***
"What is happening to us?" Carrie coughed as she put her feet on the floor. She tried to stand, but her legs buckled beneath her, and she fell, hitting her head against the wall.
"Carrie!" Lola stood by the window, looking through the dirty glass, watching as her father coughed up blood in his hands on his way to his wife, who fought for her life on the bedroom floor.
"K-Kent..." her voice disappeared in the heaving as she fought to take a breath.
"What is this?!" He ran to his wife and fell beside her.
Lola watched in the darkness as her father dragged her mother out of the house. Her aunt fell out on the broken wooden stairs and reached out her hands to ease the tumble to the ground.
Lola didn't see her cousins. She peeked around the corner. No one would see her in the dark of the night. Like a shadow, she walked closer, undetectable and quiet. She saw her older cousin running out of the house and falling to his knees as the blood dripped from his nose.
"What is happening?" he choked out, and drops of blood formed in his saliva.
"Emma... where is Emma?" Her aunt asked, lying on her side and looking at her son.
Lola's cousin shook his head. Lola stepped closer. "Please don't do it," Lola begged silently.
Her father turned his head and looked at the house. He got up and limped back inside, knowing he'd breathe in more of the poison, but something else was more important at this moment. He came out, not with the little girl who was currently suffocating on the couch but with bags filled with money.
"You have it," Lola's mom cried with a smile.
"We have to go." Kent put her arm over his shoulders and helped her up on her feet.
"Kent! You can't leave us." Lola's uncle glared at him. He reached out his hand but was too weak to move any further.
"Oscar, I will come back for you," Kent said, but he looked at his brother's wounds, the bleeding eyes, and he heard the shallow breaths. "We promised to share the money," her uncle said. They turned their heads and looked at the aunt, who wasn't speaking. Her eyes were wide open, staring at the sky, but not one breath sounded from her. Her chest wasn't moving, and her arms were spread out at her side.
"Don't you dare walk away from me," Lola's uncle warned.
***
"Hey, wake up! Lola!" Her eyes darted open, and she flew up to a seated position in the bed. Lola dragged a hand over her face and felt the drops of sweat that had formed in her sleep. She turned her head and met Jax's gaze.
"What- What are you doing here?" she asked and looked around the guest room.
"I came to tell you that breakfast was ready. You didn't answer, and I heard your heartbeat..." He immediately regretted the last statement and pinched his lips shut.
She looked warily and removed the cover from her body. "Right. Of course you did," she muttered under her breath. "I'll be down soon," she said and crossed her arms over her chest.
Jax nodded and turned around reluctantly. He walked slowly to the door but stopped when she called for him.
"Where's the bathroom?" she asked. Her clothes were drenched, and she felt gross, covered in sweat.
Jax walked over to the closet without saying a word. He opened it and took out a towel.
"Come, I'll show you."
Lola walked with Jax out into the hall and took a right. They walked down two doors, and he opened the bathroom door for her.
There was a bathtub and a separate shower with two nuzzles. One was built into the ceiling.
She looked around, remembering her shower back home in her apartment. It was small and barely fit one person, but it was hers.
This was extravagant, the best that money could buy.
Guess this is what you spend it on when you don't have to worry about rent, she thought.
"Anything else?"
She remembered that Jax was still there. Lola turned and saw him hanging the towel on the heater.
"No."
He turned around, and she bit down on her jaw. "Thank you," she said quickly.
Jax smiled and closed the door. Lola walked over and locked it before stripping down and getting in the shower.
She took her time. The longer she was in here, the less time she had to spend out there with them.
Lola looked at the shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, and body products.
"Must be nice," she said with a healthy mix of jealousy and judgment.
It wasn't that she hated rich people. She just didn't like them very much. In her experience, money led to greed, and greed was the devil's bargaining chip. It could make even the best people turn on each other.
Lola got out and dried herself off. She looked around and groaned when she realized that she hadn't brought any clothes with her in here.
She wrapped the towel tightly around her body and grabbed the door knob.
Lola took a deep breath and begged that no one would be out in the hall. It was just two doors down. It wasn't far, and she could just run. She opened the door, ready to sprint into the guest room.
The first step, however, sent her into a soft cotton wall.
"Oh my-" she began, but when she looked up and locked eyes with him, she saw the devilish grin on his newly awakened face. "Ash," she said.
"Oh, my Lola," he mused. His eyes darkened. They lowered to her chest, and he leaned back to take in the rest of her towel-covered body. "That suits you. You should wear that more often," he said and slid his finger along the hem of the white towel.
Lola pulled back and glared.
He raised his hands. Lola tried to step around him, but Ash made no attempt to move out of the way. She groaned. Ash stepped closer and stood in the doorframe, making it impossible for Lola to pass by. "One piece of advice," he said and chuckled darkly as he looked down at her. "What?" she spat in annoyance as she rolled her eyes.
Ash's eyes narrowed, his lips pressed together, and the mischievous glare was gone. "Don't rebel. Not here. Not with them." He bit down on his tongue and furrowed his brows. "It's one thing making bad with rich people. It's another when they're also werewolves. You're currently in the house of the strongest pack leaders in the country, and you're married to the rising Alpha. If you're thinking about escaping, don't."
Lola gulped. She held the towel tighter and stepped back. "So what do I do?" she whispered.
Ash's lips pulled down in a snarl, and he looked into her eyes with a look glazed in pity. "You be a good wife and get used to your new life."
The words entered Lola's mind, but she swatted them away. She smiled and thanked him for the advice. Ash searched her eyes. Whatever he was trying to find, he failed.
He turned his body to the side to let her pass, the towel dragged against his shirt, and he looked at her as she walked down the hall. Lola stopped. She didn't know why, but she wanted to turn around. She looked over her shoulder and caught a final glimpse of his back as the door closed behind him.
"Lola?"
Her head snapped back around, and she saw Jax standing in front of her.
"Is everything all right?"
She licked her lips and smiled. "It's fine." She scurried into the guest room and closed the door. Jax looked at the closed bathroom door. His wolf stirred in his mind. Instead of walking down to the dining room, he waited for Lola to get dressed.