I Claim Your Love

Night had come around again too soon. Aurora rested her head to the wood of the front door. Her hands ferreted inside her pocket for the keys of the house. With two heavy bags in her hands and a large strap containing potion bottles attached to her waist, she breathed heavily as she stepped in. The sudden downpour had made her return bothersome. The water from the skies saturated her dress heavily which added to the weight she was already carrying. The exhaustion forced her to relieve all the load to the ground at one instant. She sighed deeply and clutched her stomach to take in more air and energize herself.

When she turned around to put the things on its places she gasped in horror and surprise.

Sitting at a corner of the dark room was a man who was drenched completely. Water dripped from his fabric to the ground. His head was bowed while his knees were bent as he hugged them. For a moment all was silent, then the lightening boomed and the witch froze in her spot. Flashes of light sparkled the dark room on and off.

Aurora looked at the glowing metal and assessed that her friend was in distress. She lit up the room with candles and quickly made her way to him. Keeping her hand on one of his knees she enquired “What’s wrong Callan?”

The lightening resonated a loud sound as the roof boomed with heavy water drops. “You tell me what’s wrong..” The voice was low and sounded upset.

Callan was not raising his head which made Aurora tensed “Are you sad about something? Your worrying me! Talk to me please...”

What followed was a pregnant pause before the voice spoke again “I am feeling betrayed.”

“Betrayed by who?”

“You.” He whispered as he slowly raised his head. The droplets of water had wet his face completely while beads of rain were shining on his already glowing skin.

Aurora was staggered for a moment when he saw an expressionless Callan staring at her intently “W-What d-do you mean m-me?”

Callan exhaled a steady breath before he spoke “My father told me years ago that I cant be loved. That I have to live my life alone forever. I believed every word he said. I expressed my loneliness, my sorrow with you. When everyone including me believed that I was not blessed with a mate, you thought otherwise. You were of the opinion that there was someone somewhere made just for me. The other half of my soul. Why..?” He whispered the last part as he kept his gaze affixed as if searching for answers.

“Why what?”

“Why were you so adamant Aurora? Why were you so against every of my relationships? You were never happy with any of the girls I fell in love with cause you were assured that my mate would show up some day or the other. How were you so sure?”

The confident stature of the lady was faltering as the questions asked were surprising her in an odd way “What has happened to you Cally? Why all these questions?”

“A funny incident occured today.” Callan’s breath quivered as white fog appeared from his mouth due to the cold shivers “A she-wolf came to me and said that she was my mate..”

“That cant be..” Aurora whispered in surprise.

Callan slightly tilted his head as his eyes narrowed “She said that she was waiting for me for years and that she has finally found me. I believe you were right Aurora. I have finally found the one..”

“She’s lying!” Aurora was quick to retort.

Callan continued as if he never heard the healer “She says the signs are there and I believe her. She wants me to join her pack. I have decided to go with her and leave this pack forever. So I guess this is goodbye for now Aurora.”

Auroras emotions flapped as consternation took over her. She visibly panicked as Callan looked confident and sure about this mating. She knew how stubborn the male was. Without even thinking about anything she warned him “Listen Cally, Its a trap. The she wolf is definitely lying. How can she be your mate when Einar....”

The voice in her throat got stuck as she realised what she just said. Her lips trembled and her demeanor changed as she was trying to figure out a believable excuse to get out of this mess. She looked at Callan to open her mouth but what she saw made her unable to react out of fear.

Fat tears were rolling down Callan’s cheeks as his eyes looked in accusation towards her only friend in the pack. He looked angry, he looked pissed and most importantly he looked hurt. He slowly stood on his feet and took two steps forward “How long have you known?”

Aurora knew she was busted. She had envisaged the scenario in her head but she was not ready now. For once she looked scared of the man “Cally please listen to me.” she pleaded.

“HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN..?”

Aurora took in a sharp intake of breath as she registered the anger radiating through Callan. She breathed deeply to calm herself as she fumbled “Lo..Long e..e..enough.”

Callan gritted his teeth and fisted his hand. His eyes were fuming with rage “You are the only friend I have in the entire pack. Why would you do that to me!? Do you know how many sleepless nights I have encountered? Did you know how I felt whenever there was a mating ceremony in the pack? I was even jealous of my own parents cause they had each other while I was deprived of any hope!”

Callan ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Tear drops flew continuously as he glared at the witch in inculpation “I confided my feelings in you. I shared the deepest and the darkest truths about my life and what did you do in return? YOU HID THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF MY LIFE! The very essence of any wolfs being.” He scrunched his nose and sniffled, unable to hold back his maim, unable to contain his dread. “To think of it; I hardly care what Einar did to me cause I’m more upset for what you put me through. Your betrayal hurts me more than Einar’s rejection! Einar means nothing to me but you were supposed to be my friend! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME..!?”

As Callan uttered those words the cauldron and metal glasses on the table shivered. They danced in a uniform way until they moved their trajectory and fell down on the floor with a clank. Aurora was deeply terrified. She had to find a way to make her friend placid, more even-tempered “Please calm yourself and listen to me once Cally. I wanted to tell you everything but i had my reasons...”

“I DON’T BELIEVE YOUR CRAP!” Callan angrily interjected “You made me suffer for more than five years of my life.” He menacingly stepped forward with each sentence. The candles flickered as the objects from the shelf were falling one by one to the ground.

“Please calm yourself cally. Your metal is glowing..”

“DO HELL WITH THIS METAL..” The voice boomed in the entire house as Aurora gasped and jumped in her place with fear. “I TRUSTED YOU...! I BELIEVED YOU AND YOU BETRAYED ME..!” Callan scowled as his eyes were red from all the crying and all the anger he held up within him.

Callan closed the distance between them and held Aurora’s shivering arms with his hands. “WHY....!?” He screamed from the top of his voice to demand answers from the lady.

In that moment the tables were jumping over the floor. Parts of ceiling were falling down in chunks. The candles stirred with a tremendous fiery glow as the inflammables nearby caught fire. The ground was moving as winds picked up speed and thunders extended its warning. The terrible rumble from the sky and the floor shook Aurora like anything. However Callan was deadpan and unaltered as he stood his ground braving the fury of the storm.

Aurora shielded both herself and the man with her magic as the once steady house was falling down in pieces. Natures fury had such strength that the house could not endure its wrath and fell down completely. Aurora swept away Callan to a nearby tree. Callan’s anger was decelerating as he witnessed the destruction of Aurora’s house. A part of him was content that it happened in the first place while he also felt apologetic for Aurora.

The witch broke the shield and made a makeshift dais for Callan to sit. She waited for the man to calm down. After series of anxious breaths she asked hesitatingly “Are you feeling better now?”

Callan nodded without looking at her as the lady continued “You have been a very good friend of mine since years. Your heart knows that I would never be disloyal to you. I have always looked after your well being and safety and If I hid things from you, there has to be a reason for it. Please think about it..”

And Callan did think about it. When he was serene and tranquil he recalled the moments when Aurora helped him the most. Shielding him from any harm while taking on people for him. She was there for him in his hardest of times. In a pack which always made him feel unwanted it was Aurora who welcomed him with open arms. If she hid something from him than there must be a reason for it and certainly she deserved a benefit of doubt.

“Are you willing to give me a chance to explain myself.” The lady asked with hopeful eyes as she offered some water to her friend.

Callan raised his chin in affirmation.

“Alright. Where should I start?” asked the witch.

“Start from the beginning. I want to know everything..”

Aurora sighed as she sat across Callan “Justus was the first wolf of his generation to have found his mate. Mary and Justus were just perfect for each other. Mary was the best tracker in the entire pack while there was no one better than Justus when it came to a fight. Imagine how high expectations people had from them for their offspring would be a rare combination of talents.”

Callan knew about his mother being a tracker as also he knew that his father had a legacy of warrior spirit in him, he was blessed with skills. He looked intently at Aurora as the witch continued “They tried to have a baby in the first few years of their mating. Though it was unfruitful they were not dejected for they thought the time was yet to come, that the moon was making them wait to gift them something special. But soon their patience was waning and their hopes were diminishing...” she paused with a sigh “Every other wolf in the pack was successful in finding their mate. Not just that, many of them were blessed with a child in the first year of their mating. Even after years of hope and endurance; Mary was still barren.”

“My parents would have been so upset.” Callan said dejectedly.

“Yes they were.. In the meantime Luna Zelda and the Alpha were devastated for Zelda was unable to carry a child till the long term. The entire pack needed an heir and time was running out for them. Other packs were vying for an opportunity to tap on the vulnerability of the pack. The pack needed a future leader without whom its integrity would have been in peril.”

Aurora stood from her place as she faced the gleaming moon “Both Zelda and Mary were almost going through the same predicament. One was unable to keep a life breathing in her while the other was unable to bear a child altogether. A council was set up to discuss the matter.”

“What solution did they came up with?”

“It was decided to get the help of an external entity to know the reason of the shortcomings. The beta female Catherine had a grandmother; a seer. A very powerful one might I tell you. Both the couple approached her to receive her blessings. The old lady looked into her magical orb and summoned the power of the ancient spirits. She professed that Luna Zelda would soon bear a child who would be the most powerful wolf in the entire world. That the child would be either a conqueror or destroyer of the world.”

When Callan heard the words he wasn’t surprised. He had first-hand witnessed the annihilation capabilty of the beasts. Aurora turned her back to Callan as she sighed “Pride swelled in both the alpha mates as they were happy that they would soon be parents to a powerful child but they missed the important part of the telling.. Einar could be the destroyer of the world! That if unchecked his powers would create havoc for every living being on the planet. They were so overjoyed that they forgot to ask the seer about the control to Einar’s power. A possible solution to keep him sane.”

Callan could see Einar as the epitome of power. He was ruthless in his fights while he showed no mercy to anyone who stood before him, not even Callan himself. However as far as he knew, Einar was never a troubled child. He was headstrong but he never rebelled against his father. “Did alpha Ragnar find out a way to keep Einar in check?” Callan asked with curious eyes.

Aurora shook her head as she turned again “He never looked into the matter seriously. He thought that he had everything under control.” She chuckled “But his reality came crashing down when you were attacked by the dragon. A young boy aged thirteen was powerful enough to summon the mighty demon out of nowhere. That had never happened before! The alpha was afraid; afraid of his own son. He then remembered the words of the seer and went on to seek her advice but it was too late. The seer had already left for the land of the spirits.”

Back when they were thirteen, Einar did became the centre of unnecessary attention. He was the first in generations to summon his demon spirit before the coronation. However Callan was more interested to know the seer’s verdict for him “What did the seer told my parents?”

Aurora pursed her lips and spoke after some time “The old lady closed her eyes and called the powerful spirits once again. This time though her demeanour had changed, she visibly shivered and the orb parted with the wooden platform where it was kept. After a few anxious moments she screamed and the orb broke into pieces mid air. Everyone around was shocked, including your parents. Something like that had never happened before! It was the last prophecies she had made.” she took a pregnant pause “This was were the rumours started.”

“What rumours?” He scowled.

“That you were cursed!” Aurora almost whispered in pity “The old lady told your parents that their child would not be ordinary.”

“And...”

“And nothing else..” Callan narrowed his brows and jerked his neck back in surprise. How could anyone make anything out of ‘Not Ordinary’.

“Her cryptic words were believed to be a warning. That the barren Mary was going to bring a bad omen to life, an evil to the pack. The news spread like wildfire everywhere.”

“I cant believe this...” Callan whispered in confoundment. He could not believe his ears. Just the two words from the seer decided the entire future for him. How insane was that! Moreover the interpretation could have gone either way but of course the people had to see him as a curse rather than something else.

“After two years from that incident, Zelda was over the moon for she was pregnant again. After two months from Zelda’s pregnancy reveal it was known that Mary was bearing a child as well. While the news of the future alpha was celebrated all over the pack, a child bearing Mary was not taken well by the people. They wanted Mary to kill the life in her and save the pack from the abomination.”

Callan’s eyes were wide as saucers. He was shocked to know that people wanted him dead even before he was born. However he was more concerned about his mother. One could not begin to comprehend what his mother was going through back then. After years of wait and forbearance she was finally blessed. To ask her to kill her child was like to make her live a life without a soul.

“What did my father say to that?” he asked as a tear escaped his eye while he choked.

“Your father was burdened with his responsibilities just like the Alpha. For them, the people came first before their own families. The wolves believed that you were a bringer of bad omen to the pack and that you should be eliminated at the source when the time was right. When everyone stood against the poor lady it was Luna Zelda who came for Mary’s rescue.”

Callan’s mouth lay hung open as he bowed his head in shame. Though unwillingly, his father was ready to sacrifice him! A pang of hatred and anger surged in the man. However the thoughts of his mother subsided his new emotions.

Aurora asked Callan if he wanted to stop. Although his heart was slashed by the betrayal from his beloved people, he was adamant to go through with it. He sniffled and nodded sternly as Aurora continued “Zelda boldly held Mary’s hand and announced to the entire pack that if Mary’s child be sacrificed; she would kill herself..!”

The respect for the former Luna grew manifolds for Callan for what she did for him. To stand up against your own mate, against your own people required courage and strength. She saved his life, she saved his mother. She was a true Luna!

“The crowd was humbled. They grudgingly bowed down to the demand of their Luna.”

Callan took an audible breath “What happened next?”

“To prevent your mother from any threats, Zelda decided to keep Mary by her side always. It wasn’t as if attempts were not made to harm Mary but she was always saved by the alpha family. At the time of birth though, the luna was the one who needed saving.”

“Why?”

Aurora sat infront of Callan and sighed “Everything was going well. The Luna was taken to the chambers and being prepared for the birth. All of a sudden her condition deteriorated. Her pulse was weakening and her breaths were slow. She cried for help as blood made its way between her legs. She nearly died when without a warning her body rose and hovered in the air as she screamed from her lungs. She was surrounded by a black and red mist. She wasn’t responding to any medications while her own body was aching with the screams. It was as if she was calling someone..”

Aurora paused and looked at a stoic Callan “When Mary heard the screams, she reached the chambers in no time and just like a miracle the Luna was calm, lying on her bed again. The birthing was successful as she gave birth to a beautiful and healthy boy.”

“Einar.” Callan stated as a matter of fact.

Aurora nodded “We were about to celebrate the news of a new arrival when Mary felt the pain. It seemed impossible to be but the signs were there. She was ready to give birth just after seven months of being pregnant! She was taken to another room where she gave birth to a sweet little boy but no one was happy.”

“Why?”

“The infant was born blind! A cursed child.”

Callan gasped in shock. If what Aurora said was true then it meant that he was born blind! But how was that even possible? There was no cure for such abnormalities. Then how the hell was he able to see?

“But I can see..!” He strongly reasoned.

“You were not able to see when you were born..” Aurora smiled as she raised a brow. “On the other hand, Zelda’s child refused to cry or even open his eyes. It was completely strange. The once happy environment had now turned into an anxious and sorrowful backdrop.”

“Then when did he opened his eyes?”

“When you were near..” Callan knitted his brows. “The two new born were kept side by side to each other. Judging by your proximity the Alpha child smiled and turned sideways to open his eyes and look at you. The first person Einar ever saw in his life was you..!”

The glint in Aurora’s eyes as she said the last part was disturbing Callan. Sure the moment must have been heartfelt for her but he wasn’t interested to know the details about Einar. He wanted to know the truth about himself. “I still don’t get it why you are telling me all the irrelevant things.”

“Everything is connected Cally. You will get it when you know the rest of the story.”

All of a sudden Callan became pensive. His thoughts drifted to the sufferings and exile his parents had to face just because they wanted to have a child. Was he really worth the trouble? His parents had to face abasement since he was born. They must’ve been heartbroken to know that there child was born with an abnormality. Their dreams of a perfect child must have been shattered..!

“Were my parents happy to have me?” Callan asked in a low hesitating voice. As if negation would broke him from within.

Aurora comforted Callan by putting her hand on his shoulder “They didn’t care even if you were born with three legs and two heads.” she laughed “They were happy that you were born, that you were the reason they could call themselves ‘parents’. They even contemplated to leave the pack had it not been for luna Zelda. However they were constantly worried about you. There was something very odd about you.”

“Odd as in...”

“You never cried as a child. Not even when you were born! Neither did you laughed. You didn’t speak a word until you were five. You intently stared at people for no reason and only responded when you were in the mood and not when others expected. There were times when you did not eat for days and had sleepless nights on a stretch.”

Callan was dumbfounded by this new information, certainly he did not remember any of it. His curiosity piqued as he thought about Einar. If they were really connected than was it possible that Einar shared the same traits as him “And Einar? How was he as a child?”

“He was the apple of his parents eyes. Everyone loved him. He was pampered from the get go. On his first birthday, invitations were thrown to every pack in the world; even the kings presence was requested. He was quick to learn things and had lots of friends from the beginning. Most importantly he exalted power from a very young age. Everyone wanted to be close to him.”

A pang of anger and jealousy hit Callan as he heard this “Why was I treated differently?”

“People were scared of you. The odd behaviour you showed only cemented the doubts of the pack that you were indeed cursed.. You never behaved like any child of your age or how kids usually behave. This was the reason no parents allowed their children to play with you. It was only Zelda who let Einar be friends with you.”

Callan’s heart constricted. It was sheer stupidity to misconceive the statement made by the old hag. How was it that no one validated the sayings of the women. Why did no one had the courage to come forward and cross the notion? A sheer stupidity ransacked his happiness, his childhood, his entire future. As experienced by Callan in the human village, people with abnormalities were completely harmless to others. They were dependent on other people for gods sake! Then how on earth could they even be a threat to anybody!? This all could have been avoided if someone had just used their brains! “Wasn’t there anyone who gave a thought that maybe there was a reason why I was the way I was? I mean I know many kids in the human village who are different from their peers but still they are accepted.”

“Indeed. Lady Odile was also of the same opinion. However she could not possibly come out with any plausible explanation to you being different neither any solution to make you normal.”

Callan huffed in frustration “Did you believed it too?”

“Initially yes.” She gave an apologetic look to her friend “However elder Odulf reasoned the viability of this assumption. He always used to say that there is a reason for something to happen. We collaborated in secret and started studying your behaviour. Noticing every minute details of your day to day life.”

“You were spying a toddler! What possibly can you get out of observing me as a kid?”

Aurora smirked “We discovered a lot about you.” She blinked her eye at an astonished Callan “Elder Odulf concluded that you were not cursed but rather the pack was blessed to have you. You were one of a kind. You did something that blew our mind...!”

*********

Do let me know your views..

There was a lot to tell but I couldn’t fit it all in just one chapter. So the next chapter will be on the same lines.

Enjoy and be safe!