Page 7 of Wrestling With Werewolves

Oh fuuuuuck.

My bandmate Leo lifts his head. One eye is swollen and completely shut. A gash through one of his dark brows bleeds heavily, a trail of red dripping into his mouth.

I dash across the room and slide onto my knees in front of him, cradling his face between my hands.

“Lola,” he croaks. “I’m fine; it’s not that bad.”

My father rounds the desk as I spin toward him and glare. His black eyes, the same obsidian shade as mine, move to Leo. “Get the fuck out of my office.”

Leo puts his hands over mine, squeezing me gently, then rises and jogs out of the room. I watch in shocked silence before I’m able to face my father.

He leans against the edge of his desk, warning flashing through his expression. “I have begged and pleaded with you to be careful. I have shared with you the political challenges of holding this throne. But you seem bound and fucking determined to flout the rules I put in place to keep you safe.”

Fury fills me. Fury for Leo and fury for Nuñez. I plant both hands on my hips. “I’ve done this before and you’ve never come down this hard on anyone. Why is it different now? And what use is holding the throne if it makes you a raging asshole?”

I’ve never spoken to my father like this, but in my entire life, he’s never hurt anyone outside of an official challenge. An alpha’s job is to protect his family, not whatever happened in the office before I entered. It’s so wrong I resist the urge to scratch at creepy-crawlies skittering over my skin.

He snarls and shoves off the desk, bumping me with his chest, demanding I submit to his wolf’s will. His wolf’s purple sheen flashes through his irises, a reminder that they’re on the same page about this.

How? Why?

My wolf rises inside me, upset and angry and in complete disagreement with our pack alpha’s behavior. “What you did isn’t okay,” I press. “Sobre todo, familia. Leo is our family, Papá.”

“No, it’s not okay,” he says on a hiss. “But I’d do worse to keep you safe.”

“I’m not in danger here,” I snap.

“Wrong,” Father barks, his alpha command a near-physical slap to the face. “Eliel is going to challenge me any day. If he wins, he’ll bind you no matter how you feel about the situation.”

I reel backward in shock. Eliel?

Eyes wide, I stare at my father. “He wouldn’t. Forced bondings are illegal.”

“What’s legal won’t matter because I’d probably be dead,” he says roughly. “I’ve shielded you from some of this, Lola, because I didn’t want you to worry. But Eliel won’t play fair. I sense it.”

I look out the wall of windows. “I didn’t realize,” I murmur, voice trailing off. “If I had known…”

“I’m not sure you’d have done anything differently,” he says, his tone wry. “You’ve always been strong-willed.”

“Not to the detriment of those around me, I hope.” I turn to face him again. “What do you need from me? How can I help thwart whatever Eliel is planning?”

Suddenly, my father looks exhausted. His shoulders slump, his eyes hooded. “I need you out of trouble so I can focus fully on Eliel and uncovering what his plan really is. I’m sending you to Richard in Ever. I trust him to keep you safe.”

Keep me in line, he means.

I nod slowly. I haven’t seen Richard since I was a pup, but he was a staple of my childhood. I understand why Papá wants to send me there, even if it rankles a little.

“I love you,” he whispers. “So damn much, mija. I could not stand it if Eliel forced you into something you didn’t want. If I fall, I need to know that Richard will be the second line of defense between you and the new king.”

I gulp. The idea of my father falling to Eliel is unfathomable. What would happen to Santa Alaya, if Papá fell? Eliel hides a snake’s deadliness beneath his simpering smiles. He’s not fit to be our king.

“I’ll go.” I wrap my arms around myself, but Papá pulls me into an embrace, purring the way he has since I was a tiny pup.

“It’ll be fine, mija. This is just a precaution, okay? I trust Richard with my life and yours. You’ll be as safe as you can be there. And when you get back, we’ll talk a little more about the music, hmm?”

He strokes my curls away from my face, tilting my chin up so that I’m looking directly in his eyes. “Please, please do not leave Ever under any circumstances, okay? Promise me, Lola.”

“Se lo prometo,” I swear.

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