At the bayou, Jackson, Hayley, and Ophelia were meeting with Aiden at Jackson's trailer, where he dropped nearly a dozen moonlight rings into a bowl on the picnic table, "Well, that's the last of them!" He informed the group of three, "Everyone out here is officially ring-free."

"And better off," Hayley commented and Aiden gave her an annoyed look.

"Easy for you to say!" He replied in a sarcastic tone, "You and Ophelia are hybrids. I'm back to turning every single full moon. And, if the wolves who are loyal to Finn come back here, they're gonna rip right through us."

Ophelia and Jackson turned to look at each other, both of them feeling guilty. Both Hayley and Aiden looked anxious as well, "So, I gotta ask," Aiden told them, glancing between Ophelia and Jackson, "When is this wedding?"

"Ten days," Jackson informed him, "After that, Ophelia's power is your power. The full moon won't control you anymore," He paused, allowing Ophelia to nod her head in confirmation, "Spread the word. Any wolf who wants in needs to be here to bear witness to the wedding."

"Yeah, I can do that," Aiden hesitantly agreed while Hayley seemed confused about it all.

"Since the wedding's in ten days, what the next step of the process?" Hayley asked Jackson curiously, "What are you guys gonna do now?"

Jackson smiled, "We're going to meet an Elder!" He informed the group, causing Ophelia to stare at him in confusion as he turned to her briefly to explain what they were doing, "We need an old-school Crescent wolf to conduct the wedding. Then, there are the trials."

Ophelia began to look alarmed about it all as she shared a worried glance with Hayley while Jackson just laughed, "Don't worry!" He assured her, "We say a few oaths, do some trust falls, smoke a little blue calamus root out of a peace pipe. Piece of cake!"

Jackson smiled at Ophelia reassuringly, but Ophelia still looked nervous while Hayley and Aiden noticed her hesitation, "Well, good luck with that!" He told her before he and Hayley left together.

After they were out of sight, Ophelia nervously bit her lip, turning to look at Jackson, "So, you got any ideas on where the hell we're going to find an Elder?" She asked him curiously.

Jackson smiled down at Ophelia, "Well, that depends, Ophelia! You think you're ready to meet my Grandma?"

Ophelia smiled at Jackson, "Oh, I don't know," She jokingly replied, "Don't you think it's too early for that, Jackson?"

The duo laughed at Ophelia's crappy excuse for a joke as they headed in the direction of the Jackson's grandma's house.

___

Several moments later, Jackson and Ophelia were walking through the woods of the Bayou together, on their way to meet Jackson's grandmother. As they walked, Ophelia suddenly let out a large, dramatic sigh, "At this rate, we'll reach Mystic Falls within no time," She commented sarcastically, causing Jackson to raise a brow at her, not knowing what she meant, "It's a long story. Meant for another time," She assured him, causing Jackson to chuckle softly, "Anyways, are we almost there?"

"Just a little bit farther," He assured her, "You nervous?"

"Nope, not at all," She replied, shaking her head, "Although I should be. She is your grandmother, after all."

"Huh. She usually likes the girls I bring home." Jackson sarcastically commented as he smiled down Ophelia.

"Wow, I feel really special all of a sudden," Ophelia jokingly remarked, "Tell me, how many girls have you brought to meet her?"

Jackson laughed, "No, I've never brought anyone to meet her," he paused as Ophelia gave him a look of surprised, "So, you've gotta make a good impression since she's got no one crazy to compare you with."

"Well, that's going to be easy," Ophelia replied with a smile on her face, "I have good people skills. I'm great with old people, kids, and everyone in between."

Suddenly, Jackson's grandmother, Mary, appeared out of nowhere and joined them, holding a basket full of herbs and plants in her hand, "Cute as all this is, Y'all are late!" She commented, causing Ophelia to smile slightly as she looked away from Jackson.

"Grandma Mary!" Jackson exclaimed as he gave his grandmother a big hug and kiss on the cheek before turning to Ophelia, "This is Ophelia."

Ophelia smiled widely, "Mary, it's so nice to meet you--" She began to greet her brightly.

Mary held up her hand, "You can turn off your old-people charm now." She told her, causing Ophelia's mouth to gape open as she found herself unable to speak for a brief moment, "The two of you are late, and we need to get started."

"Right," Ophelia replied awkwardly before she cleared her throat, "So, yes, we have rituals to attend to before the wedding occurs. May I ask what these rituals are exactly?"

"Fasting, purification, the Rite of Divulgement, to name a few," She informed her and Ophelia's eyes widened in alarm at the last ritual.

She knew a handful of large words and she knew exactly what Divulgement meant. The act of revealing something that was secret or private. And there was a secret she had that she knew for a fact she couldn't tell. It wasn't even her secret to tell.

"The Rite of what?" Ophelia asked worriedly.

"Oh, it's simple," Mary replied without a care in the world, "You speak the truth, he speaks the truth, secrets are cleansed, everyone's happy."

Ophelia turned to look at Jackson in alarm as she gulped nervously, "What do you mean, secrets are cleansed?" She asked in concern.

"The two Alphas smoke the root of the blue calamus flower. It links your hearts and minds together. The ceremony won't take if there are lies separating you. This way, there are none. It's the most important ritual apart from the wedding ceremony itself." She explained as she smiled, patting Ophelia on the arm affectionately, "Hope you don't have too many skeletons in your closet!"

Mary started to lead them to her home, and Jackson started to follow her, although Ophelia stayed where she was, "I'm--I'm doing that," She stammered, causing both Mary and Jackson to look at her in confusion as Ophelia turned to Jackson, "I'm sorry, Jack...I can't."

Ophelia looked horrified as she turned and rushed away, leaving Jackson and his grandmother alone in the woods.

Later on, Ophelia was walking alone in the woods when Jackson finally caught up with her, "Ophelia!' He called out to her, "Ophelia? Ophelia, wait!"

Ophelia sighed, turning to face Jackson as she stopped walking, "I'm sorry, but I can't do it, Jack."

"You're not the only one who has stuff they'd rather not talk about!" He reminded her, causing Ophelia to scoff loudly.

"Some of my secrets aren't mine to tell!" She raised her voice to him.

"Maybe a little honesty is a good thing!" He told her, earning an angry look from Ophelia.

"You don't understand, Jack. I live with the Original family. I have for nearly three centuries. In that family, sometimes honesty...can get you killed," She explained to him quietly.

Jackson seemed completely stunned by her response, but he quickly shook it off and continued to argue with her, "We all have things we hope will never see the light of day," He reminded her, "You probably won't like what I have to say any more than what you're holding back."

"I wish that were true," She told him with a sigh.

"Come back with me! We'll take it one step at a time. And if anything makes you uncomfortable, you tell me, and we can stop. I promise," He said to her and Ophelia remained hesitant while Jackson was determined, "And when it comes time to open up, I'll be the one to go first. Because I don't run. And I don't scare easy. Your secrets are my secrets, Ophelia. Your demons my demons. And you'll never have to fight them alone. I promise you that."

Ophelia continued to look torn and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, "Please," He pleaded as he held out his hand to her, and after a long moment, Hayley gently placed her hand in his.

"I have to go, Jack," She told him, causing Jackson to frown in concerned, "Not to leave. I just--I just need to talk to Hayley. I just need her to give me the okay on something. And I know she will, but I need her to say it out loud. Once she does, I promise you, I'll be back. Just wait for me at Mary's, okay?"

Jackson smiled slightly, nodding his head. Ophelia smiled back at him, just before vamp speeding away.

Ophelia soon found Hayley standing on the dock near Jackson's trailer, drinking a can of beer, "Hey," She greeted Hayley quietly, causing the female hybrid to turn to her best friend.

"Hey," Hayley replied, "Shouldn't you be doing rituals with Jackson?"

Ophelia awkwardly placed her hands in her front pockets, "That's actually why I'm here," She informed her quietly, "I need your approval on something."

"What is it?" Hayley asked concerned.

"One of the rituals forces me to out all my secrets," Ophelia told Hayley, whose eyes widened in realization, "Which means..."

"You have to tell Jackson about Hope," Hayley finished for her and Ophelia nodded her head in confirmation.

"Hayley, I promise you. I won't let anything happen to Hope. We can trust Jackson. He and the Crescents can help us protect Hope. I just need your approval. It's all up to you. If you don't want me to, I wo--"

Before Ophelia could finish her sentence, Hayley cut her off, "Ophelia, I trust you," She reminded her, "You trust Jackson, which means I trust him, too. You're my best friend and I know all of this is to help protect my daughter, which means I'm totally fine with you telling Jackson."

"But what of Klaus?" Ophelia asked her quietly, "I can't betray him. He'll have my head."

"Who cares what Klaus thinks?" Hayley told her, "He can't stop you. I gave you the okay."

Ophelia sighed out, still hesitant to agree.

______

That night, Ophelia and Jackson were walking hand-in-hand toward Mary's house in the Bayou after meeting up nearby once Ophelia arrived back from talking with Hayley. Jackson and Ophelia turned to look at each other, and Jackson sighed nervously, causing Ophelia to give him a small smile, "You ready for this?" Jackson asked Ophelia curiously.

Ophelia let out a large sigh, "Ready as I'll ever be," She replied and Jackson smiled at her before they both walked through the front door of Mary's home as she welcomed them inside.

Finally, for the first time, since the announcement of the marriage between the two, Ophelia felt comfortable and like she was ready for it. She was ready to be a wife to Jackson and an Alpha to the Crescent Pack.

Little did she know, Klaus was on his way to the Bayou, ready to stop the marriage from happening for two different reasons.