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

As Aiden stared down at the priceless gift he had been bestowed, reality seemed to recede. The warmth of his temporary bedroom, the softness of his mattress, it all melted away under the direction of tears that blurred his eyes, conquering his vision.

The thing about falling apart was that it was much like gravity: it only took the smallest of stumbles and then momentum did the rest.

Being caught off guard by such an unjaded, thoughtful act had been his stumbling point. Every second that had followed had been a suspended battle to regain balance and reign his emotions back in.

He hadn't, and now he was paying the price — there was no such thing as a free meal, afterall.

Chapter28