Page 50 of Framed and Forgotten
Theo was crossing the hall the moment I stepped inside. We both stopped, and he eyed me with caution, trying to read my intentions. I lowered my head just slightly, letting my shoulders fall to show I wasn’t here to fight.
Staring straight at him, I broke the silence. “I’m sorry for earlier.”
He waited, but eventually conceded, “You were protecting your relationship with your mate. I can respect that.” Despite the understanding in his voice, his features twisted with something darker as he continued, “But if you ever threaten Elijah again, I can’t promise I’ll take it so lightly.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” I replied sincerely. After a moment, I added, “And I should also apologize for leaving you hanging while we were under the Council’s radar. Did you hear back from them while I was away?”
“Yeah. They bought the fake documents and thanked us for our cooperation. Told us they would be in touch if they needed anything else,” he informed me. “We’re out of the woods, for now.”
“Not quite,” I sighed. “We still have Nerine and whoever she might be working with to worry about. That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Theo arched an eyebrow at me, and I sucked in a deep breath before continuing, “Theo, I know I have no right to ask for your help, but I could really use some an extra pair of hands formulating a plan to figure out what my ex-wife knows about the Ashen Wolves and who she might have heard it from.”
The beta nodded. “Just tell me what to do.”
“I’ll have to do some research before figuring out how to act. If you could try and find out what Nerine has been up to in the past five years…” Pursing my lips, I said, “I have to find out who that supposed brother of mine is.”
“On it.” He tapped me on the shoulder as he headed off, pausing only a couple steps later. Glancing at me over his shoulder, he uttered, “By the way, wolves don’t live in the past. What matters to me is that you’re here now.”
I let his words sink in, bobbing my head slightly. When he disappeared down the hall, I turned in the other direction, facing the stairs leading up to the top floor. The last thing I wanted to do was further erase my presence from Avril’s life, but she had demanded that I gather my belongings and move out of her room before the day’s end. With a heavy heart, I set off to do it.
When I reached the alpha chambers, I knocked, waiting for a response. When it didn’t come, I realized Avril wasn’t there. The door was unlocked, and I took it as a cue that I was welcome to enter.
Being in the room I had shared with Avril for weeks flooded me with memories. My fingers brushed the walls that carried her scent, my gaze lingering on the bed where I’d had her more times than I could count. How could I have been so foolish as to leave the one I’d sworn to stand by?
Scouring through the closet was even harder. I stumbled upon the outfits she had worn on our few yet unforgettable dates in the city. I could taste our first kiss again, see the flashing lights beneath us while fireworks exploded in my mind. I rememberedthe heat of her skin as we made out in the car, her breath mingling with mine while one of her warriors drove us back.
With every piece of clothing I pulled out, it felt like I was stripping away our memories one by one. I held them against me, absorbing the painful truth: I couldn’t put them back, just as I couldn’t make Avril remember everything we had lived together. Was disappearing from her life really the only choice I had left?
Just then, a switch flipped in my mind. The old clothes had to be removed, but new ones could always be added. Maybe I didn’t need Avril to remember - maybe I just needed her to make new memories with me.
I replayed our conversation for the thousandth time. Her words had shattered me, but maybe I had chosen the wrong approach. Perhaps I should have been more insistent, shown her instead of trying to talk her into it. If she wanted me gone, I would disappear without a trace - but she wasn’t in her right mind. She couldn’t make a conscious decision when she didn’t remember the full story. If I left now, I’d just be giving up on her.
And I couldn’t forsake my loyalty to her any more than I already had.
Deep inside my head, I never expected to be pulled out by the sound of Avril’s voice filling the room.
“I heard you talking to Theo just now.”
I abruptly turned to find her resting sideways against the doorframe, arms crossed and expression as serious as ever. Awestruck by her presence, I barely paid attention to what she said. I didn’t try to understand where she was going. I didn’t even try to speak, simply enjoying the sight of her while I had it.
At my silence, she exhaled sharply, straightening her posture as she leveled a critical look at me. “Why do you care?”
I blinked. “What?”
“About us,” she clarified, stepping closer. “Why do you care what happens to the Ashen Wolves? You’ve turned, but that doesn’t mean you have to be one of us.”
I furrowed my brows, struggling to follow, but she didn’t leave room for questions. “No one knows you’ve changed. You could go back to your old life. To your ex-wife and her shiny house,” she pointed out, her voice devoid of emotion, purely curious.
She took another step forward. “To your royal life and all its perks, away from the danger and the problems. You could raise your son and have the family you always dreamed of.” She made a pause, analyzing me when she was standing right in front of me. “So, why?”
I didn’t even have to think. “Isn’t it obvious?” I huffed, leaning in as I laid my heart bare. “What matters to you, matters to me, Avril. I know I’ve let you down - more than once lately,” I admitted, my voice laced with regret. “But I swear, I will follow you through hell and back. I don’t care if the flames swallow me. As long as I die by your side, it’ll have been worth it.”
As I stared deep into her eyes, I noticed something change. It was just a faint spark, but it was there. She couldn’t remember me, not fully, yet something inside her stirred. The weight of my words, the warmth in my voice, the burning pull of my proximity - it reached her, even if she couldn’t comprehend it.
I saw it in her gaze, the flicker of recognition. At that moment, she was afraid. Terrified that her body might betray her, she tried to back away, to sever the invisible thread that still bound us.
But I didn’t let her.
