Lola stared at her best friend, the one person in the world she cared about. She wanted to tell her everything, but how could she explain something that didn’t make any sense?“Lola?” Melissa’s voice rang out softly, and her eyes pleaded for an explanation.“I—”“It’s our fault, really,” Ash said, getting in front of Lola. “The bodies outside, the wrecked apartment, the door — Well, that’s more my fault,” he joked, but no one was laughing.“The bodies are your fault?” Melissa’s eyes flickered between Ash and Lola as she took a small step back out into the stairwell.“They are, but the good thing is that you won’t tell anyone.” Ash grinned. Melissa gasped when Ash was in front of her just as she blinked.He cupped her cheek and leaned her head back. “I’m not?” she whispered.Ash flicked his tongue and shook his head. “No, you’re not because you wouldn’t want your mom to meet the same faith, would you now?” Melissa shook her head. Her eyes widened and glistened in fear.“Ash!” Lola scol
Jax closed the door to the bedroom, throwing one last glance at Lola sleeping on the bed. He clenched his fingers around the key and stared at the keyhole. He bit down and pressed the key in, turning it and locking the door. It’s for everyone’s good, he told himself.“We’re locking her up?” Landon, Jax’s wolf, said, his voice dripping with judgment.“It’s for her own good.”“For her own good or your own peace of mind? I mean, it is easier for you to handle her when she’s locked up, no?” Even though they were one, it didn’t mean their thoughts were the same or their actions always coincided with what the other felt was right.“I can’t have her run away. Ash is right.&rd
Lola stood by the window, trying to break it open. The chair she had thrown against the glass was lying on the floor, and her knuckles were red from beating against the impenetrable glass.Her hair lay messy, and her cheeks stained crimson from the blood on her hands when she dragged them over her face in despair.Her foggy mind was still trying to comprehend everything from the last hours, but only bits and pieces were forming in her memory.She remembered her apartment and Jax. Ash was there too, but then what had happened? She pulled her hair and clenched her jaw in frustration as the flight in her erupted but without the ability to act on it. The door was locked shut, and the thickness of the door made it impossible for Lola to kick down. Her mind reeled to the possibility of the guy’s ability to break it down, given the fact that they
Lola sat on the chair in the kitchen, surrounded by Jax’s family members and the scary man from the hallway.He was eyeing her with a monotone expression. It seemed that he could catch any secret she held.Lola was thinking of ways to get out, but none seemed likely to work. She wondered at that moment who these people were and what they wanted from her. Many knew about the Blackwood family and their history in this town, but Lola was not one of them. She barely knew the town she lived in, let alone the families that had been here for generations.One thought that crossed her mind more than others was Jax said that they were werewolves. Did that include his parents? Was she surrounded by supernatural beings?There was no use in pretending that they didn’t exist. She had been attacked twice now by
The sun was starting to set. Lola stood by the window in the living room as everyone else had headed out after the contracts were signed. She looked at the houses down the road with the lights on. The mansion was on top of a hill, and the view of the town was mesmerizing.“Hi, you.”She turned around in shock when she heard Ash’s voice.“Hi,” she said coldly and glared as he walked in.“How are you feeling?”It was odd, she thought, that Ash was the first to ask her that.“Like I just signed my life away,” Lola answered and crossed her arms over her chest.Ash raised his shoulder and smirked. “You did,” he answered without any sugarcoa
Jax’s wolf stood to his paws. Lola didn’t step back. Something about him felt safe. Whether it was his size, the unmeasurable strength, or the fact that he was a wolf was unknown to her, but she did know one thing—the wolf wouldn’t hurt her.He stepped behind a tree and shifted back into his human form. Lola heard the sound of a zipper as he dug through the bag, and a few seconds later, Jax stepped out from behind the tree. He was pulling his shorts up and tying the waistband. When he looked up, he saw Lola gawking at his bare chest. Her eyes went from his waist, taking in the creases of his muscles, over his abs, and across his chest. She stepped back in her mind and let her body take control. Her feet moved over the grass, and she walked with small steps over to where he stood. She stopped inches away, her eyes still taking in everything he had to show, everything that wasn’t covered. S
“The Alpha wants an audience with both of you,” Kolton explained.Ash winced and looked over his shoulder. “Well, shit,” he cussed and walked up to the warriors.“Fine, let’s go,” he said, walking butt-naked back to the forest line. He stopped when no one followed and heaved a sigh. “My cousin may not be an Alpha yet, but I am, so I suggest you lower your guards and do as you’re told. Also, if you try to take that girl from him, not only will he bite your head off, but I will help him do so.” Ash’s voice changed. It grew more threatening and serious. Nothing was amusing behind his words, and though he smiled at them, they knew that his threat was the equivalent of a promise. The warriors turned on their feet and faced him.The lead
***“What is happening to us?” Carrie coughed as she put her feet on the floor. She tried to stand, but her legs buckled beneath her, and she fell, hitting her head against the wall. “Carrie!” Lola stood by the window, looking through the dirty glass, watching as her father coughed up blood in his hands on his way to his wife, who fought for her life on the bedroom floor. “K-Kent…” her voice disappeared in the heaving as she fought to take a breath.“What is this?!” He ran to his wife and fell beside her. Lola watched in the darkness as her father dragged her mother out of the house. Her aunt fell out on the