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
PROLOGUE5 years earlier.Lola: 16 years old.The ground was painted red. The blood ran in a stream down the cracks and into the river. Little red clouds formed under the water, and she stared with tear-filled eyes at the bodies from which the blood was escaping. Her hands held the lives she had just taken, and her mind held the sounds of their screams. Their eyes were still wide open as they stared at their faith, she who had ended them all, she who nobody could escape.With shaky hands, she pulled their bodies to the river and placed them down. The last one was particularly difficult to let go of, her hands refusing to open as she held him under the water. The life had drained from his eyes, his heart had stopped beating, and his body hadn’t moved for minutes. Yet, she couldn’t part from him.Closing her eyes and filling her lungs with air, her fingers slowly spread. She watched as her father went with the stream.*Chapter 1.“Lola!”Lola turned her heavy head to look at Melissa, fin
Lola's studio apartment was dark and gloomy. The littlest light from the moon tried to seep in but barely reached inches over the floor. The wooden panels on the floor began to squeak as though someone had walked on them. Lola lay on her bed, with her head tossing back and forth as her mind filled with dreadful memories of a past not long forgotten.the creaking continues closer to her bed and she's too deep in sleep to notice him watching over her. He sees how her face is contorted in pain from her nightmare and the sweat that is forming on her face so he leans down, strokes her hair away from her face, and whispers, "Wake up."“No!” She sat up quickly in the bed and panted. She frantically looked around the room and into the dark corners of her apartment.“Who— Who’s there?” Lola’s words were hoarse and frightened, and she felt a presence around her. Somebody was watching her, but why couldn’t she see them?She shook her head free from the thoughts and the nightmares and laid back do
“I can’t believe how obsessed everyone has gotten! I mean, seriously, did you hear Lisa? She wants to marry the man,” Melissa boasted aloud as they walked to the café after school.“Man?” Lola asked with a raised brow and a disbelieving expression- Man was a little too much in her opinion. She was, however, glad that it had been three days since their interaction in the auditorium, and he hadn’t tried to talk to her again since.“It’s all I hear in class, Jax, Jax, Jax…” Melissa said, bobbing her head mockingly to the side each time she said his name.Lola opened the door and smirked at her friend while jokingly remarking, “Sounds like someone has a crush.”Melissa scoffed and pretended to shiver from the idea.“I’ll leave the crush to the bottle blondes who fantasize about marrying rich.” They laughed and walked into the café.The woman behind the desk was hurriedly writing down on a paper and looking at her wristwatch. Her hair was a mess from having stood over the milk steamer for
She turned around and immediately looked for Mellissa; she was sitting, entranced in the music, waving her hands in the air, completely oblivious to what was happening behind her.“She’s fine, for now. Whether or not it stays that way is entirely up to you,” he said with an amused glint in his eyes and a smolder that spoke more of his insanity than his words ever could.“Who are you?” Lola asked. Her body was pressed against his as his hand held on her lower back.“I’m Chuck, and you’re Lola,” he said matter-of-factly.She wondered for the second time that week how these strangers could know her name when most people barely even knew she existed.Upon seeing the wheels spin in her mind with the many questions she held on her tongue, Chuck smiled in amusement. Lola felt the other day, when she had first met them, that something was off. Something was trying to warn her, but she mistook danger for desire. Staring into Chuck’s taunting eyes, she felt another pair of eyes burning on the s