Silenced

Chapter 2

The silence in the clearing was excruciating. The two men escorting me out had some kind of death grip on my arms. I assumed they were among the wolves I had fought earlier. I would have been amused by their fear if I didn't ache so much from my efforts. Instead I was annoyed. I had no intention of fleeing again. I had accepted my fate. I refused to be one of those rogues that died crying and pleading.

I had a brief moment of panic as they lifted me that they might actually break my arms before I died. They stepped up onto the huge rock as well and the grip didn't seem as harsh. I glanced out. Their entire pack was here for the sentencing. There were so many wolves the clearing was fully occupied and some stretched into the edges of the forest. These wolves acted nothing like my pack. They sat in silence listening to the man in the center of the rock.

I turned my focus to him as well. I knew instantly that he was the alpha. He was huge. Bigger than my previous alpha even. He looked young for an alpha. Maybe 24-25 but I couldn't be sure. He had on only a pair of jeans that hung low on his waist and his hands were stuffed in his pockets. His muscles were visible even with just the lighting from the moon and he radiated power. He was speaking to the wolves in a calm and toneless voice. He turned to face us and my heart stopped. I was not ready for this. All of my resolve and courage vanished leaving me with a sickeningly cold panic. I couldn't breathe. I watched his bare feet move toward me. They stopped just a few feet in front of me and my stomach flopped. I would have puked if anything had been in my stomach to do so.

"Look at me." The Alpha said.

Tears filled my eyes and I bit the inside of my cheek in a hopeless attempt to ease some panic. I knew looking at him was some kind of trap. Alphas hated eye contact. It was a challenge against them. No way would I be stupid enough to challenge him. The wind blew shifting my hair and making me shiver.

"Look. At. Me." He said again. His tone was quieter and he forced my chin up. I tried to look anywhere but his face. Not only did I fail but I looked right into his eyes. I was trapped by the dark forest green. He stared at me for what felt like forever. I couldn't look away and I couldn't read his expression.

"Let go."' He said to the two men holding my arms. They hesitated. They were probably as confused by this interaction as I was.

"Release. Her." His voice thickened dangerously with command. The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood instantly and they obeyed the alphas command without hesitation this time. The relief for my arms was instant. I didn't expect it to last long. To my surprise the alpha didn't grab me. Instead with one hand on my lower back he directed me to the center of the rock. My feet blindly followed. When we stopped he slid his hand up into my hair and tilted my head up so all of the wolves could see my face. His grasp on my hair wasn't especially tight but the odd angle irritated my scar and made me feel even more vulnerable.

"Well?" He asked of the wolves calmly. He didn't need to yell. Even the smallest wolf had sensitive hearing. There were a few barks and howls in emphasis to what ever they were saying. I was almost impressed. Very few packs had the ability to communicate through mind links. The full moon was probably the only reason they were able to now but even that was rare.

The alpha looked back at me. His eyes caught mine before I could look away. It felt like he could see right through me. I had no doubt he was assessing everything. My fear, my pain, and even my transfixed state was obvious to him. He tilted my head to the side and leaned in taking a deep breath. The proximity of his mouth to my neck forced a shiver of fear to shoot down my spine. He could have ripped my throat out and there was nothing I could do. I kept my eyes closed as I waited.

"She is not a shifter." Though it seemed like he talked to no one he spoke to hundreds. His tone seemed different. Almost confused. I opened my eyes to see if I could confirm his tone. His expression was blank and unreadable.

He looked back to me again and traced the scar that stretched across my throat. It was hard to miss with my head tilted back like this. I anticipated the burn of his touch, but it was surprisingly gentle. His eyes darkened. He turned his gaze back to the crowd. He scanned over them. His expression was unmistakable now. He was angry. He looked back at me again.

"This girl is young, perhaps still a child. She is not a shifter though her knowledge makes her susceptible to our laws. She cannot have been a rogue for long. I believe we will have no trouble altering her ways." He said. I didn't bother letting his words sink in. I would be lucky to get out of this alive. Explaining that I refused to join a pack would be another day's problem. He tilted his head. Annoyance flashed briefly in his eyes as he listened. He was growing impatient. His calm facade was no longer concealing his emotions.

My legs were beginning to shake from the effort of standing, breathing, and keeping myself together. My body still ached from the fight. I cursed myself for looking like a trembling coward. The alpha looked at me out of the corner of his eyes. He forced me down to my knees. It stopped my legs from shaking but it did nothing for the shivering. I hadn't even realized I was cold. The alpha released my hair and rested his hand on the back of my neck. It was odd placement but warmth washed over me instantly. I decided not to question it and instead relished in the brief relief from the cold.

"Absolutely Not." He growled suddenly. My entire body tensed and another shiver of fear jolted through my spine. I hadn't even realized I had relaxed but I certainly wouldn't do so again.

"Placements will be postponed and punishment will be of my own. Dismissed." He said. The wolves began filing out. "I am aware, thank you." He said. His tone dripped with sarcasm and annoyance. He looked down at me. I couldn't read his expression but I assumed it was time to move. I decided to stand up to avoid being jerked up. He dropped his hand from my neck back to my waist. My assumption had been correct. He led me away from the giant pack and back to the side I had come up. Someone was waiting at the end of the rock. As we neared I could recognize him as the third, Adam. I hesitated. The alpha nudged me along. His movement was oddly gentle. It was no where near the harsh shove I would have received in my old pack. At the end of the rock he stepped down and reached back lifting me down as well. I didn't even have time to process before we were moving again. We stopped just in front of the third.

"A human?" The alpha asked. He made human sound like a new swear word.

"I had no idea Silas." Adam said. The fear was evident in his tone.

"Of course, you didn't because you didn't do a ROUTINE exam." He snapped, "If you had you would have seen the scar on her throat and considered maybe she can't speak."

Adams eyes widened as he looked at me. I wasn't surprised that he had never considered my lack of communication to be a matter of ability. I had after all put up a fight and injured one of his fighters.

"You can't speak?" He was shocked. I bit my lip and shook my head no. I felt guilty that he was getting into trouble because of me. He hadn't bothered to ask if I could speak before but I had not given him any reason too. Truthfully, I had no intention of telling him anything even if I could. I had been ready to die.

"Who did this?" The alpha asked. He touched my cheek. I wondered if it was bruised.

"I don't know... Chase maybe when he knocked her down." Adam said.

"And this?" He touched my arm.

"A-Alex..." Adam said. I could see the regret in his eyes. I couldn't help but wonder if all Alphas were monsters. Even those close enough to be their officials feared them.

"Call Aaron. I want him in my office NOW." The alpha said. Adam nodded pulling out his phone. The alpha turned us to leave.

"Uh Silas, are you... ok... to take her?" Adam asked. He received only a growl in response. I looked over at the alpha wondering if there was something Adam saw that I didn't. That's when I noticed for the first time that the alpha was shaking.