Page 28 of Framed and Forgotten
After the burst of rage, my armor cracked, and I faltered. A glimpse of my hurt shined through as I asked him, “What’s going on, Koen?”
“Nothing’s going on!” he insisted, rising from his seat to pace around. I watched as he ran both hands through his hair in distress before heaving a sigh. “We’ll talk when I get back, okay?”
Kea whimpered, realizing he had already made up his mind. He had made a choice - and once again, he didn’t pick us. I was getting tired of waiting for my turn.
“You’re really going?” I half-dreaded, half-warned.
His eyes darted at me, decisive. “Yes, Avril.”
Before I had time to process the situation, he turned his back on me, slamming the door behind him as he disappeared from my office. By the time a rogue tear burned its way down my face, he was no longer there to witness it.
K O E N
For the first time in ages, Avril and I slept in separate rooms.
I’d packed my bag for the week away as soon as I left her office before heading to the old cottage that had been my home for my first weeks at Azure Smoke. The place brought back memories that didn’t help calm the whirlwind in my mind, but it was better than being near my Avril. I couldn’t think straight in her presence lately.
Col kept me up at night, giving me a headache as he whined about wanting to fix things with our mate before leaving to be with our son. Unfortunately, I had no idea what I could say to achieve such a result. I couldn’t seem to get things through to her lately.
Just like my wolf, I could feel her heartache through the mate bond. It pained me to be the one who’d caused it, but what was I supposed to do? She couldn’t understand my duties as a father - perhaps because she didn’t want to be a mother, as Nerine suggested.
Despite my efforts, Avril still couldn’t understand me.
“Maybe we haven’t tried hard enough,”Col offered.“We’ve hurt her. She’s losing faith in us. Mate doesn’t trust us anymore,”he lamented. The realization stung, but not nearly as much as it would have a while ago.
“Mate should be our priority,”he added.
“No, Col! Elias has to be our priority!”I corrected.“Avril is an adult. She shouldn’t be competing for attention with a child.”
“It’s because of us that she has to compete for it,”he insisted.“It shouldn’t be something she has to fight for. We’ve done her so wrong,”he whimpered.“Mate deserves better.”
Did he really think I was in the wrong for wanting to be the best father for our pup?Great.Now I couldn’t even see eye to eye with my own counterpart.
Why was everything such a mess these days?
Before sunrise, I dragged my things to the car. Luckily, most of the pack members were still asleep, so I didn’t have to explainmyself to anyone. Still, surrendering to my wolf’s wishes, I made one last stop by the alpha chambers. Avril was awake, and I know she heard me when I emphasized that if she needed me, all she had to do was call. But she still didn’t answer me, not even when I bid her farewell. As much as it hurt me to leave her like this, the idea of failing my son again was far worse.
Just as I was about to open the car door, a voice sounded from behind me, startling me. “You know, you almost had me fooled.”
Looking over my shoulder, I found Joe standing a few feet away from me, arms crossed in front of his chest. Even after living among Ashen Wolves for a while now, and even becoming one of them, I was still taken by surprise every time they managed to sneak up on me. It was an ability I hadn’t completely mastered yet, obvious in how my escape wouldn’t be unnoticed as I’d hoped.
Stepping toward me, the man continued, “On the night we attacked Blood Rose, I was impressed. A regular wolf, fighting tooth and nail to protect one of ours? Quite the show of loyalty.” He clapped a few times in mocking congratulations, making the hairs on the back of my neck bristle. “Then you turned, and I actually believed it was the last piece of evidence I needed to admit you might just be worthy of my niece. But here you are, showing your true colors.”
Stopping in front of me, he stared at me challengingly, eyes narrowed as he accused, “Like I said, one minor inconvenience and you’re ready to leave her again.”
“I’m not leaving her,” I said through gritted teeth, resisting the urge to growl at him. “But I don’t want to leave my son fatherless, either.”
Joe scoffed. “You never learn, do you?” He dropped his head, shaking it in disapproval before locking eyes with me again. “You can’t keep everything. If you refuse to make a choice, one will bemade for you. And when that happens, it’ll be too late to regret it,” he spat. “This is the only piece of advice I’ll ever give you. Turn your back on her now, and you might as well never show your face here again.”
Already tired of this conversation, I massaged my temple. “Perhaps we’re just too different, Joe.”
“My point exactly,” he deadpanned.
With my patience running thin, I stared back at him. “I don’t care what you think. I don’t care what you say,” I told him before concluding, “I love Avril.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Your actions tell a different story.”
Grinding my teeth, I prepared to argue with him, but I soon realized there was no point in doing so. Every word I said here would only be a waste of time - and I had someone waiting on me.
