Page 25 of Wrestling With Werewolves

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?”

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