SNEAK PEAK
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FRAMED AND FORGOTTEN
(BOOK THREE IN THE ASHEN WOLVES SERIES)
“Koen,” I called softly, my voice laced with concern as my arms snaked around his chest from behind. “Talk to me.”
After a long moment, he finally spoke. “I can’t stop thinking about that pup,” he answered, his voice tight, as if confessing something he’d rather keep inside. As he turned slowly, I noticed that his eyes were shadowed, and he avoided my gaze. “Why did he call me daddy?”
The question hit me like a jolt. I couldn’t understand why the event had shaken him that much, but it still made my heart heavy. “I don’t know, Koen,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “It’s a kid. Maybe he just saw you as some sort of fatherly figure, someone he could trust.” I shrugged. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
When he stayed quiet, showing no signs that my answer had soothed him, my uneasiness grew. As irrational fear crawled beneath my skin, I couldn’t hold my tongue. “You said you’d never slept with anyone before me. Not even her,” I pointed out, my tone sharper than I intended as I leaned in, forcing his gaze to meet mine. “Then, whoever that pup was, he’s not your son. It can’t be possible, right?”
Silence.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five seconds.
When his answer finally came, it was faint and uncertain, coated in hesitation. “...Yeah, right,” he murmured, his eyes flicking away from mine, as if trying to hide the doubt, but I could see it. His voice lacked any confidence.
It made my stomach sink.