Page 38 of Wolf's Whisper

I had heard about the power of the Alpha before. Almost none were born anymore and those who were, almost always immediately grabbed power. A stray Alpha like Aspen was a true rarity and as his mate, I couldn't imagine the pull he had on people. The only thing I knew was that his Alpha was strong enough to challenge the bond with my first mate.

And with that thought, I suddenly felt almost guilty for being so harsh to her. She wasn't the only one who wavered in the Alpha's presence. My wolf did as well. Every time he unleashed his raw power, my wolf was drawn to him, ready to forget all about Ashleigh. If he had this effect on me, I shouldn't judge her for the pull he had on her wolf. It wasn't fair of me to expect impossible things from her.

I let out a deep sigh, not liking one bit how my wolf seemed to keep getting pulled back and forth between the twins. They had already made it perfectly clear they wouldn't be sharing me. But the way it was going, I wouldn't be able to be with either of them.

As long as Ashleigh was around, my wolf would never be able to choose Aspen. But I also realised that with Aspen's Alpha around, he could make me forget about his sister.

Unless I mated with either of them, they would always tear me and my wolf apart.

But how to choose?

I thought about the two twins, marvelling at how uniquely beautiful they both were. Aspen with his muscled chest, his handsome smirk and his witty comments, he certainly was a charmer.

But then there was Ashleigh. At first glance, she was just as high-tempered as her brother, but the longer I knew her, the clearer it became it was all just a game. The real her was much softer, gentler. Quieter. There was an unrivalled depth to her that made me breathless. Speechless.

He was wild and loud like the waves of the ocean crashing against the cliffs. She was like a mysterious, undisturbed lake, deep and bottomless.

Aspen felt like a gust of wind, an unexpected tornado with limitless reserves of energy. Powerful. Destructive. Frightening. He was, in every way, the storm.

Ashleigh was his opposite. She wasn't destructive or aggressive. Not really. She was the protector, the care giver. She was the mountain braving any kind of weather, bowing to no one, no matter how loud the wind howled or how relentlessly the rain threatened. She would shield me from the storm.

Aspen or Ashleigh.

What did I need? Who did I want?

I peered deep into the cave, catching the frown on Aspen's face. It made him look dark, angry and freakishly handsome. Then I directed my gaze towards the forest, gazing at Ashleigh. The wind was playing with her curls and the saddened look in her eyes made me ache. She looked so hurt, so disappointed, all I wanted to do was comfort her.

Aspen was exciting. Ashleigh was grounded. He could make me feel high on life. She would make me feel safe. Cared for. Loved. She could be the home I had never had. She would be.

Ashleigh... Of course, Ashleigh.

"I'll be in in a second, okay?" I told Cece, knowing I couldn't leave things like this with Ashleigh. The young girl happily nodded and skipped inside, unfazed by the killer mood hanging in the air.

I took a deep breath and gathered myself, ready to face my mate.

"Hey..." I softly whispered into the night, drawing her attention.

"Hi..." she muttered back, a sad smile playing around her cherry red lips.

"You, umm... You okay?"

Ashleigh tilted her head. "Ehmm... I'm not sure..." she slowly said, her eyebrows furrowed.

I placed a hand on her lower arm, sparks shooting through my body. Yes, definitely Ashleigh.

"I'm sorry..." I apologised, earning a surprised look.

"For what?"

"For being so harsh... For expecting too much from you?"

She briefly smiled, but it never reached her eyes. "I don't understand why I couldn't do a thing... I should've been able to..." she muttered, disappointment clear in her voice.

"It's okay..."

"Is it? What if next time you're the one in danger and I can't help you?" she growled, her hands balling into fists. As if it hadn't been clear before, she was probably beating herself up over this. Nothing I said would've made her feel worse than she already felt.

Just knowing that, knowing she thought she had let me down, filled my chest with a warmth I hadn't felt before.

---