Page 41 of Wrestling With Werewolves

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER - LOLA

Rejected. I’ve never been rejected like last night, never even had the chance to because I never gave any males the chance to have me.

But I kissed Richard last night, and he pulled away. He came to the treehouse but I didn’t answer; I pretended to be asleep.

I glance to my right where my favorite chocolate chunk ice cream sits in a tub on the bedside table. Oh yeah, I’m gonna finish the tub right now. Leaning over, I grab it, thankful I was a smart girl who didn’t even remove the spoon. I dig it deep into the half-melted treat and drop a huge dollop in my mouth.

Chocolate and cherries and a teeny hint of whiskey fill my senses. Inside my mind, my wolf whines for the millionth time. She never liked confrontation, and being at odds with the pack alpha is the worst sort of confrontation for our kind.

Homesickness washes over me so hard and heavy, I nearly choke on the ice cream. Gods, I miss Leo and Lupe and even Santa Alaya, which is hard to imagine since I was always so excited to leave home. I miss the castle and Papá. I miss the sun and the bay and the smell of fried fish down by the waterfront. I miss the band.

I hop out of bed and grab the comm disk off the wall. Jogging back, I tuck myself under the covers again and drop the disk on my lap.

“Call Leo Wild.”

Moments later, Leo’s handsome face appears. His rakish grin is so familiar, so lovely, that I tear up at the sight of it.

“¿Princesa, qué pasa?” he murmurs. What’s wrong?

“Miss you,” I whisper around the lump in my throat. “Hey,” sobs threaten to steal my voice, “can you do me a favor and go down to visit Lupe and the others? I don’t know if anybody is doing that in my absence.”

Leo’s smile falls. “Your papá is doing it, but it seems performative. I’ll go in the morning and bring her coffee like we used to as pups.”

“Thank you,” I breathe. “How’s home? I heard Eliel hasn’t challenged Papá yet.”

Leo shakes his head, sighing as he rubs ring-filled fingers over his face. “No. Any day now, if word on the street is true. To be honest, Lola, I’m glad you’re not here. Eliel’s been sneaking around, talking shit about Marco. Goddess, I’m glad I’m not the king. Remind me not to ever get into politics.”

I snort at that. It’s unfathomable. Rolling to my left, I grab my guitar and strum a few notes.

Leo laughs. “You sleeping with that thing?”

I nod and continue playing one of our favorite songs. “Always. Wanna sing with me for a bit?”

Leo nods and disappears out of view. Moments later, he’s back with his black electric guitar. It doesn’t have the built-in magical amp like mine does, but, damn, it’s pretty. Leaning down, he plugs it into his smallest amp so it doesn’t sound tinny.

When he plays the first notes, I fall in. We strum and sing for a solid quarter hour before there’s a noise somewhere behind him. Leo glances over his shoulder then looks back at me with a sheepish grin.

“We’re packing to get outta town for a few weeks. I don’t want to be here when shit goes down with Eliel. If he wins…”

My heart clenches in my chest, and I set the guitar down. “You don’t think he could actually win, do you?”

Leo hands his guitar to one of the Lobos and shakes his head, slipping his hands under his armpits. “I don’t know, Lola. There’s talk of Eliel using magic.”

I gasp. “Does Papá know?!”

He shakes his head again. “Hard to say, but your father is a political genius, corazón. I can’t imagine this would take him by surprise.”

I grit my teeth. “I’m calling him as soon as we hang up.”

Leo smiles, but he looks sad all the same. “Te ves triste,” he says quietly. You look sad. “Is Ever not treating you well?”

“I’d be better if you came to visit,” I say, feeling guilty. His free time is limited.

He steps closer through the hologram, dark eyes focused on me. “If you need me, I’m there. We’ve got concerts the next couple of nights, but I can skip those or come in four days. Do you care which?”

I shake my head. “Don’t skip. The music would be sad without you. But if you can come in four days, goddess, I’d love that.”

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