Page 23 of Wolf's Whisper

"Guys, can you shut up about the weather?" Ashleigh sighed as she let herself fall down on her backpack. "How is it that my pack keeps getting bigger and bigger?" she growled as she fought a losing battle against one of her furs. Furiously, she tore open the pack and pulled out a vest.

"Aspen? Is this yours?!" she scowled as she threw a dark jacket at her brother. He let his shoulders hang, obviously disappointed he got busted.

"A guy can try..." he mumbled under his breath, looking distastefully at the vest like it had murdered his puppies. "I don't want clothes," he whined, holding up the jacket by its sleeve like it was something dirty.

A loud snort escaped from somewhere. Oops, it was me. "Yeah, I noticed,"

"Guys, the weather really is changing." Regan's voice boomed over us as he pointed up towards the sky. During the constant bickering this group tended to do, the clouds had rapidly closed in on us.

The group collectively sighed as they all heaved their backpacks on their shoulders, picked up the last remnants of camp and got ready to retrace their footsteps. JP quickly stomped into the ashy fire pit once more, making sure the fire was really out, while Regan conjured a map out of nowhere. Danny was leaning over his arm to give out directions and Aspen and Ashleigh were tugging on the vest as now they both seemed to want it.

I sighed. Should I really stay with this group for any longer than I should? They were exhausting, all the chattering and the bickering, it was almost too much.

Sure, the company was nice and it definitely took a load off task wise. I had already gotten used to having Aspen as my travel companion and Darren's cooking was to die for. JP was probably one of the most interesting people I had come across in years and Danny's cheeriness was contagious. Being around Regan definitely made me feel more secure and I would bet he could find dry firewood in the middle of the ocean. Seriously, that guy had a gift.

And then there was Ashleigh. Beautiful, stunning Ashleigh who woke my wolf every time she looked at me.

But I had a mission to accomplish. And I couldn't just abandon my tribe just to chase after my mate. I needed to make my way to the East and bring back the Winter Stone... I had already lost so many days, although staying with them had helped me rejuvenate. I felt strong enough to travel further, maybe even go out on a hunt. I couldn't keep relying on the group to feed me, could I?

But going out on my own... That meant leaving Ashleigh behind. And as much as I wanted to free my wolf, as much as I wanted to honour my grandparents and finally make my family proud, it all seemed to fade into the background. This was my mate, how could I not stray from my mission to follow her to the ends of this realm?

I tore my eyes up into the sky, counting out the days I had been gone and wondering about how much time I had left before spring would arrive.

How long had I been gone in total? Three weeks? Maybe more? How many days had I lost since I found Aspen? Could I afford to stall even a little? But then again, they were moving in the right direction. Travelling a little bit further with them couldn't hurt, right?

As long as they headed towards the East, it would be stupid to not join them... But I would be able to travel faster on my own...

"Akira, you coming?" I peered up as Ashleigh's crystal voice called for me. While I had been lost in thought, the gang had started disappearing into the forest. Aspen in the front with Regan and Danny in tow. Not far behind them, JP followed suit while Darren strayed a little to the side as he seemed to be admiring a winter flower. And last, but definitely not least, Ashleigh.

She pulled up an eyebrow as she stared curiously at me. Somehow, none of them even seemed to consider travelling without me.

My wolf stirred inside my chest. Of course, I was coming.

"Yes, right behind you!" I hastily called out to her, scrambling up from my spot as I ran to her. A beautiful smile appeared on her lips that lightened up her whole face as she nudged me with her shoulder.

"What were you so intensely thinking about?" she questioned, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Nothing," I grinned, as I followed the rest of the gang. Effectively, albeit temporarily, joining their pack.

That was the smart thing to do, right? I mean... How bad could it really be? At least only two of them were my mates, right?

Right...?

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