The Silent Alpha novel Chapter 42

***Zane*** 

"This isn’t working,"

Evan sighs, looking down at me after having knocked me on my ass for the sixth time in a row.

"He’s not attacking, just blocking.You can’t win a fight by just blocking.You need to attack your opponent," he scolds me, helping me up to my feet.

Aurora bites her lower lip as she tries to think of a new training regimen for me, my self-esteem plummeting.

"You are doing all the right moves, Zane," Aurora tries to cheer me up, but I find it hard to believe given how long we have been at this.

I’ve been in training all week, exercising my silver wolf gifts with Aurora and learning to utilize my mind control, telepathy, and projection abilities better.

As it turns out, my mind control ability does not work on Aurora or her twin sister, Celina, but it works on pretty much any other wolf.

I do have a limit on how many wolves I can control at once, my magic number being four.

Aside from silver wolf training, I’ve been working closely with Gamma Evan, building up my muscles, endurance, and flexibility while also working on hand to hand combinations but all my efforts seem futile when I’m put in a sparring circle.

"We just need to find the right...motivation for you,"

Aurora adds with her timid smile, Evan handing me a water bottle while we take a break.I try not to sulk as she and Evan brainstorm when Aurora suddenly starts to squeal excitedly.

"Mia?" Evan asks, scratching his head in confusion.

"Why my mate?"

"Just trust me,"

Aurora smiles, flicking her wrist to open a portal and disappearing into it.Evan only shrugs, tapping me on the shoulder.

"So, how’s the mate? She like you yet?" He chuckles.

Like us?Grayson scoffs.She loves this dick- Stop talking, I mutter, forcing a smile and nodding at Evan.

"Listen, if you need any tips, I got you," Evan grins mischievously.

"I never had a brother I could pass on my wisdom to and I don’t wanna know what Aurora and Oliver do behind closed doors."

He shivers to emphasize his disgust and sticks out his tongue.

I smile and nod awkwardly, unsure how to add to this conversation.I am still not comfortable using my voice around people other than with Kota or Talia but it seems Evan doesn’t mind my silence.

"You remind me of Aurora,"

Evan observes, my ears perking up at this.

When he notices my peaked interest, he sits down on a mat.

"She was not always the strong Queen that you see now.She is still very shy and timid, but she was once also afraid.Very afraid."

I look down at the Gamma curiously.What could a wolf like Aurora have to fear?

 "Aurora was abused by her old pack, Lluvia Blanca, for years," Evan explains.

"Her family used to torture her every day and to be honest, I still don’t know most of the things she went through.All I know is she showed up here with a lot of scars, both mental and physical, and it took us a while to get her to open up to us and even longer for her to trust us.She still has bad days, though not as often." saw, but I did not know the extent of her abuse.

She seems so happy now.

I would have never guessed she is still struggling with her past.

"Look, all I’m saying is...you don’t have to be ashamed of your past and your fears.There is nothing wrong with needing a little help and guidance,especially with training.Healing is an ugly process and sometimes you're gonna stumble.No one expects you to always have your s**t together, silver wolf or not.Aurora is the most powerful wolf on the planet and she goes to therapy every week because it helps.I won’t lie, therapy sucks, but it's not meant to be easy.It takes a lot of strength to face your demons.l am only giving you this sermon because I can tell you're struggling with something.Don’t hold it in no matter how ashamed you are.There’s literally nothing to be ashamed of.You didn’t ask for your past, so why would anyone hold it against you?"

I like this wolf, Grayson says.I tell you the same thing but you never listen to me.I don’t get the opportunity to thank Evan for his words of encouragement because the next thing I know, Aurora and Evan’s mate, Mia, pop out of a portal.

Evan jumps to his feet to greet his mate with a kiss and asks Aurora to explain her idea.

"Don’t worry about it,"

Aurora smiles, instructing Mia to move to the middle of the sparring circle.

"Zane, get in your fighting stance."

Mia spreads her feet apart and raises her fists as she faces me.

Okay dude, this should be easier, Grayson says, getting into his own fighting stance.

Her punches won’t hurt as much when she knocks you on your ass.

Thank you for the encouragement, I mutter, Grayson grinning from ear Once in position, Mia begins to circle me and I shuffle my feet like Evan taught me to keep her within my vision.

A small smirk curls on her lips before she lunges forward on her right leg and kicks up with her left.I block the kick with my forearm and retaliate with my own weak high kick that she easily slaps away.

Come on, dude, Grayson groans.

You can do better than that! Punch her! Ido as l am told and swing my arm towards her face, but Mia ducks and slams her fist against my jaw.

She then spins around for a roundhouse kick to my stomach and I stumble back to recover.

Dude! Grayson growls.

I make a quick kick to her thigh, luckily landing the blow, but she then backs away before I can land a punch to her jaw.

Quick on her feet, Mia turns around and donkey kicks me in the stomach, nearly knocking the wind out of me.

The abrupt sound of Kota’s scream somewhere in the trees behind me startles us, both Mia and I putting down our fists.

"He’s hurting Mommy!" Kota wails, every instinct in my body telling me to run to him.

Suddenly, a group of guards appear, one of them stepping towards the Queen.

"Your Majesty, we received word that Alpha Jacque and his men have breached the northern and western borders! We are under attack!" he says with urgency, everyone now on high alert.

"Mommy! No!" Kota screams, my heart beating a mile a minute.

"Evan and I will lead the men to the north, Mia, take the west.getting in position.”

"Zane, you go protect your family.I will send back up immediately,"

Aurora adds, shifting into her white wolf and rushing towards the north with Evan and the guards at her heels.

I don’t need to be told twice and race off in the direction of Kota’s screams, anger burning through me at the thought of my pup and my mate being hurt.I attempt to shift to get there faster, but for some reason Grayson won't activate.

Gray, what the hell?

I snap.I don’t know, Grayson replies, equally confused.I can’t come out.I don’t have much time to dwell on my wolf form because Kota once again screams.

Will Just have to do this on my own.

Not far from the training grounds, I find that stupid French Alpha, Benoit, cornering Talia and Kota by a tree, Talia shielding our pup with her body.

Benoit throws a punch at Talia, hitting her jaw and sending her flying to the ground.

Kota wails just behind her, his large eyes widening when he sees his mom lying very still.

Grayson nearly goes feral as Kota shouts at his mother.

"Mommy!" he screams, sheer terror taking over as he crawls towards her.

"Mommy, wake up!"

All see is red as I run up behind him but Benoit hears me and dodges my punch, retaliating and slamming his fist on my jaw.I stumble back, hearing Kota’s screams as he shields his mom’s face with his hands to protect her.

Benoit makes a series of combination kicks to my face and stomach, most of which I manage to block or dodge.

He then dives and wraps his arms around my waist, dropping into a roll so that he lands back on his feet while I fall on my knees.stomach, but I slam my elbow on his knee cap to stop him.

He then flings his arms around my neck to strangle me but I grab onto one of his arms and flip over onto his back.He lands with a groan and staggers onto his feet, giving me the opportunity to stand up again and grab him on either side of his shoulders.

I slam my knee into his stomach over and over again, Benoit grunting with every blow.

When that doesn't satisfy me, I let him stand up enough so that I can deliver a punch to his left cheek, then his right and then left again.

Weakened and disoriented, he does little to fight back and I push him away to deliver the final blow, kicking him in the chest and knocking the wind out of him.He goes flying back, his body crashing against a tree.

Blood trickles from his nose, temples, and lips but my thirst for revenge is unquenched.

I stalk over Bencit’s slumped body, grabbing him by the collar with one hand and punching his face with the other.

"STOP!"

A voice commands me, my body resisting the urge to obey but submitting to the order.

I raise my head up to see Mia and Aurora watching me and I quickly realize I’m no longer in the forest but back in the sparring circle at the training grounds.

Kota and Talia are nowhere to be found and I look down to see I have Evan by the collar of his shirt, his face bloodied and bruised.I let go of his shirt, completely confused by everything.

Bruh, I'm just as lost as you, Grayson mutters.

Noticing my confusion, Aurora begins to explain.

"Mia is a silver wolf with the gift of illusions, hallucinations, and dream contortions," she says.

"I remembered how fast you reacted to Kota being fighter in you.I also blocked your wolf connection a little to keep you in human form temporarily.I just didn’t calculate how much of a fighter you really are even in your human form," she smiles nervously at Evan.

"Damn, you are one angry white boy,"

Evan groans, wiping the blood from his nose and getting back on his feet.

"Aurora, I ain’t fighting him no more.Hell to the no! He done almost beat the black out of me.Heal me now! This is some bullshit!"

"Aww, does poor little Evan have a booboo?" Mia snickers, Evan narrowing his eyes at his mate.

"Can’t take a punch?"

"Haha, very funny.Now you get in the ring with him.See how f*****g funny itis,"

Evan snarls, Mia giggling to herself.

"I’m sorry, Ev,"

Aurora apologizes, cupping both of his cheeks and healing him.

He mutters curses at her, but it’s obvious he’s not really mad at his Luna or his mate, especially when Mia kisses him playfully on the lips.

I hold out my hand to Evan as an apology and he takes it but not without him complaining.

"You're lucky you’re a silver wolf," Evan mutters at me, shaking my hand.

"I would have knocked your ass out if it were a fair playing field.Just saying."

Mia and Aurora burst into laughter, Evan scowling at them for their lack of faith in him, but I only smile knowing he is very likely right.

The three of them help me refine some of the combinations I used on Evan during the attack, giving me pointers on how to deliver impactful blows without wasting too much of my energy and being lighter on my feet.

"We'll keep working on the footwork next week,"Evan says as the the guys.

“You’ve been assigned to River Moon since this is most likely to be Alpha Jacque and Benoit’s first target."

I nod silently at him as he offers his hand up in a fist bump.

It takes me a moment to recognize what he wants me to do and I blush in embarrassment as I bump fists with him.

He doesn’t seem to mind my awkwardness and walks me to the daycare center which is on the way to the River Moon pack house.

We wait patiently with the other moms at the gate until we hear a loud bell announcing the end of the school day, several pups pouring out of the daycare to greet their parents.

"Look! Look Zane, look! We did colors today!" Kota cries as he runs to greet me, a string with four beads hanging from his hand.

He holds the beads up to me and proudly shows Evan and I his creation.

"It’s for you!" he smiles.

He places the string in my hand as I kneel down to his level.

"It’s a bracelet for you, see?" He says eagerly.

"Pink is mommy cuz she’s pretty like a flower," Kota explains as he points to each bead.

"I am green cuz I like green.Green is like the trees.You are blue like the sky and Egg-ness is yellow like the sun!" he adds proudly.

"It’s our family.Do you like it?" he asks, a large grin on his face.

I nod my head, unable to find the words to describe how amazing this is.

"Put it on!" Kota squeals.

I waste no time wrapping the bracelet around my wrist, Kota gasping with pride.

"How come I don’t get a bracelet?" Evan pouts, Kota bursting into laughter.

"I don’t know," he shrugs, turning to me and grinning.

"Zane, can we Oh dear goddess, I blush, wishing the earth would swallow me.I shake my head at Kota in hopes that Evan does not understand, but as always, things never go my way.

"Hold on.What is Horsey in the Desert?"

Evan asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

Before I figure out how to respond, Kota answers for me.

"Mommy and Zane take off their clothes cuz it's hot and then Mommy rides Zane all night long through the desert," he explains, my face competing with a fire engine for the reddest item on the planet.

"Mommy won’t let me play, but I wanna play Horsey too!" he sighs.

Evan looks like he’s about to explode from holding in his laughter, biting his lip to keep it together for Kota’s sake, while Grayson howls with laughter.

"All night, huh?"

He pats me on the back and winks at me.

"My man.You know I’m a pro at Horsey in the Desert, myself.It’s a ‘hard’ game," he laughs, bending over and wheezing like a tea kettle.

"I’m sorry.That was outta pocket.I'll leave you two to your games," he chuckles as he backs away.

"Might I suggest Horsey in Antarctica as a substitute.It’s cold so you keep your clothes on and watch the penguins march by," he laughs.

Mortified by this entire experience, I try to persuade Kota to play airplane pilot with me instead, but he insists on riding a horse.

Left with no choice, I grab Kota and sit him on my shoulders, pretending I am a horse while he’s the jockey riding me as we race through Antarctica.

At home, Kota helps me prepare a chicken and rice dinner and when Agnes comes home, we do our daily sign activity.

"P_please," I say, putting my open hand over my chest and moving it in a circle.

"T-this is p-please."

"Please," he smiles, showing Agnes his sign.

"H-help," I say, holding one of my hands open with my palm facing up close my other hand into a fist with my thumb sticking up and put it on my palm.

"H-help."

"Thank you," he signs and says aloud.

He then turns to Agnes and mimics my signs.

"Please. Help." I repeat the motions with him several times, saying the words aloud to match the sign.

It takes him a couple of tries but it makes me happy he wants to learn.I give Kota a quick bath before Talia comes home, Kota eager to show his mom his new signs of the day.

"You are learning so fast," Talia giggles, pulling him into a hug.

"Because you are super smart."

"I know," Kota shrugs.

Talia greets me with a kiss.

"How was training today?"

"G-good," I blush.

I still get nervous when she asks me to speak.

"I-I beat E-Evan."

Her brows raise in amusement and she gives me a congratulatory kiss.

"We should celebrate.How about a date? Tomorrow?" She asks, biting her lip nervously as she waits for a response.

Her question catches me off guard but I nod my head eagerly.

"Have you ever been bowling?" She asks, gasping in shock when I shake my head.

"Then we will go bowling tomorrow."

"Yay!" Kota squeals, clapping his hands in excitement.

"What is bowling?"

"It’s a game," Talia replies.

"Like Horsey in the Desert?"

Kota asks, both Talia and I turning "A different game,"  she mutters, carrying Kota into the dining room.

We have a lovely dinner together, Talia explaining her progress with the girls and waiting patiently for me as I stutter through my training progress.

After dinner, we settle down for a movie in the living room and Talia brings out a pack of Oreos and pours some glasses of milk for each of us.

"I remember you liked the Oreo Dippin’ Dots," Talia explains as she tucks her hair behind her ear.

"I thought you might like to have the real cookies," she smiles timidly.

"You don’t have to eat them though.I could have totally misinterpreted that," she rambles nervously.

"I just thought they might make a good treat since you liked them so much or that Agnes might like to try them.But if you don’t like them-"

I press my lips against hers, Talia shutting up instantly and melting into my kiss.

She has no idea, but her simple gesture is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me in a long time.

Kota and Agnes giggle at us, but I do not care.

I am the happiest man in the world right now and nothing and no one will ever take this from me.