The Silent Alpha

***Zane*** 

After declaring that I would fight alongside Ravenstone and translating the events to Agnes, she, Rionna, and Talia do their best to convince me otherwise, but I hear none of it.

Scarlett Haven has already taken so much from me and it appears they are not yet done taking from me.But no more.This war ends now.

Despite their best efforts, no one is able to convince me out of my decision, Queen Aurora calling for a recess and asking us all to go home and rest before making any more decisions.

Rionna asks for a room separate from Toran in the pack house and storms off but not before asking to see me again in the morning for breakfast.

"I..."

I stammer, looking over at Agnes, who appears uncomfortable with my mother’s presence.

"Just breakfast..." Rionna smiles meekly.

"Please...I have so many questions...So many things I don’t know about you or myself...I just...I just want to know who I was and who you are...I nod silently, Rionna sighing with relief and stepping in for a hug, but I flinch away from her involuntarily.I feel bad almost instantly, but she seems to understand my reaction.We are strangers after all and she doesn't know who I am “

"I look forward to breakfast..." She murmurs.

" Goodnight."

An omega comes to collect her and I watch her walk away, unable to believe she is actually still alive...still here after all these years.

With the meeting over, we collect Kota who is fast asleep with Evan, both of them snoring away in the middle of the floor surrounded by toy trucks.

Talia is silent as we walk back to the guest house, carefully holding Dakota’s head against her shoulder as he sleeps.

She ignores me when I try to hold her hand, anger radiating off of her as she picks up her pace and walks ahead of me.

Agnes can’t even look at me, staring ahead and pretending I don’t exist.I can hardly understand my own emotions at the moment, but Agnes and Talia’s silent treatments are not helping me sort them out any faster.

As we enter the house, Agnes storms off to her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her and not giving me a chance to explain myself to her.

Talia is no different, going to Dakota’s room to tuck him in for the night and leaving me alone in our bedroom.My emotions finally start to pour out of my heart, flooding out of me in thick droplets.

My head feels as though it might explode from all the thoughts ricocheting like bullets against my skull, The drumming of my heartbeat grows louder and louder against my ears until all I hear is incessant thumping drowning out the world.

A tingling sensation ripples along my skin and my throat feels as though it's closing up me.

Deep breaths, Grayson inhales slowly.

I mimic him and we both slowly let out the breath, repeating the process until my thoughts slow down.

For years, I had believed my mother was gone, her soul resting in the Kingdom of the Moon Goddess for all eternity.

After I was allowed to leave the pack house, I would sneak off to visit my mother’s grave on our birthdays, leaving flowers for her on Mother’s day and speaking to her tombstone for hours in hopes that she was listening to me and telling me it was okay to live without her.

I lost my voice the day she died.I had no one else to speak with freely, no one patient enough to care about what I had to say.

Seeing her now after all these years without a clue of what we’ve been through together is like losing her all over again.

As for Agnes, she came into my life, offering a sliver of hope through her kindness.

She took me in when no one else would, shielding me as best she could from all the pain I was feeling.

She never let her own pain shine through though, giving me all smiles and laughs when she was most likely shattered inside.

But it was all a lie...Her only goal was to kill me.

That’s not true and you know it , Grayson growls defensively, wanting to protect Agnes from my wrath.

She fost everything before coming to Scarlett Haven and despite facing the man who took her son, she saw you and turned the other cheek.

She chose had no choice in and you cannot hold it against her when she chose you.

You are only angry that she didn’t tell you sooner but she has likely been fighting every day with her conscience about it.

So don’t you dare judge her, Zane! Not after all the love she has given you! He huffs.

heavily, knowing he is right.I cannot judge

is still the only person who cares for me in my darkest hours...She is still

room, a look of disappointment on her

a word as she paces back and forth at the entrance and I sit silently on bed, bracing myself for

feet and inch towards her in hopes of soothing her, but this only seems to infuriate

pillow and slamming it against the bed over and over again.She beats the

she finally loses fuel, she tosses the pillow off to the side and

whimpers after a long

grab the pillow again and throws it at

She snarls, tears rolling down her

that mean nothing to you?" I

everything

see that? throwing

could you?" she

war like that? After claiming Kota...How could you leave him like

how?" I swallow the lump in my throat, trying to form the words in

you..." She whines, wiping

Kota’s heart.What am I supposed to tell him now?" She

for some war we have nothing to do with? That there’s a chance you might never come back?

understand why one minute he has a Dad and then the next minute, he doesn't!" She

and comfort her but she

Don’t you dare touch me!" she shrieks, pushing

going to calm her down right now so I grab her wrists to

don’t you

screams, thrashing I cup both of her cheeks,

I suck on her lower lip, she slowly calms down.I feel her tears on

us..." she whimpers, wrapping her arms around my neck and

me.Don’t leave

"Please.I’m begging you.Don’t go."

moment, time stands still as I process her words, my heart beating a mile

Don’t leave us...

"I-I’m not le-leaving you,"

my

for y-you.For

you’re-" I press my fingers on her

don’t want to r-run...I-I don’t want y-you to live in

running," she

somewhere far away.Somewhere where no one can find us.We can be

I shake my

run-runnning.Th-that’s not the li-life

"But-"

blurt out, my heart in my throat as I confess eyes

love y-you in fe-fear.I-I can’t do th-that to you.P-p-please, p-please try to unders-stand.I-l am fi-fighting

don’t have to!"

"We can-"

don’t kn-know my fa-fa-father, Ta-Talia," I shake my head at

finds out m-my mother is still a-alive and that s-she’s married to his wo-worst enemy, h-he will stop at n-nothing to bring wa-war here.I-I can’t let that happen.I-l can’t let any ha-harm come yo-your way.I-I have to h-help

fair!"

Why do they have to drag you into it?" She snuggles up to my chest, squeezing me tightly as if to keep me with her

by

any un-unnecessary ri-risks,"

Toran’s instru-instructions and be ex-extra careful when facing off with the Sc-scarlett Haven wolves and the K-King’s

this entire war is a risk,"

do will be low

is right but I am running out of ideas on how to calm her fears.What if we

if that helps to strengthen our bond so she'll know we are okay? Perhaps

a mark will let us connect even

I argue.And there's no guarantee that a mark would make a difference

know unless we

we die out there, I want to go out knowing my mate had my mark and

dramatic, I mutter, Grayson