Chapter 3: Puppy Love
1465 Words
Christian
I tossed and turned all night, unable to get Trinity out of my head. She was so beautiful. I needed to be near her. I wanted, needed, to touch her. I knew we had to be mates. Maceo kept gushing about her. He became whiny when he noticed her looking around when I walked her to her room. He kept saying she was scared. I invited her to the movies as a peace offering, but also because I wanted to spend time with her. I sighed. It was obvious I wasn’t getting any sleep tonight.
“Go to her.”
“Maceo …”
“She can calm us.”
I sighed again.
“Get up!”
“No!”
Maceo was a pushy wolf. He always wanted things done his way.
“She needs us as much as we need her!”
That caught my attention.
“Fine!” I said out loud. I got up and threw on my hoodie before checking the hallway to make sure no one was out there. I crept slowly down the stairs and to the back of the packhouse, where the omegas’ quarters were located. I stopped in front of her door and knocked softly. Nothing. I knocked a little louder. I heard the bed springs creaking, followed by footsteps. The lock clicked and Trinity poked her head out, looking very sleepy. I gave a small laugh.
“I’m sorry to wake you.”
She took a deep breath and yawned.
“Oh, excuse me. It’s not a problem. Did you need me to do something? Did I miss your laundry? I can—“
“No. I just couldn’t sleep and thought maybe we could talk. But I should let you go back to sleep.”
She yawned again and swayed a bit. I reached out to grab her. My hands went around her waist. She looked up at me and we locked eyes. I don’t know what came over me, but I leaned in and kissed her. She allowed me to lift her, as I closed the door with my foot, and carried her to her bed.
I placed her down on the edge of her bed gently and sat beside her. She gave me a shy smile.
“Trinity …” I trailed off. I wasn’t sure how to apologize for the ways she had been treated. As future Alpha, I knew it was important to be fair. I didn’t torment her the way everyone else did, but I never tried to stop it from happening. Now that my wolf was so sure she was ours, I had to make it right. I already knew I wasn’t going to reject her.
I looked up into her eyes and took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry you haven’t been treated well. I mean, what your dad did wasn’t your fault. You were just a kid.” I paused.
“And I’m sorry for pushing you earlier and calling you out of your name. I shouldn’t have been rude.”
Sadness crossed her face briefly.
“You’re the first person to say that. But don’t be sorry. It’s not as bad as it could be, I guess.”
“But it’s still bad.”
Trinity looked as if she wanted to say something, but then turned away.
“What time do you have to be up?”
“Four o’clock.” She yawned again, which made me yawn too.
“I should go so you can get some sleep.”
“Ok…” I could see her nodding off. I stood and moved her into the middle of her bed, tucking her in. She sighed, her eyes closed.
For a moment, I watched her sleeping so peacefully. I wanted to make life easier for her. My dad was usually in his office by 8. If I could catch him before walking to school, I might be able to talk him into reducing her chores. I noticed the alarm clock on the other side of her bed and unplugged it. A missed day of cleaning wouldn’t hurt anyone. I was going to let her sleep in and stop by her room after talking to my dad so we could walk to school together. My wolf was excited. I left her room and closed the door behind me. As soon as I was back in my own room, I fell asleep.
***
The next morning, I jumped out of bed bright and early. I showered, dressed in something nice for school, sprayed on some cologne I had gotten as a birthday gift the year before, and hurried down the hall to catch my dad. Like clockwork, he was stepping out of his room just as I made it to his office.
“Good morning, champ. You look might spiffy.”
“Thanks, dad. Do you have some time? I wanted to talk to you about something.”
He furrowed his brows.
“What’s the matter?”
I motioned toward his office. He chuckled and unlocked the door. I closed it behind us and sat down at his desk. He took a seat in his chair and folded his hands atop a red folder.
“So what’s bugging you, my son?”
“Trinity.”
“Oh? Has she done something wrong?”
“No. This pack is what’s wrong. I hate the way she is treated.”
He sat back in his chair and studied me. I was grateful to have the type of dad I can communicate with. I was just hoping he understood where I was coming from.
“What do you think we should do about it?”
That wasn’t what I was expecting. I pondered his question for a moment. The ball was in my court. Maceo smirked and we both had the same thought.
“I want her moved out of the packhouse. Her living conditions are subpar. Not even the omegas are subject to a broom closet with old furniture.”
His eyes widened and he looked especially amused.
“And I want the abuse to stop, effective immediately.”
My dad nodded slowly.
“Why the sudden demands?”
“Maceo believes she’s our mate. I think he’s right.”
He sat up straight and rubbed his chin, seemingly deep in thought.
“Dad? What do you think?”
He sighed and then gave me a grin.
“I think you will make a great Alpha someday. I’ll meet your demands.”
“May I send out the announcement? I want the pack to know I will no longer tolerate the abuse of anyone living on this land.”
“Of course, Christian. Now get your ass to school.”
I glanced at the clock on the wall behind him. s**t. I needed to get Trinity.
I leaped toward the door and stopped.
“One more thing …” I turned to my dad.
“I would like to take Trinity to the movies this weekend.”
“I must say, you have grown into quite a young gentleman.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
He laughed heartily as I dashed down the stairs.
“I don’t want your excuses! You know what you’re supposed to do. Now I’m going to be late!”
Paige. That f*****g Paige.
I skipped the last three steps and was just in time to see Paige raise her fist as one of her friends sneered at Trinity. I roared so loud, I surprised myself. Then, something that I had never done before happened.
“Stay away from her!” I growled, but Maceo was speaking too. Paige was frozen. Her friend looked fearful as she backed away from Trinity, who was staring at me with her eyes wide.
“What is going on down here?” My mom was speaking from behind me, but her genuine confusion was evident in the tone of her voice.
“Mom …” Paige’s voice was just above a whisper.
“Christian?” I started to turn around, but Paige fainted.
“Oh, my!” My mom ran to check on her.
“Don’t just stand there! Get her some water!” She was shouting at Trinity, but failed to get her attention.
Trinity continued to stare at me, walking slowly in my direction.
“Great! She’s scared of us!”
“Damn …”
She got closer and bought her hand up to softly touch my chin.
She purred deep in her chest, which had me taken aback.
“Mate.” Her low growl made Maceo do backflips.
Wait a minute. Before I could say anything, she closed her eyes and deeply inhaled my scent. Then it dawned on me. It’s her 18th birthday.
- Writer
