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."

left Sebastian, believing perhaps their

our pup, I’ve come to understand the fear of someone hurting your child.I was hidden away partially for fear of me being hurt by

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

recognize my mother’s

have been an

that I need and nothing more," she adds

don’t worry, I don’t expect any of your money to help me raise him.You never treated him like

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

attack begins and as the memory drifts away, I hear the most blood curdling scream, a scream that both shatters my heart

but Sebastian only turns the other cheek and runs in the opposite direction, jumping on a Ravenstone wolf

the projection, unable to understand howSebastian could abandon

angry tears that so desperately want

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

voice trails off as I try

her.I could have lived a good life with just my mom somewhere far from all the

of

"She was Wyatt’s responsibility,"

in

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

surface, taking over control as I process my

the bullets in

his hands

"What- No! No!"

through gritted teeth, attempting to disobey the command but failing, his fingers plunging into the wounds to push

agony, blood pouring from

"Areal Alpha doesn’t scream,"

face seething with rage

Alpha never shows weakness.Isn't that what you

response, his breaths ragged as he holds back his

snarls, taking a step back to

get down on one

whisper in a calm rage through

will be." I close my eyes, once again

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

my grandfather, Alexander, snarls as

"It can’t even speak."

the presence of the old Alpha, his face

name," my mother snarls, pushing me behind her to shield me from my grandfather’s

of yours how to address

want me to do it for

a realization.He feared his father...just like I feared him.He hides it well behind

across her face but she keeps

if you are spoken to," Sebastian growls, turning

My grandfather only grunts in response,

sure it never happens

"Yes sir,"

see Sebastian cower before another Alpha.I had been too afraid my whole life to notice Sebastian

my grandfather's voice booms, my mother

me, hissing in her ear, "If you care about

younger self tremble as I take timid steps

snaps, younger me opening my mouth but

snarls,

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

face as the elder Alpha’s eyes glow

scream, my little hands

"Father- Sir, please,"

the floor, writhing and kicking from the agony burning

with me, begging Alpha Alexander to let me go and pleading with Sebastian

"I-I’ll fix him,"

says, getting on

promise, Sir.I’ll fix him.Just let the

screaming, passed out from

stares coldly at his kneeling son, disgusted by

OFF YOUR KNEES, BOY!" my

Alpha never

rattle with his booming voice, and he turns to leave

time I see that boy," he

be fixed." The memory fades away into

me while little Jonathan

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

pushing himself onto his feet and crawling over to his father

Johnny to the

over his shoulder, my mother nodding haphazardly as she

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 older brother play with a

the road and by the time Sebastian sees them, it's already too late.He swerves

and the smell of gasoline lingers in the

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

the back seat, little cuts on his

snarling and growling at Sebastian, daring him

discovering that it is stuck and

wolf snickers as he shifts

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

presents himself before his father with his head

him a slap from

s**t," his father snarls,