The Silent Alpha (Natalia)

*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 I 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 flavor 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 I might, I simply 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 not within my reach. I knew my father grew embarrassed every time I struggled to pronounce my own name even to the maids.

 It 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.

 I 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.

 My jaw burns as I open it once more. Pushing through the pain, I 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 turns on his heel.

 “He’s not even worth my time,” the Alpha snarls over his shoulder. He turns 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-I’m s-s-orr-y,” 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 the day my father officially presented me to the Kingdom as the next 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.

name?” he asks through

 I close my eyes to concentrate because I knew if I kept staring at

body stiffening in preparation for the blow I

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

he growls as he steps out of the

as he storms off towards the mansion, completely ashamed of myself and my voice. My mother tries

a quiet place and hang out for the rest of the evening. Just the two of

I wipe my tears and she

fetch us a snack and we’ll hide out until

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

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

on the night of my first shift that I would not

and wait for my mother to return, I 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

 Ravenstone wolves…

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

terrifying screams, I climb out of the car and make a

 But it is I

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

 Pinned beneath a Ravenstone wolf, my mother struggles

my

contact while the wolf sinks his teeth into her throat.

…

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

against my skin, the room quickly filling with steam. I count my scars as I scrub my body, a habit I developed after years of being

life

knew of me were sworn to secrecy while I was locked away in my room, left to mourn the loss of my only companion in silence. My father never came to

remarried and was expecting a son soon. A son to whom he would be passing his title

near the western border and brought before the Alpha. Agnes was a small woman, no more than 5 feet tall and quite

met her. It was the only time my father came to see me before I left the Pack

.

….FLASH BACK….

.

Agnes,” my father’s voice echoes across the room. “Your new

unsure if I heard him correctly. The look of disdain in his eyes for me hadn’t faded after all this time we spent apart. My legs shake as I stand before the man I once called father. There’s a small woman standing behind him;

 “You will be moving to the Omega house with her,” he adds. “She’ll help you pack your things.” He growls when both Agnes and I remain frozen in

 Agnes trips over her feet and collapses onto the ground in front of me. Tears line her eyes as she looks around the room

at my father,

help her up. Seeing that I did not intend to hurt

me a warm smile and places her hands in front of her face, thrusting them forward. I wrinkle my nose in confusion and she

shakes a finger at me. When I don’t understand, she pulls out a pen and paper from her back

she writes, pointing again to her ears and smiling. “My name is Agnes. What is

.

.

.

and get dressed before the rest of the Omegas come

and despite its size, is severely overcrowded. I share my bedroom with three other omegas, Simon, Luca, Timothy, all of whom are around my age, unmated, and under evaluation for Warrior status. Once every year, Omegas are allowed to petition for a higher rank, most seeking Warrior or Guard status. The vast majority would never earn a new rank, but the possibility is enough to spark hope to keep