THE HEARTLESS ALPHA

Epi 5 :The First Kill

Standing before me wasn’t my dad, but a strange and mysterious figure. He was stroking my hair and said in a deep, commanding voice, "James, get up. You can’t give up like this! You are meant to protect not just your pack, but five more. You are the Alpha King! You cannot be this weak." You are not an ordinary Alpha. You are special. Use your power for good.

Before I could recognize him or ask who he was, his words threw me into deeper confusion.

Looking into my eyes, he continued, "You have to believe in yourself, in your power. You weren’t born to die like this. You have to live. You have to fight with strength. You are brave. You won’t break. This pain is normal. Every Alpha goes through it when their power awakens. It’s happening to you too. Don’t be afraid. It will pass soon."

Hearing the word "Alpha" brought the nightmare rushing back.

I rubbed my eyes hard, my heart racing. Was this another dream? Who was this man calling me Alpha again? Was he going to tell me to eat some piece of meat again?

Fear and shock showed on my face. I reached out and touched him. He understood my confusion and said in a firm but gentle voice, "You don’t need to be scared. This isn’t a dream. This is real. You have to accept it."

Before I could process anything, he looked at me deeply and said something that shattered me. Something impossible to believe. Something my mind refused to accept, especially in this modern world.

He smiled and said, "Do you want to know who I am? Then listen. I am you. I am your own existence, but I’ve come from ten thousand years in the future. The coolness you feel from my hands is your own ancient power awakening inside you."

I was stunned. The person standing in front of me was me. The most powerful version of myself. The Alpha King.

He placed a hand on my shoulder and said gravely, "I’m here only to make you aware of the truth, so you can prepare in time to protect yourself and your people. Because right now, this world is in great danger and you need to wake up. I had to come to you to tell you this. Prepare yourself for a new crisis and a new trial!"

His words cut through my mind like a blade. I couldn’t accept that some future version of me was standing here. Seeing my confusion, he added, "The nightmare you’re having, the fear you’re feeling… that’s not an ordinary fear. It’s a warning of the destruction to come."

Angry and suspicious, I shoved his hand off my shoulder and snapped, "I don’t believe you! Who are you? Do you think you can fool me so easily? Know this, I’m not falling for your nonsense. Are you from a rival business trying to ruin my father’s company? Trying to destroy our reputation? Who are you? I don’t trust you! You’re probably some imposter trying to manipulate me!"

I snapped at him in one breath. I was certain this was one of my dad’s enemies trying to sabotage his name.

My breath was ragged. My heart and mind refused to accept something so bizarre.

I pointed at him angrily and shouted, "Tell me straight. Which servant told you about my nightmare? Only my family and the staff at home know about it. You must have bribed someone! You can’t use my nightmare for your own gain. This was just a dream and it has nothing to do with reality, and you have nothing to do with me!"

I felt disgust for this man trying to take advantage of my illness and my dream.

I took a deep breath and glared, "I’ll make sure you get what you deserve. And then you’ll learn what happens when you mess with Mr. Albert’s son! With one call, you won’t be walking out of here alive!"

He laughed darkly. "Ha ha! James, you can’t run from the truth. This is a truth that will one day stand right in front of you and there will be nothing you can do. I’m warning you now so you can prepare in time.

But this is the truth. You can’t deny it. Neither can I. Neither can anyone. Because it’s real. You are not an ordinary human. You are the Alpha King! A strong and most powerful king. You have to fight for yourself, for your people, and for your pack. You have to stand up to protect not only your pack, but all the others too!"

His words shook me to my core. There was a power in every word that left me helpless.

───

Alen’s House:

The moment Alen stepped inside, her stepmother Zooi was standing there with crossed arms, fury on her face. The second she saw Alen, her face turned red with rage and she screamed, "Alen! Where were you all night? Do you have any idea how worried we were? Or do you think this house is a hotel? Come and go whenever you please!"

Alen gave a cold, bitter laugh and looked Zooi straight in the eyes. Centuries of pain were in her voice. "What did you say? You were worried about me? Wow, Zooi mom. Where did you learn to act so well? You’re not worried about me. You’re worried about the housework that piled up because I wasn’t here. And the money you get from me working as a waitress! If you really cared about me, you would have looked for me. You would have checked if I was even alive or dead. And if you cared so much, you wouldn’t have sent me to work that party last night." Last night’s pain and suffering broke me. I felt intense hatred for this woman who pretended to be my mother.

My words set Zooi on fire. She grabbed my arm hard. Her eyes looked like they would pop out of her head. "How dare you talk back to me? Don’t forget your place, Alen!"

She squeezed my arm tighter.

"Ahh!" A sound escaped me from the pain, but she didn’t stop. She brought her face right up to mine and said with pure hatred, "Oh, so now you’ve grown wings? If you don’t stop this attitude, then just wait and see what I do! I’ll make your life hell in this house. I’ll turn your life into a nightmare. You’ll beg to run away from here. You think your father will take your side over this disrespect? Never!"

She laughed wickedly. "When he finds out you were out all night with your boyfriend, imagine what that will do to him."

Zooi shoved Alen hard, and Alen crashed into the wall. In Zooi’s eyes, Alen saw a clear intent to destroy her. Seeing her like that, fear settled in Alen’s heart. But Zooi was happy. She had scared Alen and gotten control again. What she didn’t know was that the future was about to make Alen incredibly strong.

ICU ROOM:

The ICU room was silent. Only the steady beep of the machines broke the quiet.

That same old man was still standing beside my bed. His eyes were locked on me.

"Get up, James. We don't have time." There was exhaustion in his voice, and command.

I was about to speak when the door handle turned.

A doctor walked in. White coat, clipboard in hand.

He looked at me, then at the old man.

For one second, all the color drained from the doctor’s face. His eyes widened, like he’d just seen a ghost.

But the next moment he forced himself to recover. He forced a smile.

"How is the patient?" His voice was shaking.

The old man didn’t waste a second.

He lunged forward and slammed the doctor against the wall.

BAM!

The doctor crashed into the wall and then crumpled to the floor.

"What the hell is this!" I shouted. Even through the pain I tried to sit up, furious.

"I’m calling security right now!" I grabbed the phone from the side table.

The old man didn’t listen to me.

He attacked the fallen doctor again. He kicked him, dragging him back into the wall.

Blood started pouring from the doctor’s mouth. He was groaning.

Then, gathering what little strength he had, he tried to fight back. It was useless.

The old man picked up a sharp shard of glass from the floor.

And with one brutal strike he drove it into the doctor’s hand.

SHKKK...

The next second there was a deep hole in the doctor’s hand. Blood gushed out. The floor turned red.

"You’re a monster!" I screamed, sick with anger and hatred.

"You can’t be anything like me!"

The old man spun the shard in his hand, his voice cold:

"A past full of pain turns you into exactly this, James."

And with that he drove the shard straight into the doctor’s heart.

The doctor’s eyes flew wide. One last choked sound, and then his breathing stopped.

Blood spread everywhere. I stared at the old man in horror. He didn’t even care that he had just killed someone.

The sight made my head spin. My body started shaking again and I collapsed, unconscious.

───