The Silent Alpha

***Zane*** 

"You have to get out here ," Tylen groans, attempting to put weight on his injured front paw but wincing in pain.

I turn back to the harbor, seeing many wolves trying to escape the poisonous gas dispersing across the docks in small green clouds.

Tylen can’t walk...and !won’t leave him.

"Shift. Pii Carry you," I urge him, Tylen opening his mouth to protest.

"Shift now!" I growl, Tylen’s wolf morphing into its injured human.

It’s only when I see Tylen’s mangled body that I realize the severity of his injuries.His shoulder is torn open while claw and bite marks litter his chest.He won't make it unless we get him help now! Grayson hisses.

"Get on my back and hold on tight.I’m getting you out of here," instruct Tylen, Grayson lowering himself so he can climb on easier.

Once he’s on our back, I follow the other escaping the harbor.

"Where to?" I ask.

"I’m only going to slow you down," Tylen grumbles.

"Where to? " I demand, Tylen letting out a frustrated groan.

"There’s a medical tent just beyond the pack house," Tylen says through gritted teeth.

"You can take me there.Grayson picks up the pace, Tylen tightening his grip on my neck to keep from falling off and muttering that he’s going to be sick under his breath.I swear to Moon Goddess, if you vomit on me, I’m throwing you off the cliffs, Grayson mutters as he jumps over stones, vines, and fallen tree trunks.

"f**k you," Tylen moans.

As we arrive at the medical tents, I shift, throwing Tylen over my shoulders like a sack of potatoes much to his annoyance and running towards the guards standing outside the tents.

They let us through without a second thought.

Inside, we see c*****e everywhere, men and women alike lying in cots with wounds all over their bodies.

Medics run to and fro with supplies, stitching up silver wounds and injecting serums into the injured soldiers who begin to scream and cry for mercy.I find an empty cot and toss Tylen on it, several medics rushing to help the Alpha’s son.

A medic injects a black and golden fluid into Tylen and he does his best to hold back his screams of pain, his face flushing red while the veins on his neck and temples bulge furiously.

"The serum counteracts the effects of silver and wolfsbane," Toran explains, the Alpha’s voice startling me as I turn around to find him standing behind me.

"After years of war and research, we realized the answer to our silver problem was quite simple.Silver slows down our healing, but gold speeds it back up."

Tylen lets out a strained scream, Toran frowning in response.

"Unfortunately, we have yet to figure out how to reduce the pain."

Tylen continues to writhe in agony, making it difficult for the medics to stitch up his wounds.

Toran taps on my shoulder and gestures for me to help him hold down Tylen’s legs so the medics can stitch up the gashes on his torso and arm.

When Tylen does not appear to calm down, Toran takes his son’s hand, wrapping his fingers around Tylen’s thumb in a tight embrace and leaning in close to his face.

"You can do this, Ty," Toran whispers.

"Remember, pain just means you’re not dead.You're not dead, do you hear me? You’re not dead which means you’ve won your battle.You get another chance so don’t spoil it.You’re not dead.You have a chance.It hurts.I know it hurts, but you are not dead!"

For the first time since the battle began, the stone wall around the two alphas begins to crumble, revealing a bond between them I had never known before Kota, the bond between a father and his son.

"Aunty’s dead," Tylen whimpers through his cries of pain.

"I know," Toran soothes.

"But she’s with Toby now.He took her home."

I watch in envy as Toran calms his son, talking him through his pain until the serum begins to take effect.

Even when at odds with his son and in front of a crowd of war-hardened veterans, Toran chooses to be a father first and an Alpha second.

Anger and pain fills my heart as I realize I never truly had a father, just a dark figure casting his shadow of misery over my existence.

hurt?" Toran asks, his

up at me, his eyes scanning

he

there is a calmness in his voice.I

some shorts and turns back to his son,

him, Tylen shaking his head in refusal despite his

fight," he argues, attempting to climb out of the cot and

just need to catch my

said you’re

sitting back on

completed your task.You kept Zane alive and made sure no one made it through

"Am I being punished?"

Tylen suddenly retorts.

and now you don’t need

to lose you too! Don’t you understand?" Toran

lost mine and now I’ve lost the only other woman I’ve ever loved because I lied to her.I LIED and she hates me.Look around you, son.What do you see?" he

and my mistakes.Learn when to walk away from a fight.Learn to be

father who cares if you live or

there is your problem," Tylen

she doesn’t love you, but because you took her choice away and you’ve done

They're divorcing? 

further,"Toran says,

"Fine," Tylen scoffs.

put either.I’m not a

like

when you are fully healed, you may offer your help again and I will gladly accept it. But

Toran gestures

"Follow me."

what to expect from the Alpha but I follow him out to another tent

the tent sits a large table with a map spread out and several men gathered around it,

Zane White, the son

snarls, his eyes narrowing

going to say the son of your Luna, Silas," Toran replies calmly, though

that may come in handy and

indeed survive the night of our attack, but

asks, his gray eyes studying me

he is a skilled soldier by

you did kill his mother, even if she revived herself

can assure you, he wants nothing to do

know about the Scarlett mutts?" The men glance at me, and

smile spreads across Toran’s face and I realize the

my walls, I listen in, Toran carefully waiting for me to react to the

before a Scarlett mutt,

Grayson

to my face," Grayson sneers through

me a good reason not to show you what this Scarlett mutt

men all stare at me in shock, Silas’ face flushed with embarrassment and anger that I

set of skills, skills that can be useful to us if you set aside your

a valuable resource," he adds, circling the

same mistake.And remember, gentlemen, I never bring in strangers without

his face suddenly vanishes, the room feeling colder without

don’t ever

the men reply, their eyes watching me

the report.What are we looking

demands, growing noticeably

goes in and out of the main island.Our scouts on the west inform us that the channel is blocked by debris so the women and children are

Scarlett Haven’s

the perimeter of the Harbor, making

the map of the harbor, attempting

man-made bay with several docks parallel to each other on either side of the bay.It is the only place boats can access the island safely

he plans to cut off our supplies...I observe, noting that the harbor is down hill.But this

if we can lure Sebastian out of hiding

appears Toran shares