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 their bond was just too

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

my mother feared I would be

over me as I recognize my mother’s strength to choose me over

an

that I need and nothing

don’t expect any of your money to help me raise him.You

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

most blood curdling scream, a scream that both

help me! Help me!" my mother screams, but Sebastian only turns the other cheek and runs in the opposite direction, jumping on a Ravenstone wolf

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

the angry tears that

y-you for help...and y-you left

off as I

he promised to the day he married her.I could have lived a good life with just my mom somewhere far

of

"She was Wyatt’s responsibility,"

retorts in

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

taking over control as I

bullets in

watching in horror as his hands move

"What- No! No!"

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

agony, blood pouring from the open

"Areal Alpha doesn’t scream,"

face seething with rage and

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

ragged as he holds

step back

the man again, I get down on one

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

eyes, once again finding myself in the depths of my father's

and vile, but I stumbled upon one I

call this an heir?" my grandfather, Alexander, snarls

"It can’t even speak."

trembles in the presence of the old Alpha, his

a name," my mother snarls, pushing me behind her to

of yours

to do it for

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

mother yelps as the sting burns across her face but she keeps her body in

spoken to," Sebastian

apologize for my wife's behavior." My grandfather only grunts

it never happens

"Yes sir,"

before another Alpha.I had been too

booms, my mother shaking her head

mother’s wrist and yanks her away from me, hissing in her ear, "If

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

snaps, younger me opening my mouth but saying

snarls, tears springing

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

eyes glow turquoise, the look

to scream, my little hands clawing

"Father- Sir, please,"

writhing and kicking from the agony burning

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

"I-I’ll fix him,"

says, getting on

promise, Sir.I’ll fix him.Just let

younger self suddenly stops screaming,

Alpha stares coldly at his kneeling son, disgusted by his

YOUR KNEES, BOY!" my grandfather

Alpha never

booming voice, and he turns

see that boy,"

better be fixed." The memory fades away into

me while little Jonathan plays with a crinkly foil

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

himself onto his feet and crawling over to his father to

taking Johnny

over his shoulder, my mother

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 rattle in his

by his son, Sebastian doesn’t notice 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

the smell of

confused, Sebastian looks around the truck, blood trickling from

seat, little cuts on his

wolves circle the truck, snarling and growling at Sebastian, daring

belt, quickly discovering that it is stuck and trapping

wolf snickers as he shifts into his human form,

claws himself out of his belt,

he presents

earning him a slap

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