Page 5 of Framed and Forgotten (Ashen Wolves #3)
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A V R I L
The shock didn’t come in waves. It didn’t hit me like a sudden tide of cold.
No, it settled deep inside, a burning chill that spread through every inch of me.
I knew it the moment Koen’s expression had frozen, but seeing it written there, in black and white, felt like the ground beneath me had cracked open.
I stumbled back, as if getting away from the piece of paper would change what was written on it.
My breath caught, and I struggled to find air to the point where I became dizzy.
I couldn’t look away from the words jumping out at me, searing themselves into my brain.
Still, denial grabbed a hold of me, and I refused to believe.
When I finally broke the silence, my voice was but a quavering whisper. “No,” I murmured, incredulous. Shaking my head, I spoke louder, as though I could drown out the truth roaring in my ears. “It’s impossible! It can’t…” The words faltered, my thoughts too tangled to form a coherent sentence.
Koen’s grip tightened on the sheet in his hand, the edges crumpling beneath his fingers. Sensing my unraveling, he lowered the paper, pulling it away from my view. But it was too late. The results were already imprinted in my mind no matter how desperately I wanted to burn them.
“Avril,” my mate called, his voice calm as he approached me cautiously..
Despair clawed at me, and I backed up as I yelled, “This has to be one of her tricks! She must have tampered with the samples!”
“Avril-” He tried again, only to be cut off.
With every step he took toward me, I backed away. “That’s the only explanation!” I fiercely defended. “Even if you- I mean, how could- Why would she-” I stumbled over my words, unable to finish a single thought.
“Avril!” Koen hollered, his voice cutting through my haze and snapping me out of my trance.
At last, I stopped moving, allowing him to close the distance between us.
For a moment, he stood there mutely, absolutely distraught.
Then, skepticism crept into his features, and his face fell.
“It’s the truth,” he said, his voice firm but subdued.
“If the technicians had suspected anything wrong with the samples or found any inconsistencies, they would have told me.”
I blinked a few times, assimilating his argument, while my subconsciousness still fought to come up with explanations. “What if it’s a false positive?”
“Avril, you helped me pick out a reputable testing center.” His voice was heavy, a tired, defeated sigh slipping through his lips, as though he had already given up and debunking my theories was an exhausting task.
“The chances of lab errors are incredibly slim. I could request another test, but…” He trailed off, his chin dropping in quiet resignation.
“I doubt the result would be any different.”
“Koen, if we accept that this is true - that Elias is your son…” I implored, distress threatening to get a hold of me again.
Before I could finish, his gaze lifted, locking onto mine as he cradled my head gently between his hands.
“We’ll figure it out, Avril,” he murmured, his voice carrying a subtle strength that belied the chaos he must have been feeling inside.
He held my gaze, grounding me with his calm, even as his own emotions churned beneath the surface.
Then, as if willing me to believe him, he repeated with greater conviction, “We’ll figure it out. ”
“We must be strong for mate,” Kea reminded me, setting aside the uncertainty she felt upon discovering that our fated partner had fathered another female’s pup.
I swallowed, ashamed of my reaction. Koen needed me now, more than I needed him. This was his burden, and me freaking out must have only made it feel heavier.
Inhaling a deep breath to suck in a semblance of calm, I nodded at him. “Okay. We’ll do it together.”
As soon as we climbed into the SUV, the grin on Rhea’s face faded.
I was sure she had planned to greet us with some remark about how we had wasted our breath worrying about the paternity test and how she already knew what the results would be.
Our faces must have betrayed that she was, in fact, wrong.
Without a word, my Delta started the car. Whether she was suffocated by the heavy atmosphere or simply staying true to her character by not snooping, she didn’t ask a single question on our way back. We all rode in turbulent silence until we returned to Azure Smoke.
I thanked Rhea before excusing her, and my mate and I headed to my office. Too weak to stand, afraid my legs would fail me, I took a seat. Koen did the same. For the first few minutes, neither of us spoke, stuck inside our own minds as we tried to process the recent discovery.
In the end, Koen was the first to voice his thoughts. “I should call Nerine.”
“Why?” I snapped before I could hold my tongue as jealousy got the best of me.
“Elias is my son,” he deadpanned, trying to get used to the news. “And she is his mother. I have to discuss the situation with her.”
“You don’t have to call her now,” I reassured him, reaching for his hand in an attempt to offer him some comfort. “You can take a moment to digest everything.”
“No,” he said firmly, though I could feel his hesitation through our bond. Releasing a breath, he clutched my hand tighter, as though he hoped to draw strength from me. “I need to call her,” he decided.
Swallowing my own reservations, I gave in. “Okay.”
Koen remained still for a moment longer, staring at his phone.
When he was ready, he pressed the dial button, and my heart beat faster with each beep, growing louder until she finally picked up.
Using my werewolf hearing, I listened intently to their conversation as he explained that the results had come back positive.
“Well, I’m not really surprised,” she replied nonchalantly.
Kea growled inside my head, furious at how this woman showed no remorse for turning her ex-husband’s life upside down.
As if to earn a shred of sympathy, Nerine continued, “I just want you to know that I still have no intention of holding you accountable, Koen. I understand if you don’t wish to be part of this pup’s life. ”
Oh, how gracious of her! I scoffed inwardly. Truly a selfless act, not blaming him for getting drugged and taken advantage of because of her inability to accept rejection.
“But I wanted to extend an invitation,” Nerine croaked. I focused on her again, already raising an eyebrow, suspicious of her intentions. “The doors of our packhouse will always be open if you ever want to see Elias.” She paused briefly. “Of course, Avril is welcome to come, too.”
I frowned, trying to make sense of her game. This had to be some sort of manipulation, and I refused to let myself be a pawn in it. What did she hope to gain with her act?
Before I had time to figure it out, Koen replied, “I need to think, Nerine.”
“I understand,” she said, a hint of disheartenment slipping into her tone. “And Koen…” she continued shyly, lowering her voice. “I know it doesn’t change anything, but for what it’s worth, I’m truly sorry.”
Koen gripped his phone tighter, his jaw clenching.
Ultimately, he decided he had nothing more to say and ended the call.
When he did, he slumped back in his chair, releasing an exasperated half-sigh, half-grunt.
Then, his eyes met mine, silently asking for guidance.
Was he actually considering visiting Nerine?
“What if it’s a trap?” I offered, not bothering to hide how averse I was to the idea. “It wouldn’t be the first time she’d try to pull something.”
“I know,” he groaned. “I’m not naive, Avril.
Especially not around her.” I couldn’t help but feel scolded, though the worst part was sensing that he had already made up his mind.
Letting his head fall back to stare at the ceiling, he confessed, “Now that I know, I can’t pretend I don’t.
I need to see Elias again. It’s the only way I’ll be able to make peace with the truth. ”
As I listened to his explanation, a wave of emotions washed over me.
I could understand him, of course, and I felt for him.
It was strange enough trying to wrap my mind around the fact that my mate had a secret child; I couldn’t imagine what he must’ve been going through.
But I couldn’t ignore the selfish desire to keep him away from his manipulative ex-wife - and, by extension, his son.
Suddenly, the words my wolf had spoken to me earlier echoed in my mind, and I laid my armor down. How could I prevent my mate from getting to know his son? I had promised to stay by his side, and I would, no matter how uncomfortable it made me.
And so, I’d support his desire to follow his heart.