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-"

will ki-kill you if he finds ou-out you married T-Toran,"

hanging open in

y-your place.I-I don’t want him to

unable to remember her life

feel the slight tremor in her touch but she does not

her face in Kota’s hair and I sense the deep fear in her

"Ta-Talia..."

my hand another squeeze and

"It’s okay..."

doing her best to

and I are going to be okay, so you don’t have to worry about us," she says through

"We'll be fine."

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

you," she

back to me in one

but we do not get the chance to exchange them as Toran reminds

meet you at the cars in

his attack and we need to

softening as he

"Ri..."

entirely, turning on her heel to storm

in distress as my mothers slams the door behind her, and his thoughts

he thinks to himself before the man

hour," he mutters aloud before walking out with Tylen

Talia smoothing back his hair and kissing

Evan," he whispers as he lays his head on Talia’s shoulder and waves "Hey

ruffling

Talia," Queen Aurora

afraid Oliver and I will be leaving in a few hours

protect my family

with Alpha Jacque and Benoit,"

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

family?" I ask.we

Oliver explains.

traveling with us.Evan audibly groans but stops when Oliver gives him a stern look.My heart begins to beat a little faster and I question if I am making the

Kota, Rionna, and Agnes will

Aurora continues.

taking charge of the kingdom from the LLuvia Blanca Pack for the time being so they are in good hands," she smiles

shouldn’t be any

Talia tries to reassure

as I look," she says with a forced

wolves.We'll be

not fade away with her words but I also cannot let my

I'll

our hands and pulling

Grayson sulks, a part of

high as she walks me out

my walls to listen in on her thoughts, hearing her count each step she takes

keeping a strong smile on

at the dining table with Rionna, pouring a cup of

beside Rionna with an

seem to be caught in a conversation all on their own

Kota down on the bed while she searches

Kota asks as Talia

chirps with a little

socks from the dresser," she says, pointing to the dresser on

of my socks

ignores me, humming quietly to herself

I repeat, Talia’s eyes scanning the room

toothbrush and razor," Talia gasps,

with my toiletries and waves a bottle of sunscreen in my

forget to put this on.It’s hot

her face and tears

a sound as it becomes evidently clear Talia is just trying to cope.I can’t seem to find the right 4 words to soothe her fears, the uncertainty of this war

whisper quietly, Talia nodding her head and running back to the bathroom to

suddenly asks, climbing on the

is going on a little

returns with the jar of