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

Falling apart was easy. It was like gravity. Stitching oneself back together, however, was a much more trialling task. He'd succumbed to irregular breaths and empty lungs, and as he dragged his palm across his face, fingers forming hook that swept away the worst of his tears, he tried to piece himself back together again.

One breath — he snatched something from the side of him. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was soft and fabric, and he used it to wipe his face, cleaning up the terrible smear job his hands had caused.

Two breaths — he blinked feverishly, claiming back his vision, fixating on a singular spot across the room until he felt he was back in control.

Three breaths — he forced himself to open back up his airways, working the coached breaths prior into practice until air filtered in and out his lungs once more.

Chapter29