Chapter 13: The Only Way Out

Lola's Pov

The air in the private back room of the warehouse smelled like old dust and cold metal.

I stepped inside and the heavy door clicked shut behind me. My heart was thumping against my ribs. I wiped my palms on my jeans and looked across the room.

Williams was already there. He was sitting at a scarred wooden table in the center of the space. He looked even taller than I remembered. His dark hair was long, spilling over his shoulders, and he had this look on his face that made me want to turn around and run. It wasn't that he looked angry. He just looked like he was ready to break something if he had to.

He stood up when he saw me. He didn't offer a handshake or a smile.

"You're late," he said.

"I had to make sure I wasn't followed," I replied.

"The betrothal is real." He didn't waste any time. "My father is dying. I need this alliance fulfilled."

I stopped a few feet from the table and crossed my arms. "I don’t owe your father anything. Tristain lied to me for five years. He made me think our life was real while he was plotting behind my back. Why should I trust you?"

"Because right now you have no one else." He pulled out a chair for me.

I stayed standing. "That's not a reason."

"Tristain is already rallying the Council against you. He’s telling them you’re unstable. Distant relatives are circling your assets. They smell blood, Lola."

"I can handle the Council."

"No, you can't." He leaned his hands on the table and looked at me. "You need my network. You need the Schofield name to block them."

"I just escaped one powerful man who pretended to love me. I won’t walk into another trap."

"I'm not pretending anything."

"That’s what they all say." I finally sat down, mostly because my legs felt weak.

"I am being blunt with you. My father wants to see the families united before he passes. It's his last wish. I intend to grant it."

"And what do I get? Besides a new husband who probably has his own secrets?"

"You get my Alpha standing. You get protection that Tristain can't touch. If you’re a Schofield, the Council can't remove you from your home or take your belongings."

I looked at his hands. They were big, scarred across the no knuckles. My wolf was acting strange. Usually, she was pacing and growling when I was around Alphas, but right now she was sitting very still. She felt calm. It made me even more nervous.

"Why is she so quiet?" I whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing." I shook my head. "I want a guarantee. No games. No lies."

"Then let’s make a deal that benefits us both. No games. No lies. A formal contract."

"A contract won't stop you from being like him."

"I am nothing like Tristain. He wants to hide you. I want the alliance my father needs."

"You just want a business partner."

"Exactly. It's cleaner that way, isn't it?"

"I don't know if I believe you."

He sat back down and watched me. He didn't move much. He just sat there with this restrained intensity that felt like a weight in the room.

"You know….I've been watching Tristian and Sofia for months. Tristain is weak. He needs Sofia’s connections abroad to keep his business going."

"And the baby?"

"She’s part of the leverage. If they can prove you aren't fit, Sofia takes the child and Tristain keeps the estate through her."

"I'll kill them both first."

"You won't get the chance if you're locked in a Council cell."

I bit my lip. He was right and I hated it. I looked around the room, searching for a way out that didn't involve him. There wasn't one. The door was locked and the windows were boarded up. I was trapped.

"You're very quiet," he observed.

"I'm thinking."

"Don't think too long. Time is a luxury you don't have."

"If I sign this, do I stay in my penthouse?"

"You stay wherever you want. But you’ll have my guards at the door."

"Your guards? Or my jailers?"

"Guards. They answer to me, but they protect you."

"I’ve heard that before."

"Lola, look at me."

I raised my head. His eyes were dark and steady.

"I do not have time to play at being a villain. I have a dying father and a pack to lead. I need this to be official so I can move on to other problems."

"You make it sound so romantic," I said drily.

"It isn't. It's survival."

"My wolf likes you," I blurted out. I immediately wanted to bite my tongue.

He raised an eyebrow. "Does she?"

"It doesn't mean anything. She’s just tired of fighting."

"It means we are compatible. That makes the alliance stronger."

"It makes it more complicated." I stood up and started pacing. "If I do this, I want it in writing that we live separate lives."

"Fine."

"And you don't touch my finances."

"I have more money than you, Lola. I don't want your bank account."

"And you stay away from the baby."

He paused. "I won't harm the child."

"That’s not what I asked."

"I will provide for her. She will be treated as a Schofield. That is part of the protection."

"She’s not a Schofield."

"She will be on paper. That's the only way to keep Sofia away."

I stopped pacing and looked at him. I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff. If I jumped, I might fly, or I might hit the rocks. But if I stayed where I was, the mountain was going to crumble anyway.

"You’re shaking," he noted.

"I’m fine," I snapped. I shoved my hands into my pockets.

"You are scared. That’s reasonable."

"I’m not scared of you."

"You should be a little scared. It keeps you sharp."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a fountain pen. He laid it on the table. Then he reached into a folder and pulled out a single sheet of paper. It was covered in small, neat print.

"Is this it?" I asked, walking back to the table.

"It is. It covers everything we discussed. Alpha protection. Standing. The alliance."

I picked up the pen. It was heavy and cold.

Williams slides the contract across the table and says coldly, “Sign it now, or the Council will tear you apart before you even get a chance to fight.”