Page 79 of Wolf's Whisper

Chapter 18. Mirror

Expecting the next morning to be awkward, I crawled out of the tent, hoping that Darren's heavenly food would break the tension. Following my nose, I found myself standing next to a row of people. Both Aspen and Ashleigh were already staring hungrily at the big pot warming on the fire.

He’d regained some colour and didn't look nearly as ghostly as yesterday. Sleep must've done him good. He seemed like a person who actually belonged on earth again.

"Cook faster, Darren," he whined, licking his lips as he eyed the hot stew simmering away.

"Maybe just a little taste," Ashleigh mumbled, trying to steal a spoonful, but Darren wouldn't have any of it. He tapped both the twins on their heads with the handle of his ladle and positioned himself between the food and the siblings.

"Down, you crazies. We'll eat when it's ready."

Both grumbling under their breaths, Ashleigh and Aspen sat down on a stump, muttering to each other. I only caught a couple of words, but it sounded like an elaborate plot to lure Darren away from his pot and claim all the food for themselves. I smiled in relief. They were still their crazy selves. I hadn't ruined their relationship

I waved gratefully at Darren, who seemed a bit confused. That was okay. From all the things he was great at, cooking seemed to be his soft spot. He'd probably blush bright red if I told him how his food really brought people together. So instead, I sat down next to the dancing fire, settled for a cup of hot root tea, and patiently waited for breakfast. Honestly, how I'd found myself in such luxury in the middle of nowhere, I'd never really understand.

Only after Danny appeared from their tent with more twigs sticking out of her hair, Darren pooled a thick, rich stew in my bowl that made my mouth water. Without wasting one second, I dug into the delicious hot food that chased away the hunger and warmed my belly.

"We still have to tell Akira the secret," Danny mumbled in between bites, shoveling the stew so fast into her mouth I was surprised she didn't choke on it.

"R-Right. I think Ash s-should tell her, n-no?" JP agreed, never even looking up from his plate.

I felt a thrill of excitement travel through my body. Now this was something to delay eating for. I was finally going to find out the secret behind their shifting. With everything going on, I’d almost forgotten how abnormal it was. They had made it feel so normal I'd forgot that I wasn't the strange one. They were.

Without missing a bite from her plate, Ashleigh dug Aspen's necklace from her pocket and held it up against the faint morning light. "The secret... Is this…"

So the necklace was really the secret? Well hot taco, if I’d known you could only shift while wearing jewellery, I'd have gotten my ears pierced or something.

"And?"

My mate shrugged, scraping her bowl for the last of Darren's delicious food. "That's it."

"That's it?" This was their big secret? How was that even a secret? Did they really need to hold a big council meeting for that?

With her plate empty, Danny strung more words together. "That's it. We'd tell you more, but we don't know how it works either. Sorry to disappoint."

I groaned. Typical. They were hopeless.

"You still get to wear it though. And for it to really stop answering to Aspen, you should connect to the magic inside."

I perked up. Now that was more interesting. "Oh?"

"Right now, Aspen can't fully use it. But the magic in there is still aching to return to him."

"If you want to shift, you need to make the magic obey."

Ashleigh placed the amulet in my lap, her fingers brushing over my thigh. "It's yours now."

I tried to catch Aspen's eyes, hoping he wouldn't harbour any resentment for having his heirloom taken away. He smiled at me and nodded encouragingly. "Put it on."

The necklace slipped around my neck and the moment it fell on my chest, nothing changed. It was still just a piece of horn on a string. "Ummm..."

Darren scratched the top of his head. "Still nothing?"

"Nope."

"Do any of you remember how you got the magic to react?" Danny asked the rest, braiding her hair. "Sixteen feels like ages ago."

Ashleigh snorted. "It would for you, grandma."

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