THE HEARTLESS ALPHA

Epi 4: The Old Man

He was so worried about you," the nurse went on.

"Every 10 minutes he’d call a nurse. 'Is she in pain?' 'Does she have a fever?'

He took care of you like a mother would.

Like you were his whole world."

Alen stared at the ceiling.

For one second, warmth filled her.

Did I treat James wrong?

Maybe he really,

But the next second, Bella’s face flashed. Ryan’s laugh. Zooi’s slap.

All their real faces. All their lies.

And the warmth turned to ice.

Alen turned to the wall.

"No," she said quietly.

The nurse paused.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Alen closed her eyes.

"He probably paid the nurses.

That’s why you’re all lying to me.

So I’ll fall for it. Forgive him.

And then he can take advantage of me." Her voice hardened.

"He can’t be like a mother. No one can be like my mother.

Everyone lies and acts just to get something."

The nurse went quiet. Then gasped.

"Your wounds... they’re all healed. Overnight."

Alen was stunned. She really didn’t feel any physical pain.

Only the pain in her soul.

"Where is that boy? I’ll tell him, he’ll be so happy," the nurse said, amazed.

"Please leave," Alen interrupted. Voice shaking.

"I don’t want to hear any more praise.

Bring my discharge papers. I want to go home." She said it sharply.

The nurse sighed, picked up the tray, and left without a word.

The door closed. Alen gripped the crystal around her neck.

Tears fell.

"I won’t trust anyone," she whispered.

"Anyone."

The wounds in her soul started bleeding again.

JAMES' MANSION - MAIN HALL

James walked in. Black suit rumpled. No tie.

Dark circles. Exhausted face.

His father, Mr. Albert, was on the sofa reading the newspaper.

He stood the second he saw his son.

"James? Where have you been?" Worry in his voice.

"Your phone was off. And what happened to you?"

James didn’t even look at him.

He headed straight for the stairs.

Steps unsteady. Like he was weighed down by sleep.

"I’m talking to you!" Mr. Albert shouted.

"Stop!"

James stopped on the stairs. Back to his father.

"I’m tired, Dad," he said quietly.

"We’ll talk tomorrow."

And he walked away.

Without turning. Without answering. Without even saying "hi."

Mr. Albert stood there, mouth open.

In 20 years, James had never ignored him like this.

2 MINUTES LATER - JAMES' ROOM

James shut the door.

Threw his coat on the floor.

He collapsed on the bed. Eyes closed instantly.

The sleeping pills kicked in.

The last word on his lips before sleep:

"Alen."

Downstairs, Mr. Albert was still standing.

Newspaper in hand. Confusion and worry all over his face.

"What’s wrong with this boy?" he muttered.

"He didn’t even look at me."

He called his secretary.

"I need to know where James was all night.

Every detail. Got it?"

Click.

JAMES' ROOM - DREAM:

"James, help me. I need you."

A girl’s voice. Full of pain.

I was in that same dark forest that always haunts my dreams.

I turned and ran. The voice came from beyond the bushes.

I saw them. People hunched over.

A woman on the ground. Unconscious. Or dead?

Panic rose in me. My heart was pounding so hard

I thought it would burst out of my chest.

I stepped forward and one of them looked up.

The ground fell out from under me. My breath stopped.

Fear shot through me. Anyone would’ve felt the same.

Because what I saw...

It wasn’t human. It was a monster in human skin.

Human face, but eyes blood red. Mouth full of blood.

Jaw like a beast. Hair all over its face.

And in its hand... the woman’s severed arm.

It was tearing into it, eating it.

Blood dripped from its beard.

It looked at me. And smiled. With bloody teeth.

Then held out its bloody hand to me.

"Eat," it growled. "You eat too. Now."

It stepped closer.

Revulsion. Fear. Rage. All hit me at once.

My body shook. What was this? Human or animal?

The creature crept closer. Tall. Hunched. Hair on its back.

A merciless, hungry wolf-like man.

It snarled. The sound echoed through the forest.

"Alpha. You’re here."

I shot up in bed with a horrifying scream. My whole body was drenched in sweat and my heart was pounding out of my chest. The nightmare was so terrifying that I was shaking all over. I had seen wolf-like creatures in the forest, tearing a lone woman apart alive.

Even after waking up, I couldn’t shake the feeling that those beast-like things were still somewhere nearby.

Fear had stolen my ability to think and reason.

Then I saw something that made my blood run cold. White foam was coming out of my mouth.

From the corridor came the sound of running footsteps. The next second, the door flew open. My dad, Mr. Albert, rushed in, panicked. He turned on the lamp, and the moment his eyes landed on me, he froze.

He saw how bad my condition was. The white foam pouring from my mouth looked like boiling lava. My body was trembling violently and my eyes felt like they were about to burst out of my skull.

I wanted to control myself, but I couldn’t.

Seeing this horrifying scene, my father’s face went deathly pale. He never imagined something like this could happen to me. A father’s world collapses when his grown son is in pain, but he forced himself to stay strong. He ran to me and grabbed my shaking shoulders, shouting, "James! Keep your eyes open! Look at me!"

I looked at him. My failing state had terrified him too. I didn’t want to worry him. I wanted to reassure him, but I couldn’t speak. Pain and fear had completely taken over me.

Without wasting a second, Mr. Albert pulled out his phone with trembling hands. He called his secretary immediately. The moment she answered, his voice cracked with panic, "Listen! Hurry! Call for an ambulance from abroad right now! James is in critical condition!"

After giving instructions, he hung up and rushed back to me. The white foam was still spilling onto the bed. He held me up and tried to keep me conscious until the ambulance arrived so he could get me to the hospital. His heart was sinking with an unknown dread. Against my will, my eyes started to close. The last thought in my mind was of Alen.

The moment the ambulance screeched to a stop at the emergency entrance, chaos erupted. James, the son of the richest and most powerful man in the entire city, was fighting for his life. Every breath was a struggle and his life hung by a thread.

Seeing Mr. Albert’s son like this, the entire hospital staff and all the senior doctors went into immediate action. Nurses and doctors were running everywhere. Worry and fear were written all over their faces. Everyone was doing everything they could to save James’s life.

Every doctor knew that if anything happened to James, Mr. Albert would tear the hospital apart in rage. With one call he could shut the whole place down. Under that pressure and fear, they rushed James into the emergency ward and began treatment.

Hours passed. Outside the emergency ward it was silent, but inside everything had changed. James had been moved to a special ICU room. He lay on the bed, completely unconscious.

His whole body was connected to tubes and machines. Wires from the ECG monitored his heartbeat on a screen, and IV drips ran into both his arms. An oxygen mask covered his mouth. Surrounded by machines, he looked utterly helpless.

Mr. Albert stood outside, looking through the glass window. The constant beeping of the machines only deepened his fear.

A doctor came out of the emergency room and removed his mask. The moment Mr. Albert saw him, he rushed forward and grabbed his hand.

The doctor gave him a calm, reassuring smile. "Mr. Albert, please don’t worry anymore. James is out of danger. His condition is stabilizing and his heartbeat is normal now."

Mr. Albert exhaled deeply, as if a massive weight had been lifted from his chest. But the fear wasn’t completely gone. He knew what happened to James wasn’t a normal illness.

The doctor placed a hand on his shoulder. "James needs a lot of rest now. It would be best if you went home and rested too. Our entire staff is here and we’re taking perfect care of him. But if you don’t want to go home, we can arrange a private room for you here so you can get some rest."

With exhausted eyes, Mr. Albert looked at James. His heart didn’t want to leave his son, but his body was completely drained. It was 3 AM.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a hospital bed. Panic hit me. I looked around frantically. My body was tangled in all kinds of IVs and wires. My head was spinning and it felt like every muscle was tearing apart. A strange burning pain was surging through every vein.

I thought maybe this was it. Maybe I was dying. The pain was like being dragged over thorns. I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to call for my dad but I was powerless.

I tried to scream from the pain, but my voice barely came out. I had no idea what was happening to me, but the pain inside was driving me mad with every passing second.

Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, I felt someone gently stroking my head with so much love and tenderness. The moment their hand touched me, a strange calm and coolness washed over me, and the pain slowly began to fade. I felt relief and comfort. I thought it must be my dad. A father’s love was soothing me through the pain. I softly opened my eyes and smiled, expecting to see my father.

What I saw hit me like a thunderbolt. All my happiness vanished in an instant.