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.

knowing he is right.I cannot judge

angry or confused I am, she is still the only person who cares for me in my darkest

the room, a

back and forth at the

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

slamming it against the bed over and over again.She beats the mattress until her breath grows ragged in anger and I

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

Dad today," Talia whimpers

pillow again and throws

snarls, tears

that mean nothing to

meant everything

she not see that? throwing it at

could you?" she

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

how?" I swallow the lump in my throat, trying to form the words in my head but nothing spilling out of

trusted you..." She whines, wiping her tears

Kota’s heart.What am I

you're just leaving us for some war we have nothing to do with? That there’s a chance you might never come back? What am I supposed to

He won’t understand it, Zane.He won’t understand why one

arms and comfort

dare touch me!" she shrieks,

is the only thing that’s going to calm her down right now so I grab her

don’t you

cheeks, pressing my lips against hers to soothe

on my chest and shoulders, but as I suck on her lower lip, she slowly calms down.I feel her

whimpers, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me

you...Don’t leave me.Don’t leave Kota without his Daddy,"

"Please.I’m begging you.Don’t go."

still as I process her words,

Don’t leave us...

"I-I’m not le-leaving you,"

my lips grazing

fighting for y-you.For K-Kota.For

I press my fingers

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

already running,"

We can leave.We can go somewhere far away.Somewhere where no one

I shake

more run-runnning.Th-that’s not the li-life I-1

"But-"

love y-you," I blurt out, my heart in my throat as I confess eyes

and K-Kota.But I-I can’t 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-"

kn-know my fa-fa-father, Ta-Talia," I shake

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

not fair!"

drag you into it?" She snuggles up to my chest, squeezing me tightly as

would gladly stay by her side for all

ta-take any un-unnecessary ri-risks," I

be ex-extra careful when facing off with the Sc-scarlett Haven wolves and the

entire war is a risk,"

do will be

know she is right but I am running out of ideas on how to calm

strengthen our bond so she'll know we are okay? Perhaps we

will let us connect

doesn't want to be marked though, I argue.And there's no guarantee that a mark

know unless we

go out knowing my mate had my mark and that

are so dramatic, I mutter, Grayson