Chapter 3 RELIEF

"Dad! Dad! What's wrong with dad?!" Emily and Sophia cried.

Amara immediately rushed to her father's side.

"Call an ambulance!" Rachel yelled, looking around, her eyes filled with fear.

The people in the restaurant had already begun to surround them, some were bringing out their phones and making videos while others were calling the hospital.

Rachel knelt beside him, tears pouring down her face.

"Honey, please! Hang on! Please don't leave us!"

Amara held her father's hand, her face pale.

"Dad, wake up! Please!"

Sirens had begun to sound outside and Paramedics began to rush in, surrounding James.

"One, two, three...clear!" a paramedic shouted as he placed the defibrillator on his chest."

James's body jerked, but there was no sign of response.

The head paramedic looked up, shaking his head.

"He's unresponsive, we have worked tirelessly to get him to the hospital...now!" He said,

Rachel nodded, frantic.

"Go! Please take him!" She said,

The paramedics immediately lifted James' body on a stretcher and rushed him out, the whole family following.

Amara's face was pale, tears pouring down her face as she watched them put her father into the ambulance.

What was going to happen to her father?

Was she going to lose her father?

***

James's eyes slowly open, he looked around him in surprise, he was in an hospital room.

A doctor standing over him and smiling down at him, his eyes went to the doctor's tag, it read "Dr. Mitch."

"Welcome back, Mr Becker. You gave everyone quite a scare." Dr Mitch said.

"What...happened?" James asked, his voice weak, his throat felt dry.

Dr. Mitch took a step forward, his face closer to his.

"Honestly, I can't even say what happened because we're not entirely sure. But all I can say is you're lucky to be alive."

James frowned as he tried to sit up.

"Lucky?" He whispered.

Dr. Mitch nodded.

"Your test results showed no signs of damage to your body. It's as if your whole body healed itself." Dr Mitch said, as he stared at him in confusion.

James's eyes moved to the heart monitors by his side, he could see his heart rate moving normally.

"I thought...my heart..."

Dr. Mitch slowly shook his head.

"We suspected your capillaries were badly damaged, and we prepared for surgery tonight but somehow, they're functioning perfectly again."

James smiled weakly, he knew as a werewolf he couldn't stay sick for too long and his body would always heal on its own.

"Your family has been worried sick," Dr. Mitch said.

James's eyes grew brighter as he looked around for them.

"My wife...children?" He asked.

Dr. Mitch smiled.

"They're fine. They've been by your side since you were brought in." Dr Mitch said.

James turned his attention back to Dr Mitch.

"Where are they?" He asked.

Dr. Mitch pointed towards the next room.

"They're sleeping in the next room. You have been unconscious for two days so they must have been so tired." He said.

James slowly nodded.

"Should I call them?" Dr. Mitch asked.

James immediately shook his head.

"No...not at all, there's no need to disturb them."

Dr. Mitch smiled nodding.

"Okay then, you can rest well Mr James. You've earned it." He said as he exited the room.

James sat up, carefully removing the IV drip from his arms.

He let out a silent sigh.

Lucky indeed.

If he'd collapsed on a full moon, the doctor and the rest of the hospital staff would have discovered his secret.

His name and face would be on news papers over the world.

James remembered why he had fainted in the first place.

His company was burnt to the ground.

Everything.

Thinking about it made his eyes red, his heart beating faster, he knew if he continued like this, he could lose his composure and turn into a full wolf and wreck havoc on the whole hospital.

He couldn't stay here, he had to get some fresh air to be able to think clearly.

James swung his legs over the bed, slowly climbing off the bed.

He quietly changed into his clothes, and removed the hospital clothes, shoving them under the hospital bed.

He peeked into the next room.

He could see, Rachel and the children sleeping peacefully.

James's smiled sadly as he watched them sleep.

He wanted to stay longer and watch them sleep, but he couldnt, he quickly slipped out of the hospital room, before anyone else could see him.

*

James stepped out of the hospital, into the dark streets, the night air was cool on his sweaty face.

He walked down the street, lost in thought.

He had truly lost everything he built.

His company, the one he had built all his life, everything was now burnt to the ground.

He has built them from scratch, with sweat and tears, but now, nothing remained.

The memories lingered, haunting him.

He could remember when he was younger, struggling with his then best friend, Maxwell Branson.

Maxwell was his friend, brother and the alpha of the Blue Shades pack.

He had always wanted to build the company with Maxwell, but all Maxwell wanted to do was be alpha of the blue shades pack and nothing else.

James had spent a decade with Maxwell, the both of them waging war on other packs and killing them off, they had killed almost all the other packs in Europe except the red sky pack who were almost as powerful as them or even more powerful than them, but everything changed when he met Rachel and had Amara.

He had left, to live a normal life for his daughters.

And he knew that, his company must have been burnt down by some of his old enemies.

James sighed as he stopped and looked up at the stars in the sky.

If some of his old enemies were after him it meant his family were not safe, his past was coming back to haunt him, and now that he had lost everything, he had no chance of fighting them back or even protecting his family from them.

James sighed, his shoulders dropping in defeat.

He knew what he had to do.

He had to finally make that call, the one he had avoided for years.

He had to call, his old friend, Maxwell Branson.

The alpha of the Blue Shades pack.

James stood frozen, his fingers shaking.

A few decades ago, he had ran away from the pack with his family and abandoned his friend.

Would Maxwell even answer? James took a deep breath as he dialed the official number of the blue shades pack.

He wondered if they had already changed the number.

He sighed in relief as the number began to ring.

James's heart raced in his chest as he waited for an answer.

"Maxwell speaking." A deep, familiar voice answered.

James froze again.

His brain crashing.

This was the first time he was hearing maxwell's voice in two decades.

"Hello?" He heard Maxwell say again.

James took a deep breath.

"Max...it's James." He said.

There was a pause at the other end of the line.

The both of them silent for some minutes

"James. Long time no see." Maxwell finally said, his voice sounded warm and it made James breath a little in relief.

"Max...I'm really sorry to call you at a time like this.. but.. I really need your help." James said.

There was another pause at the other end of the line.

James could hear his heart racing, he knew I'd Maxwell ended the call and refused the help him, he couldn't blame him because he was the one that betrayed him first.

"Meet me at the old oak," Maxwell finally said.

James immediately nodded, a small smile on his face.

"I'll be heading there now." He said.

"Okay, see you there." Maxwell replied and hung up.

James paused a smile on his face, his chest swelling with gratitude.

He immediately began walking towards the old oak.