Forever Original | Alaric Saltzman

Chapter 50

Before going to bed that night, Hilda received disturbing news.

She had taken a bath well after they'd finished dinner. Alaric had gone out shopping for some essentials, and Hilda, who had been feeling a bit unwell, remained in the apartment.

She lay in the shower, caressing her belly, which was growing more and more each hour. It would have been an alarming sight for a normal doctor to witness. Her feet ached as she grew accustomed to the added weight, and her hunger was immense. She knew Alaric was bringing blood bags, but the wait was killing her. It was as though she hadn't eaten half of the ham all on her own. The nausea had not been so bad today, but she feared that before the end of the night, she'd throw up.

Her phone rang as she was getting out. She wrapped a towel around herself and went out into the main area of the apartment to dress herself, bringing the phone to her ear. "Nik," she said. "What's the update?"

"They're rotten to the core," he sneered. "They refused to give us her location. Aurora claims she and Tristan split the longitude and latitude. Rebekah's body is somewhere at the bottom of the ocean. We chose to keep Tristan here for questioning but Aurora managed to leave, and she's kidnapped Camille."

"What?" gasped Hilda, sitting down on the bed quickly. The news had nearly made her collapse, and she held her head with her free hand. "But— but why—?"

"Idiotic Lucien... he was holding her hostage in his penthouse and he brought her up and when we took Tristan, Aurora chose to retaliate in a way that would hurt me. Hayley and Freya could not get through to her. I'm out searching as we speak."

Hilda made to say something, but had to speed to the bathroom, tossing her phone to the side and retching, barely managing to stick her head over the toilet before she threw up. She could hear Klaus from the other line, frantically asking if she was alright— he could certainly hear what'd happened.

"M'fine," she said a bit weakly, staying on the floor as she flushed the toilet, grasping her phone. "That... did not sit well. So much for the dinner we made here. Ugh... Aurora will kill her."

"I know," said Klaus shakily. "I know, and I'm terrified, Hilly, I don't know what she's planning. We cannot trust them. I thought... I thought that after learning of Elijah's betrayal... you and I would be happy with Tristan and Aurora. Our relationships were never meant to end. But we were naive to think that even a month would grant us a proper return to how things once were. We expected that our plight would end and we'd rejoice in their presence, that all would be well. But we didn't stop to think of the time. We... we compelled them to live as myself, Elijah, and Rebekah. They were bait for Mikael. How could we expect them to forget it?

"Their animosity has only grown. Their love for us, while present, is toxic and damaging. It matters not how it was before. They have changed and so have we. I am a father now and my priority is my daughter. You are about to learn the same thing when you give birth to not one, but two children. Tristan and Aurora are just as obsessive of each other as they once more... perhaps more so. I'm thankful you were not here to see it. It was as though they both forgot that you and I sought to be their partners when we saw them again. They acted selfishly and continue to put our sister in danger.

"You and I are not the prime examples of good people but they are poisoned, Hilly, they are forever changed and I feel at ease knowing you are far from Tristan at this moment. You cannot trust him, as I cannot trust Aurora. I wish that things could be different, but they are not. We need to think, before anything, of our children— yours, unborn. And of ourselves, as their parents. I will not tell you to cease communicating with him... I fear he will retaliate if he realizes something is wrong... but please, sister, stay where you are and don't come down, no matter what you hear."