My Alpha My Witch

Shattered silence

Austin's Pov

The living room felt emptier than usual, despite the presence of my uncle sitting slumped in the dining chair. My eyes drifted toward him, tracking his every movement, or rather, his lack of movement. He just sat there, a half-empty bottle of whiskey in his hand, staring blankly ahead. I kept staring until his bleary eyes finally met mine, but even then, he didn’t say anything. No drunken rambling. Nothing.

I waited for it, the scolding or even some tired attempt at humor, but when it didn’t come, the silence grated on me. I couldn’t take it anymore. Frustration went through me, and I stood up abruptly, forcing a smile as if I had something witty to say, though sarcasm dripped from every word.

“How long do you plan on drinking yourself into a coma?” I asked, voice laced with venom.

His bloodshot eyes dropped on me, but he waved me off like I was a fly buzzing around his head. “Just sit down and leave me alone, Austin.”

I couldn’t sit back and watch him slowly destroy himself, not after everything we’d been through. I was tired, tired of carrying the weight of our shattered family on my own, tired of pretending like everything was fine. I marched over to the table, grabbed the half-empty bottles of alcohol scattered across it, and without hesitation, hurled them into the sink. Glass shattered, the sound cutting through the suffocating quiet.

My uncle, drunk and unsteady, stumbled to his feet. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he slurred, his voice rising as he staggered toward me. “Why would you do that?”

“Why?” I snapped, jerking my hand free when he grabbed my arm. “Because I’m done watching you drown yourself!”

Without another word, I stormed off, heading straight to my room. I slammed the door behind me, chest heaving as I fought to hold back tears. For a moment, there was only silence, and I allowed myself to breathe. But then, through the thin walls, I heard him again. His voice, now desperate, called up from downstairs.

“I’m sorry! Austin, I’m sorry!” His voice cracked, each word soaked in regret and misery. “Please, forgive me!”

I bit down hard on my lip, but it did nothing to stop the tears from welling up. It wasn’t just his suffering that was breaking me, it was mine too. The last few months had been hell for both of us. Losing our entire family in one day, it was more than anyone should have to bear. But while my uncle had crumbled under the weight of that grief, I’d been left to pick up the pieces, to stay strong, to attend college as if my life hadn’t been torn apart.

Why couldn’t he be strong too? Why couldn’t he fight through it like I had?

The banging on my door grew louder, and with a heavy sigh, I crossed the room to open it. The second I did, my uncle stumbled forward, pulling me into a tight hug. His breath reeked of alcohol, but his embrace was fierce and filled with apology. His body shook with sobs.

“I’m sorry, Austin,” he whispered, his voice breaking with every word. “I’ll stop drinking. I swear. I’ll go back to work, take care of everything like I’m supposed to. We’ll be okay again. I promise.”

His words were like jagged glass, sharp and painful because I wanted to believe them, but I couldn’t. Not yet.

“Shh,” I muttered, gently pushing him back. “You need to sleep. Get some rest, okay?”

He smiled weakly at me, the kind of smile that didn’t reach his eyes, before staggering out of my room. I watched as he gobbled his way down the hall, and I knew, deep down that it wasn’t going to be that easy. Losing everything had changed us both, and while we still had each other, the scars run deep.

Growing up, life hadn’t been this hard. We had everything we could ever want, money, freedom, a family that loved us. But now, with all of that gone, the only luxury I craved was happiness, and even that felt far away.

I sat down on the edge of my bed, running a hand through my hair before glancing over at my phone. There, on the screen, was a number I’d jotted down, a contact I couldn’t stop thinking about. Her face flashed through my mind, clear as day, her bright eyes, her confident smile, the way she laughed without holding back.

I hadn’t known her long, but every time I thought of her, something inside me felt lighter. She was different. She was bold, unapologetic, and fierce. And I needed that in my life, someone who wasn’t afraid to face the world head-on, someone who made me forget, even for just a moment, how broken everything was.

Maybe that’s why I’d taken down her number, why I’d started walking the same street every day, hoping to run into her again. I didn’t know if she felt the same way, but I couldn’t help it. There was something about her that made me feel like things could get better.

Grabbing my bag, I hurried out of the house, desperate to leave the suffocating air behind. As I stepped out into the crisp evening air, I thought maybe I could still get the rest of my day well.