STOLEN | THE ORIGINALS

2.1 | Welcome Home

[ Chapter Sixteen ]

RAYLYNN MONTGOMERY'S life had been hard. Harder than most. After she witnessed the murder of her parents at eleven years old, her world went into a downward spiral. There was no way to stop it. No way to slow it down.

Raylynn laid awake at night and thought of them. Not her parents, but the family stripped away from her. A little over five years ago, they were taken from her. From her best friend and sister, Hayley Marshall. But most importantly, from their two children. Ryan and Hope.

They were deprived of the large, loving family that sacrificed so much for them to even be alive. Along with a father who did everything for them.

Raylynn could not help but think of them. How were they in Freya's Chambre de Chasse? Were they okay? Were they lonely? Were they angry with how their lives turned out?

But especially, she thought of the fate of Klaus Mikaelson.

Over the years, Raylynn thought about the prospect of going back to New Orleans. Take on Marcel to save the man she loved. But, she couldn't. She could not leave Ryan. He needed her, and Raylynn was not about to abandon him for a suicide mission. She loved him too much.

At just five years old, Ryan became the spitting image of his father. With his slightly curled, dirty blonde hair and his gorgeous blue eyes, he could not look more like Klaus. Although, his button nose and rosy cheeks certainly came from his mother.

Raylynn leaned against the doorframe that lead to Ryan's bedroom. The little boy sat on the roadmap rug splayed across the hardwood floor and pushed a few toy cars over the dyed fabric. A fake motor sound escaped his lips as he played without a care in the world.

Since Raylynn and Hayley bought a large home deep in the wilderness of Eastern Texas, their lives had been quite peaceful. No neighbors for miles. The perfect place to raise two magically gifted children. It was not easy, not by a long shot, but it became their life.

One where they did not have to go on the run.

Vampires and witches around the world had been searching for them since the day they fled New Orleans. The day of the Mikaelsons' fall. Raylynn and Hayley posed a threat to the supernatural worlds newfound independence. That was what they called it now. Their lives without the Originals.

So far, they remained in the shadows. They did not venture far from home, and they only left for groceries or when a new lead popped up about the seven original werewolf packs.

In the first few years, Raylynn and Hayley searched the better half of the Southern United States for the hidden wolves. They asked them for their venom in exchange for silence about their whereabouts. The task became difficult over time when others caught on to their plan, but they did not stop. Six out of seven were discovered. One more and they would have everything they needed to wake the Mikaelsons.