They walked around the field. The sound of bones breaking and fists slamming against the leathered pads was all that was heard, you wouldn't believe you were in the middle of a neighborhood.Everyone was divided into groups of four, paired up with a partner and three trainers who kept everyone in check and made sure they knew what to practice.Some were on the grass, others on the concrete and it didn't matter what lay beneath you- they still threw each other up in the air and landed on the ground.One of the guys tossed the girl up using his shoulder, he grabbed around her throat midair and slammed her down into the concrete.Lola winced, the sound of the girl's back echoed like pop rocks and sent fantom pains down Lola’s own body. Never having experienced pain like these warriors had she couldn't know what exactly they went through but it wasn't impossible to imagine.“She’ll heal,” Ash said, not a shred of empathy detectable in his voice.She continued after him, trying to keep up
He stumbled closer, his arms flung in the air- he fell like a cut-down tree and fumbled with his feet. His heel got caught behind his other foot when he tried to shift to the side and he grabbed around her waist when he realized he wouldn't be able to stop himself.Ash shifted to the side throwing himself around her as they landed on the ground. The mat softened the fall, as Ash’s body did for her and Ash pressed Lola against him to make sure she didn't sustain any injuries as they collided on the mat.“Ouch,” Lola whimpered. Her chin slammed against Ash’s shoulder, and dots formed in her vision when her brain took a tumble in her skull from the impact.She lifted her head, her hands were stuck under Ash’s arms and she did not attempt to free them.They lay there, watching each other, and disappeared into one another's gazes.Ash lifted his arm and put some stray hairs behind Lola’s ear. His thumb graced her jaw and moved down to grab her chin.A knife was thrown against the wooden m
The snarls got louder and one turned into two and then there were four, all from different directions.“Do. Not. Move.” Lavina warned as she circled Lola to make sure she covered her every inch.Lola looked toward the path they had walked on as they left the warrior's training grounds and thought that they would all be running up here any second.She remembered her lesson with Ash on pack rules and laws, one of them being that there was border patrol at all times and that whenever an outsider stepped over the border it was sensed by the Alpha and his warriors.If that were true then where was everyone? Shouldn’t the cavalry be arriving?The snarls got louder and closer, moving in on them as the girls tried to stick as close to each other as possible.In that moment it truly dawned on her just how useless she was in a fight against werewolves. Lavina was all alone if a fight were to break out.She remembered the story of the Doe and how the Doe supposedly had powers beyond healing abil
The car came to a stop on the familiar grounds and Jax turned the key, shutting the engine off. They sat in silence and looked out the window at the little lake where they had taken a stroll at the beginning of their relationship.At that point things were starting to thaw between them, a seed had been planted and was slowly setting roots in their souls. It was a brighter time even though they had no clue as to what they were doing or what it would lead to. Lola was starting to trust him, she felt in her bones that he wouldn't do anything to harm her and that she could finally lower that guard she had around her heart. Jax was happy to have his mate, his wife, the woman he loved by his side. He knew it would be hard but he was ready for it, for all of it. He took her to the lake to make a promise, one of love and eternity.Jax stepped out of the car and stepped around- he opened Lola’s door and held out his hand. As Lola left the car their hands dropped as if their skin didn't dare
“What do we do now?” Lola asked. neither had spoken a word since Lola’s confession. Jax fell back like he’d been pushed, he stared blankly at her face as if trying to figure out if he’d heard her correctly. She shook her head and tried to compose herself. They needed a plan for how to move forward, maybe a divorce, but she needed to keep a clear head as they continued.“I don’t know.” He said in a raspy tone and turned his body to face the lake.Jax put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and drew a deep breath- on the exhale his body visibly relaxed and he hung his head. “We should get a divorce. You’ll be free to be with whomever you want,” Jax’s head snapped to the side in a flash and he glared at her for the statement.It was as though her words were completely misguided though that was the path they were on. If he didn't love her any longer then they shouldn't be together, at least that was the course of thought that Lola walked- Jax seemed somewhere completely different.“W
PROLOGUE5 years earlier.Lola: 16 years old.The ground was painted red. The blood ran in a stream down the cracks and into the river. Little red clouds formed under the water, and she stared with tear-filled eyes at the bodies from which the blood was escaping. Her hands held the lives she had just taken, and her mind held the sounds of their screams. Their eyes were still wide open as they stared at their faith, she who had ended them all, she who nobody could escape.With shaky hands, she pulled their bodies to the river and placed them down. The last one was particularly difficult to let go of, her hands refusing to open as she held him under the water. The life had drained from his eyes, his heart had stopped beating, and his body hadn’t moved for minutes. Yet, she couldn’t part from him.Closing her eyes and filling her lungs with air, her fingers slowly spread. She watched as her father went with the stream.*Chapter 1.“Lola!”Lola turned her heavy head to look at Melissa, fin
Lola's studio apartment was dark and gloomy. The littlest light from the moon tried to seep in but barely reached inches over the floor. The wooden panels on the floor began to squeak as though someone had walked on them. Lola lay on her bed, with her head tossing back and forth as her mind filled with dreadful memories of a past not long forgotten.the creaking continues closer to her bed and she's too deep in sleep to notice him watching over her. He sees how her face is contorted in pain from her nightmare and the sweat that is forming on her face so he leans down, strokes her hair away from her face, and whispers, "Wake up."“No!” She sat up quickly in the bed and panted. She frantically looked around the room and into the dark corners of her apartment.“Who— Who’s there?” Lola’s words were hoarse and frightened, and she felt a presence around her. Somebody was watching her, but why couldn’t she see them?She shook her head free from the thoughts and the nightmares and laid back do
“I can’t believe how obsessed everyone has gotten! I mean, seriously, did you hear Lisa? She wants to marry the man,” Melissa boasted aloud as they walked to the café after school.“Man?” Lola asked with a raised brow and a disbelieving expression- Man was a little too much in her opinion. She was, however, glad that it had been three days since their interaction in the auditorium, and he hadn’t tried to talk to her again since.“It’s all I hear in class, Jax, Jax, Jax…” Melissa said, bobbing her head mockingly to the side each time she said his name.Lola opened the door and smirked at her friend while jokingly remarking, “Sounds like someone has a crush.”Melissa scoffed and pretended to shiver from the idea.“I’ll leave the crush to the bottle blondes who fantasize about marrying rich.” They laughed and walked into the café.The woman behind the desk was hurriedly writing down on a paper and looking at her wristwatch. Her hair was a mess from having stood over the milk steamer for