Page 48 of Wolf's Whisper

With the strength and confidence that Ashleigh's wolf gave me, I reached out into Aspen. Ignoring the incredible pull I felt, I dug around inside him, calling out to his wolf. He had to be around here somewhere.

The Alpha hovered over me, his breath hot on my neck. He almost seemed unsure whether he should devour me or mate me. Using his confusion to my advantage, I travelled deeper into Aspen.

Where was he...?

There! In the darkest corner of his heart, I found a trembling heap of wolf curled up into a ball. Aspen.

I gently nudged the frightened animal, making him jump up in shock. Amber coloured eyes shot open and suddenly everything happened in a flash.

With a growl, Aspen's wolf shot into action. It howled loudly and as it did, I could feel the Alpha's grip slip. Before I knew it, I was thrown out of his chest and the man in front of me snapped back to life, his eyes amber-coloured once more.

He was back.

Instead of the Alpha's hot breath, I felt Ashleigh's sigh of relief tickle the sensitive skin on the back of my neck. The electricity and tension hanging in the air disappeared as Aspen relaxed.

"Em?" he whispered, sweat trickling down his face.

"No, it's me.... Akira?"

The haze in his eyes disappeared and as it did, Aspen finally returned to this world. He quickly wiped the beads of sweat and blood from his face, looked at them in utter confusion, until he saw the bloody remains of Chesca on the ground.

His jaw clenched and for a moment, it looked like he was going to speak. But as he ground his teeth down, he tore his eyes away from mine and turned on his heels. Without another word, he disappeared into the cave, leaving the rest of us standing around in the cold winter's night.

I let out the breath I hadn't realised I was holding and leaned back into Ashleigh, wordlessly asking for her support. She wrapped her bare arms around me and rested her chin on my shoulder.

"Thank you," she breathed in my ear as I could feel her heartbeat slowing down. It was only then, that I was reminded that her wolf was still roaming around in my chest. She must've seen everything I witnessed and felt everything I did.

I turned around in her embrace, her hands loosely resting on my hips. Gently, she pressed her forehead against mine. "Can you feel it?"

I nodded, my mouth dry. With Ashleigh so close to me, with our wolves running through our chests like they had never not known each other, everything else disappeared. It felt like they had suddenly been freed, as if with Ashleigh's wolf entering me, she had created whole new lands. I could almost picture my white wolf and her black one running side by side through a meadow. The fight, Chesca, the kill, Aspen, all the blood... She erased it with a single look. One glance and I was lost. Lost in her.

"Our wolves... They are meant to be," she whispered. "We are meant to be."

I happily sighed. She was right. This was it. She was it. If only I could find a way to stop my wolf feeling torn, I could have her forever.

Her hands were cold against my heated up cheeks. "There is so much I want to do with you... But..."

A desperate sigh escaped from my lips. "Timing..."

She nodded. "Timing... I need to go take care of my brother. He needs me. And he needs you."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I know..."

She tenderly grazed her fingertips over my cheek, let out a heavy sigh that tickled my lips, and somehow tore herself and her wolf away from me. My wolf whimpered in my chest, howling as she was once again, alone.

The forest suddenly felt a lot scarier now that I was standing in it on my own. Reluctantly, I dragged myself back to the cave and without another word, fell back on my bed.

I had almost forgotten it was still nighttime. So much had happened, it felt like an eternity had passed. I just wanted to sleep and leave everything about today behind. I had enough.

My mind was troubled, my body agitated, my sleep restless. My dreams and fears intertwined as nightmare after nightmare crashed over me. Morning couldn't have come sooner but it brought an unpleasant surprise. I awoke in an empty cave.

For a moment, I panicked. For a split second, the thought they had all abandoned me flashed through my brain. I jumped out of my bedding and almost ran outside.

They wouldn't... Would they?

A wave of relief washed over me when I found the group lingering outside the cave. Everyone except Aspen turned to me and smiled.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Ashleigh yawned as she winked at me. None of them seemed to notice how freaked I was, so I let out a shaky breath and tried to regain my composure.

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