Hello, my lovely readers. Sorry about the long wait and we've got some exciting events taking place here. On with show…
Chapter 32: Alpha in Training
The world spun and Caroline spun with it. Her sense of sight blinked in and out while Enzo, the new guy, held her up from the basement floor. She forced her eyes to focus on the grey cement of the stairs. "Get her out of here!" Damon ordered Enzo. Enzo said something that sounded like an insult but Caroline wasn't certain as her sight faded again.
"Come on, Gorgeous, let's get you out of here," Enzo whispered to her and Caroline frowned at the nickname and the plan.
"No. Need to help… Can't leave them," Caroline protested, struggling in his arms. Her body hit something hard and she gritted her teeth. Then her feet moved, finding a step beneath them while her head moved from the hard, cement step that it had come into contact with when Enzo dropped her. "I've got to help them," she said, her words coming out with ragged breaths.
"No, you don't!" Enzo argued. She felt him grab her from behind, lifting her and throwing her over his shoulder. "Bloody Damon Salvatore may not be high on my list of people right now, but you I don't know." Trying to concentrate on his words, Caroline felt herself losing focus. "Drat. The antidote." Feeling her body being set back down on the steps, Caroline felt Enzo's hand on her cheek. "Don't move, love. I'll be back before you can miss me."
Caroline slumped over while Enzo's footsteps receded. Her body began to shiver and she felt cold. Vampires don't feel cold but she wasn't really a vampire. Curling in a ball on the cool step, Caroline continued to shiver. She wondered if Enzo would find the antidote or whether Dr. Wes had found something that would kill her. Shaking, she felt tears filling her eyes. She wanted Klaus. She wanted him to be there with her, holding her hand and telling her that everything would be alright.
"Hey there, love. It's alright," a voice said quietly and Caroline's eyes opened and closed as she stared upward.
"Klaus?" Caroline whispered.
"She's delusional," another voice said and Caroline tried to concentrate on the familiar sound. All of her senses were muddled and she could not figure out who the voice belonged to.
"Right," the first voice said sarcastically.
"You don't even know her, Enzo," the second voice snapped. "Caroline? Caroline, it's Damon. Can you hear me?"
"Maybe the antidote didn't work," a third voice muttered.
"Now that is some positive thinking. Where did you get her, Damon?" Enzo asked Damon.
Damon scoffed, not bothering to answer Enzo. "Care, hold up your hand if you can hear me," he ordered the hybrid. It felt like she struggled to uncurl her fingers. She felt her arm going up slowly before she touched his face. "There you are," he said and she felt him smile. "It's good to see you're still with us. I'm going to go downstairs and see if Stef is okay."
"Downstairs?" Caroline questioned, dropping her hand. Stefan. Enzo had told them that Stefan was being held in Dr. Wes' crazy science experiment. How could she not know that one of her closest friends was being experimented on? Why hadn't she tried to find him? And then she remembered the other piece of news. Hayley. Hayley was dead.
"Hayley?" Caroline sat bolt upright, startling the others when she opened her eyes which glowed a fiery red. "NO!" she moaned, shaking her head while tears began to run down her cheeks. The baby. No. No. No. She couldn't be dead. Jumping off the bed she found herself on, Caroline ran out of the room with Enzo and Elena following her.
"Where are you going, Caroline?" Elena cried.
"I have to tell, Elijah," Caroline said, turning to look back at Elena.
"Tell Elijah… Oh," Elena's shoulder slumped. "Poor Hayley," she whispered, her own eyes filling with tears. "And that poor baby."
"Baby?" Enzo looked confused. "The wolf had a baby brewing in her?" he asked them. Caroline and Elena nodded. "Well, then, I must be mistaken. This wolf was not pregnant. That I can attest to after seeing her insides on the table next to mine."
"Ew," Elena looked sick while Caroline grabbed Enzo by the shoulders.
"So you never saw a wolf who stood about this tall," she held her hand two inches above her own head. "Had long, wavy brown hair, big blue-green eyes? Big mouth. Lots of sarcasm."
"Nope. This wolf had blonde hair and brown eyes." Enzo detailed several things about the dead wolfgirl but Caroline felt too happy that it wasn't a member of her pack that had been taken. It was wrong but it was true.
"I've got to go," Caroline told them. "Keep me updated on Stefan, Elena," she called over her shoulder while striding toward the front door. Exiting the house, she headed toward the cars sitting in the lot and realized she didn't have a ride.
"Need a lift?" Enzo inquired. Dangling a set of car keys. "Since the younger one is stuck in the basement, I thought he wouldn't mind if I borrowed his wheels."
Caroline did not care how she got where she needed to go as long as she got their quickly. They entered the garage where Enzo yanked a tarp off of Stefan's Porsche and then unlocked the door to the driver's side. He climbed inside before popping the lock for the passenger side. Caroline got in and sat silently while Enzo fiddled with the dial to find some music. Soon they were driving away. "Where to?" he asked.
Offering him the first address that came to mind, Caroline pressed her hand to the side of her head, feeling a headache coming on. When they arrived in front of the house, Caroline hopped out of the car and ran to the front door, hammering on it. Seconds later, Klaus yanked the door open and yanked her into a tight embrace. "Hello, Caroline," he said quietly, examining her before kissing her passionately.
"Klaus," Caroline moaned against his mouth. She felt new tears coming to her eyes but she was trying to control her emotions. They did not have time for that kind of reunion and this was not about them. This was about the missing members of their pack.
Kol came bounding down the stairs with Rebekah and distraught looking Elijah. Elijah looked like he had not shaved in weeks and black circles hung under his eyes. "Caroline?" he cried with a hopeful look.
"I'm sorry, Elijah, she wasn't there," Caroline told him and Elijah sunk to the floor. Rebekah placed a hand on his shoulder while Elijah's shoulders quaked. "We'll keep looking. I won't give up. I swear on my life, Elijah," Caroline told him but she could tell he couldn't hear her; he was too lost in his own thoughts.
"Let's go to our parents. Maybe mother and Father have come up with something new," Rebekah suggested. Kol ad Klaus had to help Elijah up from the floor while Rebekah led them out the front door. "Did you find anything at all?" she whispered to Caroline, crossing her arms over her chest.
"No. Enzo thought she might have been a lab experiment but it turned out to be another wolf," Caroline told Rebekah.
Nodding, Rebekah headed over to her car which her brothers had piled into. "You're welcome to join us," the blonde shot at them, not looking back.
Caroline got back into the car with Enzo and he followed the Mikaelsons to their family home. When they arrived Esther and Mikael seemed to be expecting them. They stood in the driveway. Esther's look was grim while Mikael looked ready for a fight. "Children," Esther greeted them, she moved to Elijah, wrapping her arms around him, grieving for her child. "Oh, Elijah, we will find her," she told him.
Mikael strode over to Caroline. "Miss Forbes," he greeted her, ignoring Enzo. "How lovely to see you on such an unfortunate occasion. I trust you're doing well," he said as they walked back to the house behind the rest of the family.
"Yeah. No. Not sure," Caroline replied slowly. She felt exhausted and worried that whatever Wes had put in that needle might still have an effect on her system.
"After you are settled in, you and I should have a chat. Privately," Mikael told her.
Caroline gulped. Maybe she couldn't die but the idea of being alone with Mikael Mikaelson made her stomach somersault. "Sure," she replied with a smile before hurrying off to catch up with the others. Rebekah, as usual, was ordering everyone around. Their mother had taken Elijah off to some other section of the house while Rebekah told Enzo where he could sleep.
Klaus came up behind Caroline, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck. "You smell anxious, love," he told her, continuing to kiss her while they stood in the hallway where his bedroom awaited mere feet from them. "Let me be a balm for your nerves, sweetheart."
"Every minute that we waste is a minute that your niece or nephew could be dead or injured," Caroline replied, turning around and staring at Klaus. She would love to go back to his room, to let him help her forget her worries and frustrations but they had to find Hayley. Now.
Expression closing off, Klaus took a step back. "Of course, you're right. We will do everything we can to try to find the girl. But, right now, my concern is for you. Elena called me and told that you had been attacked by Dr. Wes. Shall I pay him a visit?" he inquired with a smirk.
"Klaus, no. Not yet. If he had anything to do with Hayley's disappearance, we need to track him, not kill him, eventually he'll lead us straight to her." Caroline felt herself being jerked in too many different directions at once.
Deflating, Klaus nodded. She could tell he was not happy. If he were not sired to her, he would probably be out hunting Wes down and gutting him for pure pleasure. For once, Caroline saw an upside to the sire bond. "Please, see if Elijah needs you," Caroline told her boyfriend. She watched Klaus turn from her when she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Klaus," Caroline whispered and Klaus turned to face her. She stroked his cheek and then pulled his face to hers, kissing him, running her hands through his hair. Pulling away, she looked him in the eye. "We will break this bond and I want you remember that I love you," she told him, holding him tightly while he grinned down at her.
"I love you more than my own life," Klaus whispered back, grabbing her, lifting her off her feet and pressing her to the nearest wall. Caroline did not try to stop him while his hands moved over her body. Just for a minute she wanted to be comforted.
"Ahem," Esther coughed to gain their attention. "Caroline, my husband is in his office, waiting for you," she informed Caroline. Klaus gave Caroline a questioning look when he set her on her feet. "Come, Niklaus, Elijah needs his family."
Klaus hesitated, his gaze focused on Caroline. "I'll be fine. Go," Caroline waved him off and she could see him fighting the bond but, in the end, he followed his mother down the stairs.
Smoothing her skirt down, Caroline walked down the stairs and down the hall. She found Mikael sitting at his desk, playing with a letter opener, he threw it and Caroline caught it by the handle right before it would have punctured her left cornea. "Very nice." Mikael clapped, sitting back in his chair. "Come in. I promise I won't bite."
Taking a slow step inside the room, Caroline half-expected him to remove a device that would shut the door behind her and lock it. When this did not happen, she relaxed, a tiny bit. "I assume you didn't ask me to come here so you could test my reflexes," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest and watching Mikael.
"No, no I did not," Mikael gestured to a chair across from him. "I asked to speak with you because I thought it was past time that you and I talked about what you are and what that means, precisely speaking."
Caroline shifted in her seat. She had no idea where this conversation was headed and wondered why they were wasting time here talking. "Okay."
"You're a hybrid, yes?" Mikael placed his chin in the cradle of his hands, watching her closely. "First of your kind in… well, as far back as anyone can remember. But that is not what makes you special, Miss Forbes," he told her.
"It isn't?" Caroline frowned.
"What makes you special is that you are the alpha of your pack. Usually it is the male who leads, but you, Miss Forbes, are the leader. Yes, Niklaus is your mate and will be your male alpha but I suspect even he knows that you are more powerful than he and will bend the knee to you. That is why you are truly unique, Caroline. And, I believe that you are destined to do great things. You and your pack. Now, there is much more to the story that I believe no one has told you yet."
"Which is?" Caroline waited.
"You are from one of the original seven wolf packs. Your father's family, the Forbes, were one. My family, the Mikaelsons, another. Then there were the Labanoirs. The de Martel. The Delacroix. The Romanovs. And the Lockwoods. Of course, you know from history that many of the Romanovs are long dead. But the other families are constantly warring for dominance and you must either fight them or unite them. With your marriage to Nikaus, we will become one of the most powerful of the families –"
"Wait. Who said that I was going to marry Klaus?" Caroline asked, squirming in her seat.
"Eventually, Caroline. Sorry. As I grow older my mind tends to move time about a bit quicker to tie up loose ends. As I was saying… You and Niklaus will unite two of the oldest families. But you will need to understand what it means to be an alpha to be able to protect this family. I once shirked my duty; you must never make my mistakes."
"When I was quite young, a boy really, Niklaus' age, my father told me that I was to be alpha of the pack because he was old and dying. This meant that I had to make the journey to the village, half away across England from our home, to meet my bride. The alpha female of the Delcroix pack who happened to be a half-bread, such as yourself, only she was a witch."
"My future bride's father brought her forth and I was aghast. How could I lie with such a woman? Her hair looked as if she never combed it, her nose a large, hooked thing, her eyes dark as night, showing no light, her anger a terrible thing to behold. She did not spare me a glance either. But this was to be our fate. To live and die at each other's sides. The next night her sister, a young, fair, blonde with a shimmering beauty that lit up the night sky came to dine with us and she traded a glance with me that made my heart beat faster."
"I knew I could never go through with the wedding and so I ran from that village. But I stole what was most precious to the alpha female, her beloved little sister, Esther. We were married soon after and she gave me a daughter, Freya. The Alpha female, Dahlia, plotted for years to find us and take from me what I held most precious. One night when I had gone to war against the de Martels, she came and took my child. She performed a hex on Esther so she would live on as the shadow of a wolf. Never able to shift or use her powers, always to remain with the shadow of her former self with the burden of knowing her daughter was somewhere out there."
"That's horrible," Caroline gasped. "Do you think that Dahlia might have taken Hayley?" she asked Mikael who shook his head.
"I don't know. What I do know is that you can track Hayley, as a member of your pack, if you use your powers. And that is what I'm going to teach you to do. An old alpha passing on his learnings to the next generation." Getting up, Mikael came to sit beside Caroline. "Take my hands," he held out his own and Caroline took his hands. "Close your eyes. Do you see anything?"
Opening her senses, Caroline opened her mind's eye and began to look around. Mikael stood beside her in a wooded area. "Yeah. I see the woods," she said.
"What else?" Mikael asked.
"Umm…" Caroline continued to look around until she saw a house. "Wait. That's Tyler Lockwood's house. Why would we be there?" she asked.
"Where is Hayley?" Mikael questioned her and Caroline knelt down, sniffing the ground and then she looked toward the house. She got to her feet and moved toward the house. Walking up to the door, she placed a hand on it and twisted the knob, entering the house, she jogged up the stairs three at a time.
On a bed, in a guest bedroom, Hayley lay, her belly having grown larger than Caroline remembered. "Help me," she moaned when a blonde girl came over to her with a washcloth.
"Here. This will take away some of the pain," the blonde said, wiping Hayley's face with a washcloth that smelled like lavender, mint and something else, earthy with a faint scent of blood of… what though? The blonde began to chant and Hayley groaned. "Sleep now," the blonde said.
"How is she?" Tyler asked, coming into the room and the blonde shook her head.
"I don't know. She's not getting better. Whoever or whatever did this to her, wanted her to suffer," the blonde said.
Tyler shook his head. "We should get her back to her family."
"Not yet. We can't. The coven said the baby can't leave. It's under our protection. And anyone who tries to take her will have a fight on their hands," the blonde said grimly, looking down at Hayley. "If they try to take either of them. They're important."
Suddenly Caroline lost contact and fell back into her seat across from Mikael. Opening her eyes, she found out why she lost the connection. The older alpha stood in front of his desk, his hands clutching the wood before he let out a howl of rage. "They took what is ours, Caroline, we must kill them!" he snarled, his eyes glowing yellow.
Getting to her feet, Caroline held up a hand. "No! We're not killing them. But we will get Hayley back."
"Then it is good you are not the alpha of my pack just yet," Mikael snapped. Walking out the door of the office, Mikael headed down the hall. Caroline ran after him as he opened a closet and removed a shotgun and a small box. "What you do when you are in charge is what suits you, but so as long as I live, no one will get away with taking what is mine, and that baby is my granddaughter."
"Mikael," Caroline yelled, grabbing the gun, she split it over her leg, earning a glare from the older alpha. "We can't just go around killing people. Maybe they have a good reason for taking Hayley."
"Like what, pray tell, they're making her booties?" Mikael hissed back. The rest of the family came into the hallway to watch them argue.
"Look, I know Tyler, he wouldn't hurt an innocent baby," Caroline argued.
Mikael let out a laugh. "And my darling wife never thought her sister would take our child. But she did," he bellowed at her. "And if you are this stupid I hate to see what will happen when someone tries to take your daughter."
Caroline gulped. "When I have a daughter, I won't let anyone take her."
Snorting, Mikael shook his head before he walked away from her. Caroline let out a sigh. At least for now it looked like she would be handling this situation her own way. Then she looked around. "Elijah? Where is Elijah?" she asked the others.
"He was right next to me…" Rebekah trailed off before she looked back at Caroline. They came to the same conclusion at the same time. "He went after Tyler."
Caroline ran toward the door with the other Mikaelson siblings, and Enzo, who had just come downstairs, running after her. "Enzo, car keys," she yelled at the vampire who tossed the keys to her before she jumped behind the wheel of Stefan's car. She needed to get to Tyler before Elijah did.
Thank you for reading, faving, following and reading. J
Answers to Guest reviews:
LogicToMyLit101: Thank you for the two reviews. George compelled Marcel into inviting him in (we didn't see it because we're in Caroline's PoV) and since he was dead, Katherine could just enter. I hope you enjoy this chapter after it took a billion years to write. J
Peace,
Jessica