Page 36 of Wolf's Whisper

"A-A-Are you okay? Did, did C-Chesca hurt you?"

"Chesca?"

"Y-Y-Yes. I t-told you about her, d-didn't I?"

I turned from JP to Cece, who seemed quite unfazed by the angry man sitting on top of her.

"This is Chesca?" I asked, my voice rising in surprise. "But she is so..."

"Young? Pretty? Incredibly sexy?" Cece quipped in, her voice far too carefree.

I decided to ignore her suggestions as I turned back to JP and narrowed my eyes. "I thought you said she was a Coyote?"

He shook his head, both his hands worryingly running through his hair. "N-No. She is a-a Puma, but s-she has a standing a-alliance with the C-Coyotes."

I tilted my head to the side as I studied the frail girl underneath Aspen. So this was a Puma? Interesting. I had never seen one before. They were supposed to live all the way up in the desert.

"She seems harmless to me."

"H-Harmless?" JP stuttered, his eyes turning as wide as saucers.

"I will kill her!" Darren growled as he pressed a knife against her throat.

"Do it quickly!" Aspen encouraged him as he backed away from her, giving Darren better access to the girl. Cece looked at me with pleading eyes and this time, I tugged on Darren's vest.

"She is just a little girl. Darren, please stop!" I called out to him, trying to remove the blade.

"Don't let her fool you. She is the devil herself," Regan added. I threw him an angry look. He was supposed to be the reasonable and reliable one of the group. How could he be okay with them killing off someone like that?

I gave Darren's arm another yank. "Don't."

I could feel the muscles flex under his shirt but I wasn't fast enough to react. With a hard shove, he pushed me away, his dark eyes flickering menacingly in his sockets. "I’m going to slice her up real nice. Real nice," he muttered under his breath, as he teased her skin with the tip of his knife.

"Ashleigh? Will you do something?!" I turned to my mate, begging her to help me. I tried to catch her eye, but she was stubbornly staring into the ground, unwilling to meet my gaze. "Ashleigh?" I tried again, panic rising in my chest as even my own mate wouldn't back me up. This couldn't really be happening, right? They weren't seriously going to kill this girl right in front of my eyes, wouldn't they? They wouldn't...

But as I saw the murderous look on Darren's face, the disgust on JP's and the approval on Aspen's, I suddenly realised that this group wasn't nearly as cheery or as warm as they let on.

A chill ran over my entire body as even the cheery Danny didn't object or the voice or reason, Regan, seemed to agree with the general consensus of the group.

Their intent was clear. I could feel it in the air, I could smell it on their bodies. They were here to kill.

Akira... What did you get yourself into?

Darren growled menacingly, bearing his teeth at Cece as he traced her neckline with the tip of his knife. He looked like he was ready to plunge the steel into her without a second thought.

I felt my muscles tense. Was there nothing I could do to help her? Maybe if I...

It happened in less than the blink of an eye. If you didn't pay close attention, you'd have missed it. One moment, Cece was there. The other, she was gone.

A loud scream pierced the night. Darren. With his eyes spitting fire and rage visibly surging through his body, he threw his knife into the ground. Right into the spot where only an instant ago, Cece had been.

"No!" Aspen growled loudly, so angry his Alpha surfaced for a brief moment. For an instant, my breath caught in my throat as my wolf could feel his raw power. Beautiful.

I suddenly felt two hands on my shoulders and a slender body pressed against my back.

"There!" Darren barked as he picked up his knife and suddenly pointed it at me. As angry as I had ever seen him, he limped toward me. Where did that limp come from?

But this was not the moment to wonder about his mobility. The knife threatening me seemed much more pressing, as it was almost literally pressed against me.

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