want to unify our Pack. If we don't do this, we don't have a chance. The only other way this could work would be if Natanya married me or Klaus, which I know you don't want to happen."

Natanya watched as Hayley walked up to Jackson, taking his hands. "I like you, a lot," said Hayley sincerely. "You never once made me feel like a monster even once you found out about me being a hybrid. I know I can be happy with you."

Jackson looked at his sister, who beamed at him, and nodded, encouraging to accept. "Alright," he said quietly. "We'll announce it at the meeting tonight. Tanya's our witness."

"Great!" said Hayley, looking pleased with the outcome. "I'm going to go spread word to as many wolves out in the Quarter as possible. You two, take care of the ones here."

As soon as she was gone, Natanya nudged Jackson and giggled. "Soon to be a married man," she cooed. "You're gonna have a little plaque that reads 'Mr. and Mrs. Kenner.'"