Page 26 of Framed and Forgotten (Ashen Wolves #3)

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K O E N

Since my trip to the past, it was becoming increasingly harder to maintain the charade.

How could I keep convincingly acting like I was in love with such a manipulative woman when I could see through her lies every time I looked at her?

Luckily, she was so insane and eager to believe she’d won that she seemed oblivious to the little signs that slipped past my mask.

Playing the trophy father to Elias, now that I wasn’t even sure of paternity, was no easier.

Despite feeling like I would suffocate every time I was around them, I still smiled.

I laughed. I held Nerine’s hand and whispered sweet nothings, each word leaving a bitter taste on my tongue.

It was revolting, a slow poison I willingly swallowed.

How much longer before the bile clawing up my throat finally spilled over?

Before the truth ripped free from my chest like a caged beast?

It was too much. Too heavy. Avril had worn her mask for weeks, burying every flicker of emotion beneath a flawless act, while I was already unraveling - not even two weeks in.

How had she endured it? How had she stood in the face of betrayal and swallowed down her pride without choking on it?

If only I could be more like her. Stronger.

Colder. Ruthless enough to do what needed to be done.

Oh, Avril. The thought of her was the only thing keeping me sane.

In the days since I’d texted her about my decision to stay, the gnawing guilt and regret hadn’t disappeared, but they had faded into the background.

The dire need to redeem myself still festered beneath my skin, but the deafening questions exploding in my head drowned out everything else.

The more time passed, the more doubts I had, and the fewer answers there were.

Opportunities to be alone were rare with Nerine and Elias always nearby, but I used all of them to the fullest. On my sleepless nights, my mind too restless, I roamed the packhouse searching for anything - any insignificant object - that might hold a clue.

If I could just find enough scattered details, maybe I could start piecing this puzzle together.

Strangely, my ability to glimpse into the past never worked again.

I didn’t know if it had drained too much of my energy, like it had some kind of cooldown, or if I simply wasn’t doing it right.

Maybe that first vision had shaken me more than I realized, my hesitation clouding my focus.

Whatever it was, I had to resort to other, more traditional methods to find information.

Since directly asking Nerine’s relatives or packmates was too risky, I only had a few ways to figure out what she wanted from me.

At this point, I was ready to assume she was the same obsessed bitch she had been when we were married.

Instead, I focused on uncovering the identity of the man in Elias’ memory and why he looked exactly like me.

I snuck books out of the library, researching every possibility.

From doppelg?ngers to magical illusions to appearance-changing spells, none of them quite fit the mystery.

I also had to figure out how Nerine knew about the Ashen Wolves.

The subject hadn’t come up since the day she saw my mark, and I couldn’t find a single thing linking her or her pack to Ashen Wolf history.

In the end, I could only assume she was the only one at Crystal Pond who knew - and that whatever she knew was somehow connected to my mysterious duplicate.

And that realization led me straight back to square one.

“We need to work harder,” Col stressed. “We’re wasting too much time. We need to get back to mate.”

“I know,” I sighed, frustrated. “But what else can we do?”

A growl reverberated in his chest. “We can torture that bitch for information, and kill her to erase the evidence afterward.”

As anger consumed me, his idea didn’t sound half bad.

I wasn’t a violent person by nature, and hurting females never sat right with me.

Up until this day, there had only been one exception to that rule - Angela, the she-wolf who dared to touch my mate.

When it came to protecting her, I saw no gender.

I would kill anyone who threatened to lay a finger on her.

And right now, that was Nerine.

I couldn’t blame Nerine for hurting Avril - that was on me. I had failed my mate, and that was my fault only. But I couldn’t turn a blind eye to how my ex-wife had gone the extra mile to try to break us apart.

As Col’s thoughts mingled with mine, our fury becoming one, I fantasized about giving Nerine what she deserved.

I could almost feel her carotid pulsing under my thumb as I closed my fist around her neck.

It would be incredibly satisfying to watch the life drain from her eyes, and, looking straight into them, I’d tell her that I belonged to Avril - and only to Avril.

“Koen?” The nauseating voice permeated my thoughts, dragging me back to reality.

Blinking, I glanced at Nerine, the mere sight of her making me want to throw up. Yet, I smiled. As though I hadn’t just considered murdering her. As though the picture of her suffocating on her own blood as I ripped out her throat wasn’t still fresh in my mind.

“Sorry,” I uttered. “I zoned out. I’ve been tired lately.”

“You haven’t been sleeping well, have you?” She pouted in pity, stretching the mug I hadn’t noticed she was holding toward me. Then, she averted her gaze sheepishly, biting her bottom lip as she shyly explained, “I prepared this for you. It’s a calming tea. I hope it can help you sleep better.”

If I couldn’t be completely sure she was spiking my drinks before, by now it had become blatantly obvious.

She brought me something to drink at least once a day.

Never from a bottle or a can. Never something I asked her for.

Unwilling to deliberately poison myself, I had to find ways to throw it away when she wasn’t looking.

At least tonight it shouldn’t be hard - it was late, and we would both be heading to bed very soon.

“You’re always so perceptive,” I remarked, trying to keep the sarcasm off my tone as I accepted her offer.

“Well, I did live with you for two years.” She shrugged, rubbing her arm in fake innocence.

Setting the tea aside for a moment, pretending to wait for it to cool, I tried to distract her with lies she wanted to hear. “You know me better than anyone else. I wish I had seen that three years ago,” the words burned on my tongue as I spoke them.

A sickening smile stretched across her lips. “Better late than never, right?” she chuckled, resting her arms on the window sill to gaze into the night with me.

After a moment of silence, she quietly asked, “How long do you plan on staying?”

I sighed genuinely, but not because of the reason my answer suggested. “To be honest, I wish I never had to leave.”

My words clearly surprised her judging by how her head darted toward me, her eyes wide.

It was time for a bolder move, an outstanding performance.

Turning to her, I lifted my hand up to her face, tucking a strand of her hair behind the ear.

I could feel her softening under my touch as my fingers brushed her cheek, and I had to contain the urge to slap her.

She wasn’t supposed to enjoy this, but I needed her to.

Looking into her eyes, I declared, “It’s been a dream living with you for these past few days. With you and Elias, I…I have the family I’d always dreamt of.”

A gasp broke through her lips, half-parted, awaiting. Was she hoping for a kiss? She was completely delusional.

I let my smile soften, pretending to be enjoying this moment with her, before clearing my throat and pulling away. “I won’t keep you any longer; I’ve troubled you enough as it is.” I raised the mug, nodding toward it. “Good night, Nerine. And thank you for the tea.”

“It was my pleasure,” she replied, her voice practically dripping with swooning.

I hoped she couldn’t see the hairs on the back of my neck bristle with repulsion as I walked toward my room at the end of the hallway.

For the third night in a row, I lay awake in bed, reading a different book, coming up empty just as I had every other time.

But, for the first time, a noise outside caught my attention before the sun even began to rise.

Who could be up and roaming the packhouse at this hour? Curious, I carefully opened my door, poking my head outside just in time to see none other than Nerine turning the corner toward the exit. Where was she going before dawn?

Desperate for answers, my wolf urged me to follow her, and I obeyed without a second thought. There would be consequences if she caught me spying, but I could deal with that later. I couldn’t pass up this chance.

From a distance, I kept up with her. I had to be careful not to stand in plain sight as she often stopped to glance over her shoulder, as if she feared anyone could see her. Her behavior only confirmed that, whatever she was doing, was shady. What is your secret, Nerine? I would soon find out.

When she stopped at the border, I crouched behind a bush, peering through the leaves, desperate to see what was happening. I should have seen it coming, but nothing could have prepared me for the shock that hit when a figure materialized from the shadows, stepping out right in front of my ex-wife.

The man who was my perfect replica.

I stilled, barely breathing to be imperceptible, honing my senses to pick up on their conversation.

“I told you not to show up here!” Nerine scolded him. “What if Koen sees you?”

“I guess it would just bring us closer to our goal,” he snickered, goosebumps shooting through my body as I realized how alike we sounded. “How else am I supposed to check if you’re doing your part?”

She crossed her arms. “I am. I’ve been making him drink the potion every day since he arrived.”

A growl got stuck behind my teeth as I heard her confession. It was even harder to contain Col, who would gladly throw away our mission to maul her here and now.

“Good,” my duplicate replied. “He should be infatuated enough to do anything you say by now. Go ahead and make the proposal before we have to change our plans again.”

Proposal? Plans? More questions flooded my mind. I still hadn’t figured out who this man was or why he looked like me, but it seemed I would be forced to worry about what kind of scheming they were up to.

As the man started turning away, Nerine rushed, “Wait!” He stopped and looked at her, eyebrow raised.

Hesitantly, she continued, “A few days ago, I saw the mark on Koen’s arm.

He said it’s just a tattoo, but I’ve been wondering…

” Her voice was barely a whisper, making it hard even for werewolf hearing to pick up on what she said next. “Could he have been turned?”

My heart raced as I feared my identity would be exposed.

Thankfully, my replica quickly dismissed her. “No. These freaks can’t be created. Luckily . Makes our job to eliminate them easier.” With a pause, he spat, “But that’s my problem, not yours.”

My breath caught. So, Nerine’s beliefs weren’t unfounded after all. Whoever this man was, it was clear he knew about the Ashen Wolves’ return - and he couldn’t be the only one. He’d mentioned our job ... Who was he working with? I had to find out.

But the next answer I got was to a different question.

“I sometimes wonder how he could have been chosen to lead,” he snorted, and once again, his words made little sense to me. “It’s just like my dumb brother to tattoo the mark of our kind’s greatest enemy without even knowing what it means.”

Brother , the word echoed in my head.

What the hell?