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,"

over and over again until I

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

he asks through clenched

because I knew if I kept staring at those cold angry eyes, I would

"Z-Zane,"

the blow / knew was

I'm met

I open one eye and steal

says nothing as he opens

as he steps out

bother coming out.You won’t be presenting yourself this

off towards the mansion,

tries her best to soothe me but I

rest of the evening.Just the two

nod as I wipe my tears and she

she chirps,

us a snack and we'll hide out until it's time to

of wolves as

stare at the

pack in Crest Mane.I was curious to see if we were really the strongest

another silver

his gift many times, each time leaving any onlookers in

gift

him to avoid being injured by an attacker while simultaneously allowing him to

wolf has ever defeated him

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

peek through the rear view window just in time to see

before the screaming overpowers the music playing from the Mansion, wolves rushing

are quickly whisked away by their gammas

Wyatt, had come with

he finds my mother in time

pounding in my chest almost drowns out the sounds of

the terrifying screams, I climb out of the car and make a run for the trees

is! who finds

comer and there amongst the trees, I hear a sickening

hearing my mother’s voice,

when I see the most horrifying scene that

beneath a Ravenstone wolf, my mother struggles to free

eyes filling with

mother turns her head in my direction, her neck now perfectly exposed to her

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 fall off the edge

in annoyance and I quickly scramble to

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

with steam.I count my scars as I

been 20 years since the attack and my life is starkly different

my father made the announcement that

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

the maids were

world became silent and soon, so

Gamma Wyatt informed me that my father had remarried

to whom he would be passing his title

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

woman, no more than 5

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

the day I met

my father came to

.- FLASH BACK....

is Agnes," my father's

mother." I freeze, unsure

me hadn’t

I stand before the man I

small woman standing behind him; she is also

moving to the Omega house with her," he

help you pack your

when both Agnes and! remain frozen

to repeat myself? Get moving!" he commands, pushing Agnes into the

her feet and collapses onto the ground in

her eyes as she

her up and she flinches,

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

I did not intend to hurt her, Agnes slowly lowers her arms and

me a warm smile and places her hands in front of her face, thrusting them

my nose in confusion and she laughs

and shakes

understand, she pulls out a pen and

she writes, pointing again to her

name is Agnes.What

shower and get dressed before the rest of the

nicknamed the Hive, is a large building just south of the main Pack house where the Alpha and