Page 13 of Framed and Forgotten (Ashen Wolves #3)

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K O E N

At first, I was too 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 the situation.

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. ”

“What are you trying to say?” I asked her. Even though she was painting a clear enough picture, I needed to hear her say it.

Avril heaved a tired sigh, but her expression remained unchanged. “Sooner or later, you’ll have to give up something - either me or Elias.” She laid down the ultimatum.

“You can’t make me choose between you and my pup.” I scoffed in disbelief. “That’s not fair.”

“Life’s not fair, Koen!” she insisted, making me clench my jaw.

It was getting harder to bite back my words with each passing second.

Still, I listened as she continued, “This is not a fairytale - it’s reality.

Whether you stand with me or not, you’re an Ashen Wolf now.

You’ll have to make a choice eventually, not because I say so, but because there will come a time when the universe forces you to choose.

And if you choose to be present in Elias’ life, there’s no way you’ll be able to keep your secret! ”

“I know!” I snapped at her, causing her to wince. It made me feel bad, but I was too worn out to back down. “You think I didn’t consider that? It’s all I can think about!” I confessed, taking her by surprise. “It’s just…hard! Too hard.”

Avril might have been refraining from telling me what she really thought until now, but she wasn’t the only one waging secret wars.

I often pondered, struggling to find a way for both of my worlds to coexist. A caretaker and a leader; a caring man and a monster with a thirst for blood.

How could I be Elias’ father and Avril’s mate at the same time?

I hadn’t been able to crack that puzzle yet.

It wasn’t simple. Deep down, I knew war would come. Avril had told me about her plans, driven by the pain her kind had to endure - a pain I had come to understand and share. But I couldn’t be in this fight completely when it meant threatening the safety of my son and his family.

The concepts of right and wrong blended in my mind.

The dichotomy that had haunted me since I was young was suddenly even less black and white.

Honor spoke against carrying on as if I had never found out I had a pup of my own, the idea of failing him more than I already had tormenting me.

My deep belief in peace and morality demanded me to try and do what was best for Elias.

But another side of me, the selfish part that I had recently discovered, would burn down the world for Avril.

I wanted to be whatever she needed me to be - a soldier, a supporter, a right hand.

Every time I went out, I was afraid of exposing my true identity and putting her in harm’s way.

Moreover, as I gradually stepped into a leadership position by her side, I felt the urge to protect our pack.

Two worlds, the society I had always belonged to and the community I inevitably became a part of. Two families, my son and my pack with Avril. Love and duty, duty and love. I couldn’t pick one or the other.

“Koen…” When my mate’s voice pulled me from my thoughts, it was softer. I felt her fingers gently wrap around my biceps, encouraging me to glance at her. “I know it’s not easy. But you must understand that you can’t keep both.”

I could understand her words, no matter how much I wished I couldn’t.

Avril was laying it all out in front of me, the truth too clear to deny.

I hadn’t found a way to keep balance yet, which likely meant it was impossible.

And when it came to the choice before me - there was never really a choice at all.

In a world where Ashen Wolves were hunted, I could hide or fight, but I could never fool werewolf society while trying to live among them. It was impossible.

Still, I couldn’t walk away without seeing it for myself.

“You might be right,” I admitted, wrenching free from her grip. “But I at least have to try to make it work.”

Hurt flashed in her eyes, momentarily eclipsing her anger and frustration.

It was a fleeting crack in her armor, but I saw it - I felt it.

We had been through so much, conquered so much.

No matter how heated our fights got, we always found common ground in the end.

But this time, we stood on opposite sides of a widening chasm, and everything we had built was slipping through the cracks.

It was unbearable to watch. I wanted to bridge the gap between us, to tuck her in my arms. Maybe we could turn back time to when nothing could stop us.

But before either of us could say anything, a concerned Elijah stormed into the training grounds. The second we locked eyes with him, the atmosphere shifted. Our argument faded into the background as we both focused solely on what the gamma had to say.

“We have a problem,” he announced, though his demeanor already made that awfully clear. “It’s the Council again. They’ve publicly declared their intent to visit Azure Smoke to resolve pending matters.”