Page 9 of Framed and Forgotten
After taking a night to rest from the whole ordeal, and another to sleep on it, we agreed it was time. Koen would contact his ex-wife after warrior training in the morning to arrange a date for our visit. And yet, I was still struggling to come to terms with it.
By the time the bell rang in the arena, announcing the end of today’s session, I wasn’t quite ready to leave. Even as the warriors all transformed back into their human forms, eager to head to the cafeteria and fill their stomachs after two hours of intense physical effort, I caught myself wanting to put off my meal just a little longer. After a moment of hesitation, I finally asked Kea to retreat, putting my clothes back on leisurely, trying to delay what would happen next.
Just as I was finishing getting dressed, Koen approached me. “Ready to go?” he asked with a hint of urgency.
Giving into my reluctance, I suggested, “Why don’t you go ahead without me? There’s a new fight strategy I wanted to test before leaving the training grounds,” I blurted out the first excuse I could come up with, biting my bottom lip as soon as I realized how unconvincing it sounded.
Koen was no fool, and he could read me better than anyone else. His face immediately fell with my response, the glisten of realization in his eyes letting me know he didn’t believe a single word I said. Still, he forced a smile, clearly not willing to question me.
“Okay,” he breathed out simply, planting a kiss on my forehead. As he pulled away, he whispered, “I’ll wait for you in our room. Then we can have breakfast together.”
I smiled back at him. “Sounds like a plan.”
I watched as he disappeared into the crowd, blending with the other wolves exiting the training grounds. As they filtered out, I pretended to be organizing the materials, trying not to draw attention, though I doubted anyone would notice before they had satiated their hunger. I caught sight of Elijah pestering Rhea, with Theo following closely behind them. But what I didn’t realize was that my beta was the only one who caught on to me falling behind. Instead of continuing on with his day, he paused, turned, and slipped up beside me.
“Not hungry?” he asked quietly, careful not to seem like he was sticking his nose where he shouldn’t.
With a sigh, I replied, “Not really.”
Looking away, he nodded twice, slowly, thoughtfully, before asking, “Do you uh…want to talk about it?”
I shook my head. “I’d rather punch something.”
“Well…” He took a couple of steps back, taking a fighting stance before concluding, “I’m right here.”
I widened my eyes, both surprised and moved by his silent support. Still, in the end I dismissed him, not wanting to trouble him with my own insecurities. “You must be tired. Besides, won’t Eli be wondering what’s taking you so long to join him for breakfast?”
“He’ll be fine.” He waved me off. “I doubt he’ll even notice I’m gone until he can convince Rhea to pay attention to whatever gossip he’s feeding her now,” he said playfully. “And we both know that’ll take a while.”
With a chuckle, I gave in - I wouldn’t mind some company anyway. “Fine.”
As I squared off with Theo, the tension in my chest didn’t quite dissipate, but at least it was redirected. I focused on his every move, blocking, dodging, and countering as the fight unfolded. My fists were sharp, my movements quick, but my mind was elsewhere, trying to contain the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions swirling inside me.
Theo’s eyes narrowed slightly, no doubt sensing the distraction in my movements, but he didn’t say anything. With each strike, my frustration flared, and then ebbed away, only to be replaced by more confusion and doubt. A sharp kick to my side brought me back to the present, the pain grounding me in reality. I stumbled back, barely catching myself.
“You’re not any more focused now than you were during training,” he pointed out, backing away to give me space to recover.
I scoffed. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
Irritated at myself, I threw another punch, fast and precise. Matching my speed, Theo deflected it. I tried again, only to meet the same result. And again, using more force this time, but the outcome didn’t change. As my movements grew easy to predict, my beta eventually managed to grab my fist instead of simply dodging it, pushing me back.
I couldn’t contain a grunt - nor the words that followed. “It’s just…too much,” I admitted, finally lowering my guard. “It’s not just about the pup, you know? It’s everything. The fact that Nerine kept this secret from Koen for all this time, and now - now she’s fine with inviting him to be part of his son’s life? I don’t know how to feel about that.”
Theo nodded, dropping his stance. He didn’t say a word - he just waited and listened. His silence was comforting, somehow, the kind of quiet that invited reflection.
Before I noticed it, I found myself speaking again. “I guess I’m a little…”
“Scared?” he concluded when I couldn’t. The assumption stung - as an Alpha, I shouldn’t be afraid. But I sensed no judgement coming from him as he continued, “Not just for Koen, but for yourself too. This situation, it’s not exactly something you planned for. It’s hard enough with just the two of you, and now there’s this other part of his past to contend with.”
I was stunned for a moment. Sharing such a personal conversation with Theo was new to me, and I was surprised at how understanding he was. We didn’t normally talk about our feelings. Elijah was usually the one I confided in, mostly because he’d push me until I couldn’t keep it in anymore.
“Yeah. Out of everything we faced, I guess this was the only thing I did not see coming at all,” I confessed. “I thought I was ready for anything, especially with how tough our relationship has been from the start. But I’m not. I’m just… not.”
Theo exhaled deeply, like he understood exactly where I was coming from. “Uncertainty isn’t a weakness, Avril. It’s human. You’re allowed to feel this way, even if it’s hard to admit it,” he offered, and just like magic, I felt a great weight lift off my shoulders. “Being a mate, a partner, a leader - it’s not about always knowing what to do or how to act. It’s about being there,even when things are unclear.” After a pause, he added, “Not that you don’t already know that.”
The words were simple, but they hit me harder than I’d expected. Maybe it wasn’t about having all the answers, or having everything figured out right away. Maybe it was enough to just… be there. For both of us.
“Thanks, Theo,” I muttered sincerely.
