[Carmen]Gemma told me everything I missed including how my parents were. Mom was trying to figure out where I was and was also trying to convince Gemma and Ashley to tell her how I was and give messages. Queen Maeve had changed her phone number as well as Sean and Rosario’s phone numbers. My father was locked up in the cells and would be for another week. After that, he would have training from the Gamma about protecting the bonds created by the goddess, and then he would have two weeks of community service. I was surprised at the punishment, but it wasn’t just that he hit me. My father lied to our Alpha, arranged a marriage without my consent or the consent of the Gamma, interfered with a mated couple, and he disrespected all of our leadership with his actions and his words. He was in a lot of trouble. “Your mom is going nuts. The day after the barbeque, she hounded all of us about how you were doing. She was insistent that you were being hurt or forced. She asked something weird, though. She asked if you had seen a healer. I told her Rock would never hurt you, but she didn’t want to listen. I’ve never seen your mom like this.” “Tell her that I’m alright and that Rock is taking good care of me. He loves Blanche and me. He would never hurt either one of us. I will be going to see a healer in the fae lands. Not because I’m hurt, but because we need to know how being together will be and if we can have pups. We don’t know if it will be possible. Rock said it could be deadly.” “Oh, Carmen, I had no idea. I know how much you love pups and wanted one of your own. I’m sure it will come back that it’s safe. The goddess wouldn’t match you with someone you couldn’t have pups with,” Gemma assured me. I nodded. It was all I could do. It was something the goddess would have done if she didn’t think I could take care of my pup properly. I pushed that aside. Just giving me someone like Rock, someone smart, trusting, and loving, who really wanted me, was enough for me. There were so many options that wouldn’t have treated me as well as Rock did. He knew I could do more than others thought I could. I was still a werewolf and that still meant I could be dangerous to my enemies. “At least you have a mate.” She sighed. “I’m the same age as you and Ash, but I haven’t found my mate yet. I wonder if I’ll ever find him.” “The national meeting is in three weeks. I bet he’ll be there. You’ll come home and tell me all about the amazing werewolf man you found and how he’s everything you dreamed of. Then you’ll leave me, too.” “I’m never leaving you, Carmen.” Her hand came to rest on my own. “You and Ash are my best friends. She might have to go to be with her mate, but I bet the goddess is going to make mine a guy who can come home with me so I can be here for you. You can’t just be friends with your sister-in-law and a bunch of trolls.” We laughed. I really did need to get out there and make more friends. I didn’t think it would be a bad thing entirely to be friends with a bunch of trolls, but Rock needed a softer home than he had before and I needed to help him make friends with more people than just a bunch of trolls. He and Mike seemed to get along until the whole ‘are you sure’ incident. If Mike could learn to curb his criticism of my abilities, I was certain Rock would love him. The way Forrest and Elbio teased him reminded me of Mike, Trent, and Ben when they were younger. The chime on the door sounded and Gemma got up to greet whoever it was. I arranged my desk a little while pretending not to listen. Gemma trained to fight when she was younger. People might not realize it to look at her, but she was a good fighter. Ben bragged about his sister and cousin when they were training. It was kind of good they had trained because a ranked woman needed to know how to defend herself and her mate as much as a ranked man did. As Beta female, Ash would be expected to know how to fight. “Umm, Carmen, this guy wants to talk to you,” Gemma called out from the office door. “Bring him in,” I told her. I heard confident steps come into the room and I held out my hand. He smelled human, but there was something else. Some sort of magic around him. Witches smelled like magic with an undertone of human. This was the opposite human with an undertone of magic. I’d never smelled anything like him. “Hello, I’m Carmen Rosen,” I said. “What an absolute pleasure to meet you, Carmen,” the man replied as he took my hand and kissed it. I froze. No one had ever kissed my hand before. “I am Rhett and I’ve heard so much about you.” “From Rock?” I asked, pulling my hand back. He chuckled. “From more than your mate. You’re the talk of the town. The fae lands and the pack are enthralled with your story. A troll’s mate of all the things you could have been. The wolves are appalled more than enthralled, but that doesn’t stop them from talking about it. I have to wonder how your goddess is dealing with so many people doubting her for her choice in your second mate. But you don’t doubt her, do you?” Rhett was chattery and talked over me when I tried to ask him questions. When he was suddenly quiet, it was like all the sound in the room stopped at the same time. Gemma didn’t say anything. “I don’t know what this has to do with anything, sir, but this is a place of business. If you would like to socialize, you should contact us outside of business hours. If you’re a friend of Rock’s, then I’m sorry to be rude,” I replied. “Oh, you’re perfect. All business. But you and your friend were just gossiping and talking about unprofessional things. Do you truly not care what the other wolves think? What about the other trolls? Because a lot of their talk sounds the same. Disgusted that the goddess would pair the two of you, but their amusement covers their disgust. I don’t think that, though. I think it’s a perfect match. That warrior boy wasn’t enough for you, so the goddess gave you a troll who would give you everything. Did you really love him from the moment you heard his voice?” I was certain I’d only said that to Rock. I blushed. How had he heard what I told Rock privately? Did he just guess? I didn’t like this man. “If you don’t have business with our company, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” I said quietly. “Answer my questions and I’ll leave. I could remodel my house and become an even longer problem. I could come by every day and probe deeper for answers to my questions. I know how to make myself more of a problem for you. I’ve had a lot of practice.” He chuckled again. He was being honest. If I didn’t answer his questions, he would find a way to be here every day. “I don’t care what other people think of me unless they’re important to me and I don’t think my goddess makes mistakes. Rock is my mate because we were a perfect match for each other. I did fall in love with him from the moment I heard his voice. I fall in love with him more every day. Leave,” I commanded. “So forceful,” Rhett purred. “Like your big brother. He didn’t like me prying into your life either.” My brother? I needed to call Mike and find out what the hell this guy was talking about. How did he know anything about me? “Your eyes are quite remarkable. That’s not a color normally associated with humans. When you get angry, they glow a little. I can’t wait until you find out why your father hates fae.” He laughed. “You know why my father hates fae?” I gasped. “Tell me.” “Oh… no. I won’t be telling you, little wolf. If I tell you, you’ll doubt me….” He paused for a moment. “I should leave. Call me if you ever want to talk. You are very intriguing.”I heard him retreat quickly. There was no jingle from the other room, though. I was the only one in the office. Where was Gemma? I didn’t hear her breathing. Carefully, I felt my way out of the office. “Gemma?” The large door opened with a chime. The scent of Rock filled my senses. I froze. That man was still in the building somewhere. “Carmen? What happened?” Rock asked as he approached. “Gemma? Why’s Gemma on the floor? Did she slip?” “The floor?” I got on my hands and knees, feeling for my friend as I crawled around. I found her on the ground. I felt for a pulse and breathing. She was alive. “There was a man. He came in and asked to see me. I thought Gemma was getting coffee or something when she didn’t come in with him. He talked a lot. His name was Rhett,” I replied. “I don’t know anyone by that name. I’m going to pick Gemma up and take her to the couch in the office. She’s not waking up. We should call the pack and let them know.” I nodded and moved away from my friend. Standing, I followed the sounds of Rock’s footsteps into the office. He put her on the couch and I heard him bring a chair over next to it. “Sit with your friend. You’re shaking,” Rock said. Sitting, I reached out and felt down Gemma’s arm to find her hand. She didn’t move as I gripped her hand. I prayed to the goddess that she help Gemma. “Hello? Alpha Trent?” Rock said. “Something happened to Gemma. I don’t know much, because I was at a site dealing with a customer, but when I came back, she was passed out on the floor. Carmen said someone came in but she thought Gemma was getting coffee. This person did something to Gemma…. Yes, his name was Rhett.”I felt tears start filling my eyes. I didn’t want anything to happen to Gemma. She was my best friend. I should have realized something happened when she didn’t tell Rhett to back off. “Carmen’s fine. She’s worried about Gemma…. Yes…. Alright. I can bring her. I need to call my second-in-command in and have him take over the office stuff…. Maybe half an hour. We’re closer to the pack lands here than in the fae lands…. Sure, give me the directions.”“Please wake up, Gem. Please,” I whispered over and over. “Got it. See you soon.” He hung up and dialed someone else. Gemma still didn’t move. I didn’t pay attention to Rock’s conversation. I just wanted Gemma to wake up. “Carmen, let go of Gemma. We’re heading out. Gill will be here soon to take over, but I don’t want to take too long getting her to the pack hospital.” I let go of her hand and felt Rock pull the chair back. He scooped her off the couch and I heard him leave. I knew I should follow him, but I was frozen to the spot. Rock came back a few moments later and I felt him pick me up out of the chair. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder. I felt safe in his arms. He took me outside and loaded me into the truck. He buckled my seatbelt and closed the door. I could hear breathing. Gemma was in the cab of the truck. The other door opened and I could feel some movement, then a pressure on my side and shoulder. “I’m leaning Gemma against you. She’s buckled in, but I want you to hold on to her, okay, Carmen?” Rock asked. “Yes,” I whispered. “Don’t worry. The doctors know more than we do and they’ll figure this out. If we have to, we’ll petition Queen Maeve to bring her to the healers in the fae lands. Trust me, Carmen. Trust in the goddess. She wouldn’t let something happen to Gemma.” I just nodded. I couldn’t speak without tears in my voice. He started up the truck and pulled out of the parking spot. Rock took corners faster than he normally did and I was pretty sure he was going at the upper limit of how fast he could drive. We didn’t even stop at the border of the pack lands. I heard Rock lay on the horn and some angry shouting from outside. That was my only clue as to what was going on. I loved that he was in such an urgent rush to get Gemma help. He really cared about her, even though she was my friend. The brakes screamed as we stopped and he turned off the truck. He unhooked our seatbelts and I felt Gemma’s weight get lifted off me. His door closed and a few moments later, mine opened. Rock’s arm slipped around my waist and he pulled me out of the truck, setting me on the ground. He grabbed my hand and started to walk. I was stunned but followed as fast as I could, clinging to Rock’s hand the whole time. “Over here.” Someone called out when we entered. Rock tugged me in the direction of the voice. He only let me go for a moment. I heard some clicking and rattling and the sound of a rubber or plastic mat moving. “The Alpha filled us in on what happened. What did you try?” “Carmen shook her and talked to her, trying to wake her up. I tried something I saw in a medical drama. A sternal rub, but that didn’t work, either. I don’t know what this Rhett guy did to her, but it messed her up.” Rock told the woman who spoke. “Thank you. We’re on it. Don’t worry.” I heard them wheel her away and felt my heart drop. What had he done to Gemma? Was there anything that could wake her up? I couldn’t stop the tears. Rock pulled me away from that place and sat me in a chair. He sat next to me and wrapped his arms around me. I clung to him. “Everything will be fine, Carmen. Don’t worry, please. I bet the doctors will figure it out. Trust me, love, everything will be okay. We’ll wake her up,” he murmured over and over. Sometimes it felt like words, but I knew Rock would do everything he could to find an answer. He would make sure Gemma woke up because of how much it meant to me.