Page 13 of Framed and Forgotten
“I was…running,” she offered.
I huffed in disbelief. “In the treetops?”
“Parkour training,” she corrected. “It’s part of the new strategy I’m developing.”
“We both know there’s no new strategy. It was always an excuse,” I accused her, anxious to get to the bottom of this.
“Okay, fine!” She raised her hands defensively before revealing, “I couldn’t sleep.”
“I didn’t notice,” I confessed, cocking my head. “I was so tired I just passed out. Why couldn’t you sleep?”
She shrugged. “Silly nightmare.”
There wasn’t an ounce of truth in her words.
“It’s nothing, Koen. I’m sorry I made you worry,” she blurted out, trying to brush me off.
But I didn’t buy it. Concerned about her evasive behavior, I approached her. She tried to avert her gaze, but I cupped one side of her face, bringing her eyes back to mine.
“Talk to me, Avril,” I whispered. “Please.”
Her face fell, the tough exterior she showed the world crumbling before my eyes. She was never this vulnerable, not around anyone else. With others, she stayed guarded, never letting herself be caught in a moment of weakness. But with me… she let her walls down. She revealed a side of herself she feared to share with anyone else. She wasn’t afraid to stand bare - quite literally - in front of me, with nothing to hide. It was a privilege to witness her like this, though I couldn’t say it brought me any comfort.
In the end, she sighed in defeat. “You were so happy with Elias yesterday. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw you with him, and I couldn’t help but wonder…” Her voice faltered, the pain making it hard to continue, but she pushed on. “Now that you know he’s your son, what does that mean for us?”
Her words struck me like a knife to the heart. Finally, it dawned on me - her quietness on the ride home…it wasn’t tiredness. It was uncertainty -insecurity.
“Oh, Avril…” I couldn’t hide the guilt in my voice as I pulled her into my arms, hoping the gesture could convey everything I hadn’t been able to in the past few days. “I’m sorry. I was so focused on this huge revelation-”
“As you should be,” she interrupted, pulling away just enough to meet my gaze. “It’s a pretty big deal, and it changes a lot.”
“It doesn’t change what you mean to me - what youareto me,” I said with more confidence than I’d ever had in my life. “My mate. I can’t believe I forgot to consider your feelings in all of this. I’m sorry I made you think that me having a son could drive us apart.
“You will always be my priority. I’m your mate, and I’ll soon be your king,” I promised her, watching her features soften as I chased away her doubts. “We’ve been through so much. Nothing - not this, nor anything else - will ever change what I feel for you.”
A sense of relief washed over her, her shoulders relaxing as her gaze softened with love. The tension in her body melted away, and for the first time in days, she looked at me with unwavering confidence. She knew, in that moment, that regardless of what happened, I wouldn’t leave her.
“I’m yours.Forever.” I lowered my hands to her neck, gently angling her head to give me better access to her mouth. I brushed my lips against hers, letting my next words glide against her skin. “Allow me to remind you of that.”
9
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A V R I L
I’d gotten usedto being around Koen’s bare body. Though the sight never lost its shine, it no longer felt as overwhelming. I didn’t feel the urge to pounce on him every time he undressed. Similarly, I’d grown comfortable with being naked around him. So much so, I barely noticed that we’d been completely bare this whole time.
That is, until he moved. With a swift, effortless motion, he flipped me in his arms, and I felt the undeniable press of his already-hard cock against my lower back. My breath caught, heat flaring as that casual comfort dissolved into a searing awareness of his presence.
Koen’s fingers moved my hair out of his way, his lips dipping to the mark at the base of my neck, ripping a gasp of surprise from me. Before I could recover, his hand traveled further down, grasping one of my breasts. I arched my back against his rock-hard chest, but his other arm locked me at the waist, keeping my body on his.
Conscious of my vulnerability, I instinctively struggled to take control, only to freeze as he tightened his hold on me, locking me in place. “Not today, Alpha,” he whispered in my ear,the warmth of his breath taking over my entire being. “This time, you’ll let me worship you for what you are - my Queen.”
I could fight him. Normally, I would. But did I really want to right now? Even Kea lacked the drive to complain. All she did was purr, desire pulsing through us as we found ourselves eager to uncover exactly what he meant. And so, I surrendered.
Feeling me relax in his embrace, Koen scooped me into his muscular arms. As he did, his lips found mine, kissing me with the same mix of passion and desire as the first time. Carefully, he lowered me onto my back on the grass, pushing my legs apart to kneel between them. Without breaking our kiss, he ground his cock between my folds teasingly before pushing inside me.
Goddess, I would never get enough of this feeling - of him. I let my head fall back, pulling my mouth away from his as I concentrated solely on the way he stretched me inch by inch. Wasting no time, he seized the opportunity to trail kisses down my chest, his fingers alternating between massaging my breasts and playing with my stiff nipples.
