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." Landon pressed his way up to join Jax at the front.
"This is the first time you've ever uttered those words, and I have to say, it doesn't become you." He growled before stepping back.
Jax walked away from the door, pushing Lola to the back of his mind to deal with another problem. He joined his parents in their study. Ash was sitting in the brown leather armchair with a book in his hand and a drink in the other.
"Smart choice," Ash said without looking up from the book. He had heard the lock turning upstairs and felt a sense of pride toward his cousin for doing what had to be done.
"Son." Jax's father sat behind the desk. His mother was on a chair next to her husband, reading through files.
"She's here. Everything is going according to plan," Jax said, hoping to shut down the conversation before it began.
"And what about the vampires?" Mr. Blackwood asked.
"They won't be a problem anymore," Jax defended and put his hands in his pockets.
The air shifted, and Mr. Blackwood leaned back in the chair. He raised his fingers to his beard and scratched under his chin. "That's what we thought after the attack outside the coffee shop. You took care of that one too, didn't you?" he asked and scrambled through the file in front of him. Mr. Blackwood picked up one of the files and reached them out to Jax. "Three bodies. That girl, Melissa, was bitten. Lola was there, too, and both ended up here. Are you telling me it's a freaky coincidence?" he stood up from behind the desk.
Jax looked over the file and ground his teeth together.
There were pictures of the decomposing bodies. Their flesh was gray with a green undertone, meaning they were just a few hours old when the pictures were taken.
"How'd you find them?" Jax asked and put the paper down.
"Answer my question first. Was it a coincidence that the two attacks happened to take place around that girl upstairs?"
Ash was reading his book. Mrs. Blackwood was reading through the files, pretending not to hear the conversation as her eyes scanned over the pages.
Jax was under the impression that the attack had been covered up. He began to question the loyalties of his people and whether or not they were prepared to forgo their old Alpha when Jax rose to the title.
"It has nothing to do with her." Mr. Blackwood shook his head and walked up to his son. "Jax, she is the only common factor here. You're either blind or lying. Neither is a trait I'm looking for in my successor." Mr. Blackwood stood as straight as a tree and glared at his son.
Jax held the eye contact and didn't falter for a second. It had been burnt into his head since he was a child that a man must have a firm hand and a hard gaze. He had been groomed into taking over the title and the business since he was born, and the day was almost here. Though many already referred to Jax as Alpha, he hadn't officially taken over the title from his father. Mr.Blackwood let his wall down, and his wolf stepped up to the surface. "Now, I will ask you again." He stepped closer to Jax, and his eyes began to glow. "Why have the vampires returned?" Jax thought about the consequences of lying. He thought about the upside of telling the truth as he knew it. Neither felt right, and both would put Lola in question more than she already was.
"I will find out," he promised. Jax was already looking into the connection between Lola and the vampires' return to Wild Cliff.
"They haven't sat foot in this town for decades. You better find out why they are back before I do because if there is a correlation between them and that girl of yours, I will be forced to take action."
Was that a threat? Jax had known her for a week. A week was all it took for Jax to sink his claws so far into Lola that his instinct to protect and possess rose to the surface, even against his own father. "I said I would look into it," Jax repeated sternly.
"You do that, son." Mr.Blackwood clapped his son on his shoulder and turned around to return to his desk.
"Have you told her?" his mom asked, finally raising her head and locking eyes with Jax after having pretended not to hear a word of what had been said.
"I will," he seethed.
"Do it soon. The sooner she learns that she isn't leaving this town, the sooner she can begin to find peace in her new life." Her lips rose in a grin, and her eyes glinted with the devil's glare.
Jax held himself back from saying something that he would later regret. He clenched his jaw, feeling his teeth pressing against each other roughly.
Ash looked up from the book. His eyes went to the door, and he smiled.
"You can do it now. The bride is up," he mused. Ash raised his finger in the air with a quizzical look. "Can anyone else hear the wedding bells?" The smirk deepened, and he bit down on his lip as he leaned back in the armchair. He twirled the drink in his hand and winked at Jax.