Chapter 15
Lola
She sat on Link’s lap as they waited for Joyce and Merlot to get back after talking to the triplets. She leaned back to look up into his eyes. He wasn’t paying any attention to her as he gazed off into the distance. She shifted on his lap to grip his face to make him meet her eyes.
“Where are you?” she whispered.
He smiled sadly at her. “I have so many questions, Lola.”
“Okay. Ask.”
“No, I’m okay. Thank you, though.”
She smiled softly. “You can trust me.”
“I know I can.”
“Then why won’t you talk to me?”
He sighed. “Lola, I’m not like you. I always thought that I would have a choice about who I would spend the rest of my life with. Now, I’m being told who I should be with. I can’t help being drawn to you, but it would still be nice to choose.”
“Oh.”
She got up to move to the couch across the coffee table from his chair, feeling the immediate loss of their connection as she tried to blink back the tears in her eyes. He reached for her hands, and she put them under her thighs to avoid him touching her. She had never felt so rejected in her life, and him touching her would just make it worse. He moved to the edge of the chair.
“Lola, I didn’t mean anything by what I said. I-”
“It’s fine.”
“Lola, I-”
She shook her head. “It’s fine.”
Before he could respond, a portal opened moments before the triplets walked through with their mates. As per the new norm, Margo was clinging to Merlot with tiny vines linking them together, while Jenna was half behind Joyce. Nalani walked with confidence while Nomad moved beside her, very clearly with a spell around them. Minton and Mayra pulled away from each other with a very audible sucking sound as their lips separated, making Lola even sadder at the easy way her sibling’s mates were accepting them without hesitation. Merlot kissed the back of Margo’s hand before smiling at her.
“Margo, this is Link and Minton. Guys, this is my mate, Margo, and her sisters, Nalani and Jenna, with their mates, my sister Joyce and my brother Nomad.”
Minton immediately moved toward them, smiling as he hugged them all. Jenna hugged him back as she glared at Link silently before coming to stand behind Lola with her hand on Lola’s shoulder.
“So, we do need to talk. You say you had 17 young adult hits. We need to know who. Can you tell us who?” Merlot asked.
Minton nodded and began to speak, while Lola only half paid attention until she heard the last name. All of her siblings turned to stare at Minton, who shifted nervously.
“Are you sure that it said Rika Henderson?”
“Yes. Why? Do you know her?”
Merlot’s jaw clenched. “Yes. She’s a scout for our pack. She’s mated to our brother, Jay.”
Margo sighed. “She said she was going to Deegan when we got there.”
Merlot looked at her. “Are you sure she said Deegan?”
“Yes.”
All of the siblings relaxed. “Good. She’ll be safe there. I’ll contact Grandma in the morning and tell her to keep Rika there until this is over.”
“Yeah, do that.”
Lola listened silently to the conversation raging around her as everyone got to know each other. When Joyce excused herself to go to the bathroom, Lola jumped up.
“I’ll go with you.”
Link’s gaze immediately focused on her. When Jenna saw him starting to head Lola’s way, she stepped in his path. Lola relaxed as Joyce looped her arm through hers as they walked out. She listened as Joyce chatted about Jenna. Lola was happy for Joyce and all of her other siblings. She just wished that everything would work out for her, too. When Joyce walked out of the bathroom, Lola sighed.
“Can you open a portal for me?”
Surprise crossed her face. “Right now?” Lola nodded. “Yeah, sure. Let’s go get Link.”
Lola grabbed her sister’s arm. “No, just… can you do it now?”
“What happened, Lola?”
Lola lowered her head as tears cropped up again. “He didn’t pick me back,” she whispered.
“What?”
Lola’s body trembled with silent sobs. “H-he wants to choose his mate. It’s not me.”
“Oh, Lola,” Joyce murmured as she wrapped her arms around Lola. “I’m so sorry. I’ll talk to him.”
“No! Just leave it alone. It’s okay. I just want to go home. You have to promise not to say anything to anyone. I’ll tell everyone after this is all over. I promise.”
“Lola, he’s your mate. Let me talk to him.”
She shook her head as a tear rolled down her cheek. “I’m just a human. I don’t belong in the shifter world. Please, just send me home.”
“Alright, sis.”
Joyce let her go to open a portal. “I’ll come see you when I get home, okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” Lola responded as she walked through the portal.
She was instantly grateful when she came out of the portal in her room. The portal closed behind her, and she went to the shower, not even bothering to turn the lights on. She stood under the scalding water, letting it burn her skin. Her need to turn her emotional pain into physical pain was always her go-to move. Her body could be healed more easily than her feelings ever could. She shut the water off when it ran cold, disappointed that this time she didn’t think physical pain could end her emotional pain. She tied a bathrobe around her body as she made her way to her bed. She buried her face in her pillows, letting her turmoil soak the soft cloth. After what felt like hours, her sobs finally slowed, letting her curl up, completely exhausted. She wiped her face on her robe before closing her eyes. She was almost asleep when her name was yelled, making her jerk awake.
“LOLA! LOLA! WHERE ARE YOU?!”
She stared at the door in shock. What was he doing there?
“BOY! WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR MY DAUGHTER? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?”
“My name is Link, and I need to talk to Lola. Do you know where she is?”
“Of course I do. What do you need to talk to her about?”
“I just need to talk to her. Please, can you point me to her room?”
“No. How dare you think you can just show up and demand to speak to anybody?”
“Link, that third room on the right is Lola’s.”
“Dammit, Merlot! If your sister wanted him in her room, she would have come to get him. She can hear us!”
“Dad, just stop. Let them work it out.”
Lola’s heart pounded as her door knob turned before the door was pushed open. Link walked in, shutting the door behind himself. She tried to curl up even tighter in the hopes he wouldn’t see her on the bed. In mere seconds, he was walking around the bed. The bed dipped under his weight as he laid down, slipping under the blankets to pull her back against his body. She held herself stiffly in his arms.
“Please, don’t,” she whimpered. “I get it. You don’t want me.”
He ran his hand along her body until he found hers. “Lola, I never said that.”
“Yes, you did. You said you wanted to choose, not be told to love me,” she whispered, sadly. “So, why are you here?”
He kissed her shoulder. “Choosing my mate, Lola.”
“W-what?”
“You ran away before we could finish our conversation. I always thought I would be the chaser in my relationship. I wanted to see my person and have my very breath stolen from my lungs. I wanted to walk up to her and say, ‘Hi, I’m Link. Can I have your phone number and take you out to dinner?’ I wanted to woo my woman and treat her like a queen. I wanted to open doors and pull out chairs. I didn’t handle meeting you well. You are the most gorgeous woman I have ever met or will ever meet.”
She rolled over to face him, and he cupped her face as he traced her lips. “When we first saw you, Jorrah marked you. I didn’t get to woo you. I didn’t get to fall in love with you. I didn’t get to ask your name or introduce myself before you showed me that you didn’t need me to be the man. You were more than happy to fight for me. I don’t need you to protect me, Lola. You shouldn’t feel like you have to fight for me. You fought so hard for me, which tells me you will fight for anyone that needs you, too. It leaves me wondering, who fights for you?”
“I’ve spent my whole life fighting,” she whispered.
He leaned forward to kiss her softly. “You don’t have to protect me, Lola. Protecting you is my job.”
“You want to protect me?” she asked.
He kissed her knuckles. “Yes, among other things.”
“What other things?”
“I want to take you out on a date and get to know you. If that’s okay with you.”
She swallowed hard before nodding. “Are you sure?”
“Very much so.”
“I’d like that. Is there anything else you want to do with me?” she asked shyly.
He pulled her on top of him, slowly untying the belt around her waist. “Oh, yeah.”
She leaned down to kiss him. “Take me, Link.”
He rolled them over, pushing her robe open as he smiled down at her. “It’ll be my pleasure to worship you, my queen.”