All Chapters of HIS MUTE MATE: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

Lily PendletonI haven't spoken in three years.Not because I can't. My vocal cords work fine. I've screamed in my head a thousand times—screamed at Claudia when she slapped me, screamed at Vivian when she laughed, screamed at the mirror when I looked at my reflection and saw nothing but a ghost.But sound is dangerous. Sound gets you hit. Sound gets you noticed. And being noticed in my house was the worst thing you could be.So I stopped.I became furniture. Quiet. Still. Useful.I washed the dishes. I folded the laundry. I took the blame when Vivian "accidentally" broke her mother's vase. I nodded when Claudia told me I was a burden, a freak, a human parasite sucking the life out of her pureblood wolf family.I believed her. For a long time, I did.My name is Lily. I'm nineteen. I have no wolf. I have no scent. I have no voice.And I'm about to be saved by the only person who actually sees me.---The morning it happened, I was in the kitchen, scrubbing a pan that was already clean.

Lily PendletonThree days passed.Three days of dodging Vivian's snide comments. Three days of hiding in corners during lunch. Three days of avoiding Kael because every time I saw him, my chest did something weird and my face went hot.But I couldn't avoid him forever.On Thursday, I found myself walking past the hockey rink. The sound of skates scraping ice pulled me like a magnet. I peeked through the glass doors.Kael was on the ice. Alone.He was flying—smooth and fast, his body low to the ground, stick handling like the puck was glued to his blade. He took a shot. The puck slammed into the net so hard the glass cracked.He skated to a stop, panting, his breath fogging the cold air.And he looked up. Right at me.Busted.He skated to the boards, leaning on them. "You know," he said, "most people knock."I wrote on my notepad: Sorry. I was just walking by."Liar," he grinned. "You came to see me."I flushed. Maybe."Come here," he said. "I have an idea."I hesitated. But my feet mo

Lily PendletonThe cafeteria erupted into chaos.Whispers spread like wildfire. The Pendleton Alpha is coming. The council is coming. Students scrambled to their phones, texting, snapping photos. Wolves shifted nervously, their eyes darting between Damon and Kael.Vivian was smiling. That cold, triumphant smile I knew too well.She'd planned this. She'd called our stepfather and told him everything—the human freak, the playboy captain, the broken rule. She wanted me destroyed, and she'd used the one weapon that could actually do it.Family.Damon grabbed my arm. "Lily, go to your room. Lock the door. Don't open it for anyone."I shook my head. No."Lily—""No," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "I'm done hiding."Damon stared at me. He'd never heard me say that word. I'd never said it to him.Kael moved to my side, his body a shield. "I'm not letting her face this alone."Damon's jaw tightened. "You've done enough.""She's mine," Kael said quietly. "And I'm not backing down."The doo

Lily PendletonWe ran.Not through the forest this time. Damon had a plan—a car, hidden at the edge of academy grounds, keys in the ignition. He'd arranged it before he even found us."I have connections," he said, tossing Kael the keys. "Don't ask."Kael caught them, smirked, and opened the passenger door for me."Your chariot, mute girl."I rolled my eyes but climbed in. The car was old, beat-up, but it ran. Kael peeled out of the forest road, gravel flying, headlights cutting through the dark.Damon sat in the back, arms crossed, looking like he'd swallowed a lemon."So," he said flatly. "You two. Together. For real."Kael glanced at me in the rearview. "For real."Damon groaned. "I'm going to have a heart attack before I'm twenty-five."I wrote on my notepad: You're the one who helped us escape."Because you're my sister," Damon said. "Not because I approve."Kael snorted. "You'll come around.""Don't push it."I smiled despite everything. My brother. My mate. And a car full of te