"Well, now that we're all here," Klaus began confidently, looking around the table, "the entire Guerrera army has been destroyed. Only the leaders are left."
He paused before adding honestly,
"And thanks to Nik, my curse has been removed."
That immediately drew a few glances toward the young man sitting comfortably between Caroline and Amara.
"So," Klaus continued, "I'd like to hear everyone's opinion. What do we do now?"
Nik shrugged.
"The Guerreras were never the real problem."
Several people looked at him.
"The real issue is leadership. The werewolves had none. Then a well-organized group showed up, and suddenly multiple packs decided to unite behind them."
His eyes shifted toward Elara.
"And judging by the look on your face, someone may have already solved that problem for us. Isn't that right, Lady Noble?"
Elara sighed.
"When my people arrived, all we found were bodies."
The room became quieter.
"Every single Guerrera warrior was dead."
Marcel frowned.
"What?"
Elara continued.
"I couldn't find Francesca's body. She may be dead as well, but I can't confirm it."
"Noble?" Marcel repeated. "What noble? And what do you mean the werewolf leaders are dead?"
Nik immediately smirked.
"Oh, right. I forgot."
The sarcasm was obvious.
"Brother, allow me to introduce the Vampire Nobility."
Marcel blinked.
"The what?"
"The people responsible for cleaning up idiot vampires whenever they cause enough problems."
Nik casually pointed at Elara.
"She actually came here planning to remove your head from your shoulders."
Marcel froze.
Then slowly turned toward Klaus.
Klaus simply raised both hands.
"I negotiated."
"You WHAT?"
"To be fair," Klaus replied, "I had only learned they existed a week ago."
That wasn't nearly as comforting as he thought it was.
Elara rubbed her temple.
"Anyway, I believe I know who was responsible for the massacre."
Immediately, everyone's attention shifted back to her.
"During the battle," she said, "an Alpha was watching."
Hayley's eyes widened.
Elijah's expression immediately hardened.
Nik noticed both reactions and grinned.
"Oh?"
He looked directly at Hayley.
"Do you think our little wolf caught his attention?"
Hayley instantly looked down.
The idea clearly bothered her.
Before she could respond, Nik casually placed a hand on top of her head.
"Relax, Wolfie."
His tone softened slightly.
"It's not your fault."
Hayley visibly relaxed.
Elara shook her head.
"No. I don't think he came because of her."
Nik tilted his head.
"So not one of the modern Alphas?"
"No."
A moment later, Nik's eyes narrowed.
"The General?"
Elara paused.
Then nodded slowly.
"It could be."
She looked at him suspiciously.
"I'm actually surprised you know who that is."
Nik groaned dramatically.
"My mother complains about him constantly."
Several people immediately turned toward him.
Nik continued as if discussing the weather.
"The idiot killed a minor god once."
Elara nearly choked on her drink.
Of course he had.
Why was she even surprised anymore?
Klaus frowned.
"Who exactly is this General?"
Elara placed her glass down.
"An Alpha."
The simple answer immediately irritated Klaus.
"Thank you. Very helpful."
"A very old Alpha," she corrected.
One who appeared near the end of the Vampire-Werewolf War."
Her expression darkened.
"When the werewolves had already lost."
Silence filled the room.
"And yet," she continued, "he was powerful enough to force the Nobility to sit down and sign a peace treaty."
That got everyone's attention.
Even Elijah looked intrigued.
"Powerful enough to force the Nobility?"
"Yes."
"How old is this man?" Elijah asked.
"The war was over four hundred years ago."
"Alphas live longer than normal werewolves."
Elara folded her arms.
"Between three hundred and six hundred years."
The room immediately exploded.
"WHAT?" Marcel shouted.
Everyone ignored him.
"What do you mean six hundred years?" Rebekah asked.
"What exactly is an Alpha?" Marcel demanded again.
Nik sighed.
"Wolfie."
Hayley immediately knew what he wanted.
"Really?"
"Really."
She rolled her eyes.
Then her eyes flashed crimson.
Sharp claws emerged from her fingers.
Marcel nearly fell out of his chair.
"What the hell?!"
His eyes were glued to Hayley.
"She transformed without a moonlight ring!"
Nik pointed at her.
"Exactly."
Then he leaned back.
"That's an Alpha."
"Now, Lady Noble..."
He gestured toward Elara.
"Please continue."
Elara nodded.
"As I was saying, that's only the most visible part."
Marcel was still staring at Hayley's claws.
Then he looked back at Elara.
"So there are more of them?"
"Yes."
"How many?"
Elara shrugged.
"Hundreds."
A pause.
"Possibly thousands."
The entire table went silent.
Marcel blinked.
"Thousands?"
"Potentially."
"And they're just... out there?"
"Most of them stay hidden."
"Why?" Rebekah asked.
The answer came immediately.
"Because dealing with ordinary werewolves isn't worth the trouble."
The bluntness of her response caught everyone off guard.
Including Hayley.
Who immediately nodded.
"She's right."
Several heads turned toward her.
Hayley shrugged.
"Werewolves are a nightmare."
"Territorial."
"Stubborn."
"Aggressive."
"They'll start a fight over absolutely anything."
Nik smiled proudly.
"I'm so proud."
"Shut up."
"No."
Caroline laughed.
Amara shook her head.
Elijah simply sighed.
Some things never changed.
Klaus leaned forward.
"So most Alphas abandon their packs?"
"Most of them do."
Elara took a sip of wine.
"Some stay involved."
"Some help from a distance."
"But most don't care."
"No responsibility."
"No politics."
"No endless pack drama."
Marcel frowned.
"Then why was this General different?"
Elara's expression changed slightly.
"Because he cared."
"About the packs?"
"No."
The correction came immediately.
"About the species."
The room quieted.
"He wasn't interested in territory."
"He wasn't interested in status."
"He wasn't interested in one specific pack."
"He cared about werewolves as a whole."
Hayley frowned.
"That actually sounds weird."
"Exactly."
Elara pointed at her.
"That's why everyone remembers him."
"And why most other Alphas avoided him."
Kol suddenly laughed.
"So he's basically the werewolf version of Elijah."
The room fell silent.
Elijah slowly turned toward him.
Kol kept smiling.
Rebekah looked away to hide a laugh.
Even Klaus seemed amused.
Elijah pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I hate how much sense that makes."
"See?" Kol said proudly.
Elara ignored them.
"There's another difference."
Klaus narrowed his eyes.
"What difference?"
Elara hesitated.
For the first time during the entire conversation.
Even Nik looked interested.
"Oh."
His voice carried immediate recognition.
"That one."
"Yes."
Marcel pointed at both of them.
"I don't like when you two do that."
Neither acknowledged him.
Elara finally spoke.
"Alphas can create monsters."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Even Kol froze.
"What?"
Rebekah blinked.
"Excuse me?"
Marcel looked offended.
"No."
Elara calmly folded her hands.
"Yes."
Klaus stared at her.
"No."
"Yes."
"Elara."
"Klaus."
"Explain."
She sighed.
"Alpha bites can transform humans."
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Marcel blinked.
Thierry blinked.
Joshua blinked.
Klaus stared.
Elijah stared.
Kol stared.
The silence became almost painful.
Then Rebekah finally spoke.
"You're serious."
"Completely."
Elara nodded.
"Entire supernatural species were created this way."
The room exploded.
"WHAT?!"
"Species?!"
"Entire species?!"
Nik rubbed his temple.
"This is why I didn't explain it."
Marcel pointed at him.
"THIS IS EXACTLY WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE EXPLAINED IT!"
"I had murder trees to explain first."
Caroline nodded.
"Fair."
"No!"
Marcel shouted.
"That's not fair!"
Kol was laughing so hard he nearly spilled his drink.
"I really like him."
"You enjoy other people's suffering."
"I do."
Elara continued before the conversation derailed completely.
"And that's not even the most important part."
The room immediately quieted again.
"Of course it isn't," Elijah muttered.
"When an Alpha creates a species..."
She paused.
The tension rose.
"The Alpha changes too."
That got everyone's attention.
Klaus frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"They inherit traits."
"Traits?"
"From the species they create."
Silence.
Again.
Longer this time.
Rebekah stared.
"That's ridiculous."
"Yes."
Marcel stared.
"That's impossible."
"That's what I said," Hayley admitted.
"And now?"
Hayley shrugged.
"Now I just accept that Alphas are weird."
Kol leaned forward.
"So theoretically..."
His eyes gleamed.
"An Alpha who's lived for centuries could accumulate abilities from multiple species?"
"Yes."
Elara didn't hesitate.
"And some have."
Nobody spoke.
Not immediately.
Because suddenly the idea of a five-hundred-year-old Alpha became much more disturbing.
Not because of age.
Not because of experience.
But because nobody knew what that Alpha had become after centuries of evolution.
Elijah finally broke the silence.
"And yet the General chose to focus on werewolves."
"Yes."
Elara nodded.
"Which is why I find it strange that it was him."
Klaus frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Because he's old."
The word felt strange.
Old.
When discussing a creature that had survived more than five centuries.
"Very old."
Elara swirled her wine.
"Most Alphas never make it to six hundred."
"Conflicts."
"Assassinations."
"Other Alphas."
"Ambitious werewolves."
"They usually die long before that."
Hayley nodded.
That part she understood perfectly.
"And the General?" Elijah asked.
"Over five hundred."
The room became quiet again.
"So he's nearing the end."
"Yes."
"If he's even alive."
That changed everything.
Elijah leaned back.
"So there's a real possibility it wasn't him."
"Absolutely."
Elara nodded.
"He could be dead."
"He could be retired."
"He could be living somewhere isolated, waiting for death."
Nik nodded.
"That sounds like him."
"Exactly."
"The man spent centuries solving everyone else's problems."
She took another sip.
"At some point even he would get tired."
Marcel visibly relaxed.
"Oh thank God."
Elara immediately crushed that relief.
"I'm not saying it wasn't him."
Marcel groaned.
Kol laughed.
"I really do like him."
"Shocking."
Then Rebekah spoke up.
"These monsters."
Everyone looked toward her.
"How powerful are they?"
Elara waved a hand.
"Most people overestimate them."
Klaus frowned.
"Meaning?"
"The strongest among them usually reach Marcel's level."
Marcel pointed at himself.
"Why am I a unit of measurement?"
"Convenience."
"I hate this family."
"You're not family," Kol reminded him.
"That somehow makes it worse."
Elara continued.
"The monsters aren't usually the threat."
"The Alpha is."
"Always the Alpha."
Elijah leaned forward.
"What kind of monsters are most common?"
Elara answered instantly.
"Lycans."
Nik immediately recognized the term.
Hayley did too.
Nobody else did.
Marcel frowned.
"What's a Lycan?"
"A copy."
"A copy of what?"
"A werewolf."
Silence.
Again.
Klaus blinked.
"Fake werewolves?"
"Basically."
"They possess similar instincts."
"Similar senses."
"Similar transformations."
"Similar strength."
She paused.
"And sometimes..."
Hayley's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"They can develop Alpha abilities."
The room froze again.
"Seriously?" Hayley asked.
"Rarely."
"But yes."
Elijah frowned.
"Can they steal Alpha power too?"
"Yes."
Elara nodded.
"Because they're close enough to true werewolves."
Marcel rubbed his forehead.
"This conversation gets worse every five minutes."
"You haven't heard the best part yet," Kol said.
"I don't want to."
"Too bad."
Elara ignored them.
"Lycans have one major flaw."
"What flaw?"
"They're dependent."
"Dependent?"
"On the Alpha that created them."
The room quieted.
"They become attached."
"Far more attached than vampires."
"Far more attached than hybrids."
"Far more attached than ordinary werewolves."
Understanding immediately appeared on Klaus's face.
"So they never replaced werewolves."
"Exactly."
"They depend too much on the Alpha."
Hayley crossed her arms.
"That makes sense."
"And the other species?" Rebekah asked.
"Rare."
"Very rare."
"Why?"
Elara smiled.
"Because creating a Lycan is easy."
"Creating something new isn't."
Now even Nik looked interested.
"Go on."
"The result depends on the human."
Marcel blinked.
"What?"
"Their personality."
"Their fears."
"Their instincts."
"Their desires."
"Everything matters."
The room went silent.
"So two people bitten by the same Alpha..."
Elijah began.
"...could become completely different things?"
"Exactly."
Elara nodded.
"Most humans are ordinary."
"So most become Lycans."
"But every now and then..."
She slowly swirled her wine.
"An Alpha finds someone unusual."
"And then?" Klaus asked.
"Then a new species is born."
Silence returned once more.
For the first time, the Originals truly understood.
Alphas weren't just powerful werewolves.
They were creators.
Architects of entire species.
And somewhere out there, perhaps still alive...
A five-hundred-year-old Alpha known only as the General had spent centuries shaping the supernatural world in ways even the Mikaelsons had never imagined.