The Silent Alpha novel Chapter 30

***Zanet** 

My eyes flutter open to find Natalia nestled up by my side, her head resting on my shoulder and her nose buried in my neck.She drapes her left arm over my chest while tucking her left leg over my thigh.

To my right, I feel Kota curled up under my arm, snoring lightly in his sleep as he clutches his little wolf tightly to his chest.

For a moment, I remain perfectly still, afraid the mirage would fade away if I moved.

The sparks tingling across my body from Talia’s touch, however, make me realize I’m not dreaming at all, both my mate and our pup nestled safely in my arms.

This must be what heaven feels like... I tell myself as my heart beats uncontrollably in my chest.

It feels so natural to hold them in my arms, as if they were always meant to be with me.

Kota suddenly stirs, sitting up on his knees and glancing around the room in confusion.

Messy hairs stick out from his head and his pajamas are all rumpled and crooked.

He wipes his tired eyes and looks up at me with a grin.

"I’m hungry," he yawns, stretching out his little arms.

He lays his head on my stomach and gives me puppy eyes.

"Can we make waffles, Zane?"

I smile at him, afraid to move and disturb Talia in her sleep.

It to me and then roll her to her side to free myself from her grasp.

My heart beats frantically as she stirs before she settles into her new spot comfortably, sighing contently in her sleep.

I help Kota brush his teeth and wash his face before we head into the kitchen where I spend a couple of minutes watching videos on my phone on how to make waffles.

Kota is practically dancing on his toes with excitement as I gather ingredients for his breakfast.

"Can I help you?" he asks eagerly, picking up a whisk with a cheeky grin.

"Auntie Gwen lets me help her.Can I please help you?"

His puppy eyes make it incredibly difficult to say no and I put a chair against the counter for him to stand on before placing the mixing bowl in front of him.

I hand measuring cups filled with ingredients to Kota, the little boy happily pouring them into the bowl and repeating the measurements out loud to me.

Placing my hand over his, I guide his little hand through the motion of whisking the ingredients together until we have a nice batter.

I pull out the waffle iron, staring at the infernal contraption until I finally figure out how to turn it on.

"Can I pour?" Kota asks as we both look at the iron.

I give him a measuring cup with some batter and steady him up over the counter while he pours.

"Oopsies..." he gasps as some of the batter spills over the counter.

"I'm sorry, Zane." a beating and a week with no visits from Mom.

The little boy hides his batter covered fingers behind his back, unsure what my reaction will be to his mistake.I never want him to be afraid of me...

"I-It's o-kay," I smile, closing the iron and sitting Kota on the chair.I cup his cheeks, not wanting him to feel like he is in trouble for making a mistake.

"A-a-accidents happen. We j-just ha-have to c-clean it up, o-okay?"

I hand him a towel and help him wipe the counter, high-fiving him when the mess is all gone.

As I flip the waffle iron over to cook the other side, Kota taps me on my shoulder.

"Zane," he says timidly, looking up at me with his large blue and brown eyes.

"Are you my daddy?"

My entire body stiffens but Grayson is more than willing to respond.Say yes, he grumbles.He belongs to us just as much as Talia.He’s ours.

The question, however, can only be answered by Talia.

"I- l-like you and your m-mommy very m-much," I reply with a nervous smile.

"B-but I don’t know what I-I am to you yet."

"I know what you are," He giggles.

"You’re a wolf."

He bursts out into a howl.

"Can I be a wolf like you?" I don’t want him to be a wolf like me...

A wolf who struggles to speak, a wolf who makes too many mistakes, a wolf who will inevitably always fail.

forehead.

"And y-you will be a wolf e-even great-er than m-me."

He gives me another howl and settles back into his chair, resting his head on the counter.

"Waffles..." he hisses, watching the steam rise from the iron.

Soft footsteps suddenly make their way down the stairs and I look up to see Talia walking towards us, her arms stretching out tiredly as she yawns.

Even in her sleepy state, she looks incredibly beautiful, my heart nearly skipping a beat at the mere sight of her.

"Mommy look! We made waffles!"

Kota squeals, climbing out of the chair and rushing over to greet his mother.She raises an eyebrow at me in curiosity as she lifts her pup in her arms, kissing his cheeks softly.

The timer on the waffle iron goes off and I hurriedly remove the hot waffle out of the iron before it burns.

Spreading butter and syrup on the waffle, I place it on a plate in front of Kota who smiles proudly at it and shoves the plate to his mother.

"Mommy, taste our waffle," he beams at her, poking his finger into a pool of syrup and licking it off.

A small smile curls on Talia's lips and she timidly takes a bite, my heart sinking when she swallows with great difficulty and smacks her lips to remove the taste from her tongue buckle from the pressure of her silence.

"That is...That is an interesting taste," she gags, taking the plate and throwing the waffle in the trash.

"What umm...What sugar did you use?" She asks me, the soft smile still on her lips.

I point to the white powder in a jar sitting on the counter and she sticks her finger inside to taste it.

Her face scrunches up as she bursts into laughter, the sound making my heart soar.How could a laugh sound so beautiful? 

"Taste it,"

She giggles, pushing the jar towards me.I nervously taste the sugar and nearly choke on my own cough when I realize the jar of sugar actually contains salt.

Talia can't hold back her laughter, the sound contagious enough to make Kota and I join her.I throw out the salty batter while Talia locates the real jar of sugar for us to use.

"Let’s try this again," she teases, measuring out the proper amount of sugar and handing it to me.

Our fingers touch in the exchange, sparks tingling up my hand.

A blush creeps up on Talia’s cheeks as she pulls her hand away to tuck some hair behind her ear.

"K-kota," she coughs to clear her throat.

"Come help me with the milk and butter."

Kota happily skips over to his mother who sets him on the chair for him to see over the counter.

The two of them whisk the wet ingredient together, Talia counter.

My hands shake as I sift the flour and baking powder together, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about messing up again.

The overwhelming thoughts of failure collide in my head, making it hard to concentrate.

Don't forget the salt, Grayson teases, and I shove him away to the recess of my mind.

As I reach for the jar of salt, I accidentally knock over my bowl of dry ingredients, a cloud of flour puffing in the air.

I stare blankly at Talia and Kota, afraid to move an inch.

"Uh oh, Zane," Kota gasps, breaking the silence.

"Uh-oh.Clean up time!" he sings.

He climbs out of his chair and scurries into the closet to grab a broom.

Kota struggles to maneuver the tall handle, wrapping both arms around it as he pushes the broom in a sweeping motion.

Unfortunately, the helpful little tyke only spreads the flour all over the floor, making an even bigger mess.

"It’s okay Kota,"

Talia chirps, taking the broom from him.

"I'll sweep."

I hide my trembling hands behind my back and remain in the corner, not wanting to make any more mistakes.

"It’s okay, Zane," Kota says, tugging at my hands.

"Accidents happen."

I force a smile on my face and look over at my mate, nearly jumping when I realize she's right in front of me hand.I flinch involuntarily and she stops, a look of sadness in her eyes.