Page 77 of Wrestling With Werewolves

To my surprise, Dirk the sylph shows up, stroking long blue fingers down the carved wolves on the back of my throne. “Well, girl, yeh’ve shocked the shit outta me. Princess to queen in the span of a moment. And yeh turned into that gods-awful giant snake. I hate snakes myself.” He leans down and winks. “What else yeh got in there, Princesa?”

I slap his chest playfully. “Anything I want, Dirk. Would you rather see a spider? A monkey? A shark? We could go swimming?”

He beams, showing both rows of sharp, conical teeth.

The room is a whirl of activity around us. I’m sure I’m in for a long night of greeting people as their new queen. But I need time with my family first.

I jerk my head toward my papá’s office hallway, looking at him and Richard. “Let’s chat, shall we?”

Papá stalks off without a word. Richard pulls me up out of the throne, his warm lips coming to my ear.

“Want me to retrieve your dress? Or would you like to have this talk naked? I’ll warn you, if you choose naked, I may end up fucking you on Marco’s desk, whether he’s there or not.” An accompanying growl lifts all the hair on my nape. I can’t wait to get my alpha alone.

“Let’s not flaunt our bond quite that boldly,” I say with a chuckle. “I don’t know if he’ll ever get used to this. His problem, though, not ours.”

Richard beams at me and stalks into the center of the circle to grab my dress. When he returns, I slip it on, and we head for Papá’s office. As we leave, the party starts in earnest, sound exploding as people gossip and howl and celebrate.

We move through the castle and enter to find Papá standing at the wall of windows at the back of the room, staring out over Santa Alaya to the bay. He lifts a shot glass of tequila to his lips, not turning when we enter. I consider sitting at his desk and asking him to sit across from me, but the last thing I want to do is lord my new role over him.

“Papá,” I murmur softly, “we need to talk.”

He turns with a sneer. “How long have you been planning this for?”

I run my fingers down the ancient tomes on his library shelf. “Oh, about an hour. I read these, you see, and I knew what I had to do.”

He scoffs. “Because of the Luna bond.”

I nod. “That’s right. It carries the weight of heavy responsibility. Reading these old words opened my mind to possibilities I never considered before tonight.”

His dark eyes flash between Richard and me. “I don’t know what you did to her while she was under your care, but?—”

“Enough,” I snap. “He protected me, he cooked for me, he made sure I felt welcome, he introduced me to friends, and he loved me. I’ve never been so happy in my entire life.”

Papá blanches like I hit him, then sets the glass down hard on the window ledge. “Why take on the throne, Lola, if it’s so damn bad being here?”

“Here is not the problem,” I manage. I continue in a softer tone. “Unity is important to me. Harmony and happiness are important. Santa Alaya and our people are the most important. You’re my father, and Richard is my mate, blessed by the goddess herself. I want to spend the rest of my days with both of you in my life. Challenging you was the best solution I could see. Not to mention that the Luna bond gives us the power to rule in a way no one else can.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be alright with this,” he states, waving a hand between us.

“You don’t have to accept it,” Richard warns, “but if you try to take us from one another again, I’ll kill for her.”

Marco sneers and returns his eyes to mine. “Where do you want me to go, Lola? As the new queen, you get to dictate that.” His tone is frustrated, bitter. I didn’t expect to have a deep conversation about the Luna bond right now; I knew he wouldn’t be ready to hear it. But I hope one day soon, he will.

Here’s the last bit of my plan that I hope and pray works out.

“I want you to be my Second,” I say softly. “I’m a young ruler, and I could use your guidance. Plus, I’d like you to act in my stead when I’m not here. Santa Alaya will always be home, but my mate’s responsibilities lie in Ever. We’ll need to work out the logistics of that.”

Papá’s eyes spring wide. “¿Qué? You want to rule, but you don’t plan to move back?”

“Both havens deserve a present, focused leader.” I clasp both hands at my waist. “I could no sooner leave our pack behind than Richard could leave his. We’ll discuss the logistics of how to ensure that’s done well. For your part, I’ll give you the night to think about it. I have one more person to visit before I can return to the party, but please, go enjoy yourself if you like.”

Papá picks his tequila back up. “I’m going to stay here, if you don’t mind. I’ve got a lot to think about.” He dips his head, his expression softening a little. “I’ll consider your request.”

I cross the room and slip into Papá’s arms, pressing my cheek to his warm chest. “Te amo, Papá,” I whisper. “Please help me do this. I need you.”

His free arm wraps around my waist as he rests his chin on top of my wild hair. “Yo también te amo, mija.” I love you too, daughter.

I sink all my love into the hug, willing him to see that, while I’m not the same woman who left Santa Alaya a short time ago, I’m still Lola in meaningful ways. When we part, I smile up at him and pat his chest lovingly.

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