Page 54 of Wolf's Whisper

Chapter 13. Hills that rumble

I peeled his hand away from my face and turned my head. There was a strange rumble coming from over the hill and somehow, I guessed it wasn't a good kind of rumble.

"Oh no..." Danny groaned, running her hands through her red hair in worry.

"Not this again," Regan growled, dropping his backpack and cracking his neck.

I looked around. "What?" I asked, unclear to what was going on. Why did they always know what was going on? Why were they also so coordinated and in sync? It made me feel like the odd man out. Literally.

"Damn it, they couldn't have chosen a worse time," Ashleigh cursed, facepalming herself.

"Who are they?" I tried again, angry I was always one step behind. Or you know, at least a couple of steps. I really needed to keep up. I couldn't stay the ignorant, weakest link.

"C-Coyotes."

As soon as he said it, I could distinguish the noise from over the hill as the drum of multiple people running and I wanted to slap myself for not recognising the sound.

Ashleigh placed a hand on my arm, asking for my attention. Not that she didn't always have it.

"You need to keep Aspen calm," she spoke, urgency clear in her voice.

"What?"

"He barely managed to keep his Alpha under control the last time. If he kills more people, he'll be lost."

Her blue eyes pierced into mine. This was an important task, why would she trust me with this?

"I..." I started my protest, racking my brain. Wouldn't JP be more suited to keep him calm? Or even Ashleigh herself? But as I heard the metal zing of blades behind me and saw JP gearing up, I realised he was going to fight as well. I wasn't sure why, but I always assumed he wasn't a fighter. He just seemed more like the brains of the group. But with the determined look in his eyes and the way he swung his arms, I could immediately tell this wasn't his first fight.

Ashleigh tugged on my arm again. "Please, don't let my brother fight," she begged again, her voice cracking as she asked.

I nodded. "Okay. I won't."

A chaste kiss landed on the corner of my lips. "Thank you."

And with those words, she drew away from me and pulled Danny to her side. I briefly wondered what the two women were discussing, but quickly focused back on the real task at hand. I made a promise to Ashleigh, but how could I possibly keep Aspen in check?

The last time, my wolf cowered at the sight of his Alpha and I only barely succeeded with Ashleigh's help. Now I was supposed to do it alone?

"Ever been in a fight before?" Darren suddenly asked, twirling his dagger in front of my nose.

I shook my head. Not really no. Unless getting miserably beaten up by your brothers and sisters counts as a fight.

"Stick close to Aspen. He'll protect you if necessary, but we won't let anyone come close enough to you two. At least, that's the plan," he spoke, jumping up and down to loosen his limbs.

A shiver ran down my spine as I felt a growl in my neck. "Like hell will I sit back and let you do all the work," Aspen snarled, his breath hot on my skin. These were the first words he had spoken since his kill and frankly, they terrified me.

"Asp, you can't fight," Ashleigh worriedly said, trying to calm her brother. He slapped her hand away, his eyes wild and dark.

"I'll kill them all," he snarled, yanking off his shirt to expose his bare chest. I felt my hands burn as I remembered how his muscles had felt underneath my palms and balled them into fists. This was not the time to lust over him. I dug my nails deep into my skin only after I left white crescent circles in my palms, allowed myself to touch him.

"Aspen... I need you to protect me," I whispered, disliking I had to play the helpless girl card, but then again. It wasn't exactly a lie. I really did need him to protect me. That being said, there was no reason I couldn't try and protect him at the same time.

His eyes softened a little, the muscles in his arms relaxing for a second as he stared at me. There were flecks of gold dancing in his ambers and I wondered why I had never noticed that before.

"Okay. For you."

Before I could get lost in his eyes, Ashleigh tapped me on my shoulder. "You'll have to hold him down."

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