Melina’s Perspective
My small butterfly flits about the room, its brilliant wings reflecting the light that streams through the window. On the floor, Bray observes a Disney film with Muppet beside him, big headphones isolating him from the surrounding environment.
Aliana diligently types at her desk, reviewing numerous spreadsheets and creating promotional content for her pack’s enterprise. She serves as the Head Social Media Coordinator, overseeing the company’s online presence. While she works, she directs me to bathe her puppy, Jenna, and subsequently put him to sleep. I perform the task meticulously, preparing a warm bath with gentle bubbles. Jenna appears to relish the experience, his eyes widening as I pour water over his fur, his legs kicking energetically with enthusiasm.
He enjoys the water; my wolf, Lizzy, smiles similarly to Archie.
A profound sorrow envelops my heart as I gaze upon the joyful puppy in my arms, perceiving in him the lost child from my past, prior to my role as Jadi’s mother.
He is currently with his father; Lizzy attempts to console me, but it is futile.
A permanent void will exist in my heart due to John Stonecold and Noel White.
My existence as a Stonecold wolf was far from ideal. Being deaf, I was frequently marginalised and ridiculed for my inability to communicate verbally or audibly. Although my parents never explicitly expressed it, I sensed their embarrassment regarding my condition, and Alpha Tristan (the former Alpha of Stonecold and father of Alpha John) would have readily discarded me were it not for my father’s status as the gamma’s younger sibling. I quickly realised that it was prudent to avoid the Alpha and remain inconspicuous.
However, Damon observed me, and he never ceased to observe me.
During my upbringing, the other pups neither comprehended me nor made any effort to do so. My peculiarities, characterised by gesticulating and producing unusual sounds while attempting to communicate, set me apart. However, as fate would have it, I encountered my mate in a sandbox. He enquired about my solitary play with the sand and my reluctance to engage in the games with the other pups, as well as my preference for using my hands over verbal communication.
Upon discovering my hearing impairment, Damon provided me with a notebook in which he inscribed his preferred activities for our shared enjoyment. Among our favoured pastimes were hide and seek, tag, and mancala. I instructed him in sign language, while he educated me on perceiving sounds through visual and tactile means. His father excelled as a pack hunter, and Damon imparted several techniques he had acquired to enhance my awareness, emphasising the importance of my olfactory and tactile senses.
I was disheartened on the day of my inaugural shift when I discovered that my wolf was as deaf as I was. I had clung to the hope that I could hear in her form, but the Moon Goddess did not bestow that power upon me.
“You are not ineffectual,” Damon stated as I reverted to my human form and wept. “You are merely distinct.”
Those succinct words alleviated my shattered heart, and I learnt to embrace my true self.
Damon’s 18th birthday will eternally be one of the most significant days of my life. He promptly designated me as his mate, marking me on that very day. Although I was merely 16, my parents were elated that I would not endure a life of solitude, as they had anticipated. With Alpha John’s consent, I was permitted to reside with Damon as his wife, despite not yet being a fully matured wolf. Neither Damon nor I were prepared to initiate a family, so we concentrated on establishing our home and becoming productive members of the pack. Damon followed in his father’s footsteps as a hunter, while I completed my education and worked as a custodian at the pack library.
At 19, I discovered my pregnancy, and Damon, embodying the pride of a wolf, was pleased to become a father. He diligently constructed the nursery, meticulously attending to every detail of our pup’s room and childproofing nearly every area of the house.
Notwithstanding the elation, I felt apprehensive about motherhood.
What if he is deaf as I am?I wept one night.
“Then we shall love him,” he responded while drying my tears. “And he will experience love unparalleled.”
He assuaged all my apprehensions with his affection and kisses, assuring me that my deafness was inconsequential. Our puppy arrived effortlessly, and he was the most exquisite boy I had ever beheld. Archie’s large blue eyes were framed by a pair of thick, long lashes reminiscent of his father’s, and he possessed my dirty blonde hair. No expression could encapsulate the elation I experienced when I cradled him in my arms for the first time.
Archie exhibited a positive response to aural stimuli such as bells and his father’s voice, confirming that he was not deaf.
