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."

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

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

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

I recognize my mother’s strength

could not have been an

that I need

worry, I don’t expect any of your money to help me

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

away, I hear the most blood curdling scream, a scream that both

the other cheek and runs in the opposite direction, jumping on a Ravenstone wolf and tearing

stop the projection, unable to understand howSebastian could abandon his

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

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

voice trails off as I try to contain my

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 happy

ounce of

"She was Wyatt’s responsibility,"

retorts in

you to judge me? You stand with the man who ordered her

surface, taking over control as I

bullets

Sebastian watching in horror as his hands move involuntarily towards his

"What- No! No!"

the command but failing, his fingers

he growls with strained agony, blood

"Areal Alpha doesn’t scream,"

Sebastian’s face seething with rage

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

breaths ragged as he holds back his

taking a step back to let me regain

down on one knee so

am nothing like y-you," I whisper in a calm rage through

eyes, once again finding myself in the depths of

cruel and vile, but I stumbled upon one I

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

"It can’t even speak."

the old

pushing me behind her to shield me from my grandfather’s

would do well to teach that b***h of yours how to address an Alpha,"

to do

Sebastian’s eyes and a twitch in his hand, and I make a realization.He feared his father...just like I feared him.He hides it well behind an emotionless face,

sting burns across her face but she keeps her body in

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

behavior." My grandfather only grunts in response,

sure it

"Yes sir,"

before another Alpha.I had been too afraid my whole life

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

said come here." My father grabs my mother’s wrist and yanks her away from me, hissing in her

tremble as I take timid steps towards the

my grandfather snaps, younger me opening my mouth but

snarls, tears springing to my

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

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

suddenly begins to scream, my little hands clawing at my arms and begging

"Father- Sir, please,"

as I collapse on the floor, writhing and kicking from the agony burning across

Alpha Alexander to let me go and pleading with Sebastian to stop

"I-I’ll fix him,"

getting on his

him.Just let

suddenly stops screaming,

Alpha stares coldly at his kneeling son, disgusted

YOUR KNEES, BOY!" my

never

voice, and he turns to leave

see that boy," he says

away into mist, morphing into a new

nursing me while little Jonathan plays with a crinkly foil blanket on the

around, I realize we are in the old cottage by

pushing himself onto his feet and crawling over to his father to greet

taking Johnny to

my mother

had long forgotten there was once a man under all his bitter hatred.I follow them on their drive, watching my older brother play with a rattle in his hand

it's already too late.He swerves off the road and into a ditch, the truck flipping over a few times before coming to a halt

windshield is completely shattered and the

confused, Sebastian looks around the truck,

the back seat, little cuts on his

truck, snarling and

that it is stuck and trapping him in his metal

wolf snickers as he shifts into his human form,

at the sound of his father’s voice and claws himself out of his

from his nose, he presents himself before his father with

earning him a slap from his

s**t," his father snarls, Sebastian nodding and standing