Page 31 of Wolf's Whisper

I needed to set her free so I could run with the pack. With this pack. With my pack.

Even though I hadn't known them for very long, this was where I belonged. In the midst of Aspen and Ashleigh, my two mates, my promised family. But not just them, I had grown quite fond of Danny, Regan, JP, and even Darren. There was just something about them that made me feel safe and welcome. Like they had always expected me to arrive, and now I was here, I effortlessly fit into their puzzle. I was their lost puzzle piece. Yes, this was where I was supposed to be.

And even though I knew that at some point, I'd have to separate from them for my own quest, I knew I would always return to them. To him. To her. To Aspen. To Ashleigh...

A hollow ache formed inside my chest as I dreaded the moment I'd have to split apart from the pack.

"Y-You don't need to worry. You will always find your w-way back to them," JP softly spoke from behind me, like he had read my mind.

I rapidly blinked a tear away and cleared the lump in my throat before I turned towards him. "How... How did you know?"

"Y-You have the same look on your face when-whenever Regan has to go somewhere w-without Danny," he smiled, but from his glazed over eyes, I knew he was no stranger to that look himself.

It must've been hard for him that he couldn't follow Danny in her wolf form like Darren and Regan could.

"Do you ever feel..." How do I phrase this delicately? "Less because you’re human?" I cringed as soon as the words left my mouth. That wasn't delicate at all. Shit, I hope I didn't just insult the man who had so graciously comforted me.

A light chuckle escaped from his thin lips as he didn't seem to be too offended. "N-N-Not anymore... It was a b-bit difficult in the beginning, b-b-but Danny and I w-were so solid, we h-had to make it work. So we m-made it work.

"I don't think I could ever share my lover," I chipped in, wondering how it would feel to share Aspen with another woman. Or Ashleigh. My God, no.

JP chuckled as he polished his spectacles. "I d-d-don't share Danny, but I can see how you would t-think that."

I tilted my head to the side, wondering what he was on about. "What do you mean, you don't share? You, Darren, and Regan are all her boyfriends, right?"

"T-Technically, we are her l-l-life partners. B-But no. Sharing implies that we o-only get a p-p-part of Danny. W-We don't. She always gives her everything, no matter if it is me, or Darren, or Regan. W-We always get e-everything she has." he said, the smile on his face making him suddenly much more handsome. "W-We share her time, we share the space a-around her. But we d-don't share her."

I nodded at his explanation. That made perfect sense and I was glad I could talk to JP about it. He was always so calm and understanding. "I get it, no sharing Danny. You’re sharing her time."

JP grinned. "Y-Yes. Which is basically s-something you always do when it comes to people and h-healthy relationships. R-Right now, you’re sharing some of your time with me."

"Huh... I guess you’re right." That was certainly an interesting way of looking at things.

"A-And regardless of how much I love Danny, or she loves me, we d-don't want to share a-all our time. She c-can share time w-with Regan and Darren if she wants, she isn't sharing her l-love. She loves us, all of us equally. And always with everything she's got."

He spoke that last sentence with such confidence, it made me almost jealous. I wanted that. A bond so strong you didn't feel jealous of them spending time with other people. To be so confident in how much your partner loves you. I wanted it.

"Thank you for explaining it to me. I think I understand your situation a bit better now," I thanked him, very grateful he didn't mind me prying into his love life like that.

"No p-problem. B-But in my humble opinion, I don't think you'll have to s-share time with someone. I t-think your time will be the one s-shared."

I squinted my eyes at him, wondering if that was a smirk around the corner of his lips. What was he getting at?

"What do you mean?"

A soft chuckle escaped his lips that he quickly tried to mask with a cough. So it was a smirk before.

"I've seen w-what has been going on b-between you and the t-twins."

I felt my cheeks heat up as he said so. Oh no, was I that glaringly obvious? Had the gang been discussing how I had been fawning over Ashleigh as a love sick puppy or had been admiring Aspen's abs every chance I got?

"D-Don't be embarrassed. It is only n-natural. They are your m-mates."

I briefly wondered if JP would be able to see the sweat pooling in my armpits and why this freaking cave had gotten so warm all of a sudden.

"I don't know what you’re talking about," I stubbornly denied, pretending like I didn't know what he was talking about.

"I-I remember the first time I met Danny. S-She was beautiful, fearless. She w-walked past me with s-such confidence, it made a young boy l-like me even m-more nervous than I a-already was." He grinned as he wiped his forehead. Guess I wasn't the only one sweating here. "A-And you know h-how nervous I get."

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