"The Alpha wants an audience with both of you," Kolton explained.
Ash winced and looked over his shoulder. "Well, shit," he cussed and walked up to the warriors.
"Fine, let's go," he said, walking butt-naked back to the forest line. He stopped when no one followed and heaved a sigh. "My cousin may not be an Alpha yet, but I am, so I suggest you lower your guards and do as you're told. Also, if you try to take that girl from him, not only will he bite your head off, but I will help him do so." Ash's voice changed. It grew more threatening and serious. Nothing was amusing behind his words, and though he smiled at them, they knew that his threat was the equivalent of a promise. The warriors turned on their feet and faced him.
The leader stepped closer and raised his head. "You're not my Alpha."
Ash smirked and straightened his back. "You wanna bet?" His eyes turned yellow, and his wolf stepped forward. The warriors gulped.
Kolton stepped back, his eyes flickered around nervously. Kolton looked at Jax's wolf. He was still shielding Lola and snarling viciously at anyone who tried to near them.
"Fine," Kolton seethed. He ripped a bag from the hands of one of the warriors and tossed it at Ash. "Get dressed and come with us," he spat.
Ash put on clothes and dropped the bag on the ground for Jax. He walked with them back to the house.
Lola went and grabbed the bag once the warriors were gone. She placed it behind one of the trees and turned around as he shifted. She didn't want to be distracted in case he came walking out only in shorts again.
She remembered his body, and visions started playing in her head. Her tongue slid over her lips as she licked them wet. She still felt the touch of his warm skin on her fingertips.
"Did you fall asleep?"
Her eyes opened wide, and she turned around hastily. The forest around her suddenly spun out of control, and she tripped on her feet. Lola prepared to faceplant against the forest ground, but her body never landed. Jax held her up and looked at the side of her head that had been flung against the tree.
"You're not bleeding. That's a good sign," he said, but something didn't add up.
He saw something in her blonde hair. Jax slid his fingers through her hair, over her scalp, and gently pulled away. Flecks of dried blood tangled in the blonde strands and stuck to his fingers.
"What is that?" she asked and pressed at her head.
She looked at the red flakes on Jax's hand and rubbed her fingers against her head.
When she pulled her hand down, she saw the flakes stuck to her skin. They looked at each other unknowingly. Neither one knew how that was possible. The blood indicated that a wound had been present, but there was nothing there. Her head was intact, with not even a scrape to remind her of the fight.
"Maybe it's not blood," she said and pressed the flakes between her fingers. "Maybe there was something on the tree that just got stuck in my hair." She wiped her hands on her clothes and moved her hair over her shoulder.
Jax stared at his hand, at the flakes of blood still attached to his fingertips. He could smell it. It was definitely blood that had dried on her scalp. Nevertheless, he nodded and agreed with Lola that it must've been transferred from the tree when she hit her head. She visibly relaxed, and they walked back to the mansion. All the while, Jax thought about the dried flakes of blood and the random attack of the rogue wolves.
Jax walked Lola to the room she had been assigned. However, when they opened the door, she couldn't bring herself to pass the threshold into the room.
The chair was still lying on the floor by the window, and the bed was messy and unmade.
She remembered the locked door and the feeling of suffocating when she couldn't find a way out.
"I can't," she said and stepped back. Jax scanned the room and slowly closed the door.
"I won't make you," he assured her as the door closed in front of them. Jax looked down the hall and grabbed Lola's hand. "Come on." He took her down the corner of the hallway and through the upstairs living room. A balcony was attached to the far end wall, decorated with chairs, tables and blankets for cozy evening hangouts.
"Stay here until I'm back," Jax asked. Just as he was about to close the balcony door, he saw a slight hint of panic in Lola's eyes. He left the door open and walked down to his father's study.
Jax flung open the door and saw Ash clenching his fists in front of the Alpha couple.
"Jax, please come." His mother beckoned.
The air in the study was thick, and a silent anger raged in Ash as he stood quietly by the desk.
He cast a look at Jax when he walked in and was fighting to contain his wolf in front of his uncle.
"The attack. Tell me about it," Mr.Blackwood said and leaned back, placing his hands on the desk behind him.
"What do you want to know? Three rogues made an unprovoked attack. We took them out," Jax answered. They didn't make a big fuss over rogue attacks. They rarely ever happened these days. Nevertheless, the rogues did sometimes cross onto the border of the town to try and claim territory. The Blackwoods always saw the rogue attacks as good practice for the warriors and would send them out to hunt and kill any intruders.
For this reason, Jax was taken aback by his parents' sudden interest in such a mundane event.
"Who were they attacking?" his father asked with a knowing gaze.
"Does it matter?" Jax inquired. He knew that he had to choose his words carefully. Lola didn't need any more attention on her.
"It does. I asked you a question, and you will provide me with an answer, son." The tension rose, and Jax glanced at his mother standing next to the Alpha's empty chair. Her face was void of emotion. However, Jax recognized the wordless appearance. They were asking questions to which they already had the answers.
"It was a planned attack on Lola," he said.
Mrs.Blackwood uncupped her hands and gently tilted her head.
"And what did she do?" she asked, waiting a beat before she repeated, "Lola, what did she do?"
Jax shook his head, his lips parted, and his wolf joined him in front.
"They know something," Landon growled and pushed further toward the surface.
"Why do you ask?" Jax moved closer.
"Answer the question. What did she do?" His mother grew impatient, and her voice was filled with eager anticipation.
"She did nothing," Jax answered calmly. He took in his mother's appearance. Her face shifted as her eyes narrowed, and her lips turned in a snarl. "Nothing?"
Jax shook his head.
"I see," she said and stepped back.
"Now it's my turn. Why are you so inquisitive about the fight? What did you expect she would do?"
His mother softly shrugged and gleamed. "Something that would tell us about this fascination that the vampires have with her."
Jax narrowed his eyes on her. He felt his body heating as the anger stirred closer to the surface. "Mom, what did you do?"
She pursed her lips. "What needed to be done to protect this pack and the people of this town. If your wife is a beacon for supernatural creatures, we need to know why."
He clenched his jaw as he listened to her words. "You set up the attack," he seethed.
She wrapped her fingers around Mr.Blackwood's shoulder where he sat. "Unsuccessfully, but yes, I hoped that it would tell us what we needed to know, but perhaps she is just... useless."
She had knowingly endangered his mate for her own selfish gains. Jax pressed his wolf back to keep him at bay, but his own anger was growing uncontrollably.
'Calm down,' Ash said over the mind link.
He took a deep breath and turned his head. Ash was watching him intently, feeling the energy radiating from his cousin. He knew it was only a matter of seconds. If Ash felt it, so did Jax's parents.
"What's up with you?" Jax asked as he locked eyes with his cousin to derail the conversation.
"Oh, he's just been reminded of his rank in this pack," Jax's mother said glumly. She cupped her hands and drew a breath. "You boys can go. Jax, sweetheart, you should check on your wife. Make sure she is okay after this night's events."
Jax and Ash left the study. Ash immediately turned without another word and walked out of the mansion.
Jax had been keeping one ear on Lola during the entire meeting, and he hadn't heard her leaving the balcony. He walked up the stairs and turned the corner at the end of the hallway, only to see her cuddled up on the balcony couch, staring out over the gated community.
"She will need to be protected from everyone," Landon said as they looked at her from a distance.
"We'll protect her," Jax promised.