The Silent Alpha

***Zane*** 

"This isn’t working,"

Evan sighs, looking down at me after having knocked me on my ass for the sixth time in a row.

"He’s not attacking, just blocking.You can’t win a fight by just blocking.You need to attack your opponent," he scolds me, helping me up to my feet.

Aurora bites her lower lip as she tries to think of a new training regimen for me, my self-esteem plummeting.

"You are doing all the right moves, Zane," Aurora tries to cheer me up, but I find it hard to believe given how long we have been at this.

I’ve been in training all week, exercising my silver wolf gifts with Aurora and learning to utilize my mind control, telepathy, and projection abilities better.

As it turns out, my mind control ability does not work on Aurora or her twin sister, Celina, but it works on pretty much any other wolf.

I do have a limit on how many wolves I can control at once, my magic number being four.

Aside from silver wolf training, I’ve been working closely with Gamma Evan, building up my muscles, endurance, and flexibility while also working on hand to hand combinations but all my efforts seem futile when I’m put in a sparring circle.

"We just need to find the right...motivation for you,"

Aurora adds with her timid smile, Evan handing me a water bottle while we take a break.I try not to sulk as she and Evan brainstorm when Aurora suddenly starts to squeal excitedly.

"Mia?" Evan asks, scratching his head in confusion.

"Why my mate?"

"Just trust me,"

Aurora smiles, flicking her wrist to open a portal and disappearing into it.Evan only shrugs, tapping me on the shoulder.

"So, how’s the mate? She like you yet?" He chuckles.

Like us?Grayson scoffs.She loves this dick- Stop talking, I mutter, forcing a smile and nodding at Evan.

"Listen, if you need any tips, I got you," Evan grins mischievously.

"I never had a brother I could pass on my wisdom to and I don’t wanna know what Aurora and Oliver do behind closed doors."

He shivers to emphasize his disgust and sticks out his tongue.

I smile and nod awkwardly, unsure how to add to this conversation.I am still not comfortable using my voice around people other than with Kota or Talia but it seems Evan doesn’t mind my silence.

"You remind me of Aurora,"

Evan observes, my ears perking up at this.

When he notices my peaked interest, he sits down on a mat.

"She was not always the strong Queen that you see now.She is still very shy and timid, but she was once also afraid.Very afraid."

I look down at the Gamma curiously.What could a wolf like Aurora have to fear?

 "Aurora was abused by her old pack, Lluvia Blanca, for years," Evan explains.

"Her family used to torture her every day and to be honest, I still don’t know most of the things she went through.All I know is she showed up here with a lot of scars, both mental and physical, and it took us a while to get her to open up to us and even longer for her to trust us.She still has bad days, though not as often." saw, but I did not know the extent of her abuse.

She seems so happy now.

I would have never guessed she is still struggling with her past.

"Look, all I’m saying is...you don’t have to be ashamed of your past and your fears.There is nothing wrong with needing a little help and guidance,especially with training.Healing is an ugly process and sometimes you're gonna stumble.No one expects you to always have your s**t together, silver wolf or not.Aurora is the most powerful wolf on the planet and she goes to therapy every week because it helps.I won’t lie, therapy sucks, but it's not meant to be easy.It takes a lot of strength to face your demons.l am only giving you this sermon because I can tell you're struggling with something.Don’t hold it in no matter how ashamed you are.There’s literally nothing to be ashamed of.You didn’t ask for your past, so why would anyone hold it against you?"

I like this wolf, Grayson says.I tell you the same thing but you never listen to me.I don’t get the opportunity to thank Evan for his words of encouragement because the next thing I know, Aurora and Evan’s mate, Mia, pop out of a portal.

Evan jumps to his feet to greet his mate with a kiss and asks Aurora to explain her idea.

"Don’t worry about it,"

Aurora smiles, instructing Mia to move to the middle of the sparring circle.

"Zane, get in your fighting stance."

Mia spreads her feet apart and raises her fists as she faces me.

Okay dude, this should be easier, Grayson says, getting into his own fighting stance.

Her punches won’t hurt as much when she knocks you on your ass.

Thank you for the encouragement, I mutter, Grayson grinning from ear Once in position, Mia begins to circle me and I shuffle my feet like Evan taught me to keep her within my vision.

A small smirk curls on her lips before she lunges forward on her right leg and kicks up with her left.I block the kick with my forearm and retaliate with my own weak high kick that she easily slaps away.

Come on, dude, Grayson groans.

Punch her! Ido as l am told and swing my arm towards her face, but

kick to my stomach

Dude! Grayson growls.

landing the blow, but she then backs away before I

feet, Mia turns around and donkey kicks me in the stomach, nearly

somewhere in the trees behind me startles us, both Mia and

every instinct in my body telling

appear, one of them stepping towards the

men have breached the northern and western borders! We are under attack!" he says with

No!" Kota screams, my heart

to

you go protect your family.I

shifting into her white wolf and rushing towards the north with Evan and the guards at

direction of Kota’s screams, anger burning through me at the thought of my pup and my mate being hurt.I attempt to shift to get there faster, but

Gray, what the hell?

don’t know, Grayson replies, equally confused.I can’t come out.I don’t have much time to dwell on my wolf form because Kota once

have to do this on

find that stupid French Alpha, Benoit, cornering Talia and Kota by a tree, Talia shielding our pup with

punch at Talia, hitting her jaw and sending her flying to the

eyes widening when he sees his

nearly goes feral as Kota shouts at

he screams, sheer terror taking over as he crawls

"Mommy, wake up!"

behind him but Benoit hears me and dodges my punch, retaliating and slamming his fist on my jaw.I stumble back, hearing Kota’s screams as he shields

and stomach, most of which I manage to block

wraps his arms around my waist, dropping into a roll so that he lands back on his

his arms around my neck to strangle me but I grab onto one of his arms and flip over onto his back.He lands with a groan and staggers onto his feet, giving me the opportunity to stand up again and

over and over again, Benoit grunting

him stand up enough so that I can deliver a punch to his left

disoriented, he does little to fight back and I push him away to deliver the final blow, kicking him in the chest and knocking the wind out of him.He goes flying

trickles from his nose, temples, and lips but my thirst for revenge is

slumped body, grabbing him by the collar with one hand and punching his face

"STOP!"

my body resisting the urge to obey but submitting to the

head up to see Mia and Aurora watching me and I quickly realize I’m no longer in the forest but back in the sparring circle at

Evan by the collar of his shirt, his face bloodied and bruised.I let go of his shirt, completely

I'm just as lost as you,

Aurora begins

wolf with the gift of illusions,

human form temporarily.I just didn’t calculate how

one angry white

groans, wiping the blood from his nose and getting back

to the no! He done almost beat the black out of

does poor little Evan have a booboo?" Mia snickers, Evan narrowing his eyes

"Can’t take a punch?"

very funny.Now you get in the ring with him.See

Mia giggling to

"I’m sorry, Ev,"

cupping both of his cheeks and

her, but it’s obvious he’s not really mad at his Luna or his

to Evan as an apology and he takes

wolf," Evan

knocked your ass out if it were a fair playing field.Just

laughter, Evan scowling at them for their lack of faith in him, but I only smile knowing he

of them help me refine some of the combinations I used on Evan during the attack, giving me pointers on how

on the footwork next

assigned to River Moon since this is most likely to

offers his hand up

takes me a moment to recognize what he wants me to do and I blush

me to the daycare center which is on the way to the River Moon

the gate until we hear a loud bell announcing the end of the school day, several pups pouring out of the

runs to greet me, a string with

me and proudly shows Evan

you!" he

hand as I kneel

bracelet for you, see?"

a flower," Kota explains as he points to each

green.Green is like the trees.You are blue like the sky

you like it?" he asks, a

my head, unable to find the

it on!"

time wrapping the bracelet around my wrist, Kota

get a bracelet?" Evan pouts,

know," he shrugs, turning to me and

earth would swallow me.I shake my head at Kota in hopes

is Horsey