The sun was starting to set. Lola stood by the window in the living room as everyone else had headed out after the contracts were signed. She looked at the houses down the road with the lights on. The mansion was on top of a hill, and the view of the town was mesmerizing.
"Hi, you."
She turned around in shock when she heard Ash's voice.
"Hi," she said coldly and glared as he walked in.
"How are you feeling?"
It was odd, she thought, that Ash was the first to ask her that.
"Like I just signed my life away," Lola answered and crossed her arms over her chest.
Ash raised his shoulder and smirked. "You did," he answered without any sugarcoating.
They locked eyes for a moment, standing on separate sides of the living room and neither made an attempt to get closer. Lola's glare softened as she looked at his features, focusing on each line and crease, the way his lashes bowed and his eyes glinted from the candlelight.
She wrapped her arms tighter around herself like a shield when a shiver shook her core.
Her eyes flickered to a shadow behind Ash. In the hallway, standing on the threshold to the living room, was Jax, watching the silent exchange. Ash turned around, and the smirk deepened. He raised his head when his cousin walked in.
"Lola, can we talk?" Jax asked.
No, was what she wanted to say. When the guys stood next to each other, she saw how truly big they were. They were all muscle. Ash held a few inches over Jax's head, but they were equally terrifying when the other factors were put in place: the fact that they were werewolves with supernatural strength. She really was the odd one out in this house.
"Yes," she answered and walked out with Jax.
They walked past the staircase and turned around the corner into the den. There were two couches, a fireplace, and a reading corner by the bookshelves, all in brown leather, black oak, and gold details. The red Persian carpet covered the entire room, and the paintings on the wall were dark and gloomy.
"How are you feeling?"
Lola turned on her feet and scoffed.
"Why don't you ask Ash? He already has the answer." Her words were laced with anger and judgment. Without knowing it, they also pierced into Jax's heart. His face contorted into a grimace, the hunger for his cousin's blood growing each day. "I'm asking you." His dark tone made her gulp, and her arms fell to her side.
"You let me go, Jax," she breathed hopelessly.
Jax walked closer, hoping she wouldn't step back. Lola stood her ground, waiting for him to be near.
"I did, and I should've told you the truth days ago, but all of this..." He bit down and grabbed Lola's hand. "It's a mess I wish I could explain." Lola furrowed her brows and stepped closer. "You could try," she said, holding eye contact.
The door to the mansion opened, and the heels clicking against the floor disappeared up the stairs.
She would never admit it, but Mrs. Blackwood scared her more than most.
"You're right. I can try." Jax looked into Lola's eyes so deeply that he nearly drowned in them.
"Come with me." Without letting her answer or taking a moment to understand what had happened, Jax pulled Lola behind him, and they walked out of the house. The sun had set, and the sky was dark with stars shining above their heads. They walked around the house to the back and down a road carved into the hill.
There was a breach in the gate halfway down the hill, big enough for a person to sneak through.
They got out on the other side and were now surrounded by trees. The forest covered the gated community and much ground around the town.
Lola looked up toward the tree crowns reaching far into the sky.
She turned on her feet and lowered her eyes to the trunks, where something curious caught her attention. She walked closer, dragging her fingers over the slash marks in the trees' bark.
It looked to be from an animal, a bear, maybe.
"Come with me." Jax grabbed her hand and pulled her deeper into the dark forest. The moonlight shone down on them, round and centered in the sky.
They walked through a bush and rounded on a path that took them further in than Lola had wanted.
Her mind was on high alert, but the thought did also occur to her that she could run. She could run now and leave this town.
"Stand here." Jax was heaving. He grabbed her shoulders and positioned her by a rock.
He backed away, his shoulders were raised in a bow, and his nostrils flared when he turned around.
"Please, whatever you do, don't freak out," he asked.
Lola took a deep breath and held it.
She watched as his eyes shifted color. The yellow hue grew until it covered his natural brown, and then his canines came out just as they had on Mrs. Blackwood earlier.
She heard the sound of his bones breaking, and his body took on unnatural forms. His legs bent out of shape, his neck cracked to the side, and his back arched as he fell on all fours. Jax's clothes were ripped to shreds, and his bare chest was covered in sweat as his ribs pulled apart. Lola's hand flew up and covered her mouth. She walked back until she hit a tree and pressed herself back against it as much as she could. Her feet cemented themselves, and though she wanted to run, she couldn't seem to remember how.
"Oh my god," she whispered when the shift was over. Before her eyes stood a fur-covered beast larger than any animal she had ever seen. His eyes were a bright yellow, and his snout looked moist as his tongue flicked over it.
Lola stayed pressed against the tree, staring into the eyes of the creature with four legs and a tail hanging behind him. His fur was a golden brown with a black line down his spine.
"Jax?"
The wolf bowed his head. He bent his knee and lowered toward the ground.
Lola was heaving. She couldn't control her heart beating out of her chest or her hands shaking like she was standing in a snowstorm.
The fear creeping up her body paralyzed her. She could see that the wolf was kind. He was making himself as small as he possibly could so as not to intimidate her.
The wolf let out a small whine, hoping to ease her fear. Lola finally managed to peel herself from the tree and take one step toward him. She took one more step, taking her time with each one. Her eyes never faltered from the wolves, thinking that any second, he could leap at her.
"C-can..." She licked her lips and pulled her fingers through each other. "Can I touch you?"
The wolf raised his head. His eyes pierced hers, and then he laid down fully, baring his stomach.
Lola reached out her shaky hand and dragged her fingers through his thick fur.
She gazed in wonderment as the beast gently placed his paw on her arm. Their eyes locked, and the fear slowly melted away.
"Thank you," she whispered and patted down the side of his body.