The Silent Alpha novel Chapter 5

***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,"

I mumble to myself over and over again until I feel I could say nothing else.

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

"What is your name?" he asks through clenched teeth.

I close my eyes to concentrate because I knew if I kept staring at those cold angry eyes, I would actually piss myself in fear.

"Z-Zane,"

I stutter, my body stiffening in preparation for the blow / knew was coming.But it never comes.

Instead, I'm met with cold silence.

Mustering up some courage, I open one eye and steal a glance at my father.

His jaw is clenched but he says nothing as he opens the door to leave.

"You're a disappointment," he growls as he steps out of the car.

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

I burst into tears as he storms off towards the mansion, completely ashamed of myself and my voice.

My mother tries her best to soothe me but I am inconsolable.

"How about you and I find ourselves a quiet place and hang out for the rest of the evening.Just the two of us? I’m sure your father can handle the other Alphas without me."

I nod as I wipe my tears and she gives me her brightest smile.

"Okay, my love," she chirps, reaching for the door handle.

"I'll go fetch us a snack and we'll hide out until it's time to go home, okay?"

She disappears into the crowd of wolves as I settle back into my seat and wait.

Despite the tinted windows of the car, I squint my eyes and stare at the guests as they arrive, trying to figure who was who.

I memorized all of the packs in the Kingdom and knew Scarlett Haven was not the only Silver wolf pack in Crest Mane.I was curious to see if we were really the strongest pack like Father claimed we were.

Perhaps I'd get the chance to see another silver wolf shift or use their powers.

I had seen my father use his gift many times, each time leaving any onlookers in awe and wonder.

He had the gift of gas manipulation.

His body could morph into a toxic gas, allowing him to avoid being injured by an attacker while simultaneously allowing him to poison his opponent.

No wolf has ever defeated him in battle.

I could only hope on the night of my first shift that I would not disappoint my father and have a decent gift worthy of the Scarlet Haven reputation hear a howl in the distance.

I scramble to the back of the car and peek through the rear view window just in time to see a large pack of wolves storm in through the mansion gates.

Ravenstone wolves… it's not long before the screaming overpowers the music playing from the Mansion, wolves rushing to protect their mates.

Lunas and their pups are quickly whisked away by their gammas to safer locations.

Our Gamma, Wyatt, had come with his family in a separate car.

I just hope he finds my mother in time to protect her.

My heart pounding in my chest almost drowns out the sounds of death around me as Ravenstone wolves attack.

Frightened by the terrifying screams, I climb out of the car and make a run for the trees near the house, hoping somehow to find my mother.

But it is! who finds her...

I round the comer and there amongst the trees, I hear a sickening scream.

My body stiffens with fear but upon hearing my mother’s voice, I force my legs to move onward.

That’s when I see the most horrifying scene that would forever haunt me in my nightmares.

Pinned beneath a Ravenstone wolf, my mother struggles to free herself, "M-mom?"

I whimper, my eyes filling with tears.

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

Terror fills her blue orbs as we maketo scream but my voice never 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 of my bed with a thud.

My roommates groan in annoyance and I quickly scramble to my feet.

The clock reads 5 am and I decide to get a head start on the day, grabbing my things for a shower.