Mute from birth, Aiden Monroe, a young hybrid, had learnt from a young age just how cruel the world could be.

Yet, as means to pay off an old debt, Aiden finds himself trapped in wolf territory. With the Alpha of the Blackwater pack still deciding his fate, he places Aiden's wellbeing in the hands of his emotionally distant nephew, Lincoln Briar. 

At first, Aiden finds himself thinking that Link was just a cold hearted beast, a monster that spoke with such venom that even snakes would bow their head in respect. Yet, the more time that they were forced to spend together, the more Aiden began to realize that there was a tenderness to the beast, a gentleness, though subtle, that he had almost overlooked.

But when the outside threat that had been hanging over the Blackwater pack crept closer, Aiden, with his own life potentially in danger, finds himself thinking that perhaps a beast is only a beast after all.

And his silence, for as loud as it could sometimes be, would never be enough to tame such a beast. Right?

Silence and the Beast

Link made absolutely zero effort to participate or learn, and declined the alphabet sheet Peter gave them both at the end.

/"You did really well today, Aiden,/" Peter praised, smiling warmly. /"Hopefully I'll see you again. In the meantime, try and practice these hand positions and memorize them. They'll help./"

/"Are we done here?/" Link said rudely. /"My hero complex is running out and I'll be forced to leave him stranded up a tree with the neighborhood cat if we can't hurry it along./"

Peter eyed him wearily. /"Are you two related?/"

/"Gods, no./" Link made a show of his repulsion. /"My uncle just has a soft spot for broken things and I drew the short straw. He's purely a charity act, I assure you./"

Peter's mouth tightened. /"We welcome everyone here, so long as they're mindful and respectful of others. You'll do well to remember that./"

Chapter27