Page 17 of Wolf's Whisper

An angry Ashleigh flashed before my eyes as she slammed her fist against Aspen's. With a confused look on his face, he just stared at his sister, like he wasn't sure what was happening.

I caught his eyes once more and realised they were as bright as they had always been. Did I imagine that surge? Had he done something to me?

“You’re not allowed to put her under your Alpha spell!" Ashleigh yelled at her brother.

I looked at the both of them and for the life of me, I suddenly couldn't figure out why my wolf had cried out mate to Aspen. Watching them together, it was crystal clear that Ashleigh was my one and only mate.

Was it true what she was saying? Was Aspen an Alpha and did I just fall under his command? Wasn't it a true mating?

I noticed Danny had stood up as well. She placed a hand on Ashleigh's shoulder as she gently peeled her away from Aspen.

"You know as well as I do that not even an Alpha's command can force the bond."

She turned towards her best friend and for the first time, I saw a crack in Ashleigh's strong appearance. With a broken voice, she yelled. "It isn't fair!"

Danny pulled her in an embrace as she rubbed her soothingly over the back. "I know it isn't... I’m sorry."

I looked at the group, still not entirely sure what the hell was going on here. Was it even possible to have two mates? And if so, why didn't I feel that bond to Aspen before? Why had my wolf recognised Ashleigh immediately? And why when I looked at Aspen now, didn't I feel a thing anymore?

"Can someone explain what is going on here?" I asked, my voice cracking a little as I stomped my foot into the ground. I didn't care if this made me seem like a child, I wanted an explanation and I wanted it now.

Danny gently pulled out of Ashleigh's embrace as she walked over to me. She placed both her hands on my shoulders, a heavy sigh escaping her mouth.

“You’re either the luckiest or unluckiest person in the world. You found both your mates. And at the same time."

I frowned my eyebrows as I stared at the twins. "Both?"

"Yes. The way it looks, Ashleigh is your first mate and Aspen... Well, there is no doubt in my mind. He is your second."

"What do you mean with first and second?"

Danny shot me an odd look. "Your two mates."

As I tilted my head to the side, confused about what she meant, she furrowed her brows. "You do know us wolf-shifters each get two mates, right?"

I shook my head. "Nu-uh, nobody ever told me?"

"Oh dear..." she sighed, scratching the back of her neck, pondering over how to explain this to me. "Well... To put it simply... We all have two mates, but they aren't equally ranked. As I’m sure, your wolf only picks up on Ashleigh, since she is the one meant for you. But Aspen... Well, he is your... To use an ugly word: "back-up"?" she said, making air quotes with her fingers. That word alone earned her a distasteful snort from Aspen, as he obviously didn't like being called my back-up.

"Like you noticed, if you’re in the presence of your first mate, your second one won't even ping on your... Radar? But since Aspen... Well... Since he is an Alpha, I guess it kind of gives him an extra... Push? I'd say it makes him able to compete on the same level as only a first mate should."

I groaned. Really? Just my luck. Or unluck. Misfortune? Definitely misfortune.

I turned to Aspen. "Why didn't you say so before?"

Aspen grimaced. "I was never planning on finding my second mate. And when we met, I just wanted to get to know you first. Like a person, before I let my wolf come out."

"I've seen you in wolf form before. Why have I never felt it?"

He shrugged. "I suppose since Ashleigh was always this close by? And my Alpha form lies beneath the surface. I keep him there."

I turned to Ashleigh, as I threw my hands up in exasperation. This was just freaking perfect. "What about the whole one soulmate thing, you know, two halves of a whole, mated for life, only one perfect fit?"

Ashleigh seemed to have gathered her composure as she walked over to me. She placed two fingers underneath my chin, urging me to look in her eyes. "Look, it is quite simple. Every wolf has one perfect fit. One perfect mate, one meant to be. But we are more than wolves, we are shifters. And what we want, the human part of us, that doesn't always overlap with the cry of our wolves. Our wolves would mate without any second thought. They are and will always be the perfect fit. But the human part of us makes it all a bit more complicated. We are much more fickle and picky. So to prevent our race from dying out, you get a second mate. There usually is no good reason to settle for your second mate unless your first has died, is an Alpha, or in some cases, is a freaking asshole. Even the worst of our kind have mates, but their second mate can be the out they need."

I squinted my eyes, not really understanding it all. If you could choose not to be with your mate, then what was all the fuss around it? "So I can choose not to be with my first mate?"

A pained look appeared on Ashleigh's face, like the thought alone had stung her deeply. To be honest, just saying it made the wolf in my chest ache a little. There was no way I wouldn't choose her.

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