Page 11 of Framed and Forgotten
“This is a moment we’ve all been waiting for,” Hector said, his powerful voice echoing through the room. “I, for one, have always wanted to know who my grandnephew’s father is - and I’m nothing short of delighted to finally learn that it’s you.” He spared Koen a sympathetic glance before gesturing toward the feast laid out on the table. “But the food is getting cold,” he added, inviting us to take our seats.
Lunch was surprisingly pleasant. There were no snide remarks aimed at me, no subtle attempts to humiliate me or make Koen second-guess his decision to stay with me. Nothing in their behavior suggested this was a ploy to drive us apart. In fact, they were all remarkably polite and respectful toward me.
The same, and more, applied to Koen. Nerine’s family welcomed him as if he were one of their own, and I couldn’t ignore the ease with which he slipped into their conversations. He laughed at Hector’s jokes, listened attentively as his ex-wife shared stories about Elias’s early years, and even managed to coax a giggle out of the little boy himself.
Watching them, an uncomfortable thought wormed its way into my mind: he fit here.
It was a stark contrast to how things had been for us. When I was at Whispering Hills, I never got along with any of his family members. And when he moved into Azure Smoke, I couldn’t say it got much easier for him. The Ashen Wolves treated him with suspicion and distrust. My uncle, my only living relative - though not nearly as insistent as the bullies at my former pack - wasn’t exactly welcoming toward him, either.
“What was that, son?” Hector’s voice broke the silence, pulling me from my thoughts. At the head of the table, I found him leaning closer to the pup, who whispered something into his ear. Distracted, I wasn’t able to catch it, but the alpha soon did the favor of announcing it to us. “Alpha Koen, my grandnephew would like to take you on a tour around our lands after lunch. I’m sure you’re familiar enough with them already, but-”
“I’d love that,” my mate promptly agreed, his eyes glowing as he stared at the sheepishly joyful pup.
Hector nodded. “I might just join you,” he said, shifting his attention to me and Nerine. “So we can leave the ladies to chat in privacy.”
At first, I was startled. Being alone with my mate’s ex-wife wasn’t on my to-do list. However, I soon realized it would be a great opportunity to analyze her. If she was a fake, I had no doubt I could easily find out.
A moment later, Koen asked, “Will you two be okay here by yourselves?” Although the question was directed at the both of us, he looked only at me, concern in his eyes.
“You don’t have to worry about us,” I replied, encouraging him, “You and Elias should get to know each other better.”
A little hesitant, he squeezed my hand in agreement and gave me a gentle smile. As soon as we finished our meal, the males left. I immediately honed my senses, my wolf and I ready to force the truth out of this manipulative woman. Yet, she was faster than me.
“I’m glad you came today, Avril,” she told me, catching me off guard. Her tone was measured as she continued, “I want you to know that I have no intention of getting in the way of your relationship with Koen.”
I blinked, unsure of how to react. This is not how I expected this conversation to begin. My mouth opened, Kea ready to bark at the woman to quit playing games, but I held my tongue. I was curious to see where she would take this.
Instead, I simply lied in the most amicable manner I could manage, “I didn’t think so.”
She smiled with…relief? “I know how it looks - how this situation feels. But I assure you, I don’t want Koen back. I’m grateful for what he’s doing for Elias, but that’s where it ends.”
I searched her face for any hint of deception, any flicker of an ulterior motive. But all I saw was sincerity.
“I regret how things happened,” she continued, her voice softening. “I regret tricking him all those years ago. And I regret how he found out about Elias. He deserved better.”
Her honesty was disarming. Try as I might, I couldn’t find a single crack in her act - if it even was an act. Utterly distraught, I failed to conceal my shock, or to mumble any response at all. I’d mentally prepared myself for a hundred different scenarios, and this was definitely not one of them.
At my silence, Nerine cleared her throat, initiating an entirely different subject. She tried to strike up a conversation as if we were friends, but not trying to force a relationship between us. It didn’t make me uncomfortable as she wasn’t overly friendly. Yet, I couldn’t say I felt at ease either.
When Koen returned, he seemed lighter, his tension from earlier in the day almost gone. For his sake, I tried to mask my perplexity. We said our goodbyes, and as we drove away from Crystal Pond, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted.
Perhaps, deep in my heart, I had hoped to find proof that they were wicked - that Nerine was a psychotic liar, and we should stay away. But I couldn’t. Nothing they did or said supported my hunch that we should be wary of them, though the feeling never truly disappeared.
Maybe, just maybe, Nerine wasn’t the enemy I had painted - hadcraved- for her to be.
8
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K O E N
When I firstfound out about the possibility of being the father of Nerine’s pup, I was devastated. Our relationship hadn’t ended well, and I had to admit the mere thought of her made me sick. The first thing I was displeased about was having to reconnect with her, which would be inevitable if her claim was true.
Then, the test results came in, and reality as I knew it was shattered. It was a lot to take in, especially considering my bitterness toward my ex-wife. But the feeling soon became insignificant in face of everything else. Initially, I couldn’t say I was happy as most men would be upon receiving the news. Still, I knew I had to take responsibility. The longer I thought about it, the more I started feeling like this was something I had to do. I had a son, blood of my blood, and I hadn’t been there for him for the almost three years of his life.
Along with guilt, came fear. What if Elias resented me for my absence? What if he’d rather continue to live without me? Of course, I’d still support him financially, and in any other way I could. To be honest, it would have been easier. But the idea of being rejected by my one and only pup destroyed me.
And if he did want me, could I be the father he needed? I had no time to come to terms with the news. Becoming a parent should be a gradual process, but obviously, I had some catching up to do. How patient would he be with me? What if all I did was fail him again?
