The sun rose and banished the clouds from the sky. It was a blue morning as they called it in Wild Cliff when the clouds were gone. It didn't happen often but when it did, everyone was outside.
Lola and Melissa woke up to an email from their professors asking where they'd been the last few days. They knew by now that if they couldn't get a hold of Lola, Melissa was their biggest chance of reaching out to her.
She groaned and pressed her face into the pillow while Melissa stirred awake next to her and tossed the phone down the bed.
"The sun's out," Melissa said against her pillow. The sun was lighting up the whole room and the girls were messily spread out on the bed.
"I know," Lola said, her voice muffled by her arm.
They had been staying at Melissa's house for the past three days after the harvest moon festival, hiding in her bed with snacks and board games.
These few days had been nothing short of an escape for Lola and Melissa was happy to help her.
"Is today the day we face reality?" Melissa asked. She sat up in bed and rubbed her face.
"We?" Lola asked and glanced with one eye peaking as her arm covered the other.
"You," Melissa corrected.
Lola knew that she had to face everything eventually, she was just hoping for a few more days of blissful ignorance before it was time. The serenity she had felt these days away from everything had been renewing and even though she didn't want to, she knew it was time to revisit reality and all the messy parts of life.
"I guess I should go," she said and sat up. Melissa gave her a reassuring smile and grabbed her car keys. They got out of bed, both were slower than ever as they got ready.
Neither of them wanted to leave the house, it had been like old times before werewolves and vampires entered their lives. It was just them with snacks and blankets and the best movies ever made.
Melissa put her makeup on and picked out a cute outfit. Lola looked knowingly with a smirk as she sat waiting on the edge of the bed.
"Are you excited to see him?" She asked.
A bright smile lit up on Melissa's face and she did a happy dance as she applied lipgloss.
"I really am," she squealed.
Her smile faltered when she saw Lola through the reflection in the mirror.
"How are you feeling about seeing Jax?"
Lola hadn't seen or heard from him since the harvest moon festival.
She missed him- perhaps only parts of him, the parts she recognized. The anger he bore was new, it was something she didn't miss, something she'd had enough of in her life.
But regardless, they were married and despite everything she really did care about him a lot.
"Lola," Melissa said.
She looked up and realized that she hadn't answered.
"Do you love him?" She asked.
"I like him, a lot, but I don't know if I can love the person that he is right now."
Melissa nodded.
"I understand," she said.
They walked out of the house and got in the car. Music blasted from the stereo and they talked about Ed the entire drive to the mansion. Melissa was smitten and Lola had never seen her like this.
Her cheeks were bright red and it showed through the makeup when she explained Ed's plans- he was taking her to the Lakeside Grill, it was by the lake as insinuated by the name and they surprisingly served the best pasta in town.
The car came to a stop and Lola sighed as she looked out over the front of the mansion.
"Here we are," Melissa said and flicked her tongue.
"You don't have to go in there, I can drive you back to my house and you can just stay there forever if you want. I'm dead serious,"
Lola laughed and leaned in to hug Melissa but just when her arms reached around she pulled back- a burning pain seared through her chest and she hissed in pain.
She looked down, a burn mark formed on her chest and then she saw where it had touched.
"I'm so sorry," Melissa said and covered the pendant with her hand.
"Ed said he liked it, that's the only reason I'm wearing it." She shook her head frantically and couldn't believe that she had just hurt her best friend- again.
"Don't worry it's fine, it just hurts for a bit and then it heals. It's pretty, Ed's right and I'm sure he'll be happy to see you wearing it," Lola reassured but it did little to ease the guilt that Melissa was feeling.
"I'm so sorry," she said under her breath. Lola grabbed her hands and gave them a light squeeze.
"It's not your fault that I can be hurt by a necklace," she said jokingly.
She opened the door about to get out.
"I'll find a phone and call you later, I want to hear everything about the date," she said and narrowed her eyes on Melissa.
"Promise," Melissa said and smiled.
Lola watched as she drove away and she was feeling just as giddy as Melissa was about her date with Ed. She couldn't wait to hear all about it. There was just that small issue of finding a phone, she didn't want to use the credit card from Jax to buy a new one but perhaps she could borrow the chef's.
She looked at the front door, her mind reeled around Melissa's lake date and how she now had to return to her own dreadful reality which was much less flattering.
She walked to the mansion and stepped inside.
The first thing she noticed was the accumulation of voices coming from down the hall leading to the study.
The chef, housekeeper, and gardener all stood in the hallway, peaking around the corner to listen in on the conversation. When they saw Lola approaching they immediately scurried off and pretended as if nothing had happened. Lola reached out and stopped the housekeeper.
"Mrs. Graves," she said and patted her dress.
"What is going on?" Lola asked.
"Whatever do you mean?" she wrapped a lock of hair around her figner and twisted it.
Lola raised a brow.
"I mean, why is there a bunch of voices coming from the study and why were you eavesdropping?" She said with a smirk, slightly amused by the scene she found them in.
"Oh that, it was nothing,"
"Should I ask Mr. Blackwood why you were eavesdropping?" She asked and the housekeeper stiffened.
She licked her lips and leaned in carefully.
"It's Ms. Sandon, she's here and she's very upset. She's been crying for an hour," Lola's jaw dropped and her heart sank.
"Ms. Sandon as in- Lavina Sandon?" She asked and the housekeeper nodded her head quickly.
"Thank you," Lola said.
The housekeeper scurried off and left Lola standing alone in the hallway.
Her feet dragged heavily against the floor and the closer she got the more she felt her heart aching but had no clue as to why.
The closer she got to the office the more she realized how much she had actually missed Jax and she couldn't wait to see his face but she dreaded what she might be walking into.
Why was Lavina back after she had left? Why was she upset?
She got closer and the voices got louder. The sniffles echoed out through the door that was halfway open, they clearly didn't make an attempt to conceal whatever conversation was going on in there.
"I can believe this," said Mrs. Blackwood.
Lavina was blowing her nose into the napkin and her eyes were redder than the blood on her shoulder from a deep cut wound.
Lola stood at the door opening.
She saw Ash in the corner, Mr and Mrs. Blackwood were standing by the desk and Jax was next to Lavina. Everyone was attentive and gazing with care and gentleness at her fragile appearance.
As if sensing that they were no longer alone, Jax turned his head. His back stiffened as he leaned away from Lavina and everyone else followed suit.
"Lola," Ash was the first to speak and walked away from the corner.
"Lola," Jax said and stepped in front of his cousin. He blocked him off but she could still see his contours behind Jax, unable to shift her focus completely.
"What's going on?" She asked in a hoarse voice.
A worrisome feeling grew in her gut, almost painfully she felt that something was wrong, more than Lavina being upset.
Lavina turned her head and looked apologetically at Lola.
"I'm so sorry," she sniffled.
"You have nothing to apologize for," Mrs. Blackwood said sounding offended.
"What is happening?" Lola asked. Everyone turned silent and even the sniffles were being choked. Jax walked up to Lola and grabbed her hand. She looked into his eyes and saw the worry and the fear.
"Tell me please," Lola said, her voice hitched and she felt her lip starting to tremble. Jax visibly gulped and raised his head.
"Lavina's pack was attacked by rogues," he looked over his shoulder at Lavina and then back at his wide, "her mate was killed," he said and Lola gasped.
"I'm so sorry," she said under her breath. Jax winced and she realized that he wasn't done so she stepped back and let him finish. The air shifted in the study and everyone was holding their breaths as they awaited the next part being told- everyone except for Mrs. Blackwood who was fighting off a smile and losing.
"She's moving back," he continued.
Lola's jaw fell open and her head tilted slightly to the side.
"Back where?" She asked.
"Here. She's moving back to Wild Cliff."