Silence of the Alpha

Silence of the Alpha Chapter One

I watched as my brother drank from his bottle of whiskey again and again. That bottle seemed never-ending. But I knew that when it did end, things would turn for the worst. Brother didn’t like when his alcohol ran out. He would get angry. Very, very angry. You would think he would go find another bottle; we had plenty. But no. He would just get upset and take it out on whoever was closest. That person was usually me. This would explain my bruises and broken bones. Well, most of them.

You see, I am part of a pack. I am the beta’s youngest daughter. You would think that would mean luxury, yes? No. Not at all. I am the pack’s punching bag. My only brother even abuses me. I have grown used to this useless punishment. And I’ve learned that if I stay quiet, the beatings don’t hurt as much.

It wasn’t always like this. I used to have a perfect family. A mother, father, brother, and 3 sisters. That is, until we lost a piece of the family. Our mother was murdered when I was about seven years old. And I say murdered, because another wolf brutally beat her until she stopped breathing. I was the person to find her on the forest floor at 2 o’clock in the morning. And for some odd reason, my family believed I was the reason for her death. This started the beatings. They were infrequent at first. And only by close family. But soon, it spread through the whole pack. By the time I was 11, nearly every person in the pack was doing this. Now, 5 years later, the beatings are daily, sometimes hourly.

I expected the hits now. I was never surprised. I just sit in my room and wait for them. I wait for someone to get upset. I wait for someone to have a bad day. It’s all I do now. It’s all I’m good for.

But now there’s an upside. I have to start school soon. I’m the only person in the pack that is any good with finances, but I’m getting a little out-of-date. My father wants to throw me in school and make sure I can do the only other thing I’m useful for in the pack. Sadly, school is still 2 days away. Another good thing though: no more hits where it will leave visible bruises. No hits at all for the next 2 days. My father wants to make sure everything clears away before I go out in public.

There are many rules I have to follow for school. I must keep all of my grades above B’s. I am not to invite anyone to my house. I am not to tell anyone about what happens at home. The list goes on. There’s more that I can’t do than I can do. I’m allowed to have friends. No boyfriends. No after-school activities. Nothing I have to pay for. Nothing surprising, really.

It’s late. Time for bed. This’ll be my first full night of sleep without anybody waking me up just to hit me. Finally.

I woke up late, surprising myself. Usually my father would have come in to wake me. But I guess there was no point. It’s not like they can hit me today. I guess I’ll just relax for the day; get some more rest. If I can.

I spent my whole day lazing in my room. I cleaned a little, listened to some music, but I couldn’t seem to pull myself out of my depressed state. I should be happy, right? I’m not getting beaten. But I can still feel the pain. My bruises were clearly evident on my face and neck, but I could tell they were fading. They would be gone by the morning. I healed quicker than most humans, but because I don’t eat as much as I should, I don’t heal as quickly as the other wolves.

It was almost 7 in the evening before I heard anything from downstairs. It was dinner time, but I knew I wasn’t invited. I never was. That was, until there was a knock on my door.

In the coldest voice ever, I heard my brother, “Come down to eat.” And then his footsteps faded down the hallway.

I sat there, shocked. Once the fact that I could eat a real meal sunk it, I scrambled off my bed and dressed in something a little more appropriate. When I was decent, I scurried down the stairs and into the giant dining hall. All talking ceased as soon as I walked into the room. I dropped my head and took a seat near the end of the table, between two of my male cousins. They were a little nicer than the rest of my family. They were twins, raised outside of the pack. Their parents had taught them to never hit a lady, so they didn’t. But they were still harsh.

When I sat, surprisingly, both boys nodded slightly at me. They were being nice. This was actually extremely shocking. I wasn’t used to any sort of affection, even this small.

Dinner had been an awkward event. Nobody same much. There were a few side conversations, but that was about it. Nobody tried to speak to me, and I was okay with that. I hadn’t really spoken in a few years anyway. I wouldn’t have anything to say.

After dinner, everyone went their separate ways. I waited until everyone was gone before I started to make my way up the stairs. I hadn’t even made it half-way up the stairs before I heard a voice.

“Dahlia. I need to speak with you.” I flinched at the harshness of my father’s voice as well as froze when I heard my name. Nobody called me that anymore. I was always referred to as ‘that girl’ or ‘the runt’. Hearing my name come out of my father’s mouth gave me a rush of hope. Maybe my life would get better from here.

I turned and silently followed my father to his office. He walked in and sat stiffly at his desk, nodding at the seat across from him. “Sit.”

Obediently, I sat, looking down and letting my long hair fall to cover my face.

After a few moments of silence, he spoke, “You start school day after tomorrow.”

I allowed myself to look up at him and nod. Where was this going?

There was a steel plate in front of his eyes, hiding any and all emotions. He almost looked… Blank.

“You know the rules. If you break one, you know the punishment.” Why is he going back over all of this? I knew this. What was the point? I nodded anyway, not wanting to ruin his semi-calm mood.

“If you find your mate-“ He stopped and smirked. “Like you ever will. But if you do, you are to reject him if he doesn’t reject you first.”

I felt my heart lurch. My mate? I hadn’t even thought of that. What if I did find him at this school? What would I do? I couldn’t reject him. He would get me away from all of this. Wouldn’t he? He would love me.

I saddened. Who would love me? I’m just a broken little girl who can’t take care of herself. I’m not even brave enough to find help. Why would my mate want me? Whoever he was, he deserved better than me. This thought sobered me. I was worthless. Even my mate wouldn’t want me.

I could tell my father was enjoying seeing the hurt on my face. He still had that little smug smile on his face. I couldn’t help but feel angry. How could he feel like this? He was watching his daughter, his little girl, in pain, and he just sat there and smiled. He was sick, and he knew it.

I glared lightly at him, giving him a “can-I-go-now?” look. He waved me off and I marched out of his office and straight to my room. I collapsed on my bed and let a silent tear escape.

Why did I make myself do this?