CHAPTER 166 PINKY SWEAR BEFORE I DIE

“You’re making me angry right now.” Ansel spoke as he sprinted towards Titus. Titus has never seen a wolf run that fast. Ansel jumped immediately, his claws long and sharp. Titus raised one leg to protect himself, but then he heard a low groan. He moved his leg away from his face and noticed Tyler in front of him.

Tyler fell instantly, and Titus caught him before he hit the ground. Tyler’s mouth dripped with blood as he gradually reverted to human form. Titus focused his gaze on him. He called, “Tyler.” As Tyler attempted to talk, more blood gushed out of his mouth. “Shh. Don’t say anything.” Titus examined the wound that Ansel had caused, which was quite deep. “Why are you not healing?”

“He cannot. He is already as good as dead.” Ansel began laughing. He showed Titus a rib that he had broken from Tyler’s. “He is incomplete without this. He will die, Alpha, and I will return to finish you.” Ansel started laughing wickedly as he walked away with the other rogues who had survived the fight.

Titus returned Tyler’s look. “Hey. Just look at me. Don’t close your eyes, okay? I will rescue you. You will not die. I promise.” Titus couldn’t keep his tears from falling. “Just wait for me; I’ll cure you.” He is not sure how, but he will figure it out.

Tyler was holding him back. “N...No.. No. Don’t go.” More blood began to pour from his mouth. “Don’t go please,” he stammered. “H...Hear me out.” Titus sat and waited. Tyler’s wound was squeezed with one hand, preventing further bleeding. “Don’t hate Selena.”

“How could you talk about her in this situation?”

Tyler coughed. “She is...probably waiting for my response. Please tell her that I won’t...” He coughed again. “Please also inform her that I will no longer be able to respond to her messages.”

“You will respond to her message. I’m not sure what is going on between you two, but you will answer her message.”

Tyler shakes his head. “You don’t get it. She is deeply in love with you. What... It’s not her fault what her father did. Don’t despise her. Make a promise to me.” Tyler raised his pinky finger. “Do you remember when we were kids? This is something we do frequently. “Pinky swear,” he said with tears streaming down his cheeks.

“How could I have forgotten?”

“Pinky, promise that you will not hate her and will let go of this grudge.”

Titus couldn’t help but extend his hand. “I promise to pinky swear for you. Tyler, I will save you. Please allow me a few minutes. Don’t close your eyes, okay?” Titus averted his gaze for a moment, looking for werewolves who would stick by Tyler until he found a solution. He noticed Grayson and called out to him.

“It won’t take too long.” Titus spoke. He already had his eyes closed when he looked at Tyler. “Dude, I told you not to close your eyes!” Titus became more concerned as his hand became colder. “Why is your hand...?” he paused. “Tyler, Tyler?” There was no other response.

Grayson saw his brother and joined them. “Tyler,” he said. Tyler’s face was starting to pale. He turned to look at Titus. “He’s gone.”

Titus began yelling and shaking his head. “No! That’s not possible. Tyler is doing perfectly fine. “He is fine.” As he looked at his best friend, his sob became deeper. “Wake up, Tyler. Don’t abandon me as my parents did.”

Rain began to fall, soaking Titus to the bone. And soon, the Alpha’s tears mixed with the rain as he stood up, carrying Tyler in his arms, towards the woods.

* * * *

Max could now see the huge mansion. She approached it but came to a halt. She took a deep breath and looked down at the business card that had been handed to her an hour and a half earlier. She was willing to do anything for her brother. When she heard the door opening and saw Patricia, she raised her head.

“You arrived early.” Patricia gave a smirk.

“Where is my brother?”

“Easy there. Come inside. We’ll allow you to see your brother if you tell us how to get into werewolf territory.”

“I’m not sure what kind of game you are playing. You needed the Alpha. Don’t you?” Patricia gave a nod.

“So, why are you so desperate to enter my territory?”

“Please come along. We’ll talk about it over biscuits and tea.” Patricia took the lead. Max came to a stop as she approached the entrance. “Oh. Monkshood.” Patricia swept it away with her broom. She pushed open the door, allowing Max to enter.

Max took a deep breath as she moved further into the mansion. She could only smell humans, not her brother. “I can’t smell my brother at all. Where is he?” Max turned her gaze to Patricia.

“Sit down. We’ll talk over tea and biscuits.” Patricia snapped her fingers, and a maid dashed over to them.

“Please prepare hot tea and bring our guest the most expensive biscuits.”

Max sat down, nervously placing her hands on her lap and searching the house repeatedly. It was massive, and part of her didn’t want to stay any longer.

“Ah. So, tell me how I can get to the territory. It seems that you werewolves can hide better than I thought.”

“They are innocent werewolves there. The puppies have no idea what is going on. Are you going to kill them mercilessly?”

“That shouldn’t bother you. You came here to see your brother and will be leaving with him. All you need to do is deliver a message.” Patricia paused as the maid set out a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits on the table. She waited for the maid to leave before speaking again. “You should eat more. This particular biscuit arrived from England. It’s among the most expensive.”

“I appreciate your generosity, but I would like to get right to the point. Where is my brother?”

“He’s in the underground,” a deep voice said.

Max turned around and noticed a man approaching them. She rose to her feet. “I know you. You are...” She gasped. “Selena’s Grandfather.”

“You can address me as Ferdinand.”

“Hi, Mr. O’Brien.” This is even more shocking. Max turned to face Patricia. “Now that I see you clearly, I notice some resemblance. You’ll keep your promise to my brother if I tell you how to get to the territory.”

“Of course,” Ferdinand responded.

Max began speaking, explaining where they should go and how the territory would appear magically if they entered the unfinished building she described. Max began to laugh after she had finished talking.

“This is absolutely hilarious. I can’t believe you have my brother in custody without even looking into your granddaughter’s background. It’s like murdering a portion of your granddaughter.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Patricia enquire.

“If you’re looking for a scapegoat, Selena should be chained, not my brother.”

“Young girl, you...”

Max interrupted. “It seems that I will need to educate you on something you aren’t aware of...”