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.

of m-me and I-I’m holding a piece

a ring for y-you yet but I-I promise to c-come back so w-we

"I promise."

"Zane! Now!"

kiss Talia

sir," I nod, pecking Talia on

love you

"I love you."

my heel, grabbing my bag and following Tylen towards the door when he suddenly halts, his jaw clenching as he places his hand on

and he turns around, storming towards Agnes who stares at

them signs a word and for what seems like an

Interesting...

himself, leaving me

never gets the chance to answer me as Tylen suddenly removes his dog tag

Tylen leans in and kisses her gently on the cheek

pushing past me and opening the

place, all of us staring

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

more before

"Ty-Tylen wait!"

back without looking at me as I catch

move.Sebastian’s troops will mobilize soon and we

"B-but Agnes-"

in

kissed her,"

"And?"

walking

your mate.Why can’t

eyes widen

ask, completely blindsided by

heard me,"

does not satisfy me and I clear my throat to demand

an afterthought

all I

me,

hurt her.I just thought you

his father who is busy speaking with the young Queen with a

pretends to not notice his son’s obvious

have a change of plans," Toran

not just

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

gift has its

I have been and I do not know Ravenstone.The airport is as far as

greatly appreciate your help,

us to step through

been an honor to be

a nod, Toran stepping into the portal with

I follow after him and I take a deep breath to calm my nerves as we

small office, with luxurious leather seats gathered around a table

cabin to create a sophisticated atmosphere and there is a fleet of flight attendants

pulling

and Scarlett Haven are located along the Samish

ocean but Ravenstone is very remote,

where most of the pack lives and

silo located on a fifth island and a series

a fortified bunker and is perfectly camouflaged on the island, buried nine stories

insignificant and uninhabited but it contains an impenetrable fortress my father can’t seem

of the island near the bluffs,"

have a smaller crew jump along these islands here," he adds, pointing to a

he reaches our main dock on the

they study the map intently in search for

greatly outnumbered," Tylen

utilize guerilla warfare

"Precisely,"

Torans smiles.

islands.We'll have teams stationed here, here and here, and the rest will remain scattered Toran stops mid

last few weeks but are still figuring out your gift?" he asks, though

and he thinks for 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

much of your gift does your father understand?" Tylen

doesn’t kn-know what m-my gift is,"