The Silent Alpha

***Zane*** 

My chest burns as we rush through the woods, the toxins inhaled before putting on my mask scorching my lungs.

"Come on, Zane, we gotta move fast.The training grounds are just down there for us to resupply," Tylen instructs, leading the way through the thick forest.

I follow him silently, my mind drifting off to Taryn. It was so close! So close.

I just needed to reach a little more and she would have been safe! We reach the training grounds, Tylen raiding the weaponry cabinets for supplies, not once mentioning what just happened and carrying on like his aunt didn’t just fall to her death.

How can he be so cold? He hands me a new rifle and its accompanying bullets, snapping his fingers at my face when I don’t immediately grab them.

"Hey, snap out of it," he barks.

"I need you here. I don’t have time to babysit you or your feelings."

"S-she’s dead..."

I murmur, the image of her last soft smile flashing in my mind.

"D-doesn’t that bother y-you? "Of course it does,"

Tylen snaps with indignation.

"But we don’t have time to mourn right now.All we can do is honor her sacrifice and make it out of this war alive.That is what she would have wanted.That is what I plan to do," he adds, loading up his rifle.

"This is war, Zane.It does not care about your feelings.It does not care if your heart or your body hurts.It does not care for your conscience, it wants blood.It brings death and destruction.There will come a time where you will have to make an ugly decision and you have to remember: there are no good and bad guys here, there’s just them and us and the sooner you make peace with that, the easier it will be to handle."

He takes my rifle and inspects it to make sure I’ve loaded it right.

"Let’s go."

His stonecold face tells me he’s repeated these very words to himself over and over again throughout the years to get through each day and it worries me to think I might ever become like him.

Tylen takes me to the edge of the island and instructs me to lay flat on my stomach among the brush to camouflage.

Through binoculars, we scope out the Scarlett Haven boats as they enter the channel.

"The Eastern part of the main island is stable, but the west is f****d," Tylen mutters to himself.

"Those Scarlett mutts have managed to take control of the harbor and it won’t be long before they make it into the inner circle of the islands and onto the bunker island.I’ve called for some of the reserved troops from the two northern islands to mobilize, but most will be going to the main island and the few that are coming here will take some time to get here, sol need you to focus.We need a plan to block off the mouth of the channel so that the Scarlett mutts don’t touch the bunker.Any more brilliant ideas?" He asks, turning to me.

I’m surprised he’s asking me, but I focus on my task at hand and scan the waters.With the fog clearing away, it is much easier to see the tactical movements of the Scarlett Haven wolves.They appear to be moving in groups of two, maneuvering at a snail’s pace in single file through the channel.

To my relief, they barely move a few feet at a time in the untouched waters where mines of gas canisters are still hidden.From the cliffs above, Scarlett Haven troops monitor for any attacks coming from our island.

"W-what exactly is y-your gift?" I ask, my brain trying to come up with a plan.

"Molecular combustion," Tylen shrugs.

"I can turn any object into a bomb."

Why is he only mentioning this now? Grayson mutters.

"The issue is I have a limit.Charging the bombs is energetically draining.The bigger the object, the more energy it takes for me to convert it," he explains.

"The silver beads my father gave me were a solution to that problem.They are small enough to not require a lot of energy but still pack a punch when used," Tylen adds.

"I still have some energy left but I’m all out of beads." He turns back to the water.

"Your gift is...what exactly? I thought you were a telepath."

"M-mind manipulation. Th-that’s my gift," I reply.

"I-l.can see y-your thoughts and memories and show them to p-people and I-I can control minds-"

"So Professor X but on a smaller scale?" he asks, rolling his eyes when I stare blankly at him.

"Please tell me you know Professor X?"

He barely knows how to masturbate, Grayson laughs.He's basically an oversized toddler.

Ignoring my wolf, I try to focus on the idea formulating in my head.

Scanning the cliff face and the wolves just above and below, I notice a weak spot on the cliff caused by erosion and my plan begins to materialize.

"Is it me or are they not moving?"

Tylen suddenly blurts out, nudging me to look through my scope.He's right.They’re not moving...Grayson observes.

They must be waiting for something...

Knowing time is not on our side, I try to focus on my idea.

"H-how many b-big explosions do y-you think y-you can make?" I ask, Tylen calculating in his head.

or 7 but I would be

myself, suddenly very nervous

what if we.. w-what

now is not the time to be shy,"

you have an

pack, Graysonsnarls. I set

Stop talking.

I snap, trying

always tells me to

a deep breath, my plan finally

we make a slingshot?" I ask,

his condescending look,

for that we-weak spot on

movement to wipe out both the boats and

that might actually

a-at the training grounds," I

I'll find the rocks," Tylen

of the forest with the clearest view of the

trees as our base for the slingshot, I tie the end

the top and bottom of the stone and pulls back as far as

point, using the scope of my rifle to visualize

"Go left."

the stone, my breath hitching as I watch

rises with the explosion, bullets flying

take cover behind the trees, counting to

Tylen and I load another rock, Tylen charging it up before releasing it.We do this

s**t, it’s working," Tylen hisses as we take cover behind

way.They’ve cleared the east and sent soldiers to the west.We just need to

of finishing the job, when we suddenly hear the hum

under his breath,

taking the charged stone from his hand and

"What are you doing?"

reply, my eyes searching the

to find the plane, I listen for it and release the stone, counting the

5...

4...

3...

2...

sky followed by flares of red

smoke, we see the plane fly out of

crumble into the ocean, several of

their screams as a number of canisters burst open and bullets from the remaining machine guns fire into

did it,"

time to celebrate our victory as Tylen receives

coming in from the harbor and they need us," He mutters, staggering slightly on his

I ask, getting up to keep him from

he pants, taking

he takes a step forward,

just need a second to catch my

and wrapping my arm around his waist when

f**k, f**k, f**k," he winces as I walk him to a tree and prop him up

find a bullet wound on his

s**t, when did that happen?"

clean shot," I reply, searching my utility

himself off the tree trunk into

"We gotta go."

mutter, pushing him back against the

replies, taking a few deep breaths to

"Now let’s go."

reveal m-myself?" I retort as we sprint down the slope of the forest towards

with an actual fleet of soldiers," he mumbles, gesturing for me to help him remove the

like we'll

to face with my old pack terrifying

proving my father right? I spent years silently watching what they did to you knowing you would one day prove them all wrong, —

time has come to show them all

only for yourself, but for

you a lesson and then when Agnes came into your life, he

an Alpha, but

Alpha is.I breathe in slowly as we approach the

should shift," Tylen

there." We slow down, Tylen grimacing as he

he sighs, unbuckling his

finish undressing and I hand

it’s showtime, Grayson chuckles.

Please stop, I groan.

wolf and I make our way to the mouth of the tunnel, Tylen taking

forward, indicating it's safe for