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."

wondered why my mother never left Sebastian, believing perhaps their bond was just too hard

come to understand the fear of someone hurting your child.I was hidden away partially for fear of

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

my mother’s strength to choose me over her pack

could not have been an easy

take the things that I need and

any of your money to help me raise him.You never treated him like a

see the anger seething in Sebastian’s brown eyes and he walks away, my mother turning back in the direction of the car, only

away, I hear the most blood curdling scream, a scream that both shatters my heart and fills my soul with

screams, but Sebastian only turns the other cheek and runs

projection, unable to understand howSebastian could abandon his

scream," I mumble, fighting back the angry tears that so desperately want to escape my

y-you for help...and

as I try

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

ounce of regret for what he did

"She was Wyatt’s responsibility,"

retorts in

me? You stand with the man who ordered her death.You are no better than me.You’re just a

to the surface, taking over control as I process my

bullets

in horror as his

"What- No! No!"

disobey the command but failing,

agony, blood pouring from the

"Areal Alpha doesn’t scream,"

seething with rage

weakness.Isn't that what you always

breaths ragged as he holds back his screams

a step

the man again, I get down on one

whisper in a calm rage

will be." I close my eyes, once again finding myself in

vile, but I stumbled upon one

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

"It can’t even speak."

presence of the old

pushing me behind her

that b***h of

to do it

make a realization.He feared his father...just like I feared him.He hides it well behind an emotionless face, storming over to my mother and

yelps as the sting burns across her face but she keeps

speak only if you are spoken to," Sebastian growls, turning to face his

for my wife's behavior." My grandfather only grunts in response, an

it

"Yes sir,"

another Alpha.I had

here," my grandfather's voice booms, my mother shaking her head

and yanks her away from me, hissing in her ear, "If you care about the boy, do not

my younger self tremble as I take

me opening my mouth

‘speak’ boy!" he snarls,

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

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

hands clawing at my arms and

"Father- Sir, please,"

on the floor, writhing

mother screams with me, begging Alpha Alexander to let me go and pleading

"I-I’ll fix him,"

says, getting

Sir.I’ll fix him.Just let the

suddenly stops screaming, passed

Alpha stares coldly at his kneeling

OFF YOUR KNEES, BOY!" my grandfather

never kneels,

his booming voice, and he turns to

time I see that boy," he says

The memory fades away into mist, morphing into a

her rocking chair, nursing me while little Jonathan plays

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

himself onto his feet and crawling over to his

taking Johnny

shoulder, my mother nodding haphazardly as she

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 older

the three 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

and the smell of gasoline

Sebastian looks around the truck, blood trickling from his nose and

cries in the back seat, little cuts

truck, snarling and growling at Sebastian, daring

his belt, quickly discovering that it is stuck

he shifts into his

himself out of his belt, breaking a window with his elbow

from his nose, he presents

mumbles, earning him

with your chest. None of this mumbling s**t," his father snarls,