The Silent Alpha novel Chapter 71

***Zane***

 "Are the canisters in place?"

"Yes, for the umpteenth time, Toran! They are!" Taryn groans.

"Would you stop questioning my abilities? You insult me," she huffs.

Toran rolls his eyes at her but the hint of a smile on his lips tells me he enjoys pestering his little sister.

The Alpha then turns to Tylen and I, taking a deep breath to gather all of his thoughts.He takes a utility belt and an armlet with a built-in pouch and explains the tools within them.

Opening a pouch on the belt, Toran pulls out small metal beads and holds them between his thumb and forefinger.

"These are silver beads.They are coated with a thin layer of aluminum to allow you to hold them.Give these to Tylen if there's an attack.He will charge them and when they detonate, they'll release silver shrapnel that will do some serious damage."

He points to a number of small grenade-looking things on the belt.

"These contain silver nitrate and wolfsbane gas," Toran explains.

"Useful for providing cover."

"Pull the safety, toss, and run.This s**t travels and it burns if it touches you."

Tylen interjects.

One by one, Toran explains all the contents of the belt.

"And under any circumstances, enter the water."

Tylen and Taryn nod in agreement with the Alpha.

"There are guns positioned within the cliffs all around the islands that shoot pellets containing magnesium and silver nitrate into the water.Upon contact with the water, the magnesium and silver explode and you do not want to be anywhere near when that happens.We also have canisters in the surrounding water containing pressurized silver nitrate, wolfsbane, and nightshade.The gas is extremely poisonous and we only have a handful of antidote vials available."

He pulls out two preloaded syringes from his pocket and puts them in my armlet.

"I pray you never need this but this is the antidote.The guns and canisters are motion-sensored so DO NOT ENTER THE WATER."

"Also remember, your only job is to protect the bunker.No matter what happens, you stay on the bunker island.We'll handle the rest of the islands,"

Taryn explains.

"Anyone who tries to get into the bunker is killed on sight. No questions asked." Inod silently, Toran lost in thought for a moment.

"Are we done with the sermon?" Tylen snaps, turning on his heel.

"If so, we better get moving."

"Tylen,"

Toran calls out, Tylen pausing by the door.

"Be careful son."

"I don’t need you looking out for me,"

Tylen snaps, Toran doing his best to remain calm.

"Zane, let’s go."

The tension in the room is uncomfortable, but Toran lets the "Goddess be with you,"

Toran says to us before turning to his sister and getting back to work planning out the last details of their attack.

It’s a simple blessing, but having never heard those words from my own father, I find myself standing a little taller as I turn to leave.

I rush to keep up with Tylen as he storms out of the meeting room, walking past several soldiers who salute him on his way out.

Once out of the house, we make our way towards the northern part of the island covered in dense forest.

I feel my heart rate accelerate as we maneuver our way through the thick trees until we reach an unassuming stone formation.

Tylen lifts a small stone and a secret passageway reveals itself within the ground.

"Let’s go," Tylen sighs.

"The faster we get to the bunker, the better."

Tylen leads the way in and I follow him into the darkness, doing my best to stay focused and remain calm.

"You'll be fine," Tylen mutters as we walk through the dark passageway.

"We shouldn’t get much action on the bunker island.He says nothing more, the silence allowing my mind to drift off to my Talia and our pup.I hope they are sleeping peacefully together.I hope they are okay.I think of my moms too and how but I hope he treats Agnes well.She’s had enough heartbreak to last a lifetime.

"I-is Toran g-good to my mom?" I blurt out, anxiously waiting for Tylen’s reply.

I hear the hesitation in Tylen's footsteps when I ask the question and it makes me nervous that I may not want to know the answer.

"He treats her like a queen," Tylen replies after a long pause.

"She's always safe with him."

"I-I see," I sigh in relief knowing my mother was not in pain all these years with Toran.

"I-I was just wonder-wondering since y-you and y-your dad are...Well m-my father...u-used to hu-hurt us," I say, growing very nervous with the direction of this conversation.

"I-I just thought may-maybe he hurts y-you too.Tylen heaves a long tired sigh.

"My father is a complicated man..." Toran says.

"He’s not abusive...but for an intelligent man, he’s an i***t someti-"

He stops mid sentence, holding his hand up so I halt in my tracks.

We go still, listening to the sounds of the tunnel.

"f**k!"

Tylen snarls, grabbing me by the collar of my shirt and dragging me deeper into the tunnel.

"Radar picked up Scarlett Haven’s movement about a mile off our coast.A thick fog has rolled in over the islands so our drones won't see jack s**t for the next few hours.We’ve been moved to the western island closest ambush.We'll head to the watch tower and keep an eye on the shoreline until the fog clears up."

Tylen keeps us close to the walls of the tunnels, muttering ‘ Where is it? Where is it’ to himself.

He breathes a sigh of relief when he finds a closet door in the tunnel equipped with gas masks.

"Here, take this," he instructs, handing me a mask.

He digs further into the closet, finding a trunk at the very back.He pulls out two rifles and hands me one of them.

"Just in case," he says.

"They are loaded with silver bullets, so we should be good to go.Stay close to me," he instructs, leading me once more down the tunnel.

We reach a four-way intersection, Tylen pushing me towards the western tunnel.

After what seems like an eternity, we finally see the exit and I shield my eyes from the blinding light.

When we resurface, a thick layer of fog covers the entire island.

"This way," Tylen shouts after examining a compass.

"The tower is this way."

I grow nervous as we travel on foot through the fog for a while, but Grayson keeps me sane with his stupidity.

"Hold onto your fanny pack, hooman.We might need your little balls" he says sarcastically.

Not long into our sprint, we find the watchtower hidden between two large trees.

It is a tall wooden structure resembling a small bird house with a ladder running up the side.

We climb into a siren.

Tylen unlocks the metal trunk glued to the floor of the tower and pulls out a large telescope, setting it up so it faces the waters just beyond the main island.

He then hands me a set of binoculars.

"Keep your eyes on the water surrounding the main island.We are expecting a lot of movement soon," Tylen instructs.

From his pocket, he pulls out a radio and puts it on the table.

"Comms with all the units.You don’t have a mindlink with us so this is the next best thing."