Page 30 of Wolf's Whisper

"Like this. Hundred. Ninety-three. Eight-six. Seventy-nine. Seventy-two. You should try it."

That was an odd technique. I looked at JP again, wondering if he was yanking my chain, but he encouragingly nodded his head. Couldn't hurt to try, right?

"Sixty-five... Fifty-eight. Fifty-one. Ehmm... Forty-four... Thirty-seven. Thirty. Twenty-three.."

"See, that is better, no?" he smiled, as he counted along with me.

I nodded in relief, my stomach no longer threatening to return all of Darren's food back to mother Earth.

"Yeah, it helped... How did you come up with that technique?" I asked him, wondering where the nervous, stuttering man went.

"It's just a coping mechanism I developed over the years. You can use other numbers as well, but I like seven."

"Seven is good."

"It is. Look, they are all done," he pointed out, nudging with his head towards the entrance of the cave. I followed his line of sight and felt my breath hitch in my throat. It did help. In the time it took me to count down, their transformation had completed.

My new companions had disappeared and five beautiful wolves had taken their place. I immediately recognised Aspen's form by his amber-coloured eyes and his grey fur. His hind leg had completely healed and he stood much more proudly than before, now that he was surrounded by his family.

The other grey wolf of the pack must've been Darren's form. He was slightly smaller than Aspen and his fur was quite shaggy. There was a darker patch around his snout that made it look like he was permanently grinning. Definitely Darren.

The smaller wolf with the reddish fur was obviously Danny. She was counting into the ground with her paws, looking rather happy about being in her wolf form. She affectionately nudged the shaggy wolf next to her and shook her head playfully. Yes, that was Danny.

The giant wolf towering over the rest with broad shoulders and big paws was without a single doubt, Regan. Just like his human body, he was massive. But whereas he seemed gentle and calm in person, his wolf radiated power and strength. I wouldn't want to get in his way, that was for sure.

And then there she was. The only black wolf in the middle of the pack. She was rather small, but her fur was long and darker than a raven. She was sniffing the ground, her tail wagging against the leg of her brother. As if she felt the pull from the wolf inside my chest, she suddenly looked in my direction. Piercing blue eyes found mine. Ashleigh.

"Hi," I whispered as I walked over to her, my hand gliding through her fur as she playfully nipped at my ankle. “You’re beautiful."

JP joined me with the wolves. "I-I-I've seen them shift m-many times, but they s-s-still amaze me."

So the stuttery, rather twitchy man was back. Interesting.

"I have never seen a black wolf," I admitted as I admired the dark fur of my mate. It matched the colour of her hair perfectly.

"M-M-Me neither. She is the o-only one so f-far," JP spoke as he then patted Danny between her ears. She happily licked his open palm and curled her snout against his hand. I couldn't be anything but impressed that even in her wolf form, she responded to JP with such kindness and love. Especially since her first mate was standing right next to her, shifted and all. Their love must run much deeper than I expected it to be.

A short bark suddenly drew the attention of Ashleigh and Danny away. It was Aspen calling for them. And even with my wolf locked in my chest, I could feel her stirring as she longed to answer that call. Disobeying any natural Alpha was a hard task, but resisting the call of your Alpha mate, even if it was only your second, was even harder. Especially as my wolf was torn between him and the beautiful female wolf standing next to him.

Why did this have to happen to me? What was I supposed to do now?

Another low growl was uttered by Aspen as the rest of the pack nudged their heads down. Regan dug his paws into the frozen ground, shards of frozen earth flying about as he effortlessly broke through the hard floor. He shook his head and with his whole body flexed, he sprinted out of the cave. The two twins immediately raced behind him, while Danny and Darren lingered for another moment. She gave him an affectionate lick on his snout and snatched the bag out of JP's hand. With a cheerful bark, they both darted out of sight, disappearing into the stormy night.

The cave suddenly felt much colder and scarier without them. Why did they have to leave?

"D-Don't worry... They always come b-b-back," JP stuttered from behind me, his clammy hand finding my shoulder as he urged me to step away from the entrance.

"You sure about that? Last time, I found Aspen hurt and trapped in a metal clasp," I asked, staring into the night hesitantly. What if someone else had found him?

"T-T-That was just b-bad luck. A-Aspen was scouting and got t-trapped. If he hadn't t-t-told us he was being taken c-care off, w-we would've come m-much, much sooner," JP explained as he strung together what was probably the longest sentence I had ever heard him speak.

"Wait, hang on. He told you? How?"

"They can c-c-communicate telepathically. At l-least, A-Aspen can talk to Ash and D-Danny with R-Regan. H-Has to do something with the b-blood bond?"

I nodded as the explanation made sense. If they knew how to release their wolves, I shouldn't be surprised they also knew how to communicate with immediate family and their designated mates. As a pair of twins, Ashleigh and Aspen should have very clear communication between them. And Danny and Regan, as first mates, would have the same bond.

With that thought, I jealously glared into the night as I wished my wolf could freely talk to them. To Aspen or Ashleigh, it didn't even matter. Just one of them to talk to would be a welcome change from my wolf whispering small words now and then.

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