(Alaric's POV)
"Wait, Greg! Calm down, I can't hear what you're saying."
I pace back and forth in my room, trying to understand what panicked Greg is saying on the other side of the phone.
"This all has gone too far and I can't seem to get any of it in control! I'm losing my fucking mind!"
He's shouting and seems to be in the middle of a panic attack.
"Slow down and breathe, Greg," I try to calm him down.
"I can't! I can't! I can't! I can't!" He keeps repeating the same thing and I can hear him sobbing. I throw on a jacket and put some shoes on quickly.
"Are you at home," I ask him. He doesn't answer me. He continues his rambling.
The call hangs up on me and I decide to just go to his house, hoping he's there. I walk out of my room and bump into Arsenio.
"Where are you going in such a rush," he questions me.
"Out," I simply tell him, walking past him.
"We have guests, so I don't think you're going anywhere," he tells me. I can hear the demand in his voice. I scoff.
"My situation is more important than your guests." I feel his hand come down on my shoulder and I shrug it off.
"How could you speak about me like that, Alaric? Do I really mean nothing to you," someone says in a sarcastic voice. I look down to see Gianna at the bottom of the staircase, a smirk on her face.
I roll my eyes. I'm definitely leaving now. I didn't hate Gianna before, but now I do. I know she feels the same hatred for me. We're even.
I rush downstairs and past Gianna, not even giving her any acknowledgment.
"I suggest you fix your act, Alaric. I'm your new werewolf representative." I turn around to see Arsenio and Gianna have big smirks on their faces.
"Being a representative doesn't mean you have unlimited power, Gianna. So, I suggest you watch your act before you end up like your brother," I warn her.
"Is that a threat," she asks me.
"Take it however you wish," and with that, I leave the pack house. I get into my car and race off to Gregory.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The house looks trashed.
From the outside everything looks okay, but once I stepped inside, everything looks turned upside down.
There's broken glass everywhere I step, but no sign of Gregory yet.
"Greg," I yell out into the house. I don't get an answer. Some of the walls look burnt and there's broken wood in some areas.
What happened here?
I follow Greg's scent and find him in Anne's room. It's empty because none of her stuff is here.
He's sitting against one of the walls and he stares forward at nothing. He's in a daze.
"Greg," I whisper and he slowly lifts up his head to look at me. He must've not noticed I was here before.
"Alaric," he says. His voice is hoarse, eyes red, and he looks a hot mess.
"What happened here?" He hangs his head low, almost in shame.
"Chris came over. I thought everything was finally going to piece together, but then she tried to kill me. She started talking weird about needing a sacrifice. Christian and I tried to stop her, but we didn't want to hurt her either. She was completely out of control. It wasn't like her at all."
I listen, not believing what I'm hearing.
"Then what happened," I ask when he doesn't continue.
"S-she killed Christian. No mercy. She didn't even blink. She just took his body and left. I was so in shock, I didn't even stop her."
Poor Christian. He was a great guy. Something has to be going on. I know Chris would never do something like that. It reminds me of what she said about Markus. How he was being controlled.
"Do you know where she went?" He shakes his head no and I breathe out a sigh of frustration.
"Okay, this is what we're going to do," I start. I grab him off the floor and onto his feet. "You're going to fix yourself, do a location spell on Chris, and we're going to go and track her down."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"You're a good kid, Alaric," I hear Greg tell me. We're in the car, driving to the location we think Chris is. We're hoping Don is with her.
The ride was mostly quiet until Greg broke it. He's mostly clear minded now.
"Thank you," I say, not knowing how else to answer.
"I mean it, Alaric. Before everything started happening and Anne was still here, I know you were really helping," he says.
"I don't think I was helping her. It was more of her helping me." He chuckles at my response and shakes his head.
"Helping you was a welcoming distraction for her. You might have not known, but I had never seen her bond with anyone the same way she bonds with you. You're better for her than I ever was. You and your friends made her really happy."
I don't say anything as I take in everything he just said. It's hard to believe I actually made her happy when I caused her so much unnecessary trouble and heartbreak.
I smile, hoping that what Greg said is true.
"I hope that when she gets back, I can make her and our baby happier," I blurt out, not even thinking.
"What did you just say," he asks. I look over to see he's staring at me in disbelief.
"I- I thought Anne m-might've told you," I stutter nervously. My life could be ending any second.
"I know you guys were possibly dating at some point, but a baby?" He's talking with his hands now and his eyes look wild.
"I just found out not too long ago," I answer in a soft voice. He goes quiet and his expression softens up. I can see him thinking in my peripheral.
"Congratulations. I wouldn't want it to be anyone else." I look at him in shock, almost swerving the car.
"Really," I ask. He gives me a smile and nod.
"Like I said, you make her happy and I'm sure you guys will do great things together. We just have to fix all this mess. I don't need my grandchild coming here to all of this."
Wow. Anne has a great father. I could only wish to be as good as him.
A ringing sounds through the car and Greg pulls out his phone. He wears a confused expression.
"Hmm. I don't know this number. It's a Berlin area code."
"Are you going to answer it," I ask him. He answers it and puts in my speaker.
"Hello," he says waiting for a reply. The other side of the phone stays silent. "Hello," Greg says again.
"Hey, dad."
I swear my heart stops for a moment when I hear the person on the other side of the call. Greg pauses in disbelief.
I could never forget that voice. I've been waiting to hear that voice again for a long time. It sounds a little different now. More mature?
"Princess," Greg says, his voice cracking.
"Yeah, it's me," I hear Anne say. In her voice I can hear her trying to keep from sobbing.
"Where are you? Are you okay," he asks her.
"I'm okay. I'm with Jaisley and Hanna, heading back to New Orleans now."
When those words come through the phone, I feel like I can breathe again. I hadn't even noticed I'd stopped breathing.
"You don't know how happy I am to hear that. Please get here safe, Anne."
"I promise. I'll see you when I get there," she answers.
"Okay, I love you."
"Love you too, dad." Greg is about to hang up, but she stops him. "Wait."
"What's wrong," he asks her.
"Nothings wrong. I just want to know how's Alaric." I'm shocked when she asks and it sends me into a blushing state.
When she first left New Orleans, she didn't want to speak to me or know anything about what I was doing. Now, she's asking her dad if I'm okay.
Greg looks over at me with a grin on his face.
"He'll be better once you're here," he says. I hear Anne chuckle on the other end and my heart swells.
"Bye, dad." The call ends.
"I guess your wish will be coming true soon," Greg tells me, patting me on the shoulder.
Yeah. Even with everything going to shit, I feel better knowing Anne will be closer.