Chapter 20: It’s Not A Question; It’s An Order

Lola sat on the chair in the kitchen, surrounded by Jax's family members and the scary man from the hallway.

He was eyeing her with a monotone expression. It seemed that he could catch any secret she held.

Lola was thinking of ways to get out, but none seemed likely to work. She wondered at that moment who these people were and what they wanted from her. Many knew about the Blackwood family and their history in this town, but Lola was not one of them. She barely knew the town she lived in, let alone the families that had been here for generations.

One thought that crossed her mind more than others was Jax said that they were werewolves. Did that include his parents? Was she surrounded by supernatural beings?

There was no use in pretending that they didn't exist. She had been attacked twice now by vampires.

The door opened, and the footsteps of several people marching in filled the quiet room. Lola saw the men dressed in black uniforms walk into the kitchen. There were six of them. The black suits had gold linings through the arms and down their chests, and the men walked in perfect formation.

They stopped at the exact time, almost militarily, in front of Jax's parents.

The man in the front held a binder. He reached out and handed it over to Mrs.Blackwood.

"Thank you, Kolton," she said, standing as straight as a tree. Mrs.Blackwood put the file down in front of Lola and took a seat next to her.

"Let me explain to you what is about to happen," she said and opened the binder.

Jax came into the kitchen. He walked slowly until he stood a few meters away. Ash stood leaning against the counter, intently watching as the air thickened around them all.

"These are marital papers binding you legally to Jax Blackwood." Mrs. Blackwood handed Lola a pen. "You will sign them," she ordered. Lola froze. I must've heard wrong, she thought.

"I'm sorry?" Lola said, turning her head and staring bewilderedly at Mrs.Blackwood.

Her face was emotionless. It was as though Mrs.Blackwood's emotions were non-existent, and Lola tried to see even just a shred of humanity in her, something that would tell her it wasn't real.

Lola expected a laugh, maybe a screech, or someone jumping out and telling her it was all a prank.

"You will marry my son," she repeated.

"No, I will not, this- This is crazy. Who are you people?" Panic started to flood her body, and her voice heightened as she looked around for someone to agree with her.

"We are a family who hold a lot of weight in this town. It would not be what it is without us and our generous contributions. We have protected this town and its inhabitants, and our connections reach far outside the borders of Wild Cliff." Lola sat frozen, listening to each word.

Mrs.Blackwood smiled, not a genuine one, but one that said she was used to getting what she wanted. "The second you set foot in this town, your fate was sealed. Maybe not the one you wanted, but it is the one you're going to live with." It all sounded very real. Her words were stern and spoken with strength. She left little room for argument, and Lola had no more arguments left in her. It felt like the world was crushing her as if the universe put her on this earth for the mere purpose of torturing her.

"I'm not marrying anyone," she said.

"The Cliftons, Paula and her husband Robert started ClifTech, didn't they?"

Lola shook her head. ClifTech was the company that Melissa's parents started years ago. It had a footing in several states and was one of America's fastest-growing tech companies. They had recently expanded and put all their assets into the company to take it global, as a fun challenge, Robert had said.

"Who do you think funded this new global attempt? Who do you think made it possible for them to get the connections needed? They had done well for themselves but still, they were so easily swayed into putting every last penny they owned into this new venture. Paula sold Pauline last fall, and all of the profits are now locked in ClifTech. Love is good, but it is not all. Business is what lasts, and this, my dear, is a business agreement. One you will sign if you do not wish for that perky little friend of yours to be forced out of town because her parents' lives crumble at their feet when ClifTech...unprofitable. It would be an awful thing to ruin everything she has built here with her family simply because you choose yourself over someone you love." Her voice lowered an octave, and the words filled with an emotion but not one Lola recognized. It was manipulative. She wanted to get under Lola's skin, and have her hear what love results in, but until now, Lola had not felt love like the one she felt for Melissa. She could not be the reason her best friend's life was ruined. Melissa had fought hard to get into the law program at the university, and she had spoken about the joy her parents felt since moving to Wild Cliff and away from the stress of their previous lives.

A million thoughts spun in Lola's head, and with each passing second, Jax was filled with more regret and shame than he had ever felt.

Her eyes turned around the room until they landed on Jax. He wanted desperately to look away, not to see the pain he was causing her, but he couldn't. Lola was here because of him.

"You must know somewhere deep inside that this is the right decision for everyone." Mrs. Blackwood's tone was gentle.

Lola turned back and glared at her.

"For everyone except me," she seethed.

Lola moved to Wild Cliff to start over. She got acquainted with Melissa, and their relationship grew.

She never meant to find someone she'd stick around for in case she had to run again, but Melissa basically adopted her when she moved here. She said once that Lola looked like a stray puppy that needed love and a home, so Melissa took it upon herself to give her just that.

"This arrangement will benefit you as well. You will stay here, continue your classes and be close to your friend. You can build a home here. Marrying Jax will give you security for life. You'll never have to work a single day or worry about how to pay rent. You'll live in luxury surrounded by the elite. It baffles me how you're not jumping on this opportunity." Mrs. Blackwood's brows gathered in a frown.

Lola looked at the paper. She scanned each section and saw it was a well-formed contract binding her to Jax in marital matrimony. The contract was several pages long with clauses and consequences upon breaking any.

She pushed her chest out and drew a deep breath to fill her lungs.

"Melissa is strong, her family is well educated, and they have contacts outside of town. They will all be fine," Lola said, staring at the papers. She raised her head and pushed the chair out. "I am not marrying your son," she seethed.

Just as her feet pressed against the floor and she rose from the chair, Mrs. Blackwood grabbed her arm, and her eyes began to glow. Two thick, sharp canines grew from her gums, and a growl rumbled from her chest. "Sit down," she ordered.

Lola, taken aback by the sudden shift, now had her answer; she was indeed surrounded by werewolves. She slowly sunk back on the chair and adjusted her body on the seat. Mrs.Blackwood smiled deviously. Her canines retracted back into her gums, and her eyes shifted into the original green color.

"In case you're asking yourself at this moment if everyone here is a werewolf, the answer is yes. There is nowhere for you to go. Nobody here will help you, so I suggest you do as I say and sign your name." Her calm tone filled the air. Not even the breaths of the others rose to a sound.

Lola reached out for the pen and pinched it between her fingers. She looked at the X where her name would go. With a shaky hand, she pressed the tip against the paper, and the ink formed a blob. She saw her hand moving in slow motion as the letters to her name were written down.

Lola Graves

She signed her name three more times, all binding her to different acts of servitude. As a woman in the Blackwood family, she was expected to attend certain gatherings, hold herself to a particular standard, and many more clauses she did not read but was now under a legally binding contract obligated to fulfill.