True Alpha

Unspoken truths

As tears filled my eyes, I ran. I ran to the girls’ bathroom and locked the door. I felt him running after me, but I kept running. I moved to the far side of the bathroom and slid against the wall. Tears were flowing down my face uncontrollably. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around myself.

“Liah, what’s wrong?” I heard his voice; it was soft and full of worry.

I wanted to go out and run into his arms. I wanted him to hold me and give me that sense that everything would be okay, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t go out there and face him. It was his family that did this to me. 10 years ago, it was me. That was the reason his parents didn’t speak to his uncle and aunt. They were the reason I had no parents. They were the reason I was alone. I can’t blame Deacon because he was only a child 10 years ago, but it was his family’s fault.

“Deacon, please leave me alone.” I said, trying to keep the tears out of my voice.

He started banging on the door, “Liah, please open the door.” I could feel his ranked voice being used, but I didn’t submit to anyone.

“Go away.” I said, stubbornly.

Suddenly, the banging stopped and I heard a female’s voice.

“It’s Kyra. Can I come in?”

“Please just leave me alone.” I cried. I put my head in my arms and softly sobbed.

It is not my mate’s fault, his uncle is a s**t head.

I know that Athena, it’s still his family that did this to us. They experimented on us for YEARS. It was so bad that you came out and took control for 5 years. We have been isolated, we have been alone. His parents should have taken me. They could have saved us.

You don’t know that they didn’t try, Liah. Deacon said they had a fight, maybe they tried to get us out.

THEY ARE THE REASON WE WERE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!

YOU DO NOT KNOW THAT. YOU WANT TO BLAME SOMEONE. BLAME THE PEOPLE WHO CUT INTO US WHO KEPT US AWAKE FOR DAYS. THE ONES WHO TOOK OUR TEETH, RIPPED OUT MY CLAWS!! THEY CUTS ORGANS OUT WHILE WE WERE AWAKE JUST TO SEE IF THEY WOULD REGENERATE AND HOW FAST. LIAH, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY DID TO ME. DEACON DID NOT KNOW, HE DID NOT DO IT. MAYBE, JUST MAYBE HIS PARENTS DID NOT KNOW EITHER. MAYBE HIS PARENT’S TRIED TO PROTECT US.

She cut me off. She was right. 10 years ago, was when I was ‘born’. Maybe Deacon’s parents wanted me to be free. I sat silently, feeling Deacon’s worry on the other side of the door. I sighed. I wanted to go back to my room. I wanted to say home, but I didn’t have a home. I had my own room. It wasn’t much of anything. I had a cot and last year the Doctor decided to give me a TV. Knowing that someone had possibly cared enough to fight me to have a TV was nice. The nicest thing I ever had.

I had spent my entire life being wheeled from my room to the lab. Either because it was too late, and the doctors were leaving, or because they needed me to heal enough so they wouldn’t kill their most precious experiment. I had heard the howls of others for years but I had learned a long time ago not to ask questions. If I heard the howls, I would lay on my cot and cover my ears with my pillow and would let Athena’s imagination about running lull me to sleep.

I finally stood up and walked to the mirror. I grabbed a paper towel and wiped the tears away, took a deep breath and walked to the door.

What am I supposed to say to him?

Tell him the truth.

I can’t. I’m not ready for anyone to know what I am.

He knows what you are. He is wolf too.

I wasn’t talking about the wolf. I’m a freak. I was born at 7. I was basically incubated in a lab by a psychotic doctor.

He won’t care. He’s still waiting. Waiting for us.

I unlocked the door and opened it. Deacon was sitting on the floor next to the bathroom. He jumped up and looked over at me, his hands going to my shoulder. He half smiled at me.

“I really don’t want to talk about it.” I said, stating it before he opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He sighed. “We don’t have to talk about it, but we only have like 10 minutes for lunch and I am starving.”

I giggled as he showed me to the cafeteria and all eyes were on us. Deacon causally walks to the line and orders 2 burgers and fries. I just ordered the fries, never having had them before. Athena growled at the idea of not having meat and I quickly added the burger. We go and pay, and Deacon leads us to a table full of wolves. I felt Athena growl. Naturally, we had a thing with new wolves, since the only wolves we had ever met hurt us for our entire lives.

“Liah, are you feeling better?” Kyra asked.

I looked at her and noticed that she looked a lot like Deacon. “Are you related?” I asked.

I heard Deacon growl.

“Yes. He’s my brother.” She answers, glaring at him.

“Twin brother.” A guy I had never seen before said.

“Wait, you two are twins?” I said, looking at Deacon.

“Yes. I am older by 5 minutes, because Kyra is going to be late for her own wedding.” He laughed.

She glared at him again as she threw a fry at him. He held it in his mouth and laughed again.

I ate my fries while they all talked. They were good. Athena finally settled down after Deacon put his hand on her knee, still talking to his friends. I hadn’t noticed it was shaking. I looked around the table and I noticed Kyra staring at me, a smile on her face. I blushed and looked away. The bell rang and we all got up to empty our trays. Deacon put his hand on the small of my back and I shivered at the sparks again.

“That’s adorable.” He whispered in my ear.

I giggled and blushed again.

He walked me to my locker and waited as I got my bag out. I waited for him to get his but he didn’t. I shrugged it off as he walked me to my next class.

“Aren’t you going to class?” I asked as we made it to the door.

“I have PE.” He shrugged.

“Oh.” I was a little sad that he wasn’t going to be there with me.

“Don’t worry, Kyra’s in this class, she’ll take notes for you.” He chuckled.

“I know how to take notes,” I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

He pulled me to his chest with a chuckle, “Watch that tongue, mate”, he whispered in my ear.

I pulled back and looked at him. He smiled bigger and gave me a wink as he walked away. I blushed again and turned into the class. I handed my teacher the paper and found a seat in the back. I leaned my head against the wall, and I saw Kyra walk in. I gave her a smile and she sat in front of me.

“So you and my brother?” She asked, winking at me.

“Yeah, I guess.” I blushed again.

“How old are you?”

“17.”

“Isn’t it weird? Finding him at 17?”

“Uh, isn’t that how it normally works?” I asked. I didn’t really know anything about wolves except what I saw on TV and that was all some human’s stupid imagination.

“No. Not unless your mate is 18, but even then. They can’t tell you that they are your mate. They have to wait until the younger turns of legal age.” She whispers. “How long have you been shifting?”

“I’m really not comfortable talking about it.” I said, looking at the room filling.

“Give me your number and we can talk.”

I pulled out the phone she gave me yesterday morning. I told her that I couldn’t go to school without a phone, just in case I needed to get ahold of her. She took me to a store and told me to get whatever I wanted. Kyra typed her number in and took a picture of her contact, and pulled her own phone out and sent herself a quick text.

“There, now you have my number.” She smiled and turned back around as the teacher began to talk.

This teacher was also a wolf. He was about 24 years old and was massive. His light blue buttoned up shirt was rolled up at his elbow and tucked into black slacks. His hair was brown and wavy, perfectly ruffled. He looked at Kyra and she stiffened. She stood up and ran from the room. I asked if I could follow her.

I ran behind her and ran directly into the Doctor.