"No, she isn't! Lily can't be, she can't," he demanded and called to her, but she remained still and he placed his fingers against her neck. The alpha suddenly paled and pulled her against him. "No, no, no," he pleaded then called for Chris to help him. James knew he should do something, anything, but he couldn't move. James found himself frozen with horror as he noticed her tanned complexion had become much paler than before. He glanced slightly to the alpha and Chris performing CPR, but she didn't show any signs of recuperation.
James began remembering his own time at the hands of Xavier Thompson. For a year, Xavier forced him into perfecting his physical form, strenuous exercise, and strict diet. If James refused Xavier threatened the lives of his family and friends. When that didn't work James was wrapped in silver chains.
Every day Xavier would draw blood from James to test his new experiments on until finally the day came when the doctor was ready to submit James to his first experiment. It nearly killed him, but Xavier didn't seem to mind. It was the first of many experiments, in fact during that second year James had been put to the test and nearly killed each week. It wasn't long before James had begged just like Lily had. He was only fourteen at the time, but he wanted more than anything just to die so the pain would stop.
A few weeks before his escape Xavier achieved what he considered his success, James was now changed. That experiment was the worst of all of them. It was exactly how Greg had described and it lasted for hours. He had screamed so much he wasn't able to speak for nearly two weeks afterward. Xavier sat there watching him the whole time, watching his suffering with morbid excitement.
Once Xavier saw the results of James change he began to train him as a soldier. James knew that the doctor wanted to use him to kill Andrew and his entire family, but he couldn't do that. Andrew was like a second father to him and he couldn't allow Xavier to make him into a murderer as well as a monster. So he escaped but something happened to him while he ran that stormy night through the woods. He felt a sharp pain in his head that caused him to fall to his knees. When he had gotten up he only knew his name, and that he wanted to escape "the man."
He was never really sure how he managed to find himself at the doorstep of the alpha's house. Xavier probably did something to him to make him go there. Xavier probably didn't count on Andrew taking James in and accepting him as he was. If it wasn't for Andrew, James might have become the monster Xavier wanted him to be.
"I'm sorry Alpha," Chris said to the older werewolf and breaking James out of his memories. Chris turned away from the alpha and Andrew only growled at him refusing to give up. He picked up the lifeless body of his daughter hugging her as if she might break if he held her too tight. He rested his forehead against her cheek as he sobbed apologies to her. James turned away from the alpha feeling as if part of his own world was falling to pieces.
"Are you okay?" Greg asked him but James shrugged him off, furious. How he could he be so stupid in ask such a dumb question, James thought with immense irritation. He growled rabidly. Of course he wasn't okay, Lily was dead. If he only had followed Xavier instead of going back to the Roberts's home he could have stopped Xavier in taking Lily! James punched the wall repeatedly as guilt consumed him. It was his fault she was dead now. If only he acted quicker!
He leaned against the wall, feeling so angry, guilty and lost. Suddenly a loud gasp made James turn to look back at the alpha. He couldn't believe his eyes. Lily started coughing and gasping for air. "Thank God, Damn you, Lily! You scared me to death! I thought I had lost you," Andrew said with a happy smile across his face. James felt an enormous wave of and other emotions that he didn't understand or want to focus on at the moment as he watched her sit up
"I guess I am a hard one to kill," she croaked out. James shook his head with a smile, apparently she was a very hard one to kill and he couldn't be happier for it. With a sigh of clear exhaustion, she leaned against the alpha closing her eyes.
"Lily, where's Xavier?" he asked her softly and she opened her eyes again with another sigh.
"I... don't know," she started slowly. "He was here... then he wasn't" she explained closing her eyes once more.
"We need to get her home," Andrew explained but before he could say more James walked up to them.
"I'll take her," he told the alpha with stern determination. Andrew gave him a curious look but said nothing as he carefully handed her to James.
"Thank you, James, Greg why don't you go with him," Andrew stated, but James was surprised when Greg refused.
"I can't leave you unprotected Alpha. I may be able to find where Xavier kept his research," Greg explained and Andrew looked thoughtful for a moment then nodded.
"Okay then Chris, go with James and both of you return as soon as you are finished," he insisted and both Chris and James nodded. He held the limp form of Lily carefully and tried not to focus on how nice it felt to hold her against him. He followed his own scent to find his way out of the maze of a building with Chris silently following behind him. Every now and again James would steal glances at Lily fearing she might stop breathing again, but she kept breathing deep even breaths.
They quickly found their way out and into the forest. Lily groaned quietly and turned herself towards James snuggling close against him, causing his heart to beat a little faster. Once more he felt unfamiliar emotions swirl inside him as the edges of his mouth turned upward in a hint of a smile, but he chose to shove them aside, now was not the time for such things. He had to get her back home so they could find Xavier.
Sandy burst from the house when James emerged from the forest. "Oh my god! Lily, are you alright?" She cried running up to them. Lily groaned again slowly turning to her mother with a weak smile and mumbled something before closing her eyes again.
"I think she is alright, on the whole," James told her as the alpha female ushered them into the house. Sandy led him to a room upstairs.
"Put her here James," she told him, indicating to the small bed, and he set Lily down carefully. Sandy covered her up with the blankets and tucking her in with motherly tenderness. "What happened?" She demanded as she sat down beside Lily. James swallowed and shifted his weight.
"She's been changed.... she's like me now," James told her. Sandy closed her eyes shaking her head slowly side to side.
"Why, why did he do this?" She asked rhetorically as she took Lily's hand in hers.
"I have to go back with Andrew and Greg. We haven't found Xavier, but there may still be a chance," he told her and she nodded keeping her gaze on Lily.
When James and Chris returned they began searching the building for any sign of Xavier. The entered a small office that looked like his center of operations. Greg clapped his hands together and rubbed them. "Finally something I can do," he stated and before could ask him anything he walked over sitting down at the desk where a computer sat.
"Mind explaining," Andrew asked looking as confused as James felt. Greg flashed them a convinced smile nodding and cracking his fingers.
"Of course Alpha," he replied with a smug confidence that surprised James. He had never seen smug or confidence come from Greg ever. "Xavier had to keep his information in some place and I am betting it may just be here," he explained turning on the computer. "If we're lucky he didn't have a chance to erase anything so it will all be here," he continued and started typing furiously.