The Silent Alpha

***Zane*** 

"Please marry me,"

Talia repeats, her eyes full of tears as she sets Kota down on the floor.

"W-what?" I ask, unsure if I just imagined her proposal.

She steps on the tips of her toes, cupping my cheeks in her warm, soft hands and repeating the most wonderful words to ever leave her lips.

"I love you," she murmurs, my heart pounding against my chest as I struggle to hold back my own tears.

"And I just realized that I’m going to wake up tomorrow...And you won’t be there," she shrugs with a sad smile on her face.

"And that scares me," she whimpers softly.

"Because I-I don’t ever want to wake up without you.I want your face to be the last face I see at night and the first one I see every morning...for the rest of my life." I can’t seem to gather my thoughts and for once, Grayson is as useless as I am.

"I used to be so afraid of your love," she whimpers.

"But now I fear living without it.Please marry me, Zane,"

Talia whispers, gently brushing her lips against mine as sparks tingle across my face.

"I want to be your wife."

No words seem sufficient enough to express the blissful joy I feel in my heart right now as my mate kisses me with all her heart, begging to be mine for the rest of our lives.

I grew up thinking the and now it seems surreal to have a mate love me enough to give me her broken heart.

Despite all her fears, Talia loves me and I love her with all of the light of my soul.

"Y-yes," I reply, wrapping my arms around her waist.

"Y-yes.I-I’ll marry y-you."

She smiles against my lips as I accept her over and over again, forgetting the horrible truth of our reality to share a single moment of true happiness with my mate.

She's going to be my wife! Thank Goddess! Grayson howls ecstatically.

I thought we were going to die alone at this rate! lignore my wolf’s commentary, lifting my beautiful mate in my arms as I deepen our kiss.

"Come back to me, Zane," Talia murmurs between kisses.

"You have to come back so I can be your wife." I nod emphatically as I set her down, taking her hand and kissing it.

"I-I promise.I-I promise I’ll come back to y-you and Kota." I cup her cheeks and shower her head with kisses, Kota hopping up and down with excitement.

"Ewww!" Kota squeals, a huge grin on his face as I kiss his mother.

"No more kisses," he shouts, running up to us with his hands in the air.

I bend over and pick him up, Kota placing his hand over my mouth to stop me from kissing him. Aren’t you forgetting something? Grayson says, his tail flicking side to side.

What? I ask, completely confused.

Must I do everything, he sighs tiredly.

A ring, you gump! You need a ring for our mate! Oh! Right! I gasp, realizing I don’t own anything that remotely resembles a ring.

I’ll have to improvise.Pushing his little hand aside, I whisper instructions in Kota’s ear, the little boy nodding obediently and running off to complete his task.

"Zane, we have to go," Tylen insists.

"We don’t have a lot of time-"

"I-l know," I interrupt him, lifting my hand to silence him.

"J-just give m-me one more minute, p-please."

Tylen eyes Talia and I, sighing tiredly to himself as he gives in.

Just then, Kota returns with the four bead bracelet he made for me a while back.

"Here you go, Daddy," Kota says, placing the bracelet in my hand.

I untie the string, removing the pink and blue beads from the bracelet and handing the blue one to Talia.

"K-Kota made this for m-me.It's our family," I explain, pointing to each bead.

piece of m-me and I-I’m holding

I-I promise to c-come back so w-we can put our

"I promise."

"Zane! Now!"

snaps when I kiss

sir," I nod, pecking Talia

love you Talia,"

"I love you."

on my heel, grabbing my bag and following Tylen towards the door when he

small growl leaves his lips and he turns around, storming towards Agnes who

a word and for what seems

Interesting...

me

but Grayson never gets the chance to answer me as Tylen suddenly removes his dog tag and places it

in and kisses her gently on

snaps, pushing past me and

all of us staring at Agnes

before I can ask questions, Tylen once again yells at me to move, the sound of his

kiss my pup and mate goodbye once more before running out of the "Ty-Tylen!"I call out after

"Ty-Tylen wait!"

shouts back without looking at me

have to move.Sebastian’s troops will mobilize soon and

"B-but Agnes-"

stopping in his tracks and

kissed her," I say

"And?"

huffs, walking

mate.Why

eyes widen

ask, completely blindsided

heard me," he

throat to demand a proper explanation, when Tylen

not an afterthought to me," he

I think

me,

hurt her.I just thought you

walks away again, greeting his father who

his son’s obvious hatred and gestures for me to step

have a change

Majesty "Why not just teleport

mutters, Aurora flicking her wrist and opening a portal to what appears to be

gift has its limitations,"

only teleport to places I have been and I do not know Ravenstone.The airport is as

greatly appreciate your help,

bows, gesturing for us

honor to be in your

accepts the compliment with a nod, Toran stepping into the portal

deep breath to calm my nerves

seats gathered around a table

sophisticated atmosphere and there is a fleet of flight attendants ready to make our trip as comfortable as

meeting, Toran pulling

Scarlett Haven are located

ocean but Ravenstone is very remote, positioned across five

of the pack lives

silo located on a fifth island and a series of underwater tunnels connect the islands

fortified bunker and is perfectly camouflaged on the island, buried nine stories underground with layers

island appears insignificant and uninhabited but it contains an impenetrable

has mobilized his soldiers on the eastern side of the island near the bluffs," Toran explains, using a laser

likely a distraction and he will have a smaller crew jump along these islands here," he

main dock on the western

they study the map

are greatly outnumbered,"

will have to utilize guerilla warfare if we want to

"Precisely,"

Torans smiles.

between the islands.We'll have teams stationed here, here and here, and

been training over the last few weeks but are still

he thinks for

and Tylen will lead a team on the bunker island and make sure Sebastain’s men don’t find the bunker entrance.Zane, due to your lack of war experience, you will follow all of

does your father understand?" Tylen asks, keeping his eyes

gift is,"