Page 37 of Framed and Forgotten
Vexed about this whole situation, I forced myself to think harder. What couldn’t I remember? What was so important that I shouldn’t have forgotten?
“Oh.” In a moment of clarity, it finally came to me. “Of course! How could I forget?” I huffed at myself, observing, “We should check for a response from the council. It’s been quite a while since we sent those documents.”
“What?” Elijah whispered, still perplexed.
“They must have replied by now,” I explained, though it didn’t seem to ease his confusion. “We didn’t check for a letter last week, did we?” Why didn’t we? I asked myself, quickly shaking my head. “Anyway. Theo, would you mind heading there tomorrow?”
My beta exchanged glances with his mate before replying, “Heading where?”
“To Whispering Hills, obvious- argh!” I groaned as a sudden headache struck me.
Thinking about Whispering Hills… it stirred something in me. Almost like a quiet sorrow for the tragedy that had befallen it. Kea promptly scolded me for pitying the people who had always mistreated me, but she, too, shared some of my pain. Perhaps, deep in our hearts, we still sympathized with Koen.
Poor man. He had truly fought to be a better alpha than his father, yet he still lost everything. I couldn’t begin to imagine what it must be like to lose your entire family, though thethought often haunted me. As tragic as Koen’s fate was, it served as a warning. I couldn’t end up like him, the last one standing over the ruins of his pack.
Which was why I had to ensure we survived, no matter the cost - even if it meant everyone else wouldn’t.
K O E N
I stood under the spray of the shower, the hot water soothing my muscles, but my mind… my mind was a mess. Thoughts of Avril weighed heavily on me. As if regretting how I’d treated her wasn’t enough, wondering how she was doing after my text message was pure torture. I rubbed my temples, trying to chase away the exhaustion creeping in. If I was going to solve this mystery quickly and rush back to my mate, I needed to stay sharp.
Then, in an instant, a blinding pain shot through my head - brief, but enough to make me gasp. I staggered back, my hands bracing against the shower wall as the discomfort hit like a lightning strike, burning through my skull. But just as quickly as it came, it was gone.
What the hell?
I shook my head, trying to steady myself, but the feeling didn’t fade. The headache was gone, but there was something else. Something...off. Like a thread had been pulled in my mind, and now it was unraveling, but I couldn’t follow it.
A flicker of unease settled over me.
I breathed in, the disorientation lingering in my chest. Whatever that was, it didn’t feel right. Something wasn’t adding up, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that it had to do with her. With Avril.
Thanks to my heightened senses, I picked up on the sound of my phone ringing in my room. Could it be her? Worried, I turned the water off, simply wrapping a towel around my waist to keep from soaking the carpet floor.
I barely stepped out of the bathroom when I stopped abruptly, shocked to see Nerine standing in the middle of the room, carrying folded laundry.
What the fuck was she doing here? A wave of rage surged through me as I wondered what game she was playing now. She hadn’t been desperate enough to invade my privacy before, and now that I knew she was anything but innocent, seeing her in here made me angrier. How the hell did she even get inside?
When she saw me half-naked, her face burned red. One of her acts, I was sure. Still, seeking answers, I waited for her excuse.
“Goddess! I’m so sorry!” she offered, pretending to try to look away from me and proceeding to gawk at me. It made my wolf furious - our body was meant only for our mate to see.
I didn’t know how I managed to mask my rage as she continued, “The door was open, so I thought I’d just drop your clean clothes here and…” Her voice faltered, and her eyes widened.
Only when my gaze shifted to the intricate mark of the Ashen Wolves branded on my forearm did I realize the gravity of the situation. I stiffened, hoping she was too terrified to notice it. Shit! I’d been so rattled by the blinding headache that I’d completely forgotten to cover my mark - though, honestly, I didn’t think I could’ve prevented it, considering how she snuck into my room.
My mind raced, desperately searching for an escape as I watched Nerine stumble back, shaking. “Wh-what-” she stammered.
Her reaction made me hesitant, but it was her next question that almost knocked me off my feet.
“Why do you have the mark of an Ashen Wolf?”
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K O E N
From the cornerof my eye, I watched my phone vibrate on the bed, but my gaze stayed locked on Nerine. Time seemed to freeze, yet the ticking in my head only grew louder, pounding like a countdown. Cold sweat prickled at my skin, but I forced my breathing to stay even. I couldn't afford to look guilty. Survival instincts took hold, rolling my shoulders back, steadying my breath. I needed a lie, quick and convincing, before she shattered the silence and tore the truth out of me.
