"Klaus… Lery is dead." Tyler entered Klaus's house in desperation, remembering that a member of his pack had died.
"Well… I didn't imagine Katherine would kill him, maybe beat him up, but not kill him… She's confident enough to challenge me," Klaus said thoughtfully. He wasn't entirely angry, especially after having a good night with the werewolf named Hayley. "Looks like I'll have to send someone stronger after her."
In other words, he was calm.
"Wait, you knew he could die?" Tyler bit his lip. "That's impossible, we're hybrids."
"And Katherine is a 600-year-old vampire. That myth that werewolves are stronger than vampires is just that… a myth." Klaus sighed, looking at Tyler. "Werewolves only reach their full potential when they trigger their curse, and vampires grow stronger with time. Lary was a weak werewolf—he only got a power boost from the vampire side, but Katherine still has 600 years on him."
"Damn it," Tyler muttered, but he couldn't argue with Klaus.
"Well… I have other things to deal with now. Take some hybrids and bring me Katherine," Klaus ordered.
"Sure," Tyler replied as he left.
--++---
The night wind cut through the streets of Mystic Falls as Tyler moved forward with the hybrids at his side. Their steps were fast, tense… no one spoke, but everyone felt it: this wasn't just a mission.
It was a hunt.
"She can't be far," one of the hybrids murmured, sniffing the air.
Tyler raised his hand, signaling them to stop.
Across the street—
Three figures walked calmly.
A familiar blonde…
A relaxed-looking man…
And an unknown woman.
Tyler narrowed his eyes.
"There…" he whispered.
Caroline was the first to notice them, her smile fading.
"Tyler…?"
Nik slowly turned his head, as if he had known they were there the whole time. His eyes scanned each hybrid… then stopped on Tyler.
A smile appeared.
"What an unexpected reunion."
Amara looked around, confused.
"What's going on?"
But Tyler kept his eyes on her.
Same build… same hair… same presence.
His jaw tightened.
"Katherine."
Caroline immediately frowned.
"Tyler, no—"
"Don't play dumb, Caroline!" he cut her off, stepping forward. "We know it's her."
Amara stepped back, clearly confused.
"I don't know what you're talking about—"
"Enough." Tyler raised his hand, and the hybrids began to surround them. "Hand her over… and nobody gets hurt."
Silence fell.
And then—
Nik started laughing.
Soft at first… but quickly growing louder, almost mocking.
"You… really think…" he said between laughs, running a hand over his face, "that I'd hand over someone under my protection… to you?"
The hybrids growled.
Tyler clenched his fists.
"Don't test my patience, Nik."
Nik's eyes darkened slightly, but his smile didn't fade.
"Funny…" he tilted his head. "I was about to say the same thing."
The first hybrid lunged.
It was a mistake.
In the blink of an eye—
Nik was already in front of him.
A sharp crack echoed.
The body dropped to the ground, lifeless.
Before anyone could react—
Another hybrid was thrown against a car with brutal force.
Metal crumpled.
A scream cut short.
Caroline pulled Amara back, protecting her, while everything happened too fast to follow.
Tyler rushed forward, trying to react—
But Nik was already among them.
Move after move.
Cold.
Precise.
Unstoppable.
One hybrid tried to attack from behind—
Nik grabbed his arm… broke it effortlessly before taking him down.
Another tried to run—
Didn't make it three steps.
In seconds—
Silence.
Bodies scattered across the pavement.
Heavy breathing.
And only Tyler… still standing.
Frozen.
His eyes were wide, trying to process what had just happened.
Nik wiped his hand as if brushing off dust.
"Disappointing…" he muttered.
Tyler swallowed hard.
"You… killed them all…"
Nik walked slowly toward him.
"No," he replied calmly. "I spared you."
He stopped right in front of him.
Close enough for Tyler to feel the danger.
"Go back to Klaus," Nik said in a low, almost casual tone. "And tell him…"
His eyes gleamed.
"That next time, he should send someone… who can actually entertain me."
Tyler didn't answer.
He couldn't.
Caroline watched, tense, while Amara remained silent, still trying to understand the chaos she had just witnessed.
Nik stepped back, as if he had already lost interest.
"And next time…" he added, glancing at Tyler, "make sure you know who you're hunting."
Tyler stood there for a few more seconds…
Then stepped back.
One step at a time.
Until he turned—
And disappeared into the darkness.
Behind him, only silence… and the bodies that marked the beginning of something much worse.
Because now—
It wasn't just a hunt anymore.
It was personal.
---++---
"Let me see if I got this straight—every hybrid I sent with you is dead?" Klaus shouted in rage, smashing a vase. "I have to do everything myself in this damn place!"
"It's not my fault," Tyler shot back, almost pleading. "Katherine is under the protection of Nik Bennett."
"Who?" Klaus asked, now curious as his anger eased slightly. "Who is that? I only know the Bennett witch who's friends with that adorable blonde vampire."
"Nik is the blonde's boyfriend—Caroline—and Bonnie's older brother. He's powerful… and he's a vampire too," Tyler explained.
"Wait—you lost my hybrids to a newborn vampire?" Klaus roared, appearing in front of Tyler and grabbing him by the throat. "Is that what I just heard?"
"He's not just a vampire! He's like us—a hybrid, but of a witch!" Tyler pleaded.
"That's impossible. A vampire can't be a witch," Klaus growled, then paused to think. "Then again… a vampire can't be a werewolf either… and yet here I am… Interesting. It seems I'll have to deal with him myself."
"Klaus…" a hybrid rushed in. "The coffins are gone."
"Fuuuuuck!"
--++--
"Tyler became a hybrid?" Bonnie asked, shocked, while sitting in a chair as Enzo brushed her hair. "How did that happen?"
What is this guy doing here?
"I don't know, but at least we have one less problem," I said, sitting down and pointing at Enzo. "What the hell is he doing here?"
"He has nowhere else to go, so I let him stay," Bonnie said like it was nothing.
"In my house? Without telling me?" I snapped, and he looked at me with a strange expression.
"If you want, I can leave," Enzo said, trying to calm things down.
"You're not going anywhere. This is grandma's house, and we both have a right to it. And you—my older brother—you can't stop me from bringing Enzo here. You brought Katherine and Amara."
Yeah… I'm not winning that argument.
"Guys, Tyler became a hybrid," Caroline said. "Didn't you notice?"
"Yeah, yeah, good for him," I said indifferently.
"Seriously, why don't you like him?" Caroline asked, completely confused.
Because, my love, in the show and the books he ended up with you, and I'm not taking that risk. He's lucky he's still alive.
"Because it's better this way," I said, hitting my fist into my palm. "Tyler had the alpha spark. When he became a hybrid, that spark was lost, and now he's not as big of a threat."
"Well, that's true. Even though he's physically much stronger now—since his wolf was already above average—as a werewolf he'd actually be more dangerous than as a hybrid," Bonnie agreed, understanding my reasoning.