The Silent Alpha

***Zane *** 

"What is your name?" my father's voice booms, my shirt balled up in his fist as he holds me up against the wall.

I swallow the sob caught in my throat and blink away my tears as I try to concentrate on my words.

"Z-Z-Za-"

Before! can finish my attempt, my father's fist races towards my face, the blow connecting just below my jaw, sending a surge of pain to jolt my small body.I taste the blood instantly, the metallic lavor all too familiar against my tongue.

"Sebastian, please!" my mother cries pathetically, grabbing at my father's bicep to pull me free from his grip.

"Try again!" my father growls, slamming me against the wall.

Fear bubbles in the pit of my stomach as I stare at my father's cold eyes looking back at me with so much hatred, so much shame at having me for a son.

My mouth suddenly feels extremely dry as it hangs open.I could feel my name at the back of my throat but try as ! might, Isimply could not utter a single coherent sound.

At 6 years old, my stutter was no longer a cute little phase but a problem.

No matter how hard I concentrate, no matter how hard I try, I find stringing together a single sentence a daunting task, something pronounce my own name even to the maids.

lt was not a hard name either, Zane White.

Simple, or at least it should be.

To fix this problem, my father, the Silver wolf Alpha of the Scarlet Haven Pack, had the best speech therapists flown in, but none were successful in curing my defect.

I was incurable and in my father's eyes, this fact was unacceptable.

It had yet to be presented to the pack as the next Alpha and so far only two maids, the beta and my mother's Gamma knew what I looked like.

I was the hidden Heir of Scarlet Haven, locked away within the Pack mansion.

The one no one had ever seen before and for good reason too.

My father had a lot of enemies.

His first son, Jonathan, had been killed by our silver wolf rivals, the Ravenstone Clan just a few days shy of his first birthday and my father feared someone would try to kill me before I could take the title.

My incurable stutter only added to his need to hide me; for how could the next Alpha of one of the most prestigious Silver Wolf Packs on the West Coast have a stutter? Having given up on the professional therapist, my father took matters into his own hands, literally.

And that’s where I currently find myself now, in his hands and at his mercy.

Mom tries to help me, but she is too weak to stop the furious Alpha from taking out his frustrations on my face.

close my eyes and concentrate on my name dancing on the tip of my tongue.

I try to make a sound but the fear of my father’s fist makes my throat run dry.

Rather than my name coming out, a small squeak escapes my lips.

infuriated, my father's brown eyes begin to glow blue as his wolf makes his presence known.

His piercing eyes look at me with disgust and I suddenly fall to the ground as the Alpha tums on his heel.

"He's not even worth my time," the Alpha snarls over his shoulder.

He tums to my mother.

"Pick up your son and keep him quiet during the party.Make sure he doesn't embarrass me any further."

He slams the door on his way out and the sob I had been holding in finally breaks free.

My mother gently picks me up, cradling my head as she whispers soothing words to me.

"It's okay, Zane," she coos, "I know you're trying..."

"I-l'ms-s-orry,"I hiccup.

"H-he ha-tes me!"

"No he doesn’t,"

My mother protests, smoothing down my hair and kissing my forehead.

"He's just a little frustrated.There's just a lot on his plate right now."

She helps me to my feet and dusts me off "Come on, sweetie.Let's get you cleaned up."

After getting dressed, my mother walks me down to the car where my father waits impatiently for us.

It was the King's birthday today and all the Alphas of the Crescent Mane Kingdom and their families would be attending.

Unfortunately for me, this would also be Alpha of the Scarlet Haven pack.

I go over my lines in my head as we drive to the King’s territory where we find several guests already mingling outside of the King's Mansion.

"Hi, my name is Zane,"

mumble to myself over and over again until I feel I could say nothing

and stares at me through the rearview mirror, his cold

is your name?" he

close my eyes to concentrate because I knew if I kept staring at those cold

"Z-Zane,"

stutter, my body stiffening in preparation for the blow / knew

I'm met with

I open one eye and steal a glance at

says nothing as he opens the

disappointment," he growls as he

out.You won’t be presenting

as he storms off towards the mansion, completely ashamed of myself

mother tries her best to soothe me

about you and I find ourselves a quiet place and hang out for the rest of the evening.Just the two of us? I’m sure your

wipe my tears

my love," she chirps, reaching for

we'll hide out until

into the crowd of wolves as I settle back into my seat and

the tinted windows of the car, I squint my eyes and stare at

packs in the Kingdom and knew Scarlett Haven was not the only Silver wolf pack in Crest Mane.I was curious to see if we were

get the chance to see another silver wolf shift or use

seen my father use his gift many times, each time leaving any onlookers in

had the gift of gas

being injured by an

ever defeated him in

father and have a

rear view window just in time to see a large pack of wolves storm in through

overpowers the music playing from

quickly whisked away by

with his family in

hope he finds my mother in time to

out the sounds of death around me as Ravenstone

a run for the trees

is!

comer and there amongst the trees, I hear

hearing my mother’s

horrifying scene that would forever haunt me

Ravenstone wolf, my mother

my eyes filling with

direction, her neck now perfectly exposed

orbs as we maketo scream but my voice never leaves my lips as I watch the life drain from my mother's eyes.I flinch at the memory of my mother’s lifeless body and

annoyance and I

5 am and I decide to get a head start on the day, grabbing

drum against my skin, the room quickly filling with steam.I count my scars as I scrub my body, a habit I

been 20 years since the attack and my life is starkly

father made the announcement that both my mother

knew of me were sworn to secrecy while I was locked away in my room, left to mourn the loss of

and the maids were

world became silent and

long after, Gamma Wyatt informed me that my father had remarried and was expecting a

he would be passing his title to when the

formally stripped of my rank the day my half brother, Caine, was born and

was a small woman, no more than 5 feet tall and

certain death, for Agnes had one small defect that would

the

to see me before I left the

.- FLASH BACK....

my father's voice

new mother." I freeze, unsure if I heard

of disdain in his eyes for me hadn’t

as I stand before

woman standing behind

be moving to the Omega

you

growls when both Agnes

myself? Get moving!" he commands, pushing Agnes

collapses

as she looks around the

and she flinches, her arms flying over her head to

to do, I reach over again and tap her shoulder, offering my hand to help her

that I did not intend to hurt her, Agnes slowly

gives me a warm smile and places her hands in front of

wrinkle my nose in confusion and she

ears and shakes

pulls out a pen and

she writes, pointing again to her ears and

name is Agnes.What

dressed before the rest of the Omegas

large building just south of the main Pack house where the