Page 27 of Framed and Forgotten (Ashen Wolves #3)

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K O E N

As still as I tried to be, I couldn't quiet my racing heart. It pounded so loudly that it drowned out the distant conversation, the drumming deafening everything else. With every thump, one word hammered in my head. Brother. Brother. Brother.

Nothing made sense anymore.

With my mind spiraling, all I wanted to do was run.

To find a safe place where I could collect myself.

But bolting now would only draw attention.

My emotional control was put to the test as I waited for their conversation to end, tension coiling tighter with every passing second.

I felt like I was about to explode, struggling to contain my ever-growing anxiety.

When my duplicate finally turned and vanished into the forest, and my ex-wife carefully strode toward the heart of the territory, I slumped.

Breathing in, I took in more air than I had in the past ten minutes.

Little by little, I forced my short-circuiting mind to steady.

I needed to shove what I had just discovered to the back of my mind, at least until I got out of here.

I had to make it back before sunrise, or sneaking into my room unnoticed would become much harder.

Once alone and in private, I replayed what I had just heard over and over, searching for any sign that I might be losing my mind.

This was too surreal to be true. Maybe if I pinched myself, I’d wake up, and this would be nothing more than a nightmare.

Yet, deep down, I knew reality was never that simple.

My brother. Why had my duplicate referred to me like that?

If he were my twin, it would explain why we looked exactly alike.

But that wasn’t possible. I had always been an only son.

There was no way my parents could have hidden the existence of another heir from me, especially not a twin.

I suppose my father could have sired a pup from one of his many affairs, but a half-brother wouldn’t be an exact replica of me.

Fuck, this was insane.

A frustrated grunt escaped my lips, momentarily easing the tension building inside me.

I paced the room, restless, trying and failing to make sense of anything.

And the stranger's mystery was just the tip of the iceberg. Once I managed to figure out who he was, I’d still have to worry about what he knew about the Ashen Wolves and how much of a threat he posed.

How had I gotten tangled up in this mess?

When I started this investigation, I had no idea what I was walking into.

Though the deeper I dove into this story, the more I feared the truth I was uncovering.

I lost track of how long I’d been moving in circles within those four walls, my mind racing a million miles a minute. All I knew was it had been long enough for my muscles to burn, but not quite enough to carve a hole in the floor. In the end, I came to the conclusion that I needed to leave.

I doubted I’d find any more answers here when all I ever came across were questions.

At Azure Smoke, I could continue investigating my doppelganger’s identity more freely.

More importantly, I needed to return and tell the Ashen Wolves that their existence was no longer a secret.

Avril and her pack were in danger - we were in danger.

I had to get out of here and warn the others.

Just as the thought crossed my mind, I heard a knock on my door.

I was sure it was Nerine; her scent was undeniable and always made me nauseous.

Shit, she couldn’t see me like this - stressed, confused, paranoid.

I gathered the last of my energy and masked my emotions with the neutral expression my position had taught me to wear.

I knew I couldn’t keep it up for much longer, too disturbed to maintain the act.

However, if I wanted to leave without raising suspicions, I had to hold on for just a while longer.

Smile , I reminded myself as I opened the door. “Good morning,” I said softly to a very concerned Nerine, pretending I hadn’t just caught her talking to my living mirror. Remembering to flatter her, I added, “To what do I owe such a delightful visit?”

Blood rose to her cheeks instantly. Goddess, how I hated this. At least, my strategy worked, easing some of her worry.

“I-I was worried about you,” she stuttered. “You’ve never slept this late.”

Don’t pretend to know me, I wanted to growl at her. Instead, I took a deep breath, slipping fake gratitude into my tone as I replied, “That tea you made for me worked wonders. I slept like a baby.”

She beamed, and I resisted the urge to throw up. “Since you’ve come all the way just to check on me, I won’t keep you standing outside,” I invited, moving out of the way and gesturing toward the room.

This was the moment. I’d give her the performance of my life and run for the hills.

Soon after Nerine walked inside, her voice sounded again. “If I may ask, Koen… What had been keeping you up at night?”

If this was her attempt at questioning my behavior, I would answer with what she wanted to hear.

With a sigh, I feigned exhaustion. “It’s Avril,” I lied. “We’ve been fighting a lot lately. When I told her I wanted to stay longer, she got mad.”

I massaged my temple, pretending to be frustrated.

Heaving another breath, I slowly approached her.

She stood still, waiting, anticipating my next move.

Still, I could hear her heart skip a beat when my fingers reached for hers, just brushing her skin at first before committing to interlace our hands.

I captured her gaze with mine, locking away all the hatred I felt toward her, letting her see only what she wanted to see.

“Avril can’t understand me like you can,” I whispered.

My wolf went crazy inside my head as I stared deeply into Nerine’s eyes, furious about what I was saying - what I was doing.

He knew it was all an act, but he hated it.

It still felt like betraying our mate, and I shared the feeling.

However, the rational part of me understood this was necessary to get out of here without putting Avril at risk.

“I can help you, Koen,” she replied, her eyes glistening with a shadow of victory.

“If you take me back and claim me as your mate, you can become the alpha of Crystal Pond,” she said, catching me by surprise.

“You can recover the rights to your pack and keep your legacy. If that’s what you want, I’ll put the past behind us to help you achieve it. ”

Then it clicked. This was the proposal my so-called brother had mentioned earlier. So, this was their plan? To get me to fall in love with Nerine and reconsider our marriage, so I would regain access to what was left of Whispering Hills? But what would they gain from that?

Now wasn’t the time for questions - I had to focus on my act. Swallowing my repulse, I corrected her, “All I want…” I paused dramatically before breathing out, “Is you.”

As I leaned in, Nerine stood on her tiptoes, lifting her face closer to mine.

The air between us grew thick with tension, my heart pounding in my chest as I forced a smile, desperately trying to suppress the disgust bubbling inside me.

The hatred. The anger. Whatever positive effect the magic she had poisoned me with might have had on me was now completely overridden by my abhorrence of her.

Every part of me screamed to pull away, but I kept moving forward, pretending to meet her halfway. When our lips were about to touch, and I feared I couldn’t keep Col from baring our fangs at her if she moved another inch toward me, I quickly averted my face.

When she shot me a confused glance, I blurted out, “Sorry, I…” I grasped her other hand, clutching both of them as I tried to sound as sincere as I could.

“I want this, Nerine. I want our family,” I declared.

“But I need to break things off with Avril first. It’s the only way I can make this right.

To do this,” I gestured between us, “the right way.”

Disbelief flickered briefly in her eyes. When she blinked, it vanished, leaving only that spark of victory etched across her features. How satisfying it would be when she finally realized she had actually lost.

After she nodded in agreement, I set my plan into motion.

I told her I wanted to go back to Azure Smoke for a few days to end my relationship with Avril and gather my things.

I promised that when I returned, I would stay, and we would be together.

As expected, it was exactly what I needed to get her off my back.

Once she left, I wasted no time getting ready. Never in my life had I packed so fast. In twenty minutes, I was out the door.

Before getting into the car, I said goodbye to Elias. It actually tore me apart to see how devastated he was to learn about my departure, but I managed to make him a little happier by swearing I would return. I’d feel awful if I couldn’t keep my promise.

If Elias truly was my son, I would come back for him. I’d find a way to rescue him from his psychotic mother’s hands and make him fit into my world. But first, I needed to discard the possibility that our bond had been just another one of Nerine’s tricks.

When I climbed into the car, I couldn’t drive fast enough.

The road blurred beneath me, and for the first time in days, there was a flicker of something light inside me.

Hope, maybe? The thought of Azure Smoke, of finally being near Avril again, made the weight on my chest feel a little less suffocating.

It had been too long since I’d breathed freely.

Too long since I’d felt at peace. I knew I had a hell of a lot to make up for and too many mysteries to solve, but as long as I was with her, I could do anything.

I knew she’d be angry - furious, even. But I would make up for it. She was the one, and she would see the truth. She would understand what I’d been through. Despite fearing how our encounter would go, I was certain things would start to fall into place once we were together again.

As I neared the magical barrier that kept Azure Smoke hidden, my heart started beating faster. Every second of this ride felt like an eternity, but I was almost there. I was almost home.

But then, just as I crossed the border and the scenery shifted around me, revealing the lands I had fought to belong in, something moved in the corner of my eye.

A shadow.

Before I could react, the car screeched to a halt, the tires skidding on the dirt. My heart leapt into my throat as I whipped my head around. It was her.

Kea came at me with a speed I could barely comprehend, slamming into the side of the car with a force that rattled my bones. My breath hitched in my chest as I braked hard and jumped out of the car in one fluid motion. Before I could even pull myself up, she was on me.

The world shifted in an instant, and suddenly I was on the ground with Kea pinning me down, her strength overwhelming. Her claws dug into me, her eyes blazing with an intensity that felt like fire. I wasn’t afraid - not of her, not of the anger in her eyes. I knew I deserved it.

The she-wolf’s breath came in sharp, frustrated gasps, and then, in a fluid motion, she shifted.

I couldn’t help but watch, completely at her mercy.

Once the transformation was over, Avril had me captured between her legs, straddling me, completely naked.

But as she leaned in, her body pressing against mine, my pulse quickened in a way I hadn’t expected.

In any other situation, having a naked Avril on top of me would’ve made me lose control in an instant.

The mere thought of it would’ve sent my blood rushing, my instincts clawing to pull her closer.

This, however, wasn’t that moment. There was no sign of desire in the way she carried herself.

This was raw, unfiltered fury, and I could see it in the way her eyes burned with accusation.

“Avril,” I whispered her name like a lovesick fool, ignoring her obvious rage.

She snarled, silencing me. I expected her to yell at me. To curse me. Hell, maybe even beat me black and blue, and I’d gladly take every single one of her strikes if it could take her pain away.

However, when she finally spoke, her question caught me completely off guard. “How the hell did you find us?”