Page 24 of Framed and Forgotten
“Fine,” I spat out of habit, regret hitting me instantly. I lifted my head and corrected myself. “Actually, no, it wasn’t fine. It was stressful. I can’t seem to get them to back off.” The words kept spilling out, my thoughts finally flowing freely. “I’m worried - about everything. And not having you here made it even worse.”
His expression tightened with guilt - a far better reaction than the frustration I had expected. It was as if he had been waiting for me to say the words, no shock in his expression, only regret and recognition. The weight of my worries didn’t vanish, but for the first time, I felt like I wasn’t carrying them alone. He wasn’t pushing back, wasn’t trying to argue or deflect. He was just…listening.
It gave me hope.
“I’m so, so sorry, Avril,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, stepping toward me. “I was so worried about failing Elias as a father that I didn’t see how I was failing you as a mate. You were all I could think about when I was away.”
I drank in his confession like honey. “I kept wishing you could’ve been there.” He paused in front of me, his tone shifting as he added, “But I understand you have responsibilities as Alpha of the Ashen Wolves.”
“And you have your responsibilities as a father,” I countered, twisting my lips as the bitterness of the same old deadlock coated my tongue, and he mimicked my expression.
I stood still, waiting for him to close the distance between us, basking in his warmth as his arms wrapped around me. “The trip to the amusement park could’ve been delayed. I’m sorry I only realized that after I left.”
He leaned in, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. It was tender, lingering just long enough to pull the resentment from my chest. I recalled Elijah’s words - Koen was still learning to navigate this situation, and he was bound to make mistakes. As long as we kept working toward a way forward, that was all that mattered. Choosing to believe in us again, I hugged him back, tighter than usual.
“You know…” As he spoke again, I noticed his tone was different - huskier. “Being alone at a hotel again…” His grip around me loosened enough for him to slowly run his fingers down my arm, sending goosebumps over my skin. “It reminded me of the days we spent at the Alpha Meeting.”
When I lifted my gaze, I caught his smirk. Memories flooded my mind - the moment he confessed his feelings for me. The first night we shared a bed, and our first heated moment in the hallway the next day. That trip had changed everything between us.
And just like that, a fire bloomed inside me.
“Once things calm down, we should go on a proper trip. Just you and me,” Koen murmured, his whisper brushing against my lips. His hands settled just below my waist, drawing me closer.
“But until then…” His lips hovered above mine, his proximity a spell I couldn’t resist. “I’ll be content if you just let me make up for my latest screw-up, my Queen.”
Our pounding hearts echoed through the room, intensifying the electricity in the air. He stayed still, waiting for my permission - or perhaps teasing me. Either way, I took the bait, rising onto my toes to taste him.
The moment our lips crashed together, we became a blur of grasping hands and feverish touches. Piece by piece, our clothes flew off, landing in careless piles on the floor. Stripped bare, Koen hoisted me into his arms and carried me to our bed. I was ready to rekindle the flames, to let our bodies speak and leave our troubles tangled in the sheets.
As he lowered me onto the mattress, his weight pressed me down just enough to steal my breath. His lips trailed from my mouth to my jaw, then down my throat, each kiss slow and deliberate, as if he wanted to carve them into my skin. My fingers fisted in his hair, tugging him closer, desperate for more.
“I missed you so much,” he murmured, tilting my head back to grant him better access. “Will you forgive me, my mate?”
“If you earn it,” I teased, though a hint of seriousness slipped under my tone.
He didn’t hesitate. “I’ll do my best.”
Our bodies moved in a rhythm as natural as breathing, his hands exploring every inch of me, relearning the curves he had memorized once before. Fire licked at my spine with every touch, every whispered name against my lips, until I was drowning - drowning in him, in us, in the moment we both needed so badly.
His mouth found mine again, stealing the soft moans that escaped me, swallowing every sound like he wanted to keep them for himself. I welcomed the possessiveness for a change, the way he held me like I was something precious - somethinghis. This time, I didn’t want to fight him, only to let him love me.
And when he finally pushed inside me, I shattered around him, gripping onto his shoulders as if they were the only thing keeping me grounded.
Koen was relentless, yet tender. Just like he’d always been. He moved with purpose, his forehead pressing against mine, breaths mingling in the charged air. The barriers between us,the things we left unsaid…they crumbled under the heat of our connection, the unspoken promises carried in every thrust, every gasp.
Then, just as my mind began to blur at the edges, his voice broke through the haze, rough and reverent against my ear.
“You know, I’ve been wondering lately…” he whispered, refusing to finish the sentence, sparking my curiosity.
I barely had the strength to form the question, “What?”
Without hesitation, he pulled us onto our sides. His next thrust reached deeper, forcing a breathy moan out of me as he made my head spin. He stayed like that, buried inside me, his cock throbbing, sending torturous waves of pleasure rippling through me. I’d never felt so devastatingly full.
Then his hand traveled to my stomach, tracing slow circles, a gentle gesture that contrasted with the roughness of the moment. And finally, he murmured, “How perfect you’ll look one day, swollen with my pup.”
Suddenly, the heat drained from my body, leaving me frozen and stiff, my eyes wide.
What did he just say?
