Lola rubbed her temples when it felt like a block of bricks came flying at her. The information Ash had instilled and quizzed her on was something these pack members learned from the day they were born. It was supernatural laws, werewolf laws, human laws, and everything that had anything to do with pack borders, guards, and protocol in case of war or threat and these were just the basics.
"Look chipper, we're barely halfway through." He cast the thick book of laws down on the table and the sound had Lola jumping in the chair. She grabbed the handles and glared fiercely at the inconvenience standing in front of her.
Ash crossed his arms and raised a brow.
"You're cute when you're angry, do you know that?"
Taken aback Lola shrunk in the chair and tried to look away.
"What else do we have to go through?" She asked.
He noticed her body shifting uncomfortably and her reluctance to look at him, he smirked and continued walking around the desk.
He dragged his ring across the surface and rasped the wood with the hard metal.
She sat there in silence as he stopped for a beat, with only their breaths making sounds that drowned out their heartbeats.
Lola stood up and walked to the other side of the desk. She looked down at the mountain of information that Ash wanted her to learn but she wasn't thinking about that. She was thinking about how Ash stood on the other side of the desk, how his eyes were scanning her face and warming her skin, and his playful grin that said he knew exactly what he was doing to her.
"Lola," there he goes saying her name with that tenderness in a heavy exhale.
She looked up and met his gaze. It was odd, she thought, how someone saying her name could make her feel so seen.
"Don't." She shook her head and slid her tongue over her lips.
Ash walked closer, dragging his hand across the edge of the desk and his eyes darkened the closer he got. She couldn't look away, it was like he was gazing into her soul, and though a smirk played on his lips his eyes were anything but amused.
"Don't what?" His voice was low and dark.
Her brows arched and her eyes rounded.
For a second her eyes lowered to his lips but she caught herself and looked back up.
"Don't this," she whispered and wiggled her finger between them.
"I am not doing anything. But if you're reacting to my presence then that is on you," He stepped closer, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not objecting."
The look in his eyes when he watched her and the way that she edged closer to get a better look and to maybe just feel a brush stroke off his arm and his warmth. But that was not in the stars for them as the door slammed open and Nash stumbled inside with a bottle in his hand.
"Yo, where's Jax?" He slithered and fought to stand up without spilling his beer.
Ash growled, his eyes glowed yellow and when Nash saw this he stayed on the floor and raised his hands in surrender.
"Didn't mean to interrupt anything," he hiccuped.
"You didn't," Lola snapped defensively and stepped back.
Nash rose to his feet and grabbed the table when he was about to go down again. The bottle in his hand was shaking like a ship on a stormy sea and the beer spilled out like a wave splashing against the rocks only instead of rock it was Ash's favorite chair.
Nash's brows rose and his lips closed around the head of the bottle so that whatever else splashed out wouldn't go to waste.
He clutched his stomach, a vibrating growl rumbled and moved its way up his throat as the bubbles of the beer exited in a manner that would not have been appreciated by the elite society they so regularly frequent.
Ash strode across the study and shot out his hand- he grabbed the bottle before anything else was drenched in cheap liquid that would leave a stench to last a lifetime.
"Be careful with that, it's my last one," he hiccuped and stumbled as he pointed at Ash.
His absentminded gaze landed on Lola in a double vision and even narrowing his eyes to slits didn't help him gain focus.
"Have you guys fucked?"
Lola drew in a sharp breath and stormed over to face him head-on. Her cheeks were cherry red as the heat rose to her face and anger consumed her- anger mixed with a healthy dose of shame as she thought about this being the second time they were caught in an incriminating position.
"I am Jax's wife. For you to even insinuate that I would be unfaithful and with his cousin-"
Nash waved his hands and pressed his finger against his lips.
"Shit I'm sorry! It was an innocent question and I," he paused for a burp and wiped his mouth with the back of his red-stained hand, "I didn't mean to disrespect you, your highness," he held eye contact as he bowed and his monotone expression showed just how little he cared for her authority. A shadow cast over Lola and Ash drew to his fullest size when he stood in front of Nash.
"She is your Luna, show some respect." His dark and gruff voice left little else to be said and Nash had no other option but to step down and admit defeat. He couldn't measure to an Alpha, especially not one with the power that Ash had been born with.
Nash put his hand on Ash's arm, it stayed there for just under a beat and his lips pulled up as darkness swirled in his eyes.
"I'm not judging. Hell, you might even have a shot," he said with no other context.
The vision of Lola hidden behind Ash's frame brought another sense of amusement to his being over the fact that Lola was the actual Luna of the pack. He swopped his gaze over her face and a dark smile shadowed his face.
"No leader in history has ever been free from fault or trusted in blind faith. Their reign was built on either fear, respect, or lies. You make sure that you choose your path of leadership before it's chosen for you." A menacing smile stretched on his lips and he slowly removed his hand from Ash's arm.
The sound of a pecking bird outside the window became the clock of the rising tension and the air that slowly started to feel more suffocating for Lola.
Of all the people she had met in the Blackwood mansion, none had seemed to take a liking to her. This was the first official meeting with Nash other than the time when he barged into her bedroom, drunk, the day he arrived.
She stepped around Ash's defense, knowing that she would never gain respect unless she faced them eye to eye and showed that she was deserving of at least an honest chance.
"I'm Lola Blackwood. We haven't officially met," her voice held confidence and her hand was steadily waiting in the air. His eyes wandered down and he took in the gesture- he watched her posture, the way that she stood confidently in front of him even after his effort to tear her down.
Her eyes pierced into Nash's and her tinted cheeks gave life to her earlier tired face.
"Arnash Napoleon." Their gazes, both narrow and intense, met in a collision of power and control. His fingers wrapped around hers and she squeezed a little extra hard just for the heck of it.
"That's an interesting name," she stated. An honest hint of curiosity laced in her words and piqued her interest.
"It was given to the firstborn son of my coven leader. A.k.a my father," his brows hunched and his eyes narrowed- they flickered over her eyes and down on her hand where they still hadn't let go.
"Coven?" Lola asked and looked at Ash who clenched his jaw with a deep scowl directed at Nash. Still, even with the intense glares shooting his way he didn't let go of Lola's hand- the touch seemed to have knocked him off his feet.