~~

Trinity

~~

Once we were all seated in my and Reece's office, the meeting was able to start. We had been gone for almost a month, and I was certain that a lot had happened during that time. We needed to have a full report given by the two men who had been left in charge while we were away.

Vincent looked prepared and ready for the debriefing, Gabriel however, looked like he would rather be somewhere else entirely. I knew where of course, and that made me smile. But the fact that Gabriel, who was usually my super efficient personal assistant, was now nothing more than a dewy eyed, love struck man was surprising. I was glad he found his mate, but he needed to focus on work right now.

"First, even though it has been said several times already, allow me to say welcome back. I know that we have all been eagerly awaiting your return. It is not as easy running the pack as I would have thought, however, we didn't have any major issues while you were gone." Vincent's voice was smooth and easy going.

"Y..yes. Everything did go smoothly while you were gone, my Queen." Gabriel was sliding into his old tone after just a little bit of hesitation. "There were several members of the pack that had come to see you for small issues and squabbles, but that is nothing outside of the ordinary." He was right, there were a lot of small issues that were handled regularly. They were usually taken care of by Noah or Vincent before they even got to either Reece or myself. I had actually forgotten just how many of them there were.

"There were a handful of meeting requests from the warlocks, and a few vampire ambassadors came to seek counsel with Dietrich while he was away as well. There have apparently been a few disputes of territory between different vampire covens on the east coast. Those that came for a meeting have been noted and have been awaiting a message from Dietrich."

"I will pass along the message to him when we are finished here." I nodded at Gabriel as he was continuing to tell me what had happened while we were away.

"There have been more developments with the community that you have constructed. It has finally received its city incorporation, and the name has been finalized. The government form is set as a standard mayoral; the candidates were all put up for a vote, and a candidate has been chosen. They have also chosen a city council. Likewise, your petition to have our previously existing gated community rezoned as part of the new city has been approved."

"That is all wonderful, Vincent. What is the name that the residents have chosen for the new city?" I was smiling happily because this was something that we had been working toward for over two years now.

"Several names were put forth by the residents and then put to a vote. The results were unanimous, and so the new city has been named Trinity Falls."

Why did I just know that something like this was going to happen? I just placed my head in my right hand and shook it gently while groaning. These people, the residents that is, were mostly shifters and magic folk. I was their queen so they decided to name the town after me. Still, it was embarrassing and would no doubt feel strange to me whenever someone said the name out loud.

"And I bet I can guess who the new mayor is." I could just hear the smirk that Reece had to be wearing, based on the way he said those words.

"I am certain you can." There was a similar smirk in the tone of Vincent's voice as he responded. "The vote was once again unanimous. The mayor of Trinity Falls is indeed Trinity Gray."

"Well, I guess I will be delegating that work to my deputy mayor, whenever I select one." I groaned again.

"That will be more than fine, as long as you choose a worthy deputy. Furthermore, the population has now surpassed three thousand residents, and the completion of several stores has been finalized as well. The city is nearly one hundred percent self-sufficient without needing to rely on neighboring cities. We have secured many contracts with several large corporations as well, and they will begin to make shipments to the warehouses and stores in the city."

"Thank you, Vincent. And you as well, Gabriel. You have both done well in our absence."

"Thank you, my Queen." Gabriel nodded his appreciation.

"It was a great learning experience, that is for sure. However, I do not wish to take the helm more than absolutely necessary. I do quite enjoy my role as head of security." I could see a smile in Vincent's eyes. He was telling the truth, but he would step up anytime that we needed him. I was glad that I could count on him like that.

After they reported a few other minor details, I called the meeting to a close. I knew that by now Dietrich was already back home with Shawn and the kids, so I called him to tell him about the issues that were reported.

"Disputes you say?" Dietrich didn't exactly sound happy. "Did Vincent or Gabriel happen to say how major they were?"

"Not during the meeting, no. However they made note of everyone that came to visit you and a report of what the supposed incident was." I explained to him.

"At least I can be happy that your men are quite efficient in what they do. I will need to investigate all of this thoroughly. That will not exactly make Shawn happy, since I need to leave to speak to them in person. As you know, Trinity, a royal must do what is best for their people."

"Yes, I do understand. And I think that you and I will need to talk about how best to move our people forward in the terms of future events. I have ideas for a council, and I want someone from every species or race on it. I want someone that will represent their people's needs and wants to the royals as well as the nobles that I plan to have."

"It seems to me like you have been thinking a lot about this, Trinity. I cannot wait to see what you have in store for us." I could tell that he was pleased with my words.

"Can I count on you, Dietrich, to be a part of that council?"

"Most definitely, I would be honored."

We spoke a little about who would be good for other seats on the council. I would take into consideration all of his suggestions as well as those of the others that I have already picked out to help me. Now that I was home, it was time to start building up my empire.

From this day forward, I needed to think about the overall best interests of millions of people. I needed to be the symbol of peace and equality among all of my people. I needed to lead and rule.. Ugh, I needed to sleep since this was already starting to exhaust me.