Nightfall had come soon enough and Klaus, Marcel, and Ophelia all sat together on the couches, talking about the problem at hand, "The wolves have the numbers," Marcel informed Klaus, "Back in 1925, the Guerrera pack was maybe one hundred. Ophelia and I went guerrilla warfare on their asses, and wiped them out over a four-day fight." He explained as he and Klaus played a game of go on the gameboard in front of them.

"But we're not just talking about Guerreras now, guys. Remember that," Ophelia spoke up, leaning forward to take Klaus' turn on the game, "They've been having wolves coming in from packs all over the country."

Klaus sighed, sitting back up from leaning back in his chair, "Well, we don't need to hit them all," He replied, picking up his glass of scotch, "Just the twelve with the rings that take us out every full moon."

"You wanna find twelve rings," Marcel repeated after Klaus, "Go out, chop off the hand of every wold you find until you get what you want. Come on, you taught me that. The two of you and Elijah are stalling. Why?"

Klaus and Ophelia remained silent for a long moment, sharing a glance with each other. Klaus took his turn on the board and Marcel leaned forward in his seat, "Because it's possible they're in possession of something very dangerous to us. Well, Elijah and I, not Ophelia," He informed Marcel, who immediately caught on when Klaus excluded Ophelia from it.

"They have the stake that can kill you," Marcel told Klaus, coming to a realization.

"It went missing the night I lost my child," Klaus informed Marcel quietly, "So...it's in play. The thought of that makes me very nervous...especially on nights like tonight."

Ophelia let out a large sigh, turning her head to glance through the window to see the full moon. She could already feel herself becoming weaker, even if the sun had just set only an hour before.

"Why would you tell me that?" Marcel questioned Klaus, confused as to why he had told him the information in the first place.

"Depends," Klaus began to reply, "Do you have it?"

"Of course, he doesn't, Klaus," Ophelia answered for Marcel, "That kind of weapon does him no good. If you die, he dies." She paused, turning to glance at Marcel, who nodded his head in agreement.

"Don't forget about every vampire he and I have ever sired," Marcel reminded Ophelia.

Klaus inhaled sharply, "Well, then..." He trailed off for dramatic pause, "Perhaps you'd like to help me get it back. We attack the wolves tonight when the moon hits its apex. They won't expect it when I'm weak."

"Hey," A familiar voice spoke up, causing Ophelia to turn her head to see Joe, an old friend of her and Marcel's, "Bad news or good news?"

Ophelia chuckled, both her and Marcel standing up, "Klaus, this is Joe. Joe, this is Klaus," She introduced Klaus to the man Marcel had turned way back when.

Ophelia rushed over to Joe, hugging him. Joe smiled, hugging Ophelia back.

"Now, you wanna talk Guerras, nobody fought harder back in 1925 than Joe here," Marcel added in, walking over to Joe also as the younger vampire handed him a record, "Fought so hard he retired into retail. Been keeping the peace ever since, living right under their noses."

"Yeah, well, good news is young order came in this morning," Joe informed Marcel as he took a seat beside Ophelia on the couch she went back to sit on, "Bad news, I got made. Your friend Davina saved my ass, but what's done is done."

Ophelia smiled at the mention of Davina and took a sip of her drink.

"So pour me a drink, play me a song, because it's going to be my last," Joe continued on.

"Joe," Ophelia scolded him as Marcel got the man a drink, "Now don't be dramatic. Just head out of town until things blow over."

Marcel walked over to Joe and handed him a glass of bourbon, "No way, Ophelia," Joe argued, "I don't run from Guerreras."

"If you don't leave, you won't have to," Marcel informed him, "They'll sniff you out in a day."

Ophelia turned her head to see that Klaus' eyes were fixed on Joe. She wondered what was going on in his head. She knew one thing though, he was clearly making up some sort of plan.

"Let them come hunt me down," Joe replied, "Because I've had a good ride."

Klaus smirked, leaning forward in his seat, "How would you like to get back in the fight...Joe?" He questioned the younger vampires.

Marcel and Ophelia shared a glance with each other before glancing between Klaus and Joe. Clearly interested in what Klaus had to say, Joe leaned forward in his seat also as he set his glass down on the table. He glanced between Ophelia and Marcel before turning to look directly at Klaus, "So, what do you have in mind?" He asked him curiously.

"I've been thinking about this whole thing the wrong way," Klaus told the group as he stood up from his seat, "The Guerrera pack loves to hunt. They're primal. Alphas. I gave you my reason for not making a move these past months. What, pray tell, is theirs?"

Marcel smiled slightly, standing up from leaning on the arm the couch Ophelia and Joe were sitting on, "They don't have the stake. Well then, who the hell does?"

"Well, that's a problem for tomorrow," Ophelia spoke up, "Tonight, it doesn't matter at all. Because tonight, all of us are going on a wolf hunt for some rings."

Klaus and Ophelia turned to each other, both of them grinning.

_____

In the dining room at the Compound, Klaus and Ophelia were going over the plan with Elijah, "We have the Guerreras where we want them," Klaus informed his brother, "We have them waiting and worried. And now, we know they're with no defenses against an Original."

"We don't know that for certain," Elijah argued and Ophelia was quick to respond.

"Well, Klaus and I are willing to risk that," Ophelia told Elijah, "There's a higher chance that they don't have it."

"It's too risky, Ophelia," Elijah reminded the girl, "The stake didn't just disappear, someone has it."

"One enemy at a time," Klaus responded as he went to go take a seat, "In the end, we'll slay them all."

Suddenly, Klaus began to feel affected by the stones, causing him to flinch and wince. Ophelia was standing beside Klaus and nearly fell, but Klaus quickly grabbed her by the waist, steadying her before she could fall.

She turned her head to look at him, giving him a thankful look. He let go of her and Ophelia placed her hands on the back of his chair to hold herself up on her own.

Elijah glanced between the two, worried for them both, "Tonight, we just have to plant the right seeds. And for that, we need help." Klaus continued on.

Elijah furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, wondering what his brother meant. Soon enough, Hayley joined them to go over the overall plan, "We're taking the twelve original rings. Now, four them of them sit on the hands of the Guerrera brothers. One on Oliver, one of Francesca. Three with the home security detail and the rest scattered amongst lackeys. Now, each ring is distinguishable by its setting. Guache, like those that wear them."

"If they believe they can get the stake, they will come for Ophelia and me when we're weak," Klaus continued on for Elijah, "Each ring we retrieve will strengthen us, but we will still be at a disadvantage."

"Ergo, any hope of our success depends entirely upon our working together," Elijah added in before gesturing between Klaus and Hayley, "The two of you can no longer afford to retreat to separate corners."

Klaus took a deep breath as he weakly stood up from his seat as he turned to Hayley, "This is our fight. You ready for battle, Hayley?"

"Just promise me that Francesca doesn't come out of this alive," Hayley told Klaus and Ophelia smirked.

"You needn't worry, Hayley," Ophelia spoke up, "I'll be sure that the bitch's head will be sent to you tonight on a silver platter."

"I'll deal with the last piece of the puzzle," Elijah told the three hybrids before walking off.

_____

In the study that night, Klaus and Ophelia knelt next to each other in front of the two white canvases. They were both weak, almost unable to move, "You ready?" Ophelia asked Klaus curiously, who nodded.

The duo smirked when they heard the footsteps of the wolves entering the compound. In the hallway, as Hayley removed two rings off of two wolves, Klaus and Ophelia let out a breath of relief, their strength gradually coming back.

Klaus moved forward, using all of the strength he had to pull down one of his palettes. As more rings were obtained by Marcel, Hayley, and Elijah, Ophelia was able to crawl closer to the paintbrushes, grabbing a handful of them.

Just as Klaus was about to take them from her, Ophelia pulled back, a mischevious smirk on her face. Klaus gave her questioning look and Ophelia kept on smirking, "Bring over the canvases," She ordered and Klaus immediately obeyed, still wondering what she was up to.

Once he did so, Ophelia set two paintbrushes on top of the canvases. With her vampire hearing, she could hear two werewolves approaching them after climbing up the balcony.

Klaus turned to glance at Ophelia, knowing that she was up to something. He couldn't help but smirk also as she used her magic to telekinetically lift up the brushes. She turned to face the wolves. jerking her hands forward. Just then, the paintbrushes flew across the room, one stabbing each of the wolves in the neck.

"Fantastic," Klaus complimented her and as he went to obtain some blood from the wolves, Ophelia stood up, about to leave, "Where are you going?"

Ophelia inhaled sharply, catching the scent of Oliver. She turned to face Klaus, leaning against the wall, "I have some business to handle with one of the wolves," She informed Klaus, just before using all the strength she had at that moment to rush over to where Oliver was walking through the hallway.

She appeared in front of him and Oliver's eyes widened in alarm. Ophelia growled lowly, punching Oliver in the face. She herself winced, becoming weaker. Before he could react, Ophelia grabbed him by his long hair and slammed her face against the wall. She kicked him, forcing him to get into a kneeling position, "You think you're a strong, tough guy now that you have a moonlight ring?" She sneered, "You are nothing, Oliver. Nothing. We were strong. We were apart of a pack, but you just had to ruin it when you betrayed us."

Ophelia ripped the ring off his ring, letting out a small gasp as she felt her power entering her body once more. She let go of Oliver, allowing him to turn to her, "If I see you with one of these again, I'll chop off your hand before killing you myself, got it?"

She punched Oliver once more before walking away. She entered the study to find Klaus using the blood of the wolves to paint red on his canvas, "Come join me," He encouraged her, turning to glance at Ophelia.

Ophelia smirked as she knelt in front of the second canvas in laying on the floor. Klaus handed Ophelia a paintbrush, "Go on, have at it," He told her and Ophelia seemed hesitant, suddenly becoming consumed with guilt.

"Oh, my God," She quietly said, glancing down at the two bodies of the werewolves, "What have I done? These men were apart of my pack."

"They betrayed you, Ophelia," Klaus reminded her, "They deserved to die, remember that. These men aren't the same people that you were leading just months ago. They're traitors."

Ophelia was silent for a long moment, thinking over what Klaus had said, "I hope you're right," She whispered softly before using the blood of the wolves to start painting red on her canvas.

Just then, Elijah entered and both hybrids didn't even bother to turn to him, "I'm still not at full strength," Klaus informed his brother, "Which of the rings are unaccounted for?"

"Only one," Elijah replied, "I must say, the brothers fought valiantly before Ms. Guerrera escaped."

Klaus and Ophelia stopped painting, immediately turning to face Elijah, "You let her escape?" Ophelia asked him in disbelief.

"Not exactly," Elijah answered and Ophelia thought deeply on what he meant.

Ophelia's eyes widened in realization, "Hayley," She stated and Klaus turned to look at her while Elijah nodded his head in confirmation.

_____

The following morning, Ophelia was standing on the balcony, overlooking the French Quarter when Klaus walked over to her. He stood beside her, not saying a single word, "What is it?" Ophelia asked Klaus annoyed, turning her head to look at him.

"I didn't notice it before," Klaus commented quietly, "You've been caring for everyone, but yourself. You don't need to do that anymore. You should not have done it in the first place. Now that we have defeated the Guerrera wolves, we're going to do what you've been wanting to do for months. We're going to regain control of the city. Now, we worked separately to unite those wolves just months ago. We can work together to do it again. They don't need to be our enemies." He explained and Ophelia seemed a bit confused about how he had gone from one subject to another so quickly.

She sighed, shaking her head as she decided to ignore the confusion she was consumed with at that moment, "After ambushing them, they're not going to want to be our friends, Klaus." Ophelia reminded Klaus quietly.

"You waged a just war on those who would harm my child, your descendant and a member of your family!" Klaus exclaimed, "Not only will they respect you for that, but they will also answer to you!"

"And why would they do that now, Klaus?" Ophelia questioned him confused.

Klaus smiled, placing a hand on Ophelia's back, "Because you're their queen," He told her softly, "It's time you take back your city, love. This is your city, it belongs to you. Are you going to let the witches just take it away from you? After you claim your rule over the wolves, we can get this city back with you as their queen once more."

"I'm not doing this without you," Ophelia argued, "We're taking this city back together. You, me, Hayley, Elijah...All of us."

Klaus nodded his head in understanding, "Our family," He stated and Ophelia smiled.

"Our family," She repeated after him, continuing to smile.