The Silent Alpha

*** Trigger Warning: Physical and emotional child-abuse ahead*** 

***Zanet**

 It feels strange to see the man I've feared for so long kneel before me, trembling like all the times I stood before him while I recited my poems.

But even as he bleeds, even as he sits at my mercy, I still see the look of disgust flicker in his eyes when I speak to him for the first time in almost 20 years.

"H-Hello, father," I snarl, my fists clenching at my sides as I fight to contain my anger.

How can he hate his own son so much!? Around me, the Scarlett Haven wolves gawk at me, unable to believe I just called their Alpha, ‘father’.

"You’re....You’re no son of mine,"

Sebastian pants, his brown eyes turning blue as the wolf within takes over.

"You’re nothing more than a weak, pathetic-" I swing my arm back, punching him in the jaw and nearly knocking him flat on his back before he can finish his sentence.

"E-Enough!" I growl, my father’s mouth clamping shut while his eyes widen in shock that my commands work on him.

"T-that’s enough! Y-you think y-you’re so strong and so t-tough? W-well look at y-you now, father! Wh-what good is y-your strength now?"

"How dare you speak to me that way!"

Sebastian roars.

"y-you have silenced m-me all of my life.Y-you do not get to silence m-me before my own p-pack!"

"Your pack?" He scoffs.

The Ravenstone wolves growl at his disrespect, proving that they are now loyal to me.

"My p-pack," I repeat.

"De-despite how little y-you think of me, not only did I-I find a p-pack that accepts m-me as I-I am, but I-I also managed to ou-outlive m-my replacement."

Sebastian laughs and opens his mouth to speak only to be silenced by a slap to the face as Grayson takes over.

"Did I say you could speak?"

Grayson roars, Sebastian’s eyes widening in shock at Grayson’s confidence.

A cold amused smile curls on Sebastain’s lips.

"Pack?" he laughs.

"The man who stands beside you killed your mother and your brother and yet you proudly show your loyalty to him," my father scoffs.

"H-he didn’t k-kill Jonathan-"

That's when I see it, the flicker of fear in his eyes when I mention my dead brother.He's hiding something...Lowering my walls, I allow the river of thoughts to flow between us.He can’t know about Jonathan.

There’s no possible way he would know! I hear him say to his wolf.

"W-what don’t I know?" I ask, my father stiffening with surprise that I know what he’s thinking.

"What?" he asks, bemused by my question.

"I -I said, 'W-What don’t I-I know about Jonathan?"

I repeat, this time taking a menacing step forward.My father tries to crawl back but winces when he tries to move his legs.

"W-What don’t I-I know about Jonathan?" I snarl, dread settling in the pit of my stomach.

My father stares back defiantly at me, refusing to speak so I take matters into my own hands.

Closing my eyes, I listen in to his subconscious, following the voices in his memories.

A coldness envelops me in the darkness before a bright light blinds me for a moment.

Like a movie projection, Sebastian’s memories begin to unfold on the dock in front of him for all to see.

Scarlett Haven and Ravenstone wolves alike fall silent to watch, allowing me to focus on the many rivers of thought trying to drown me.

In the first memory I find, all I see is Sebastian sitting at his desk, staring at a hairbrush in his hand.He does not use it, just carefully caresses it for a few moments before stuffing it into a drawer and returning to his work.

For a moment, he almost looks human...until he carefully hides all his pain behind a mask of stone.I dig a little deeper, unlocking another memory where my father berates Wyatt for questioning him.

"Zane will not take the title because he doesn't have what it takes to look his opponent in the eye and lead his soldiers in war," he snarls.

"He will always be weak...He’s useless...I showed mercy to him as a favor for Elenore.He was her son, but he was never mine."

Despite the venom in his voice as he says those things, I feel a smile curl on my face and a sense of relief wash over me as I realize something amazing.

His words no longer hurt me and I am now free of the chains that bound me to him.We are not family, just two strangers at war.

I continue scouring his memories, stumbling upon memory after memory of him ignoring the cruelty of his own pack against Agnes and I.I travel back many years until I find myself seeing the night of my mother’s death through his own eyes.I stand back and watch my mother leave the car to grab a snack for me, trailing behind Sebastian as they enter the King’s party.

Together they greet guests and slowly make their way towards the snack bar, smiling and laughing like the perfect couple.

To an outsider, they look like your average, happily married Alpha and Luna, but on the inside, I know my mother was screaming.

"’I’m leaving you," my mother murmurs as she grabs a plate of food for me.

"And I’m taking my baby with me."

Sebastian, believing perhaps

come to understand the fear of someone hurting your

I would be hurt without Scarlett Haven’s protection...just like

sense of pride washes over me as I recognize my mother’s strength to choose me

an

that I need

money to help me

back in the direction of the car, only to be pulled into a conversation with

most blood curdling scream, a scream that both

me! Help me!" my mother screams, but Sebastian only turns the other cheek and runs in the opposite direction,

understand howSebastian could abandon

heard her scream," I mumble, fighting back the angry tears that so desperately want to

mind-linked y-you for help...and y-you

I

years of suffering without my mother...could have ended had Sebastian only protected his mate like he promised to the day he married her.I could have lived a good life with just my mom somewhere far from all the wars and abuse.I could have learned to be

not an ounce of regret

"She was Wyatt’s responsibility,"

retorts in a low

man who ordered her death.You are no better than me.You’re just

to the surface, taking over control as I process my

bullets in

horror as his hands

"What- No! No!"

to disobey the command but failing, his fingers plunging into the wounds to

with strained agony,

"Areal Alpha doesn’t scream,"

Sebastian’s face seething

never shows weakness.Isn't that what you always say

ragged as he holds back his screams the further he pushes in

snarls, taking a step back

man again, I get down on

like y-you," I whisper in a calm rage

eyes, once again finding myself in the depths of my

are cruel and vile, but I stumbled upon one I have no memory of

call this an heir?" my grandfather, Alexander, snarls as he looks down at

"It can’t even speak."

me trembles in the presence of the old Alpha, his face

me behind her to shield me from

to teach that b***h of yours how to address

me to

father...just like

face but she keeps her body in

spoken to," Sebastian growls, turning

wife's behavior." My grandfather only grunts in

it never happens

"Yes sir,"

refreshing to see Sebastian cower before another Alpha.I had been too afraid

my grandfather's voice booms,

My father grabs my mother’s wrist and yanks her away from me, hissing in her ear, "If you care about the boy, do not question

as I take timid steps towards

my grandfather snaps, younger me opening my

said ‘speak’ boy!" he snarls, tears springing to my

"He-hello, gran-gran-grandpa-"

as the elder Alpha’s eyes glow turquoise, the look on his face

little hands clawing at

"Father- Sir, please,"

on the floor, writhing and kicking from

begging Alpha Alexander to let me go and

"I-I’ll fix him,"

says, getting on

fix him.Just

stops screaming, passed out from

elder Alpha stares coldly at his

OFF YOUR KNEES, BOY!"

never

his booming voice, and

time I see that boy,"

better be fixed." The memory fades away into mist, morphing

chair, nursing me while little Jonathan plays with a crinkly

around, I realize we are in the old cottage by the waterfall, away from

onto his feet and crawling over to his father to greet

Johnny to

my mother nodding haphazardly

to his truck, strapping him into the back seat, excitement dancing in his youthful face.I had long forgotten there was once a man under all his bitter hatred.I follow them on their drive, watching my

wolves standing in the middle of the road and by the time Sebastian sees them, it's already too late.He swerves off the road and into a ditch, the truck flipping over a few times

completely shattered and the smell

Sebastian looks around the truck,

cries in the back seat, little cuts on his face as

and growling

quickly discovering that it is stuck and trapping him in his

Sebastian," the silver wolf snickers as he shifts into his

and claws himself out of his belt, breaking a window with his elbow to

he presents himself before his father

Sebastian mumbles, earning him

None of this mumbling s**t," his father snarls,