Page 75 of Wolf's Whisper

Ashleigh gently pressed her lips against my cheek. "Thank you," she whispered in my ear, making me shiver underneath her touch. If it was up to me, I'd whisk her away from the rest and just spend the rest of my days wrapped in her arms. Preferably naked.

Wait, what? That was a new thought... Where did that come from? First Aspen? Now Ashleigh? What was happening? How did she do this me? Why had I never felt this way around her before? Or Aspen, for that matter? I wondered where all those desires came from, as I had never really looked at either of them in that way. But the longer I stared at her slender figure, the more I realised that I was indeed very attracted to her. How did this happen?

Did the amulet influence my wolf? Or without the necklace, was Aspen's wolf less demanding?

Either way, I didn't mind being so close to Ash.

But hey, if she wanted me to go check up on Aspen, I would. I needed to make sure he was alright, especially after our little ordeal. I didn't want him to feel bad after what went down. I turned on my heels, ready to find Aspen, but was stopped by Ashleigh.

"The necklace, Akira."

"What?"

"You're still wearing it."

I sheepishly grinned. "Oops. Sorry."

She gently swiped her fingers over my cheek and then followed my neckline to fish the necklace out of my shirt. "Thanks."

"Hmmm, while you're there..." I suggested, earning a deep chuckle from her.

"Don't try and sway me with flirting, young lady. I'm still not over what you did with my brother," she semi-scolded, but from her tone, I could tell she wasn't nearly as mad as before. "Now off you go."

I started saluting her, regretted my choice half-way through, and ended it with a facepalm. Idiot.

Ashleigh chuckled and rolled her eyes in amusement. "You're strange."

"I've been called that before."

"I'm not surprised," she whispered, leaning forward and surprisingly enough, capturing my lips with hers. Stunned at first, I froze. Did she really mean to kiss me or did she just miss my cheek? She tenderly cupped my face, pulling me gently towards her. Realising she wasn't mistaken, I melted into her kiss. Her lips plump and warm, soft and fruity.

With a hum, I leant more into her, losing myself in her. Her hand slid from my cheek to the back of my neck and as she tangled her fingers in my hair, a shiver travelled down my spine. Summer made way for strawberries and I couldn't imagine every wanting to taste something else.

"Now off you go," Ashleigh whispered against my lips, her breath tickling my skin.

"Do I have to?" I pouted, not wanting to break away from our embrace. She chuckled softly, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes... But I'll see you soon." She pressed another soft kiss on my lips and broke away from me, leaving me just a tad lost.

"I-I'll walk back with you," JP offered, peeling me away from my mate. I felt my wolf softly howl as we split apart from Ashleigh so I could climb out of the valley. Hopefully, she'd join me soon.

"I w-will collect some firewood. You'll find Aspen b-back in our camp, I b-believe," JP spoke, directing me to the campsite, while he disappeared into another part of the forest. Well, okay then. Looks like I was dealing with Aspen on my own.

I stumbled up the hillside to our tents and found Aspen moping on a tree stump, looking rather lost.

"You okay?"

He nodded almost unnoticeably. "Yeah, I think so."

"Listen, what happened..."

"I know. I know it's Ashleigh you really want."

I let my head hang low in shame. How awful was I? Bouncing from one twin to the other, breaking hearts where ever I went, tearing the siblings apart. If only I could stop. If only my wolf could choose. "I'm sorry."

He chuckled bitterly. "Don't be. I don't stand a hell of a chance without my Alpha." I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. "No need to deny it. That's just how it works."

With my heart aching, I sat down on the stump opposite of him. "I do care for you, you know."

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