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,"

to myself over and over again until I

car and stares at me through the rearview mirror, his cold eyes boring holes into

your name?" he asks through

my eyes to concentrate because I knew if I kept staring at

"Z-Zane,"

stiffening in preparation for the blow / knew was

I'm met

courage, I open one eye and

says nothing as he

growls as he

out.You won’t be presenting yourself this

burst into tears as he storms off towards the mansion, completely ashamed of myself and

tries her best to

I find ourselves a quiet place and hang out for the rest of the evening.Just the two of us? I’m sure your father can handle the other Alphas

my tears and she gives me

chirps, reaching for

and we'll hide out until

into the crowd of wolves as I settle

I squint my eyes and stare at the guests

all of the 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 really the strongest pack like Father claimed

get the chance to see another silver wolf shift or use their

many times, each time

the gift

being injured by an attacker while simultaneously allowing him to

wolf has ever defeated him in

the night of my first shift that I would not disappoint my father and have a decent gift

back of the car and peek through the rear view window just

overpowers the music playing from the Mansion, wolves

quickly whisked away by their gammas

had come with his family in a separate

hope he finds my

pounding in my chest almost drowns out the sounds of death around me as

and make a run for the trees near the house, hoping somehow to

is!

and there amongst the trees, I hear a sickening

upon hearing my mother’s voice, I force

horrifying scene that would forever haunt me in

Ravenstone wolf, my mother struggles to free

whimper, my eyes

mother turns her head in my direction, her

drain from my mother's eyes.I flinch at the memory of my mother’s lifeless body and fall off

in annoyance and I quickly scramble

a head start on the day, grabbing my things

count my scars

and my life is starkly different now that my mother

my father made the announcement that

the maids who knew of me were sworn to secrecy while I was locked away

never came to visit me and the maids were told to never speak to me when they

became silent and soon, so did

my father

son to whom he would be passing his title to when the

rank the day my half brother, Caine, was born and given an Omega rank, was spotted near the western border

a small woman, no more than 5 feet tall

was spared from certain death, for Agnes had one small defect that would

remember the

father came to see me before I left the Pack

.- FLASH BACK....

Agnes," my father's voice

mother." I freeze, unsure if

for me hadn’t faded after all this time we spent

shake as I stand before the man I once called

behind him; she is

moving to the Omega

you

when both Agnes and!

I have to repeat myself? Get moving!" he commands, pushing

collapses onto the

eyes as she

flinches, her

reach over again and tap her shoulder,

intend to hurt her, Agnes slowly lowers her arms

her hands in

my nose in confusion

and shakes

understand, she pulls out a pen and paper

am deaf," she writes, pointing again to her ears and

is Agnes.What is

dressed before the rest of

building just south of the main Pack house where the Alpha and the Higher Ranks