Lola felt like the air was being sucked from her lungs and the floor was being pulled away from under her feet. Melissa tried to grab her attention but it was futile, all Lola saw was Jax's gleaming smile and the beautiful girl on his arm.
"Jealousy doesn't become you," Ash's gravely voice brought her back and her eyes cast down on the floor.
He moved closer so his arm brushed against her.
"Don't stare, it'll just feed the delight,"
"What?" Lola said.
"They want a reaction, don't give them one. Trust Jax's feelings for you, it's the only choice you have,"
"But look at them," Lola said.
"They kind of are the picture-perfect couple aren't they?" Ash cocked his head.
Melissa slammed her elbow into Ash's side and shared her deep scowl.
"Ouch," he groaned.
"Remember how hurt you were when I told you that I didn't trust you?" Lola asked.
Ash didn't answer but she saw in his eyes that he remembered, they both did and it wasn't a pain they would gladly relive.
"I'm going to ask you something and I trust you to tell me the truth,"
Ash raised his head and waited but there were things even he couldn't say as the Alpha's trusted.
"Do I have anything to worry about when it comes to Lavina and Jax?" She asked.
"Do you love Jax?"
Lola gulped, "I don't know if-"
"Yes you do, you're just scared to admit it."
"It's not that simple-" she defended but again got caught off.
"Do you love him, yes or no?" He asked again more impatiently.
"Yes." Quick and easy and so very true.
A cloud of darkness flashed by in Ash's eyes and disappeared just as quickly.
"Then you have nothing to worry about. As long as you're sure about your feelings for him, no one can come between you. You know what you and Jax have, it's hard to beat,"
Melissa whined beside them and she was staring daggers across the room.
"You're probably right but must he stand that close to her?" Melissa spat and narrowed her eyes on Jax and Lavina.
"Go up there, talk to him. Mark your territory," Ash said.
Lola stood back at first and didn't want to make a scene but then she remembered how she was his wife and he had kept her in the dark about tonight.
She walked slowly but with her head held high and her eyes pinned on Jax. The smell of his musky cologne started seeping up her nose and she smelt the sweet vanilla blend perfectly coming from Lavina.
"Lola!" Lavina exclaimed and reached out her hands.
She grabbed her hands and moved around so that Lola stood next to Jax. Lavina didn't seem to mind at all that she had joined them and taken the place next to her husband, in fact, she was gleaming with joy and she looked at the wedded couple.
"Hi you," Lola said.
Jax smiled, and his hand came down to rest on the low of her back.
"You made it," He said.
"Yeah about that- what exactly is this?" Lola said laughingly.
He looked at her as though she were supposed to already know and that it was crazy of her to even ask. The judgment in his eyes grew for each second she stayed oblivious.
"It's my title ceremony," he said as a matter of fact.
"Your what?" She asked.
"Jax is taking over the title of Alpha from Michael, it's a big deal- I'm surprised you don't know about it. Hasn't anyone prepared you?" Lavina asked.
Was Lavina being malicious or was she genuinely concerned over Lola's lack of preparation? The genuine gaze in her eyes seemed to speak for the latter- Lavina looked at Mrs. Blackwood with a raised brow and crossed arms.
"It must have slipped my mind, Jax haven't you prepared your wife?" Mrs. Blackwood said and touched her pearls. Jax's hand slowly fell from Lola's back and he turned his body to face her.
"I must've told you about it,"
Lola's face fell in complete shock over Jax's response.
"No, I can assure you that you didn't,"
Her stomach turned and the many excessive gulps didn't press down the unease that rose up her throat.
"Weird, maybe you just don't remember," he asked and drank from his glass.
"What is wrong with you?" She spat and Jax stepped back. His eyes flickered around to see if no one was listening in on their conversation because god forbid the Alpha to be being talked back to by his wife.
"Lower your voice." He seethed and grabbed her arm, pulled her to the corner, and held her put.
"You haven't said anything about a title ceremony let alone that it was taking place today. Why wouldn't you include me in this?"
They walked further into the corner and Mrs. Blackwood made sure to speak to any passerby to keep them from listening in.
"I'm sorry, I guess I forgot-" Jax looked nervous, his brows pushed together and he jittered with his fingers. "-you could have asked,"
Lola was flabbergasted, pushed back against the wall with her words fumbling in her mouth.
"I could have asked? I don't even know what a fucking title ceremony is!"
He looked around with a hint of panic in his eyes.
"Fine, just go and change. The Alpha successor's mate is supposed to hand over the chalice," he said.
"I was thinking about that and maybe it's better if Lavina joins you in the ceremony. Just because she's used to our ways and knows the traditions of this pack," Mrs. Blackwood said- coming up behind them. She gently cupped her hands when she walked closer.
"No that's Lola's thing, she is Jax's mate, I'll tell her everything she needs to know," Lavina said.
She grabbed Lola's arm and pulled her through the mansion and up the stairs.
"We need to get you dressed," Lavina said as they walked into the guest room.
Lola stood in the middle of the room and saw her clothes being rummaged through.
Lavina pulled out a dress and pushed it into Lola's hands.
"The ceremony starts with the ruling Alpha, Michael Blackwood, signing off and declaring his son the new Alpha and then there's a little speech. Your job starts when he hands the word over to Jax because that's when you read from the Scripture- you know about the Scripture right?" Lavina said without looking.
"No," Lola said.
"Oh-" Lavina stopped and turned around. "-the scripture is an old text that's been passed down through generations of Alphas in the pack. Every time a new Alpha rises to take the title the mate reads the script and then shares her blood with the Alpha to bind the union and portray their strong bong in front of the pack."
"Blood sharing?" Lola started feeling nauseous.
"Yes, the old Alpha cuts into your hand and the blood drops into the chalice, the new Alpha does the same thing, and when your blood merges you drink it which in turn will tie you to each other and to the pack." She tilted her head to the side and looked incredulously at Lola's worried expression. "Normally the second you drink the blood you'd be tied by mind and spirit to the pack but I don't know how it works when you're human. I don't think it matters- but are you clear on what you have to do?"
"Read the script and give my blood," Lola repeated.
Lavina shrugged and offered a consoling smile. Her eyes glinted and she looked like she pitted Lola and her obliviousness.
"It must be hard," she said, "to be human in all of this and be married to an Alpha like Jax. He has the purest heart I've ever seen and you were everything he ever wanted and everything he waited for. But you can't feel it, can you? The magnitude of his love for you and the bond that everyone craves- he feels it but you don't, do you?"
Lola swallowed and she was moving her hand in small circles over her stomach.
"No, I don't," she whispered. Lola was quick to add, "But I care about him a lot,"
"I'm sure you do, but he loves you more than anything in this world. It must be hard not to be able to reciprocate that," Lavina said.
she flicked her head to the dress on the bed. "get dressed, I'll go and tell the others that you're almost ready."
Lavian turned and the small train of her dress dragged across the floor.
The sailor blue satin mirrored the light when she stepped out into the hallway and Lola watched and waited until the door shut.
"Holy shit balls!" She grabbed her hair and stared at the wall.
"He chooses me over her?!" She was having a conversation with herself that only made her feel worse than before. Usually, she would get some good answers when conversing with her mind but this time she was spiraling down a dark hole to which there was no end.