Page 4 of Framed and Forgotten (Ashen Wolves #3)
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A V R I L
Morning came too soon.
I wish we could stay in that limbo for just a while longer. As Koen and I lay in our bed, tangled between the sheets, we lived in a world where we didn’t have to face reality. Where we could pretend there were no ghosts from the past, no consequences to address, no complications to solve.
But when our eyes blinked open, our gazes still hazy as they met, the silence was too suffocating to allow us to simply ignore reality.
As the heaviness of the situation weighed on us, ever so crushing, it was impossible to stay in bed for another second.
All I could think about was resolving this issue.
Even as I set off with Koen, determined to be by his side through this confusing moment, I couldn’t believe what was happening.
When I tracked him to my office after hearing him leave the room the night before, I never expected this outcome.
It was stressful enough wondering about his sudden change in behavior, but learning the truth was far more devastating.
The idea that my mate could be the father of his ex-wife’s pup made my stomach turn.
Anxiety crept in every time I dared to consider exactly what that possibility meant.
Between Koen turning into an Ashen Wolf and having the Council on our backs, we already had so much to figure out.
Why did life keep throwing curve balls at us?
Destiny was such a funny thing. I thought I could outrun it, but the universe led me back to Koen.
When he somehow became just like me, I convinced myself the stars were telling me that balance had been restored with the renewal of our bond.
Yet now, I couldn’t help but wonder - had I misread the signs?
Perhaps this was proof I should’ve never stopped running, or that I was doomed to be punished forever for daring to twist fate with my own hands.
In moments like these, I felt like nothing more than a puppet, played by the Goddess solely for her amusement.
For my own sake, I decided to do as Koen suggested and put my concerns aside until further notice.
I managed not to think about the consequences as I helped him find a reputable laboratory to conduct the paternity test. Eager to put an end to this torment - for better or for worse - he didn’t hesitate to contact the institution and send them a DNA sample.
Once the details were in order, Koen sent them to Nerine, who agreed to visit the laboratory as soon as possible.
By evening, there was nothing we could do but wait. As nerve-racking as it was to feel like it was out of our hands now, it was also somewhat pacifying. While reality was still turbulent, we could go back to pretending we were unaware of it for another week or so until the results were ready.
Koen’s expression said it all. For the first time since his encounter with Nerine, I saw the tension in him begin to ease as we padded through the forest on the outskirts of our haven.
After everything, we sought solace in the one place where our troubles always seemed to dissolve into the quiet embrace of nature.
The trickling of the waterfall was especially soothing today.
Instead of its usual roar, it sounded like a gentle murmur, its cascading waters whispering a promise of peace.
Reclining on the grass by the edge of the pool, I watched the current rush downstream, letting it carry away all my uncertainty.
Still, I couldn’t help the question that broke through my lips as I absentmindedly observed the landscape. “What now?”
“Hm,” Koen hummed thoughtfully.
Seconds later, his hand rested on top of mine.
The rush of electricity that surged through me pulled my attention to him, and I focused entirely on him.
I immediately noticed the serene smile painted on his lips, the lightness in his expression a stark contrast to how heavy his features had been lately. It was an incredibly relaxing sight.
“There is one thing you promised me we’d do once we returned from the meeting,” he pointed out.
It took me a moment to remember. “Oh! Your Luna Ceremony,” I exclaimed playfully.
He frowned. “I thought you called it Alpha Consort Ceremony.”
“Potatoes, potahtos,” I teased, shrugging.
Almost immediately, Koen tackled me. Caught off guard, I had no chance to react as he climbed on top of me, pinning me against the ground.
With his legs between mine, he shoved them apart, his weight pressing me down.
His fingers tangled with mine before I could protest, restraining my hands with an intensity that sent a jolt through me.
Adrenaline coursed through me from his sudden assault, only serving to spike my arousal.
“There’s a difference,” he stated, his voice low and husky right next to my ear. “Should I remind you? Once I bend you over one of these rocks, you’ll be calling me Alpha so loud, not even the cascading waters will prevent the rest of the pack from hearing it.”
Goosebumps ran through my skin as heat surged within me.
Part of me wanted to dare him to do as he promised, the thought of feeling him pound into me as my body scraped against the rough surface of the rock - so animalistically wild - making my wolf hone her claws in anticipation.
But I’d be damned if I didn’t respond to his challenge.
With a long, quiet moan, I lured Koen closer. He leaned in to nip my earlobe, his hands slowly releasing their grasp on me to travel down my arms and to the sides of my body. As he assumed I was surrendering to him, he let his guard down.
His mouth hovered close to mine, but before he could kiss me, I whispered against his lips. “You forget yourself.”
Koen barely had time to widen his eyes. Wrapping my legs tightly around his waist, I thrusted upwards with all of my strength, quickly knocking him off me. The next second, it was me who was pinning him down.
I sat squarely on top of him, my fingers gripping his wrists tightly. At first, he resisted, his alpha instincts rebelling against being in such a submissive position. For any alpha, lying on their back with their stomach exposed, completely at someone else's mercy, was a hard pill to swallow.
Being the only one who could look down at him like this made it all the more striking.
“I’m my own Alpha,” I corrected him. “No one tells me what to do. You, however…” I paused, cocking my head slightly as I stared hungrily at him. “You’ll be whatever I want you to be.”
A smirk lit up his face as he relented, “You’re right, Alpha.” I felt him relax beneath me, no longer struggling against my grasp - submitting to me completely. “I’m yours to do as you please.”
In the days that followed, we slipped back into our routine, going about our lives as if we had nothing to fear.
It was both distracting and heartwarming to discuss the details of the ceremony with Koen, the idea of officially presenting him as my mate and Alpha Consort to my pack making me feel utterly fulfilled.
After everything we had been through, our future together would soon be solidified, our union a beacon of light among the darkness of my existence.
At some point, I truly started believing the situation with Nerine would turn out to be just a huge misunderstanding that we would one day laugh about.
“You saw Elias too, Avril,” Kea’s voice echoed in my head, trembling and frail as a whisper.
For the first time in my life, I was choosing to be a little more positive, but she insisted on evening the scales by projecting her pessimistic thoughts to me. I frowned, determined to pay no mind to her. But she wouldn’t leave me be.
“I know you wondered about it, too. The instant Elias ran up to Koen, and your eyes focused on him, you questioned if it could be possible, because it looked incredibly possible.” She put me on the spot, and suddenly sharing my mind with her felt like a tremendous burden.
“Yes, that pup sorta looked like Koen,” I admitted dismissively.
“But Koen isn’t the only male with blonde hair and fair skin in the world.
Elias could’ve inherited those from his mother,” I countered, pointing out the similarities in their features as I tried to logically prove that Koen didn’t have to be part of the equation.
But it wasn’t enough for my wolf. “No one else has those eyes,” she determined, fear flickering in her voice. “They are mate’s eyes.”
Her words were heavy on me, feeding the doubts I had struggled to bury. Deciding I’d had enough of this conversation, I pushed her away, locking her in the confines of my mind. Perhaps I could keep her there until the test came out negative and I could prove her wrong.
When I returned to reality, I found Koen taking a long sigh as he stared at the screen of his phone. Before I could ask him what his sudden hesitation was about, he revealed, “I just got a text from the lab. The results were sent to Whispering Hills.”
I felt a knot in my stomach, but I fought to ignore it. “We can head there now if you want.”
Albeit reluctant, Koen nodded. I could tell he was afraid of learning the truth, but he also couldn’t wait to get this over with. I wished for the same.
When I mindlinked our friends to let them know we’d be heading out, Rhea volunteered to accompany us to my mate’s old territory.
They had all been informed about the situation with Nerine after Koen requested the paternity test. As much as I initially wanted to shield them from the drama, I realized I wasn’t willing to keep it from them either.
Since they learned about the pup, they’d comforted us, confident that the chances of Nerine’s claim being true were far too low.
Even as our Delta drove us, she remained adamant that we had nothing to worry about.
Once we approached our destination, Rhea parked the car on the side of the nearest road, where she waited as Koen and I headed to his lands.
With each step I took, the battle waging inside of me grew harder to ignore.
I couldn’t take the anxiety anymore; it was shaking my confidence, mocking the story I chose to believe in.
It took far too long for us to reach the mailbox. As we stood before it, Koen flashed a final look to me. I encouraged him with a nod, and he finally opened the drawer to pull out a piece of paper.
I watched as he tore open the envelope, his movements slow and deliberate. The sound of the paper crinkling seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet plains. My heart raced as he unfolded the sheet inside, his gaze darting over the words with such intensity that I almost couldn’t breathe.
His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking at the corner of his mouth as his shoulders stiffened.
The silence stretched between us, so thick I could taste it.
Distraught, all I could do was analyze him.
The sharp lines of his expression, the rigid stillness of his body, the flicker of disbelief in his eyes - everything in him was taut with the kind of tension that screamed the worst was true.
“What does it say?” I asked, desperate, though I already had a sinking feeling in my gut.
Koen didn’t answer at first. His hand trembled just slightly, and he stared at the paper with a focus so sharp it looked painful.
After what seemed like an eternity, he turned it toward me to read.
My heart pounded in my chest as I glanced down at the paper.
The words were like a punch to my stomach:
100% positive .