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."

I have wondered why my mother never left Sebastian, believing perhaps their bond was

Talia and our pup, I’ve come to understand the fear of someone hurting your child.I was hidden away

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

me as I recognize my

an easy decision to

the things that I need and

don’t expect any of your money to help me raise him.You never treated him like a son anyways, so

seething in Sebastian’s brown eyes and he walks away, my mother turning back in the direction of the car, only to be pulled into a conversation

long after, the attack begins and as the memory drifts away, I hear the most blood curdling scream, a scream that both

but Sebastian only turns the other cheek

projection, unable to understand howSebastian could abandon his mate when she called his

heard her scream," I mumble, fighting back the angry tears

y-you for help...and

trails off as I try to contain

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

ounce of regret for what he did to

"She was Wyatt’s responsibility,"

retorts in a

the man who ordered her death.You are

through to the surface, taking over control

bullets in

as his hands move involuntarily

"What- No! No!"

teeth, attempting to disobey the command but failing, his fingers plunging

agony, blood pouring

"Areal Alpha doesn’t scream,"

seething with rage

that what you always say to

he holds back his screams the further

taking a step back to let

I get down on one knee so that our

I whisper in

close my eyes, once again finding myself in the depths of my

and vile, but I stumbled upon one I have

an heir?" my grandfather, Alexander, snarls

"It can’t even speak."

old Alpha, his face contorted in

my mother snarls, pushing me

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

me to do

a twitch in his hand, and I make a realization.He feared his father...just like I feared

mother yelps as the sting burns across her face but

spoken to,"

my wife's behavior." My grandfather only grunts in response, an unamused look on his

sure it never

"Yes sir,"

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

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

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

younger self tremble as I take timid steps towards the Alpha towering

younger me

he snarls, tears springing to

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

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

my little hands

"Father- Sir, please,"

on the floor, writhing and kicking

me go and pleading with Sebastian to stop

"I-I’ll fix him,"

getting on his

him.Just

self suddenly stops screaming, passed out from all

elder Alpha stares coldly at his kneeling son,

OFF YOUR KNEES, BOY!"

never

walls rattle with his booming voice, and he turns

that

be fixed." The memory fades away

rocking chair, nursing me while little Jonathan

old cottage by the waterfall, away

onto his feet and crawling over to his

taking Johnny to the

over his shoulder, my mother

had long forgotten there was once a man under all his bitter hatred.I follow them

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

is completely shattered and the smell of gasoline lingers

confused, Sebastian looks around the truck, blood

seat, little cuts on his face

wolves circle the truck, snarling and

against his belt, quickly discovering that it is stuck and trapping him in his metal

he shifts into his human form, revealing

out of his belt, breaking a window with his elbow to crawl out

presents himself

Sebastian mumbles, earning him

of this mumbling s**t," his father snarls, Sebastian nodding and standing up