undesired.

thirty eight - reunited.

an hour later.

levi's phone buzzed loudly on his desk. he glanced at the caller id and quickly answered, putting the call on speakerphone so klaus could hear.

"levi, it's theo," his cousin's voice crackled through the phone. "one of my men found victoria. she's at our house now. she's freaking out, can you come over."

levi's expression shifted from concern to relief. "that's a relief. we'll meet you there," he replied, his tone firm.

klaus nodded in agreement. "we'll head over right away," he added.

levi turned to laina, his expression softening. "laina, put on your shoes. you're coming with us," he instructed, his tone gentle but firm.

laina nodded, her heart racing with anticipation. she slipped on her doc martens and followed the two men out to the car, her mind swirling with thoughts of victoria's well-being.

levi glanced at laina as they approached the car, his expression unreadable. "laina, get in the backseat. klaus will sit up front with me.," he instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument.

laina sighed softly, her eyes rolling at the lack of trust from him, but she complied without protest. as she settled into the backseat, levi reached over and clicked the child lock button, preventing her from opening the door from the inside.

"seriously?" laina muttered under her breath, shooting levi a pointed look in the rearview mirror.

levi ignored her remark, his focus on the road ahead as they made their way to theo's house.

the car pulled up outside theo's house, and levi parked in front of the entrance. as they stepped out of the car, theo greeted them at the door with a solemn expression.

"levi, klaus," theo nodded in acknowledgment, his tone grave.

levi nodded in response, his expression serious. "where is she?" he asked, his voice low.

"she's in one of the bedrooms," he replied, his voice tinged with concern.

as they entered the living room, they found victoria's husband, corbin, sitting on the couch, his head in his hands, visibly stressed out and angry.

laina's heart sank as she took in the scene, her hands trembling slightly. she gulped nervously, hearing victoria's cries coming from the other room, the sound echoing through the house.

levi's jaw clenched at the sight of corbin's distress, but he remained composed as he approached him. "corbin, what happened?" he asked, his voice firm but not unkind.

corbin looked up, his eyes bloodshot and weary. "i don't know, i thought things were fine. but she slipped out last night with my credit card," he replied, his voice strained with worry. "she won't stop crying, won't let anyone near her without swinging since they found her."

as the men chatted in the living room, laina found a moment to sneak away, her heart pounding with fear. quietly, she slipped into the room where victoria was being held, her breath catching at the sight of her in distress.

she was handcuffed in the corner with a blackened eye.

"victoria," laina whispered, rushing to her side. "what happened? are you okay?"

victoria looked up, her eyes filled with tears. "laina, they caught me trying to leave," she confessed, her voice trembling. "i couldn't make it."

laina's heart sank. "i'm so sorry, victoria," she murmured, reaching out to comfort her friend.

"thank you, laina," victoria whispered, her voice barely audible. "i'm glad you're here."

they hugged tightly, sharing their pain and fear in silence. victoria's voice broke as she explained, "i made it to a hotel nearby, but they found me. when i tried to run again, they caught me and beat me because i wouldn't listen."