The Long Lost Tribrid

17. He knows

Hoep's Pov:

As Emily led me out of the arena, my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. The pain from my injuries was nothing compared to the turmoil inside me. Ryan's words echoed in my head: "I know who you are, Mikaelson." How could he possibly know? And what did this mean for our safety?

We made our way through the winding corridors of the pack house, Emily's arm supporting me as we walked. The silence between us was thick with tension, and I could feel the anger radiating off my sister in waves.

"We need to talk," Emily said tersely as we approached my room. "This is serious, Hope."

I nodded, too exhausted and overwhelmed to argue. As we reached my door, I pushed it open, not bothering to knock. It was only when we stepped inside that I realized my mistake.

Josie and Lizzie were there, sitting on my bed, engrossed in conversation. They looked up as we entered, their eyes widening at the sight of my battered state.

"Hope!" Josie exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "What happened?"

But before I could answer, Emily closed the door behind us with a resounding thud. "What the hell were you thinking?" she hissed at me, ignoring our unexpected audience.

I felt a flare of anger at her tone. "What was I thinking? I was thinking I was following orders, doing what was expected of me!"

"Following orders?" Emily scoffed. "That fight went way too far, Hope. Ryan could have killed you!"

I saw Josie and Lizzie exchange worried glances, but I was too focused on Emily to care. "I had it under control," I insisted, even though we both knew it was a lie.

"Under control?" Emily's voice rose. "He had his claws in you! And worse, he knows who you are. Who we are."

I felt the blood drain from my face. "How do you know that?"

"I heard him," Emily said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Vampire hearing, remember? He called you Mikaelson."

The room fell silent. I could feel Josie and Lizzie's eyes on us, confusion and concern evident on their faces. But I couldn't focus on them right now. The gravity of the situation was hitting me full force.

"This is bad, Hope," Emily continued. "If Ryan knows, who else does? We came here to escape our parents, to hide from their legacy. If word gets out about who we really are..."

"I know!" I snapped, my frustration boiling over. "Don't you think I know how serious this is? But what was I supposed to do? Forfeit the fight? Show weakness?"

Emily's eyes flashed dangerously. "Sometimes, showing weakness is better than exposing everything we've worked so hard to hide. Mom and Dad-"

"Don't!" I cut her off. "Don't you dare bring them into this. They're the reason we're in this mess in the first place."

I saw a flicker of pain cross Emily's face at the mention of our parents. The King and Queen of a distant island, feared and reviled for their cruelty and tyranny. We had fled to escape their shadow, to forge our own path. And now, it seemed, that shadow had found us once again.

"We need to do damage control," Emily said, pacing the room. "Find out how much Ryan knows, who he's told-"

"And then what?" I interrupted. "Threaten him? Bribe him? You know as well as I do that once a secret like this gets out, there's no containing it."

Emily whirled on me, her eyes flashing with anger. "Then what do you suggest, Hope? We just sit back and watch as everything we've built here crumbles around us?"