Lola stood in disbelief staring at the empty spot where Mrs. Blackwood had stood when she gave the order. Lavina was gone since a while back and again, she stood alone in the room that her husband had left her in less than an hour ago.She leaned back her head and looked at the moldings around the ceiling. In the middle of the roof hung a lamp consisting of a cluster of glass orbs- around the lamp were moldings with beautiful leaves and branches stretching around.Lola shook her head and dragged her hand over her face, she couldn't stand there forever and also didn't want someone else coming in with more news so she decided to finally move her heavy feet and go for a walk.She only made it to the hallway when she saw Ash disappear out the door so she followed, figuring that she could hang out with him for a while and maybe receive some helpful advice about Lavina. His company has shown to be a pleasant time consumer these days.The weather was as it usually is in Wild Cliff, still and
They walked around the field. The sound of bones breaking and fists slamming against the leathered pads was all that was heard, you wouldn't believe you were in the middle of a neighborhood.Everyone was divided into groups of four, paired up with a partner and three trainers who kept everyone in check and made sure they knew what to practice.Some were on the grass, others on the concrete and it didn't matter what lay beneath you- they still threw each other up in the air and landed on the ground.One of the guys tossed the girl up using his shoulder, he grabbed around her throat midair and slammed her down into the concrete.Lola winced, the sound of the girl's back echoed like pop rocks and sent fantom pains down Lola’s own body. Never having experienced pain like these warriors had she couldn't know what exactly they went through but it wasn't impossible to imagine.“She’ll heal,” Ash said, not a shred of empathy detectable in his voice.She continued after him, trying to keep up
He stumbled closer, his arms flung in the air- he fell like a cut-down tree and fumbled with his feet. His heel got caught behind his other foot when he tried to shift to the side and he grabbed around her waist when he realized he wouldn't be able to stop himself.Ash shifted to the side throwing himself around her as they landed on the ground. The mat softened the fall, as Ash’s body did for her and Ash pressed Lola against him to make sure she didn't sustain any injuries as they collided on the mat.“Ouch,” Lola whimpered. Her chin slammed against Ash’s shoulder, and dots formed in her vision when her brain took a tumble in her skull from the impact.She lifted her head, her hands were stuck under Ash’s arms and she did not attempt to free them.They lay there, watching each other, and disappeared into one another's gazes.Ash lifted his arm and put some stray hairs behind Lola’s ear. His thumb graced her jaw and moved down to grab her chin.A knife was thrown against the wooden m
The snarls got louder and one turned into two and then there were four, all from different directions.“Do. Not. Move.” Lavina warned as she circled Lola to make sure she covered her every inch.Lola looked toward the path they had walked on as they left the warrior's training grounds and thought that they would all be running up here any second.She remembered her lesson with Ash on pack rules and laws, one of them being that there was border patrol at all times and that whenever an outsider stepped over the border it was sensed by the Alpha and his warriors.If that were true then where was everyone? Shouldn’t the cavalry be arriving?The snarls got louder and closer, moving in on them as the girls tried to stick as close to each other as possible.In that moment it truly dawned on her just how useless she was in a fight against werewolves. Lavina was all alone if a fight were to break out.She remembered the story of the Doe and how the Doe supposedly had powers beyond healing abil
The car came to a stop on the familiar grounds and Jax turned the key, shutting the engine off. They sat in silence and looked out the window at the little lake where they had taken a stroll at the beginning of their relationship.At that point things were starting to thaw between them, a seed had been planted and was slowly setting roots in their souls. It was a brighter time even though they had no clue as to what they were doing or what it would lead to. Lola was starting to trust him, she felt in her bones that he wouldn't do anything to harm her and that she could finally lower that guard she had around her heart. Jax was happy to have his mate, his wife, the woman he loved by his side. He knew it would be hard but he was ready for it, for all of it. He took her to the lake to make a promise, one of love and eternity.Jax stepped out of the car and stepped around- he opened Lola’s door and held out his hand. As Lola left the car their hands dropped as if their skin didn't dare
“What do we do now?” Lola asked. neither had spoken a word since Lola’s confession. Jax fell back like he’d been pushed, he stared blankly at her face as if trying to figure out if he’d heard her correctly. She shook her head and tried to compose herself. They needed a plan for how to move forward, maybe a divorce, but she needed to keep a clear head as they continued.“I don’t know.” He said in a raspy tone and turned his body to face the lake.Jax put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and drew a deep breath- on the exhale his body visibly relaxed and he hung his head. “We should get a divorce. You’ll be free to be with whomever you want,” Jax’s head snapped to the side in a flash and he glared at her for the statement.It was as though her words were completely misguided though that was the path they were on. If he didn't love her any longer then they shouldn't be together, at least that was the course of thought that Lola walked- Jax seemed somewhere completely different.“W
The morning sun shone in through the window and woke Lola up from her light sleep. The day would bring warmth and crowded streets as people soaked up these rare rays of sunshine.Early winter cold wouldn't stop them as they layered on the clothing to stay outside for as long as possible.Lola groaned, the pain of knowing where she had to head off to in just under an hour had her questioning whether she should get out of bed at all.She and Lavina are supposed to meet at Mayor Clan's house to help plan for the Winter Whimsy- company she'd rather avoid and plans she couldn’t care less about, it wasn’t shaping up to be a good day after an awful night.She rolled out of bed, dragged herself to the closet, and got dressed.The Omegas whose job it was to look after the mansion had fixed the guest room in under a day. They had put in new closets, as well as other amenities, to make it more homey for her. As if they’d somehow gotten orders from high up as if they knew she wouldn't be spendin
The inside of the Mayor's house was nothing compared to the Blackwood mansion. It wasn't half as lavish and the size was perhaps a third of the mansion on the hill.However, it was clear that it had been passed down through generations ever since the first settlers of Wild Cliff. Portraits of the previous owners of the estate hung on the walls to remind every guest of the bloodline that lived there.They were guided through the long hall and gathered in the living room to start planning the Winter Whimsy.Already there was another University student, Justin O’hare. Lola stared bewildered at his shrunken presence on the couch.“His parents must’ve dragged him here,” she whispered to Melissa who nodded agreeably.“Girls, come and sit!” Mrs. Clan called and waved her bronzed hand delicately in the air.They all took a seat around the glass table in between two beige four-person couches.Mrs. Clan walked out and returned with a tray of cups, sugar, and cream, and a teakettle.It was all ve
“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