(Author’s POV)

"Young Alpha Elio, young Alpha Alaric has sent word. He had asked me to bring you and Healer Hector as soon as possible," Shade said, his voice filled with urgency, his expression taut.

"Healer Hector and I? What for?" Elio questioned, brows creased, his tone filled with confusion.

Shade’s eyelids trembled, but he didn’t reveal anything; he just said, "I cannot tell you, but you need to come with me right now; we don’t have much time~ ... and he has also asked not to tell anyone about it," he added.

Elio’s wrinkled brows expanded; he recalled what had happened last night with Myra. Alaric had mind linked him then, but now he sent his shadow guard. If he had sent such a message, it had to be something of utmost significance. ’Did~ ... did something happen to Myra again? But why did he ask for Iris Hector then?’ Leo shouted inside his head as his hands fisted tightly; his heart raced with panic. He, at once, made his way towards Iris Hector’s room, leaving his post empty.

He battered her door with desperate haste. After a brief moment, Iris unlatched the door, her eyes a little groggy. She had been tending to Jacob for days with barely any rest. So, the king himself had given her a day off. Though she wanted to refuse and did not want to be seen as negligent of her duties in front of other clan leaders. But the king had directly ordered her, and his command had to be obeyed.

"Young Alpha Elio~ .... what are you doing here?" she inquired, rubbing her eyes.

"Hector Healer, you need to come somewhere with me~ ...." Elio spoke; his voice laced with tension.

Hearing the nervousness, Iris’s eyes went wide awake instantly. She thought something had happened to Jacob, so she asked, her voice shaking, "What~ ... why~ ... is his majesty alright? Did he relapse?"

"Nothing happened to the vampire king. He is fine. There is someone else that needs your attention," he stated. "We are pinched for time. Please, hurry up." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Iris’s eyes trembled a bit; she then nodded and said, "Okay, but let me send someone to inform his majesty first."

"Wait~ ..." Elio spoke a bit too loudly. He fidgeted with his fingers and lied, "I have already sent someone. Healer Hector, please~ .... it’s urgent."

Seeing how Jacob trusted the four Lycan Alphas, she didn’t question it. She draped a robe over her in a hurry and followed Elio out of the mansion, where Shade was already waiting. Noticing a totally new face, she immediately queried, "Who are you? I haven’t seen you before. You are not a vampire."

Shade, without missing a beat, spoke, "I am from Lycan Luna’s entourage, left behind to guard the young Alphas. Now please, get inside." He asked as he opened the back door.

The drive was quiet yet frantic. The sound of wind buffeting and tyres hitting the road was the only thing that could be heard. He covered an hour’s drive in barely twenty minutes. Taking them to a private facility, where Alaric had taken Garry.

The moment Iris and Elio entered the room, they froze. Elio immediately asked, "Bro~ .... wh~ what is this? Why is Yelena’s grandfather lying there? And~ .... why does he look like~ ...." he glanced at Garry’s gaunt face, "this~ .... what happened to him?"

Garry was lying in a bed. His body was attached via wires to several monitors. The doctor had already patched up his external wounds, so his body was mostly wrapped in bandages. He looked nothing like his proud self; instead, he resembled a haunting ghost, more close to a grim reaper.

Iris’s eyes narrowed when she noticed Garry’s slightly blackened, chapped lips. She hurried to his side and did a thorough checkup. She picked up his hands and saw that the edges of his nails had also started to turn from pale pink to black. There were black spots on his skin as well. She let go of him immediately, her eyes ready to pop out of its socket, "He~ .... he is poisoned." As a top tier healer, she could tell it at once glance.

"Poisoned? What do you mean by poisoned, Healer Hector?" Elio stepped forward and asked, disbelief etched on his face. He then shifted to look at his brother and questioned, "Brother Al, why aren’t you saying anything? What has happened to him?"

Alaric let out an exhausted breath and mussed his hair in frustration, "It is the counterblast of the oath that he breached."

"Oath? What type of oath?" Iris questioned, her voice edgy. Though by the symptoms, she could already tell what Alaric’s answer would be.

"The oath of obedience," Alaric revealed. He then asked, "Hector Healer~ .... what can be done to save him?" He tilted Garry’s body to show the ouroboros running wild. The sign had started to change its colour, leaving black spots and blisters on Garry’s bare skin.

"The~ ... oa~th of~ obedi~ence? You mean the death oath?" Elio’s mouth agape. Alaric’s silence was the confirmation.

"Young Alpha~ .... the oath has started to react. The hemotoxin is attaching his organs. Mr. Yates, his organs~ .... they have started to fail one by one. His body~ .... the poison is rotting his body from the inside," Iris told them, her voice filled with regret. "There is nothing that can be done. Within three days~ ... he will~ ..." she left her words unsaid, then added, "But how did this happen? Why did he take this oath? And~ .... what triggered it? He also has quite a few flesh wounds on his body. The oath’s backlash does not cause these. Young Alpha Alaric~ .... what have you done to him?" Her voice was filled with wariness and accusations.

"Heal~er Hec~tor," Garry mumbled, his voice extremely low and strained, his eyes barely able to open. "On the way to the air~port, I was in a ca~r acci~dent. Mr. Everes~ts took me to the near~by fac~ility. As for the oat~h’s back~lash, I told something to Mr. Everests, which caused it. He has~ ... not~hing to do wi~th it.’ He looked at Alaric and said, "You all do~n’t need to~ ... do anything for me. On~ce the oath~ is bro~ken~ .... nothing can stop it," he said with laboured breath.

"NOOOOO~~~~~ .... you will not die like this, Garry Yates. I won’t allow it," Alaric spat. "Hector Healer, what about the potion that Secretary Shadow brought for the Vampire king?"

Elio flinched, seeing his brother’s aggressive reaction. Alaric was temperamental, yes. But this kind of behaviour- he could sense there was something more to it than he projected.

"That potion, his majesty has already taken it all. And~ .... that couldn’t have helped Mr. Yates in any way," Iris stated. "He is doomed to die. My advice would be to notify his family and let him spend his remaining time with them. I can’t do anything else."

As soon as she finished her words, Iris’s phone started to chime. At the same time, Alaric and Elio both received mind links from Dion and Brave, ’Where are you two?’

’We are~ .... out~ ... what happened?’ Alaric asked.

’Something has happened in the mansion. Come fast,’ Brave said, his voice unusual.

To Be Continued . . . . . . . . .