31. Epilogue - Lola

It took longer than I wanted to get things settled in Santa Alaya. But Papá did agree to become my Second, although he still won't look at Richard. I hope it'll just take time for him to realize that our love—unlikely as it might be—is worth everything. We're back in Ever for a few days to update the Ever pack and talk through plans for co-ruling both locations. Hearth HQ is reformatting some of the portals between Ever and Santa Alaya so I can return home more quickly.

"Girl gimme a beer, stat." Lou's throaty voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I look across the bar at Bad Axe. She slides onto one of the bar stools with a big grin. "Pretty glad to see you back in one piece, sister."

I shake my head with a thankful smile. "It's not, like, perfectly sorted, but my friend Leo should be arriving today, which means I'll get to play guitar with him, and honestly, that's about all I need. That and for Papá and Richard to not be at each other's throats."

Lou laughs. "Well, I got to hear Dirk's firsthand impression of the whole thing. You can turn into a snake?"

My laugh matches hers. Of course Dirk would focus on the snake. "Yeah, or anything else. Any animal."

"Damn," Lou mutters. "That's cool as hells, Lola. I'm so happy for you and Richard."

I pour her a beer and slide it across the bar. "What about you, Lou? Sounds like Dirk found you pretty quickly once we came home?"

She rolls her eyes. "If by find me you mean stalk me like a creeper then, yes, he sure did."

I rest my elbows on the table, putting my chin in my hand as I wink at her. "You don't really seem to mind all that much, if we're being honest."

Pink dusts her freckled cheeks. "I mean…attention is nice, sure. But he's like…always there."

It's my turn to pry. "Have you kissed him?"

"What?" Lou sputters. She brings the beer to her lips and takes three huge gulps. "Why would you ask that?"

"No reason," I say. "It's just that he was super heroic in Santa Alaya, and I thought you might be interested in knowing how he?—"

"Lola, First Queen of Packs Santa Alaya and Ever, your presence is requested in, well, the middle of the street." The request rings through the bar, but when I turn toward the front, the doors are swinging shut behind whoever spoke.

Lou takes another gulp of her drink. "Hoboy, I'm gonna head outside."

I stand and cross my arms. "Louanna Hector, do you know something about this?"

"Okay, byeeeee," she draws out the final sound as she grabs the beer and heads for the door.

"Lou, get back here!" I shout, laughing as I jog toward the end of the bar and catch up with her. When I get there, I sling an arm around her neck. She's so much shorter than me now. I'm probably close to six feet tall at this point with the Luna transition.

Bad Axe swings the doors wide for us, and just outside them, the entire pack, as well as the centaurs and pegasi, all stand in the street, chanting my name. In the very middle, Richard stands with one hand on the back of an empty chair.

My mouth falls open as Lou disappears into the crowd. Everyone is here. All the wolves. All the centaurs. All the pegasi. Literally everyone.

Richard pats the back of the chair, his other hand slung casually through his belt loop. "C'mere, sweetheart."

A rousing cheer starts on one side of the circle and echoes across to the other. Catcalls and jeers ring out as I push through the crowd and join my mate.

"What are you up to?" I eye my deviously smiling Alpha and the empty chair by his side.

Richard laughs, and it's Big Daddy's voice that comes through as my wolf sits with him in Richard's mind. Sit here, baby. We're gonna put on a show for you.

Heat flushes through me as the crowd screams.

And then I hear it.

Music.

Not just music.

Leo. I'd know the way he plays anywhere.

The crowd parts, and my best friend appears in the space, plucking at his black electric guitar. It's an old song, a song we played as pups, a song we've been playing together for decades. His dark eyes flick to Richard, and he beams. Lupe stands by his side, a weathered hand holding onto his forearm.

I turn to my mate with an incredulous expression. "You got Lupe to come? How?"

"Tell you later," he murmurs. "Take a seat, mi reina." My queen.

Dutifully, I sit in the seat as the crowd goes wild. Leo walks slowly around the inside of the circle, strumming and singing just loud enough to be heard over the crowd as Richard unbuttons his shirt.

Heat swirls in my belly as he unveils all those miles of tattooed skin. He stares at me lovingly as he speaks, voice carrying across our packs and the rest of Shifter Hollow.

"Welcome, Pack Ever, to the formal presentation of jewelry from myself to my Luna."

At the word "Luna," everyone goes wild, but in our bond, Richard's voice is resonant and clear.

To new beginnings, Lola. To beautiful partnerships. Long may you reign, my love.

THE END