Page 19 of Framed and Forgotten
The wolf nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he shifted back into his human form to say, “Thank you, Koen.”
The sight stirred something in me. It was something I hadn’t witnessed since I was at Whispering Hills, before Koen learned the truth about who I was. He only showed this soft, caring side to those he was leading - those who needed him to believe in themselves. Koen was great at inspiring others.
I couldn’t help but smile to myself. There was something deeply comforting about seeing him in this light - this quiet role of leader. In these confusing times where uncertainty constantly tugged at my heart, it was the reassurance I needed.
As Ruac put on a robe, he finally spotted me. Lowering his head, he greeted me, revealing my presence. Koen turned, noticing me standing there, my gaze locked on him. As the young wolf excused himself, he took a step toward me, his expression shifting from the warmth he’d shown the boy to something more familiar, more personal.
“Did you need something?” he asked, his voice soft.
I shook my head, a chuckle escaping me. “No,” I said, feeling a warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the evening air. “I was just looking for you.”
“Sorry.” He grimaced, proceeding to explain, “I was about to go find you when Ruac approached me. Since I got my powers shortly after him, he thought I could understand his struggles better. When he asked for a few tips, I couldn’t refuse him.”
“You don’t have to apologize for assisting a pack member…” I bit my bottom lip. Closing the distance between us, I rested my hands on his chest, concluding, “Alpha Koen.”
His smile grew brighter. He dove in to kiss me gently before countering, “I’m not Alpha Consort yet.”
“True,” I agreed. “Which has me thinking…” With a pause, I looked into his eyes. “It’s about time we pick a date for your ceremony. Maybe this weekend?”
I was disconcerted as I watched his expression change. He averted his gaze hesitantly, and I barely had time to brace for his response. “I think it’d be best if we waited a little longer. You know, until I can figure out how to properly balance my roles as father and alpha consort.”
His explanation made sense - it was the responsible thing to do.
So why, then, was I still stung by that pang of hurt, accompanied by the ever-so-familiar feeling of dread creeping up my spine?
“I was, uh…talking to Nerine,” he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper, as though he regretted speaking at all. He’d been avoiding any mention of his ex-wife or his son, and the tension in his voice made it clear he had something more to say. “She’s taking Elias to the amusement park this weekend, and I was planning on tagging along.”
A surge of conflicting emotions hit me all at once, and before I could stop it, the words escaped in a sharp burst, “You what?!”
13
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K O E N
At first, I wastoo absorbed in my own internal struggles to notice the underlying anger in Avril’s voice, but a single glance at her was enough to identify everything she was feeling. When I opened my mouth to try and explain myself, it was too late. I didn’t know what had happened, but she was furious.
“Are you serious?!” she rasped. “You want to spend the whole weekend away with your ex-wife?”
“Nerine will be there, but I assure you, she won’t be the focus of my trip. I just want to have some quality time with Elias,” I tried to clarify. “You don’t have to worry. I wouldn’t want to give the wrong idea to Nerine either, so I made sure to get a separate room at a different hotel.”
To my confusion, her disbelief only grew. “You already booked a room without even talking to me?”
“I didn’t want you to worry, and I didn’t think it was that big of a deal anyway,” I replied, though my tone lacked the resolve I wanted to evoke. “Look, I know the situation is not ideal-”
“Ideal?” she scoffed. “It’s the furthest fucking thing from ideal!”
Avril had been dealing with a lot lately. I noticed her silent support, even when she wasn’t entirely comfortable with thesituation. She held her tongue, giving me space to handle the issue as I saw fit. In return, I did my best to shield her from as much as possible, but I had to admit, I sometimes got too caught up in matters concerning my son. This was one of those times. Still, I hadn’t expected her to react so strongly.
It seemed she had been holding in more than I realized, and this trip was the final straw.
“Avril-” I took a step forward, trying to defuse the discussion before it escalated into a full-blown argument, but she backed away and raised her hand, signaling that it was my turn to listen.
“I get it, Koen. I do,” she started. “You just found out you have a son from your previous marriage. It’s crazy, and you feel like you’ve already missed out on so much. But let me remind you, because it seems to have slipped your mind lately - you’re not one of them anymore!”
For some reason, her comment rubbed me the wrong way. “Why is it always ‘us’ and ‘them’ with you? What does that even have to do with this?”
“Everything!” Avril yelled. “That’s what you can’t see, Koen! Your old life? You can’t go back to it! Your place is here, as my alpha consort, the King of the Ashen Wolves,” she said firmly. “Unless you find some sort of cure, that won’t change. Nothing you discover will ever undo what you’ve become, no matter how badly you want to. I’m sorry, Koen - I really am - but there’s no place in your life for anyone who isn’t an Ashen Wolf.”
