The Silent Alpha

"*Zane*** 

"Are you fighting with me or staying out of this war?" Toran asks, a crippling fear grasping onto me.

My gaze shifts between my mate and mother, my heart unable to decide what to do.

I can’t bear the thought of leaving Talia and Kota alone knowing that her wolf will soon emerge for its first shift but I had already lost my mother once and I don’t have the strength to lose her again.

As I struggle to find my answer, Rionna replies for me.

"You will not drag my son into this," she declares, standing protectively in front of me.

"I am Ravenstone’s Luna and it’s me Sebastian wants.I’ll go back.You just leave my son out of this."

Toran eyes my mother with an emotionless expression plastered on his face and he sighs tiredly as he formulates a response.

My mind, however, drifts off to the memories of my mother and father when I was a child.

My father aimed most of his anger towards me but my mother was never exempt from his abuse.

He would not hesitate to slap or hit her if she stood in the way of my punishment and she always did.

"Why did you stop?"

My father snarls, slowly unbuckling his belt from his waist.He rises to his feet, towering over me as I hold my book with trembling hands.

"I didn’t say you could stop." I stare at the word "colonel" from the poem I am reading, tears springing to my eyes as I realize I will inevitably stutter through it. I purse my lips and shake my head, preferring to take my punishment now rather than anger him more with my failure.

"Say it," my father commands as I hold my breath, close my eyes, and start to count.

1...2...3...4...

I hear his swift footsteps start to charge towards me, the sting of his belt rippling behind my thigh.

At once, the breath I’ve been holding is released with a scream as I receive a second lick to the back of my knees.

"Dadd-"

"I told you to speak!"

My father roars, raising his hand above his head to hit me again.

"Sebastian, stop it!"

My mother begs, tugging at his shirt in a weak attempt to get him to stop whipping me.

"Stop it! Stop it, don’t hurt my baby!"

She beats her fists against his shoulders to make him stop and he shoves her away from him absent-mindedly to hit me again.

When she doesn’t stop attacking him, he turns against her, pinning her to the ground with his large thighs and grabbing at her belt, my mother begging for him to let her go.

She calls to his wolf but it seems my father is in complete control, beating her over and over again until he draws blood.

Horrified, I pick up the book again and search for my place through my tears.

"Col-co- colo-" I stammer through hiccups as my father snarls at me.

"Say it right and I'll stop," he challenges me, my legs shaking so severely, I have to kneel to keep from falling over.

"I-It’s okay, Zane," my mother wheezes.

"You can-"

"Shut up!"

My father roars, grabbing my mother by the throat before turning to me.

"You better speak up, boy or I’ll hurt her.It was the longest day of my life that day, my mother taking the blows without ever getting angry with me.Even as I failed over and over again, she did not scream at me, nor did she ever blame me for her hospital visit that day.I cannot let my mother face that monster again.

"N-no..." I protest, shaking my head at my mother and pushing her aside.

"N-no...y-you can’t go."

"Zane, it’s my pack-"

finds ou-out you married T-Toran," I

can’t hanging open

don’t want

holds her head in her hands, cursing herself for being unable to remember her life with my father.It does not matter to me, however.I remember...and I do not want my father to

I feel the slight tremor in her touch but she does not utter a word as I beg to take my mother’s place in this

Kota’s hair and I sense the deep

"Ta-Talia..."

another squeeze and shakes her

"It’s okay..."

her best to remain calm in

to be okay, so you don’t have to worry about us," she says through a forced

"We'll be fine."

and looks me in the eye, leaning forward to kiss my

you," she

come back to

the chance to exchange them as Toran reminds us of the

the cars in one

need

face falters slightly, softening as he looks up at

"Ri..."

turning on her

my mothers slams the door

my love," he thinks to himself before the man of

hour," he mutters aloud before walking out with Tylen at

back his hair and

he lays his head on Talia’s

grins, ruffling up

Queen Aurora

few hours as well." My heart sinks to the pit of

my family

to France to deal with Alpha Jacque

a representative.But don’t worry.I’ll try to be back as soon as

family?"

Oliver explains.

groans but stops when Oliver gives him a stern look.My heart begins to beat a little faster and I

Kota, Rionna,

Aurora continues.

for the

shouldn’t be any

Talia tries to

as weak as I look,"

by wolves.We'll be perfectly

words but I also cannot let my mother face my father now that she has

on, I'll help you

interlocking our hands and pulling me

get rid of us, Grayson sulks, a part of him wishing Talia would get on her knees and

her head held high as she walks me out of the office, her

thoughts, hearing her count each step

keeping a strong smile

dining table with Rionna, pouring a cup of

is also there, standing just beside

three of them seem to be caught in a conversation all on their own so we walk past them up the stairs to

searches for my bag and

I help?" Kota asks as Talia folds some t-shirts and

chirps with a little

from the dresser," she says, pointing to the dresser on the far side of

of my socks which she carefully folds and stuffs into my

me, humming quietly to herself as

repeat, Talia’s eyes scanning

need your toothbrush and razor," Talia gasps, rushing off to the

returns a few moments later with my toiletries and waves a bottle of

this on.It’s hot and you’re

look washes over her face and tears gather in her

seem to find the

I whisper quietly, Talia nodding her head

are you going?" Kota suddenly asks, climbing on the bed to play with

on

for me as she returns with the