---Marcus' POV---

I chuckled again, trying to persuade Zayne into getting out of his hiding spot underneath the blankets. After we both had calmed down, he had shyly glanced up at me with furiously blushing cheeks and then proceeded to whine and bury his face against my chest and under the covers.

He was so goddamned innocent; all that my wolf wanted to do was to be the one ravage Zayne in unspeakable ways. Instead I chuckled and slowly sat upright, aware of the mess between us. I scooped my blushing mate up and carried us to the bathroom.

I easily peeled our soiled clothes off of our bodies, a smile on my lips as Zayne didn't protest but shyly peeked under his lashes, observing my body and blushing once again.

My wolf preened, happy that our mate was satisfied with our looks as I lead Zayne under the stream of the shower, washing the proof of our loving from our skin all the while trying to suppress the images of actually mating with Zayne.

Instead, I explained the physical attraction that mates have to each other and how our bodies reacted to that. My wolf was purring deeply at the permanent blush gracing Zayne's cheeks as he merely nodded and kept his gaze on the tiles as I washed our bodies.

When we were dressed, I noticed a small frown playing on Zayne's face, his pale pink lips moving without a sound, as he seemingly got more and more frustrated. I tilted my head and smiled encouragingly as Zayne looked up, a question in his eyes.

"Wanna learn how to speak..." He muttered cutely.

I grinned, biting the inside of my cheek to try and remain calm before I tugged him in my arms and carried him to couch, making a mental note to remove the soiled covers. "And what is it that you want to learn?"

He blushed deeper, making me extremely curious to what he had in mind. My eyes landed on his fingers wriggling and worrying at the edge of his clothes before he shyly pointed at me.

Thank the gods I managed to control my wolf, otherwise I'd be proudly howling out my joy.

Instead, I schooled my features and smiled warmly as I started our little speech lesson. It was both cute and sad to see Zayne struggling with trying to produce a sound and pronounce my name.

"Mmma-"

I shivered at the throaty sound that escaped Zayne's lips and felt my heart jump at the excited spark in his eyes before his tongue swiped over his lips.

"Mmmaarrrrus."

My stomach twisted and I couldn't stop myself from launching towards my mate, feeling proud and elated that he managed to speak and say my name, although his K was barely audible.

"Marus!" He squeaked as I hugged him close, laughing happily and seeing a wolfish grin spread over his lips, his eyes sparkling with contentment. "Say it again." I purred, nuzzling his neck and grinning at the faint chortle that escaped his throat. "Say my name again, say Marcus."

Zayne grinned; his tongue moistened his lips as his eyes turned warm. "Mar-" He frowned for a second, thoughtful before ne narrowed his eyes. "M- Marcus." He squirmed in my arms as I kissed his cheek and I felt a warm sensation bloom through me as I realized his backside was swaying slightly; his wolf's instinct was making him wag even in his human form.

I had my hands full trying to reign in my squirming, happy pup as he even leaned up to lick at my lips. Not that I objected in any way, in fact I loved the attention, knowing that both Zayne and his wolf had accepted me as their mate.

A knock on the door startled Zayne, proving enough to disentangle him from my body before he made my heart thump a bit faster as he squirmed right up on my side, his face barely visible against my chest.

To my surprise, it wasn't the Alpha or one of the warwolves that came inside. The door creaked open to reveal Wyatt, who was holding his new little pup Koda with a wide smile.

"Sorry to bother you two, I just wanted to let you know that the two pups from Zayne's pack shifted and are currently having a nervous breakdown." Wyatt sighed while keeping a squirmy Koda close to his chest.

"Did they say anything from where they came from?" I asked, sitting up and pulling Zayne closer to me. Wyatt shook his head with a frown, "No, they're terrified of anyone bigger than them. We don't know if they can point us to their pack or not, they're too terrified to speak."

I sighed, glaring at the wall while brushing my hand over Zayne's back. Either Zayne or the pups could probably point us in the pack's general direction but...the fear of their former alpha was so deeply ingrained, it sometimes made me wonder how badly he must have treated them.

And then I felt a combination of nausea and rage because the behavior of Zayne and the pups made it all to clear just how they were treated. Zayne's memories still weighed heavy on the pack's mind, and it only fed our need to find his former pack and make them pay.

A small sound made me look up as heavy thumps headed our way before Terrance stopped at the doorway and gave me a pointed look. I instantly knew it had something to do with that Beta scum in the dungeons and though it pained my heart to leave Zayne, especially now when he spoke my name, I needed to hear what Terrance had to say.

---Zayne's POV---

I watched as Marcus left the room after a whispered apology, clearly reluctant to leave me alone. After a quick yet tender kiss, I was left with Wyatt, who was observing me with a small smile.

"I wonder when we're going to be able to have a full conversation with you." He sighed, seemingly disappointed that we wouldn't be able to talk out loud. "But I know its hard for you, to try and learn how to talk after all these years. Anyways, let's get to the kitchen and get some food in your belly. What do you want?"

Wyatt walked out of the room after making sure I followed him. My eyes narrowed for a second, thinking about what I wanted. There was only one thing that came to mind.

"Marcus."

Plates smashed on the floor in an earsplitting racket, making me jump back with a frightened yelp as Wyatt stood glued to the floor while Dorian stared at me wide-eyed. He stood in the middle of a pile of broken plates but he ignored the mess he made and instead gawked at me.

I licked my lips nervously, backing away slowly as the silence grew deafening. Wasn't I supposed to talk with the others? Did Marcus only allow it in his presence? I couldn't help but wonder what I did wrong and flinched when an excited Wyatt suddenly hugged me with tears brimming in his eyes.

"Zayne, you, I-" He squeezed tighter while my eyes were looking around, trying to find a way to escape. "You can talk! Well, I assume you can only say Marcus' name, no doubt he was that greedy to only hear his name from your lips but hey, that's what mates are for."

He leaned back with a smile, blowing his blonde hairs out of his face before he ruffled affectionately through my own brown ones. "Don't worry, we'll help you get there. But do you want any food?" He asked slowly.

It was almost as if... he was speaking slowly so I could see how the words were formed. My eyes focused on how his lips pursed when he pronounced food and I attempted to copy him.

"Foot?"

Wyatt chuckled, shaking his head. "Close, but no. Food, not foot. Try again. Do you want food?" He asked with a chuckle while I twitched on the spot, feeling annoyed at my inability to speak. I was nineteen and I couldn't even talk? Come on.

Dorian was smiling warmly as he slowly picked up the chards, his eyes flickering behind me, unintentionally telling me I had an audience that was eager to hear me talk. Pursing my lips for a moment, I took a deep breath and tried again to tell Wyatt what I needed.

"F-foot," I shook my head, knowing it was wrong. "Food. W-wan food." Everyone looked at me with a proud smile and I glanced down at my feet, uncomfortable at the attention. Plus, my throat was starting to get a little sore.

"Of course Zayne, I'll get you some right away. Sorry to push you like this but if we don't push you a little, it'll only be harder to learn." Wyatt said warmly, squeezing my shoulder a tiny bit before he went off to the stove and left me at the table with Koda.

The pup panted happily, tongue hanging lopsidedly out of his muzzle before he greeted me with a few licks on my chin. I snorted and held him out of reach, a smile slipping on my lips at the sight of the squirmy pup.

I could've been like him if I had a different upbringing...

Koda yipped and then gently bit my nose, holding onto the tip so I had to look cross-eyed at the white fluff. My snort changed into a chortle until I let out my very first hoarse laugh, succeeding in stunning everyone yet again while a certain white pup wagged its tail proudly.

"But I'm glad I'm here now. This pack is different from my old one...different in a good way." My hand sifted through Koda's fur as took a seat, trying not to draw any more attention and instead looked at the pup in my lap while I let my mind drift.

'Marcus was right though...those two pups will never speak up about what happened, especially because they're little kids. They just don't understand what the Alpha did to us, that he'll find out if we spoke up.'

My hand stilled for a second. "Would he? Can he really find out if we speak to Pack law when the Beta, his own brother was apprehended for trespassing?" I didn't know what to do anymore and as Wyatt prepared my food, I let out a stressed yawn.

Why does everything need to be so difficult? My heart squeezed with longing, my eyes flitting to the door before I glanced up when a bowl of hot eggs and bacon was placed in front of me. "Anything else?"

Right now, I only wanted, no, needed one more thing.

"Marcus."