Chapter - Lola

It's fascinating watching a leadership meeting take place within a regular pack. Richard, Connall, and the rest of the small group laugh and drink and carry on, and it's…easy. I can never remember a time it was like this for my father. His leadership meetings are all veiled innuendo and subtle threats. And sadly, no alcohol.

I mull that over as I watch pack members who are obviously close with one another.

Connall slaps the bar with both hands and rises, looking at the group. "I'm gonna head to Leighton's parents' place for a visit."

"I'll be there in the morning with breakfast for them," Richard says, his expression serious.

It's on the tip of my tongue to offer to go with him, but I'm not part of this pack. I'm just…here. And I don't want anyone to feel like they have to take care of me. I shouldn't even be here at all, but for my own stupid mis?—

"Lola, would you like to go get some ice cream up on Main Street?" Richard's rumbly voice breaks through my thoughts, pulling a smile to my face.

"You don't have to do that," I say with a laugh, gesturing at his packmates. "I heard your to-do list. It's very long."

He smirks. "It's never not long. There's always time for ice cream, I promise." His smirk becomes a full grin, twin fangs peeking out over his plush lips.

Moons, why am I looking at his lips?

Connall shoos the rest of the wolves and Arkan's father toward the door as I nod and rise from the stool, pushing it into place. The front door opens, and they exit Bad Axe. The bar lights twinkle and shine behind Richard, illuminating him as if the bar itself is telling me to stare. That's how I take it, anyhow.

Richard looks up at the ceiling. "Whatcha doin', girl?"

The way he says the word "girl" has me crossing my legs to ease some of the ache there. Slick arousal wets my thighs, my body preparing for an alpha in his absolute prime. My physical reaction is visceral and impossible to control, and I hope to Alaya that Richard pretends not to notice.

My wolf shoves toward the front of my focus, staring at Richard as I shake my head to ease the pressure she generates in my chest. When I rub at it, Richard crosses the space behind the bar and leans over it.

"You okay, Lola?"

Yes.

No.

No.

"Absolutely," I say instead, not looking at him. I don't want my wolf's amber shade to show so obviously through my eyes. Yet, when I turn to look, unable not to, the green of Richard's wolf shows clearly through his dark irises.

"We need ice cream," he says, his voice a throaty, rippy growl. "Right now."

Goose bumps rise to the surface of my skin at the way he and his wolf are staring. I can't even hold my girl back; she's all about this focus and attention from Ever's pack alpha. I try to remind myself who Richard is to me, to my father, but it feels impossible to grasp at those straws when I half-ass try.

"Can't wait," I manage.

For a long moment, the air in the bar fills with heat. Richard is still as a statue, his big chest heaving, and when I look into his eyes, they're fully green. I'm staring at a man who's seconds from a shift, his wolf taking over to do the transition.

Is he…not in control?

Worried for him, I push forward and press my hand to his chest. He's scorching hot, his skin blazing into mine even through the soft fabric of his black tee. His muscles pop and bend, ears elongating to the lengthy, tapered tips of his wolf's. A deep, ragged growl rumbles out of his throat as he grabs my wrist with one hand. His fingers wrap all the way around it, tightening until it pinches.

When I suck in a breath at the sheer dominance he exudes, he gasps and lets go of my wrist, stepping back. He runs both hands through his salt-and-pepper hair, looking deeply into my eyes. His wolf's green is gone.

Come back,I think desperately. Let me see you.

"Lola, I'm sorry," he says, his voice filled to the brim with emotion. "That was inappropriate. I?—"

A deep-seated need to comfort him and alleviate the situation rises. I'm well acquainted with emotional tension.

"You're in need of ice cream, I can tell," I say with a wink, slipping off the bar. I jerk my head toward the door. "C'mon, Alpha."

He pauses a second, and I worry he'll try to back out on the idea. I'm about to plead my case for why we should still go, but he strides to the end of the bar and rounds it to join me.

"I'm sorry, truly," he murmurs as we head toward the broad, tall front doors.

When he shoves through them and holds the right door open for me, I pause by his side, glancing up into his familiar chocolate eyes. "I'm not sorry, Richard. You have nothing to be sorry for."

He nods, but I sense his unease, so I slip my arm under his and cradle his biceps to my side. "You promised me ice cream, and I feel like you've really talked it up. How fast can we get there?"

He laughs and bends his arm, placing his palm flat on his chest as we head right up the road. "Twenty minutes walking. It's a nice night, too."

I nudge his side with my elbow. "Is it not always a nice night, on account of the controlled weather?"

He chuckles. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

We fall silent as we stride through Shifter Hollow, treehouses and the trees above soaring like silent sentinels around us.

"This place is so cozy," I share, "once I get past the claustrophobia."

Richard laughs. "It's a far cry from your view in Santa Alaya, that's for sure."

I smile up at him. "Do you ever miss it, being Papá's Second?"

Richard shakes his head immediately. "Never. I love Marco like a brother. Moons, he is my brother, for all intents and purposes, but, no, I don't miss the political game of being so high up in society."

"I don't get the sense he enjoys it all that much either," I admit, wondering when the last time I saw my father smile was. I can't think of a time, if I'm honest with myself. The shifter court might tout the family-first motto, but it's less accurate at court than anywhere else.

Richard sighs. "Your father was always driven to win. He's the most competitive wolf I know, which is how he's won a few fights he should have lost, by all rights."

I grimace. "See! That's what I mean about how fights can go sideways." I suck at my teeth. "You just never know when some gangly little youngster is gonna pull a tricky move and oust you. It could happen."

Richard barks out a hearty laugh. "Maybe, Princess, but I'm not worried."

We walk in silence for a while after that as I admire the deeply verdant forest on both sides of us. Richard points out a path that leads to a troll bridge where one of the town's leadership monsters lives—Ohken the troll. Newly mated to one of Lou's triplet nieces, apparently. I'm excited to meet them.

We round a corner to see a vintage-looking 24-hour diner on the left, and a two-story building with a line out the door on the right.

Richard points to that one first. "That's Higher Grounds, a coffee shop. It's run by vampire brothers, Pietro and Alessandro. Definitely worth the walk if you're into coffee."

Something pangs in my chest. In Santa Alaya, we grow our own coffee beans. My entire childhood, I played hide and seek on hills lined with coffee trees. Unless they import from our haven, the coffee will be different. And different isn't bad necessarily, but?—

"You okay?" Richard murmurs, pulling on the arm still looped through his.

"Thinking about home," I admit, glancing up as we pass between the buildings and take a left on Main Street. But that's when all thoughts of home vanish. Ever's downtown is one long street with shops on both sides. Red-and-white awnings cover each door, and lamp posts with flower baskets throw a burst of color into the picture.

Richard guides me to the left side of the street as I take in how cute it is.

"We're going to Scoops, but next to that is Miriam's Sweets, a candy shop. We've got a movie theater, bowling alley, and at the far end, there's Town Hall and its gazebo, of course. All full-haven meetings happen there."

The scent of ice cream fills the air as we get closer to Scoops' door. Small red picnic tables on the sidewalk are nearly filled with monsters of all species. It's so homey, so different from the paleteros back home who push frozen carts around, dishing out popsicles in every possible flavor.

Five minutes later, we emerge with two scoops—Richard picked chocolate, and I opted for cherry chocolate mint. We find a free table at the very end, next to the sweets shop. I stare at the front entrance as we sit.

Richard laughs. "Wanna go in? It'll remind you so much of the dulcerías back home. There are so many delicious options."

I take a quick lick of my cone. "Yeah, I wanna go in. It looks amazing." My eyes flick to his. "If you have time, I mean."

"I always have time for you," he says softly, his eyes focused. I'd swear the faintest hint of green appears, but it's gone in a flash as he looks around us at the busy street. "This is what I mean about the difference between living in Santa Alaya and a small haven. We've had our drama, for sure, but Ever is so peaceful—usually."

I lick my cone, the flavors bursting across my tongue. As I open my mouth to say something, the door to the sweets shop opens, and Hana exits, holding it for someone else. When a small gargoyle flits out the door to land on her shoulder, I hold back a giggle.

Richard turns to see what I'm looking at, smiling when Hana clops over to our table. I move to stand so she doesn't tower over us, but she smiles and places a hand on my shoulder.

"No need to rise, Lola. Please, enjoy your ice cream." She pats the tiny darling on her shoulder. "This is Ignatius, Iggy for short."

The little gargoyle beams at me as he hops up and down on Hana's shoulder. Blue eyes flash with excitement. I notice he's holding a half-full bag of candy in one hand.

"You're a princess, right? What's it like? Does your dad get to boss people around all day long? Do you have good playgrounds where you're from? Can you jump out of your bedroom and dive right into the ocean?"

Hana glances over at the young one. "That is quite a lot of questions at once, Iggy."

He shrugs, crossing his arms over his tiny chest. "So?"

I pat the table between Richard and me. "Come on down here, and I'll answer them."

Iggy whoops and hops off Hana's shoulder, sliding down her back until he reaches her horse body. Then he slips down her leg like it's a pole, and hops onto the table.

Richard pinches Iggy's fat thigh playfully. "Ig, shall I get you an ice cream while you question Lola?" He winks at me.

"Yeah, go ahead," Iggy says without looking away. When he settles on his haunches, curling his long tail around his feet, I realize he's waiting for a whole story from me.

Laughing, I try to recall his questions in order. "Being a princess is interesting. There are lots of rules."

Iggy's face screws up, his snub nose scrunching in apparent disgust.

"Yeah"—I give him a look—"so many rules. And, yes, my papá does get to tell everyone what to do, but he tries not to be too bossy."

Ha.

"What about the ocean?" Iggy presses.

I take another lick of my cone and smile as I think about home. "I live in the castle, which is high up in the mountains overlooking the town of Santa Alaya and La Bahía de Santa Alaya, which is the ocean," I tack on.

Iggy nods wisely.

"While I can't leap out of my window into the water, it's only a short walk through the town, and I get to visit all of my favorite people along the way."

"Your town is your family, right?" Iggy says, his voice gone soft.

My heart clenches. Richard reappears at the same time, handing Iggy a single scoop of vanilla ice cream covered in sprinkles. The tiny gargoyle takes it but continues staring at me.

"Yeah, the town is my family," I say.

"Do you miss it?" Iggy asks.

Hana clears her throat like she's about to suggest he stop asking me questions about home, but, honestly, I find him incredibly refreshing.

"I miss some things about home," I share. "My best friend Leo, who I play in a band with, for example. I also used to visit the elderly every morning as part of my duties. Except it never felt like a duty to me. I enjoyed it. And I miss seeing those packmates, even though it's only been a short time."

Iggy sighs and digs into his ice cream, munching on the sprinkles. I risk a glance over at Richard, but his expression is thoughtful.

Hana taps Iggy on the shoulder. "Friend, what do you say we deliver the candy?"

Iggy nods and lifts the bag still held in his right hand, showing it to me. "We bought this for Lou to cheer her up. She's been really sad since, well, I'm not sure why, exactly. Dad won't say anything except that it's 'cause of Wesley." He gives me a disgruntled look. "Do you know why that makes her sad? Nobody will tell me."

Richard clears his throat. "She was there when Morgan killed Wesley, Ig. It was probably really scary, and she's dealing with those feelings now."

Iggy snorts. "Yeah, but that was, like, days ago. When Dad tells me to think about my feelings, it takes me like ten seconds."

"You are exceptionally strong," Richard compliments. "No doubt you'll make a wonderful protector one day, like your father and uncle."

Iggy flares his tiny wings wide, his tail lashing from side to side like a cat as he beams at me. "What do you think?"

I boop his nose. "I think you have an ice cream mustache, and it sounds like you owe Lou some candy, so you'd better get that taken care of, sir."

He lets out a hilarious little cackle, as if I just told the funniest joke in the world. "Nice to meet you!" And then he pushes off the table and zips through the air onto Hana's back. He kicks her sides like he's riding a horse. "Giddyup, Hana!"

Hana smiles at us both, waving goodbye as she turns and trots into the street, Iggy bouncing around on her back with his ice cream in one hand and the bag of candy in the other.

"Moons, he's cute," I say, refocusing on Richard.

"You seem to love children," he says.

"Don't all omegas love children?" I retort with a wink. "Pretty sure it's written in our DNA."

His smile becomes a smirk as he licks a path up his ice cream. Heat flares between my thighs. Everything about Richard is alpha in a way I've never experienced with the alphas back home. Maybe because there's never been a strong enough alpha who could challenge Papá. Even Eliel doesn't strike me the way Richard does.

There's innate strength in his body, for sure, but it's the focus in those intelligent, predatory eyes. He misses nothing, which is obvious when he interacts with his people.

"What are you thinking about?" His question takes me off guard as I struggle not to watch him lick the ice cream.

Your tongue.

Your muscles.

Your knot.

Shit, where did that last one come from? I struggle to rein it in as I lick my own cone. It's melting, dripping down over the edges and onto my fingers.

I want you to lick this off me.The request is on the tip of my tongue, my heartbeat racing as I mentally slap myself. I've got to stop making everything Richard does sexual.

"Home," I lie.

He gives me a wicked, knowing look. "Liar."

My heart skips a beat, then picks up, revving like a truck engine as my nostrils flare, soaking in his scent.

"Dime la verdad," he growls. Tell me the truth.

Moons, no, I can't. It's far too natural to be playful with him.

I force myself to stop breathing and focus. "I'd like to walk back now." And get home to my AknottilatorXL because I am heating up too fast.

Richard's chocolate eyes narrow as he crunches into the cone, biting it in half. He munches on it as, frozen, I stare at him.

After an interminable silence, he nods. "Okay, let's go."

I should be learning and admiring this darling town, maybe figuring out how to help for the duration of my stay, however long that may be. But I can't pull my eyes from him as he pops the rest of his cone into his mouth, reaching for me with his free hand.

I take it, my ice cream melting pitifully, covering my hand with sticky sweetness as we rise from the table. He guides me off the bench and pulls me into the sidewalk, releasing his grip. The loss of his warmth makes my fingers twitch.

Richard slips a palm to the middle of my back, respectfully and horribly far above where I'd rather he put it.

Goddess Alaya, help me, I pray to all wolves' patron saint. Because I am fantasizing about the one wolf I should never, ever pursue. But as quickly as I chide myself, the thought vanishes to the furthest corners of my mind. I smile and walk, trying not to preen at the sensation of Richard's big hand on my body.

We head toward Sycamore in silence, but at the corner, he jerks his head toward the left. "Do you have any interest in seeing the Community Garden? Hana and Arkan live next door. It's beautiful over there."

The heat building between my thighs demands attention, so after a moment to consider it, I shake my head no. I can't walk around a beautiful garden while Richard points out the amazing things about his haven. I'm one sexy comment away from blurting out how attractive I find him.

We turn up Sycamore toward Shifter Hollow, Richard's palm blazing a spot against my back. All of my focus and attention is drawn to the way his fingers curl slightly into my skin, as if he wants to be closer and can't. Or maybe I just hope that's what he's feeling.

I don't realize we've walked in silence almost the entire way back until we pass the lake and he scratches at my tee. When he drops his hand, I hold back a whimper of need.

"You sure you're alright, Lola? You don't strike me as the early-to-bed type, and the sun isn't even down yet."

When I glance up at him, he wears that same smirk that's been getting to me all night. I clear my throat. "So…when will you be challenged, do you know? How does that work in your pack?"

His smirk becomes a full grin, like he's a giddy schoolboy. "Tomorrow, probably sunset. Usually, when I get challenged, they like to make sure it's before the dinner rush."

I snort. "How very thoughtful and convenient."

He shrugs. "It's so different from Santa Alaya. We've talked about that. But you'll see when it happens. There's no one in my pack with political aspirations like your father had. Until I'm very, very old, I won't have any real challengers." He barks out a rough-and-tumble laugh. "Unless I do something really asshole-ish, and then I could be challenged for real. Although, still, there are no alphas here who could beat me."

"Not even Connall?" I joke, elbowing him in the side. Goddess, his side is a rock of muscle.

His smile goes thoughtful. "Most definitely not Connall. Connall will fight tooth and nail for those he loves, but he's not a fighter in general. He's our pack therapist, a role I created when I realized I'm not naturally suited to those conversations. I'm more of a man of action. Connall is an incredible listener, and he gives the best advice of anyone I've ever met."

"You're lucky to have him," I murmur, thinking about Papá and Eliel's tenuous relationship, if it can even be called that.

Richard must read my thoughts. "Eliel was always an asshole," he mutters. "Fantastic at a Second's duties, but your father knew he'd be trouble, so I guess this is that reckoning. I spoke to Marco this morning, by the way. He hasn't been formally challenged yet."

"Yeah." I cross my arms over my chest, irritated at the idea of not being there for Papá when he fights. "I hope he absolutely pulverizes that creep."

Richard bristles. "‘Creep' is a very specific term."

I nod. "Eliel follows me around a lot when I'm visiting and doing my duties. He loves to comment on how single I am and how old I'm getting."

A rough growl rips from Richard's throat as he puts his hand on my wrist, stopping us in the street. His dark eyes are earnest as he scans my face. "Does he make you feel unsafe? Marco mentioned he thought Eliel might try to force a bonding if he won."

I shrug. "He's never done anything aside from look at me in a gross way. But Papá is right…Eliel's a threat. He'd take away my choices if he could."

Richard snarls and shakes his head. "You don't have to go back there, Lola. You're more than welcome here. It's a slower pace of life, and we have no beach. But we've got a beautiful lake, if you?—"

"Stay here?" The words come out as a whisper, shock registering at Richard's words. "I could stay here?"

A pink blush steals across his bronze cheeks. "Your father would miss you, of course, but if you wanted to make a new, different life here…you could."

Leave Santa Alaya? Somehow I can't imagine Papá allowing that, focused as he is on pack first.

I blink away the shock as my comm watch pings. Looking down, I nearly choke at seeing Papá's name hovering above the navy-blue band. That's…surprising.

Richard pats my forearm once, drawing my attention. "I'll leave you to your call. Cheer me on tomorrow?"

I nod. "Of course, Alpha."

His blush deepens, and he nods before turning to jog up the street toward Bad Axe. Sighing, I direct the watch to answer my father, but my mind is locked firmly on the idea Richard presented.