“Tell me why you’re here,” she said. Her brows raised to her hairline. Her eyes were round and eager.Lola shifted next to Jax, and she saw Melissa in the corner of the couch, wrinkling her nose and looking around the room.“We wanted to ask you about this story,” Jax said, opening the book to the first page.Elwina’s face lit up.“Ahh, the story of the Doe. Remarkable, isn’t it?” she said and dragged her plain nails over the text. Lola would’ve thought that Ewlina’s nails would scream as loud as her jewelry, but she was mistaken.They were rather rough and torn.“It’s lovely, but we were wondering what you could tell us about it apart from what is already written,” Lola said as her brows pinched together.“How do you mean?” Elwina asked sweetly.Lola and Jax shared a look.“The story behind the Doe, where did it originate from?” Jax asked and leaned his elbows on his knees.Eliwna started laughing.“Its origin? It’s a story. It originated in one person’s mind, and that person was cra
They were back at the mansion with more questions than answers, but they still had the pendant.The three of them stepped into the mansion and were greeted by a crowd of warriors in uniform. Ash’s head rose in the crowd, and he pushed past the warriors and reached Jax in a hurry.“Tell me you found something,” Ash said in a deep tone. His eyes pierced into Jax’s, and he closed his fingers around the crystal glass. The smell of cologne and pastries was thick around the house with anticipation ringing loud.“Nothing,” Jax spat and put his hands on his sides. “What’s going on in here?” he asked and looked around.The dining room was filled with more warriors, and some pack members who were present sat in the living room and talked.They held pieces of paper in their hands. The women were eagerly discussing whatever was written and others were fanning themselves with the envelopes.Jax stepped closer and listened. He heard the conversations around him. The women discussed gowns, and the u
Jax and Ash had left the girls to their discussion of gowns for the upcoming event. However, gowns were now the last thing on their minds.“His ex will be there?” Lola shrieked and grabbed her head.The pictures in Lola’s mind were creating a beautiful woman, strong and brave, just like Jax and much more adapted to this life than Lola was.“Stop freaking out. It’s his ex for a reason, right?” Melissa said in hopes of calming her down.Lola scoffed and looked dumbfounded at the floor in a blank stare.“Look at me.” Melissa grabbed Lola’s shoulder and gave her a light shake.“It doesn’t matter who she is because Jax has chosen to be with you. Now you’re gonna find a dress that will put all others to shame, and you’re going to hold your head high when you walk in there tomorrow,” she said as her eyes glinted with a belief that Lola didn’t share.“Mell, I know nothing about fundraisers or galas or anything else fancy and I mean holy shit—” she said and started swatting her hands in front
The music played from the speaker, filling the room with the girls’ singing voices. They walked around in their robes and took a seat at the different stations that had been arranged for the pre-party preparations. One woman did their makeup, another did their hair, and the final one was laying out their clothes and picking out matching jewelry and shoes to go with the outfits.“How are you feeling?” Melissa asked.Her hair was being braided in two thin braids that would wrap around her head like a crown. They curled her hair and made it wavy as it fell down her back.“Nervous, but I’m glad you’re here,” Lola said. She reached out her hand and grabbed Melissa’s to gain some comfort.Lola’s hair was straight and fell down her back. The woman grabbed her hair and spun it before putting several pins with crystal beading underneath to lift it. Her hair now looked half the length. Two small locks fell in front of her face, framing it nicely.The event was in a few hours. Everyone was getti
The door to the study slammed shut behind Jax. He pulled Lola in front of him and released her hand.“What is up with you?” she asked.“You’re not wearing that,” he said coldly and scanned her body.Her brows shot up, and she crossed her arms over her chest, pressing her breasts together. Jax groaned huskily.“Excuse me?” she asked as her anger rose.“It’s too revealing,”Lola looked at the dress. It only exposed her back and went down just below the middle of her chest.“You’re joking, right?” she asked, hoping he would say yes.His eyes rose and pinned her down. They were dark still but not in anger. They were lustfully gazing at her with something dangerous swirling in their depths.Jax walked over to her and lifted her chin.“No other man needs to you like this,” he said. His voice got impossibly darker, and the words rasped.“No other man’s attention is of importance to me,” she whispered.His eyes flickered over her lips. Her chin rested on his fingers as he continued holding he
It took them less than an hour to arrive at the chateau in the neighboring town. Jack opened the door for them, and Lola was the first to get out. She looked down the road they had driven on. Each side was lined with trees that bowed at the top, making a tunnel for the cars to drive up through.When she turned around to look at the house, she was struck by its beauty. In the middle, behind a grass-filled roundabout with a statue of a woman, was a mansion the size of Jax’s. What was taking her breath away was the towers that went up behind the main building. There were more floors than she could count from the outside, with three towers of different heights.Two more buildings were attached to the mansion on either side, both were big and part of the main building. The lamps along the exterior were lit up, shining a bright, warm light over the front yard.
The breathtakingly beautiful girl standing in front of her was Jax’s ex-girlfriend.Lola grabbed the bar, glanced at the wine, and against her better judgment downed it in one go. Her confidence was fading, and she needed to find it again.“There you are!” Melissa cheered with a bright smile when she came up to the bar.Lola looked past all the strange faces in the crowd and tried to find Jax. He was over by one of the pillars. As though he sensed her looking for him, Jax turned his head, and their eyes locked. Lola was silently begging him to come over, hoping he would see the plea in her eyes. Jax’s lips pulled up in a smile until his eyes wandered over the others standing by the bar.He saw Lavina and Ash. Melissa was oblivious to why the tension was rising.
Lola took her time to breathe after the incidental walk-in. She knew now that someone was guarding the door and that it wouldn’t be repeated, but she hated that she was constantly on high alert.The fear she’d felt when that door opened was as though her body prepared for a fight. Not a single mistake could happen without Lola immediately thinking it was life-threatening. It felt like an internal war shadowed her reality.Lola took a breath and then another before walking to the door. She plastered on a smile and thanked the kind woman for standing guard.“No worries, sweetheart,” she said and walked away.“Aren’t you going to use the bathroom?” Lola asked.She turned around, her head full of flaming red little curls.
“Get your butt in here right now, young lady!” Lola scolded while running around with a towel chasing her two-year-old daughter who was running down the hallways butt naked. With her arms swinging in the air and laughing menacingly, the water traced her steps on the carpets, and she headed towards the stairs. Just before reaching the end of the hallway, she was lifted into the air by two large arms and flown around like an airplane. “Daddy!” “My darling Ophelia,” he said and lowered her gently. He tickled her nose and hugged her tight when Lola came to a stop with the towel. “That little girl is definitely wolf,” Lola panted. She halted to a stop and raised a brow when she took in Jax’s appearance. “Daddy indeed,” Lola purred when she watched her husband’s bare upper body as he stood sweating after his workout with the warriors. “She could be a Doe,” Jax said and looked into his daughters’ eyes. “She has your big, beautiful eyes,” he remarked. Lola giggled and cupped Jax’s che
They were back at the mansion and had constructed a plan on the way. The danger was still not altogether eliminated, not all enemies had been neutralized and they were those on the inside still aiming to break Jax and Lola apart.Jax and Ash walked into the mansion with Lola keeping her distance behind them. She turned away from them and hid where they wouldn't see her until it was time. Jax had called for a meeting on the way and told his parents and Lavina to meet him in the study. Nobody had suspected a thing, they were all just glad to hear that he was alright and their Alpha and son were returning home. The Blackwood boys entered the office and let the door fall to a near close. “It is so good to see you again, darling,” Mrs. Blackwood gleamed.Lavina ran up and wrapped her arms around him. The wide smile on her face and the wrinkles on her eyes deepened as relief washed over her. “I was so worried I almost went after you myself but Lola insisted she had it covered,” she said
Lucien clapped his hands, starting slow as the sound echoed in the room before he picked up the speed and laughed menacingly. He slammed his fist in the air and blew into his hands in celebration.“I have played this in my mind for months, going over what it would be like to have you all here and to tell you the things I knew but now that it is happening, holy shit, there is not a feeling like it.” He licked his lips and wiped the sweat from his face.He used his speed and kneeled next to Lola in a second. She fell back and tried to widen the distance between them by crawling backward but Lucien circled his fingers around her ankle and pulled her in with a rough grip. He gestured with his hand towards Jax and said through a deep smirk, “How I have been waiting for this. Be honest now, which do you prefer- getting fucked by a werewolf-” he grabbed her chin and forced her head back, “-or a vampire?” He asked. Jax’s mouth fell open and his eyes glistened as though all the pain came rus
Ash’s eyes glowed as his wolf stepped up, his canines extended and his growl shook the walls of the house when he pulled the knife out of his side and he flung it at his cousin's hands. They all turned their heads and watched as the knife cut through the air and went clean through the chains that bound Jax's hands. Jax fell into a pool of his blood, his heart barely beating and his body weakened from the poison in his wounds.“What the fuck?” One of the vampires spat and tried to overrun Ash. Ash grabbed the vampire's arm and spared no time as he ripped his head clean of his body and through against one of the windows, shattering the glass.“Let go of her.” He growled and walked towards Lucien. Whatever they had laced the blade with was eating at his insides, burning his flesh like acid but Ash refused to fall, not until he knew that she was safe.Lucien pulled out his fangs and lifted his head, looking toward the ceiling in a euphoric high.Three of his men jumped on Ash who was alre
They went to sleep not long after their talk and Ash slept on top of the covers. He watched Lola drift off into slumber and lay awake completing his choices.His cousin had been taken and he was making moves on his girl. Though he knew what he wanted, he now began to regret the many decisions he’d made that had led him this far. He looked at her lips slightly parted in her sleep and her eyes softly closed still, the faint freckles on her nose and her thick hair landing over her shoulder.She was a special girl, loved by many and desired by more. Perhaps it was the curse of being the Doe or maybe it was just her heart that sparked interest once she trusted people enough to show it to them. Regardless of the reasons, Ash realized now that his fighting was futile because her heart was not his to win. He should've been grateful to have felt her love, the one she gave him when she chose to trust him. The love was addictive, at first taste he wanted more, and he wanted what his cousin had.
They drove up to the Inn though it was further away from the street than advertised and they circled a sharp turn that led up a narrow path.As they arrived at a red neon sign saying ’open’ and a lady sitting with headphones on behind the desk inside they looked at each other, a lingering silence that was questioning just how good of an idea it was to go in. The rain poured around them. Drops on the roof of the car began to sound like firecrackers went off in a tunnel.Ash gave Lola his jacket to hold over her head and they shared a look before they ran from the car and slammed open the door as they tumbled inside.The lady looked up, slowly and gently as though a couple of strangers hadn't just tumbled into her hallway. She slowly leaned to the side to look past them and watch the pour outside of the Inn.“You kids don’t listen to the news, do ya?” She laughed.She wiggled her finger in front of Lola and pointed to the den.“There are towels in there, go grab yourselves some and I'll
They were back in the mansion. Ash had gathered the Alpha's warriors and filled them in on the situation. One of the cleaners had turned on the radio and Lola heard on the news that extreme weather was to be expected as she walked down after having changed clothes. Extreme rainfall was to occur during the night and the following days in and around town.She had the keys to her car and a small bag with toiletries.Ash and the warriors came out of the office and saw Lola standing at the entrance. His shoulders rose in a predatory bow as he stalked towards her.“Where do you think you’re going?” He asked. “To find Jax. Whatever he and I are, it’s my fault that he’s been taken. I'm going to bring him home,”Ash was in front of her before she could blink and ripped the keys from her hand.“The hell you are.” He put the keys in his pocket and grabbed her wrists when she tried to get them back. “It’s my fault that he was taken, he was protecting ME!” “And I will get him back!” He growled
She froze, time stilled around them and that picture would now be etched in her mind forever as it was all she saw wherever she looked.Nobody moved, she heard faint gasps and a low growl behind her but she couldn't turn around.For Lola, it felt as though hours passed without either Jax or Lavina moving but when a hand weighed down on her shoulder and forced her to turn she noticed everything moving a lot faster and people not having noticed what happened.She looked over her shoulder at Jax and Lavina and saw that they stood apart from each other, Lavina was by the table and Jax wiped his thumb over his lips and turned his head, his eyes locked with Lola’s, and his hand fell to his side. “Lola,” Ash said and tried to get her attention.Melissa had her arm hooked in Ed’s and watched with a glimmer in her eyes as her worst fear came true.But at that moment Lola couldn't breathe, she couldn't hear what anyone said and needed to get away from all of the people that surrounded her.On
“She did an amazing job,” Lola said, trying to break the thick ice coating when they were alone.“She did.” He said huskily and looked down at her. His gaze burned into her skin, his eyes glistened as they scanned her as they had many times before and his tongue slid over his lips.They stood staring into each other's eyes and Lola noticed the life in Jax’s eyes had dimmed. It wasn't what she looked into before, he seemed hardened and cold. Not just towards her but in general.Lola didn't know the first thing about being an Alpha but she was starting to realize that perhaps it entailed your persona shifting from tough but fair to cold and hard.Was it Alphas or just Jax?There didn't seem to be any in-between.“You wanted to talk.” He said.Taken aback by the hurry in his tone she realized he wanted to leave.“We haven’t talked since that night in the guest room. You slept in my bed, told me to be patient with you and then I don't hear from you for weeks.” Jax’s brows furrow and a ch