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Trinity

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After Reece left, I started wrapping presents. I had all but one gift now, but that one needed a little more time to get ready, so I knew not to expect it yet. I wrapped all the presents for my family first, because I had gotten them things that I knew they would like and was really happy with those presents. Then, as I started on the gifts for my friends, there was a knock on my door.

"Trinity?" It was Carter. I hadn't seen him in so long. I was so glad I had already wrapped his presents. I bolted to my feet and ran to the door. When I flung it open and saw him there, I threw my arms around him, happy to finally see him after so long.

"Carter!" I squealed. "Oh Goddess, I missed you. Where have you been?" I asked him when I stepped away and beamed at him.

"Around, I had some errands to run." He was smiling at me. "I missed you too Trin." He was a sight for sore eyes. He was my partner in crime, my closest confidant, my best friend growing up, and ever since I moved in with Reece, I have barely seen him. He used to be the rock in the family for me. My protector, my healer, he was whatever I needed.

"Jeez Carter, I leave to become Luna and you ignore your favorite cousin." I joked with him and I stepped aside so he could come into the room.

"Favorite?" He put his hand on his chin as if contemplating.

"I'm your only cousin." I snapped at him.

"So, you win by default, but isn't that just as bad as a loss."

"Absolutely not, a win is a win, it doesn't matter how you got it unless you cheated. If you cheated, then it's a loss and you suck." He laughed at my playful banter just like he always did.

"How are you feeling? I heard you were in bad shape." He asked, looking at my head with wary eyes.

"I'm fine, no worries."

Carter followed me over to the table I had been wrapping presents at. I sat down and continued with the gift I had left off on. It was an art supply kit for Juniper, I had also gotten her an easel and some canvases.

Juniper was an artist at heart, but she was taking most of the prerequisite classes that I was, but we had different career plans in mind. She wanted to be a social worker or child therapist. She hadn't decided completely yet. But she had to do some criminal law study to be a good social worker. Or that's what she believed. I think it mostly had to do with the fact that Paul wanted to be a cop and was taking the criminology class.

"You got a lot of gifts here Trin." He seemed so shocked looking at them all. "Why do you have baby and kid toys here?"

"For Vincent's kids of course." That should have been obvious, but he might not know that I was so friendly with my guards that I would buy them gifts.

"Who all did you get gifts for?"

"Well, there's the family of course, then friends, guards, and staff. Not to mention Reece and his Mom. I also bought for Heather, Conner, Renea, and Faith, Vincent's family because I know them and consider Vincent such a good friend."

"Your guard is your friend?" He was shocked to hear this.

"Is that so wrong?" I seemed shocked by his response. "Why is it so weird that I am friends with him? He is a nice person. And his mate is a wonderful, caring woman. And they named their baby Faith, whether that was after me or not I don't care, she's special."

"Just because her name is your middle name?" He asked me, laughing loudly.

"Shut up Carter." I snapped. He instantly stopped laughing and stood up straight.

"Damn, that Luna stuff is powerful." He growled, sounding serious.

"Oops." It was my turn to laugh now, I hadn't meant it as a command, but apparently wolf laws didn't care.

"Don't oops me. You can't give me a command like that and then laugh at me." He was only pretending to be mad. I knew because I could hear the laughter in his voice as he pretended to growl at me.

"That was actually hilarious." We continued to laugh at each other for a minute while I quickly wrapped another present.

"So, I have something to tell you."

"What's that?" I asked him curiously, looking up through a spill of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail during my laughing fit.

"Well two things really. First, the Alpha has managed to get you approved to sit your exams, but only if you do them on Saturday." He had a big grin on his face.

"OH MY GODDESS! REALLY?" I basically screamed as I jumped to my feet and hugged him again.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." I told him and literally jumped for joy. "I am so glad I won't have to fail all four classes."

"You're going to be taking them all consecutively. It will be you and a test proctor in the room. There will be a dozen guards, minimum, stationed around the building. One guard at each entrance, and the others scattered to look like casual bystanders."

"Wow, so serious." I said jokingly.

"Don't joke about this Trinity!" He snapped at me. "You were attacked last time you were there, and you've nearly died twice. This is no laughing matter. And in each of those attacks you were the one they were after. The Alpha still doesn't know how they plan to use you against him, but he knows they want to either hurt, kidnap, or kill you. Don't take your situation so lightly." Carter was madder than I had ever seen him before.

"I know Carter, I'm just so happy right now that nothing is going to sound like I am taking it seriously." I told him. It was the truth, but it wasn't enough for him, he was still mad. He continued to glare at me uncomfortably.

"I'm just so glad that I will get to start new classes next semester." I was still on my happy cloud, ignoring Carter's bad mood as best as I could until he calmed down.

"Yes, but not the way you think." He popped my happy cloud, forcing me to look at him with confusion.

"What?" I snapped at him.

"You can take classes next semester, but you have to take them remotely for right now."

"NO!" I growled at him.

"It's not up to me Trinity, those are orders from the Alpha himself. He says he will get this situation cleared up as fast as he can, but to please work remotely for this one semester until he knows that everything is safe."

"Why did I have to go and mate with him?" I roared. "My life has been turned upside-down and it will never go back. I want my life back Carter."

"I'm sorry Trin."

"So, was that the second thing you had to tell me?" I asked him halfheartedly.

"No, the second thing had nothing to do with you or your little problems." He sounded annoyed now, like he wanted to tell me something but didn't know how to do it.

"What's wrong Carter?" I was afraid there was going to be more bad news.

"I found my mate." He smiled, but he sounded really upset about it.

"That's wonderful news Carter." I smiled at him.

"No, it's not. She's in the enemy pack I was sent to scout." He looked so dejected as he spoke, like the world was going to implode upon itself and we were all going to die before he could get his mate.

"I can't go anywhere near her. I can't tell her who I really am, where I'm really from, or anything. If I did, they would know that Reece sent me to spy on them all." He tried to smile through the pain he felt as he looked at me.

"Carter." My heart broke, and I cried the tears he was fighting back for him. "We will work something out. Maybe we can convince her to leave that pack and join us." I tried to sooth him.

"I don't think she will, she's the Alpha's daughter." I gasped at his words.

"Carter." I sighed.

I wanted to talk for a little while longer, but Carter was suddenly in a hurry to leave.

"Wait, Carter." I called out to him. "Take these." I had packed all the gifts for him, Aunt Eve and Uncle Wesley into a large green bag. He could take them and put them under the tree.

"Don't you want to deliver them yourself?" He still looked depressed.

"I can't go anywhere, not until the exams that is." I reminded him with a sad smile.

"You really haven't left the house in a month?" It must have been a shock to him to learn that.

"Nope, except for going up into the mountains and forest, and I can't do that anymore."

"We will find whoever is responsible for all of this Trin, we will get your life back to normal." He declared firmly.

"That ship has sailed, Carter, it will never be normal again."

"You're probably right." He agreed. Everyone who knew me, seeing the direction my life had taken, would agree that my life was never going to be normal again.