I Claim Your Love

A chain of delicacies was spread on the table with the head of the pack chairing it. The occasional laughs and murmurs were a frequent occurring. It was a day of celebration of a new era. Everyone had a bright smile across their face. Everyone except the muscular man.

Einar seemed unaffected by it all. He congratulated Bryce for the ceremony and was almost aloof from every one in the party. He acknowledged people only on occasions while he talked to them when it was necessary.

He sighed with a painful heart when he witnessed people flaunting their other halves. Their display of affection was making Einar dejected and jealous to say the least. He picked a plate full of meat loaf and decided to eat away his apathy, alone from the sickeningly happy people.

“Hello alpha Einar.”

The voice sent shivers down the spine of Einar. He rested the plate aside and gritted his teeth. “I am not the alpha anymore.”

“For me you are.” The stranger chuckled “And a powerful one of course.”

Einar sighed in defeat for he knew there was no way to avoid the man anymore. He could see a worried Garrick at a distance who was waiting for a call of help from Einar so that he could jump in the situation and save his best friend. Einar half smiled at Garrick and shook his head much to his displeasure.

He turned his body to witness a smug look on the face of middle aged man. The wrinkles on his face were the only proof that the man was at the end of his prime. His shiny black hair and the scarf on the top of his head complimented his slender but healthy body. He wore robes of uniquely blended red and grey color, which seemed appallingly disturbing to the normal eyes.

He was the priest Einar wished to never see again.

The man gazed at Einar with conviction as if he knew him from the inside out.

Einar stared with a frown “I never expected to see you here.”

“I was here to give blessings to alpha Bryce and his sweet little son.” He moved his eyes all over Einar’s body and smirked “Perhaps my potions are working wonders on you.”

“I have stopped taking them.” Einar retorted and marched to the deserted place near the end of the forest away from the ceremony. He was wary of the prying eyes and was certainly not interested to be the center of attention. He sighed in frustration when he felt the thuds of the unwanted footsteps following him.

“You are still calm.” The priest looked at him with intrigue “Maybe you have come to peace with who you are.”

“I have accepted my destiny and I am happy. I don’t think I will ever need that potion of yours anymore.”

“But I think you do.”

“Hmm?” Einar was confused.

“In the centuries that I have lived, I can proudly say that I have witnessed a number of powerful beings on earth... but there was none like you! The doses I gave you were strong enough to kill ten alphas. Yet it hardly had any effect on you.”

“You have no idea what hell I went through.” Einar spoke in a low threatening voice.

“You are underestimating yourself.” The man gazed Einar as a prized possession. The greed in his eyes was now evident “Have you ever wondered what will happen if you just relieve your constraints for a moment? Let the animal in you fulfill his primal desires. Let him satiate his thirst for blood.” he bit his lips as his eyes dazzled “Come with me.. I can help you.”

Einar did not miss the intense and selfish desire of the priest. He could clearly see through him. He wanted Einar as his puppet. He wanted to own him.

“You are pathetic.” Einar spoke through his gritted teeth “If ever my wolf went rogue, just pray to luna that you are at the farthest corner of the earth.”

Einar wanted to say more but his attention was diverted to the heavy feeling inside of him. Sweat trickled through his forehead while his palms were clasping his chest. He filled his mouth with air but when he couldn’t control himself, he kneeled. His stomach started heaving its contents on the ground.

“The food wasn’t nice, I get it.” The priest gave a disgusted look to the muscular man “But you cant just throw up and disrespect the alpha. I expect more from you.”

“Get out of my sight!” Einar roared in anger.

The man shrugged nonchalantly “Let me know if you want any of my potions.” he smirked “Now maybe a good time to have it.” He retreated his steps when he saw the beta of the blue moon pack hurriedly making his way to his best friend.

“Einar!” he slapped his back lightly in a repeated motion “Are you alright?

“I am not feeling good.”

“Are you sick?”

A sudden itching followed the retching of his stomach. Einar heaved deep sighs but he was not able to control his raging emotions. His palms tickled and he wanted to grab someone and puncture his wind pipe. The murderous flame inside of him was growing for some reason. “It is my wolf. He is bothering me.”

The prominent red eyes of Einar were making Garrick wary of touching him. He bit his lips and proposed Einar to head back home “You are right. Lets go back to the pack. Maybe when you are near Callan you would feel fine.”

The occurrence of Callan’s name sparked something in Einar and his eyes widened in fear. The feeling of insecurity was cutting his soul deeply. The reason for his overwhelming frustration and panic inside of him was clear now. It wasn’t for him; it was for his mate!

“No!” Einar whispered in trepidation “No...!” He roared with his might as the veins in his body were popping the red liquid in full force.

“What is wrong?” Garrick asked in confusion.

“We need to hurry.. Something is wrong with Callan ”

****

The beating of the large drums was boosting the morale of the crowd. Every wolf present was either growling or grunting, looking at the pathetic state of the handsome man with interest.

Callan was restrained by a heavy metal collared through his neck. His wrists were entangled in a chain and rested on his back. His fragile human body was finding it difficult to consume the torture of the steel. However it was his overwhelmed mind which had now become numb to any thoughts.

A sudden silence alerted the handsome man as he raised his eye lashes. He closed his eyes the very next instant because it was something he wasn’t ready to see.

It was the hulk of the man standing right in front of him.

“Didn’t I tell you.” He snickered “I would wait for the opportune moment.” He laughed hysterically. With a dramatic change of his expressions he turned his back and faced the dais. “I request alpha Ragnar to hand over the bastard to our pack.”

“Donovan.” Ragnar said in a stern voice “You know the rules.”

“I know the rules but I don’t think you do.” He huffed in anger “The perpetrator needs to be punished by the one who he wronged. In this case... It is me!”

“You are right indeed.” Ragnar agreed much to his displeasure “But you have to give him a chance to explain himself.”

“I knew you would come up with those pathetic excuses to get your little human away.” He marched towards the platform with eyes full of rage “My wolf wants to fight him. Show him his place; kill him right now so that the world knows who he messed with.”

“Callan is a part of my pack and hence he is under my protection like any other wolf. I wont let you harm him.”

The alpha wolf growled in defiance. He stood there in an attacking position as if he wanted to cut open the throat of the host alpha. His misdemeanor was supported by the wolves of his pack who on the very next instant stood right behind their alpha. On the other side the challenge was not taken well by the warriors of blue moon pack. Aldous ordered his men to take position and be ready to defend their honor.

What followed was a series of grunts and growls from both the sides. It was as an exhibition of dominance and strength. Donovan soon changed his stance and sighed a long breath. His mind was pensive. He looked at the human and then at the alpha “Fine.” He smirked “As the alpha of the Tarakan pack, I invoke my right to demand a council..”

Ragnar closed his eyes shut because this was the one thing which he was afraid of. It was a privilege shared by the big packs all around the world that they could have a council of their own comprising of their elders. They never had to rely on the kings council for matters related to the pack issues. The downside of it all was that the elders were not supposed to be biased or loyal towards their pack. To be just, they had to always keep the laws above everyone else.

Donovan invoking his right was a big blow to Callan’s safety. Ragnar knew that the members of the council would not let the matter slide. He wanted to deny the request but he had no choice. He reluctantly agreed to Donovan’s wishes and ordered the thirteen elders from every village to be present before them.

The anxious and nervous breaths of the people were relaxed when they saw thirteen people with long gowns making their way to the dais. Soon they were seated in their respective positions and the discussions began. The crowd was silenced as the men took an oath of faithfulness to the Luna.

After a few moments, the man from the center stood up and ordered the proceedings to begin. Drums were hit with full swing as the approaching footsteps of a familiar lady made Callan’s heart swell. She was the woman Callan knew very well. He could see the unwillingness of her mind, her unsteady stance. He could deduce that the woman was forced to be present here against her wishes.

As she crossed the Elemental, she stopped for a moment and looked at him with sympathy. Guilt colored her face entirely. She mouthed a sorry to him and went ahead towards the platform. She bowed her head in acknowledgement while her nod was reciprocated by the elders.

“Viola Preston, do you recognize the man in front of you?” the man asked

The lady fidgeted her fingers for a long time. Her dubious mind was trying to formulate a way to help the man in shackles but she had no choice. Her mate was getting impatient and his growl startled her. She jumped on her feet in fear and nodded the very next moment.

“A verbal consent is necessary Luna of the Tarakan pack.”

Viola sniveled and spoke in a broken voice “Yes... I-I do.”

“What kind of relation did you two have?”

A long silence followed before Viola bowed her head and said in a low voice “We were lovers.”

As soon as the words left Viola’s mouth, Callan was greeted by a stream of expletive’s from the onlookers. It wasn’t a secret that the man was in love with the she-wolf. In fact every pack member knew that Callan was adamant to have the unmated she-wolf all to himself. They were aware of the fact that Callan’s action would bring grave consequences to the pack as he did wrong the luna.

“Did he touch you physically?”

Viola’s lips moved but she didn’t utter a word. An affirmative answer would render Callan helpless and hence she took the course which she felt right at that time. “The act was mutual.” She said with her head held high “I didn’t do anything against my wishes. I am very much responsible..”

“Did he touch you or not?” the elder roared

She closed her eyes in defeat and whispered. “Yes.”

The elder sat in his place and indulged in a deep conversation with his fellow companions. Callan bowed his head in shame not because his past was thrown at his face but because the woman he loved once was being humiliated for their deeds. The entire crowd started whispering again, cursing the Elemental for breaking one of the most sacred laws of the wolves. He had indulged in adultery, he wanted to have what was not his. He was hell bent on defying the luna.

The crowd was silenced when the elder stood from his place “It is settled then.” he pointed his arm towards Callan “We can conclude that the man here has interfered with our laws and destroyed the virtue of this young lady. He has made her impure for her mate. It is a grave act to bring the downfall of any pack! Viola is now the Luna of a pack and hence the gravity of the matter cannot be overlooked anymore. We the council, pronounce this man guilty.”

The decision was followed by cheers and hoots from all around. The only sad faces among the crowd were the three ladies who had sympathy with the man; Aurora, Rosaline and Zelda.

Donovan smirked and walked ahead towards the dais “I am truly thankful to the esteemed members of the council. It will only be wise if the man is handed over to me so that I can kill him myself.”

The Tarakan pack cheered in unison. This was their victory. The death of the man would cement the legacy of the wolves and the supremacy of their pack. Simultaneous chants for want of Callan’s blood made their way through the people while curses were being showered from the other half of the arena.

“If I may interject.” Ragnar’s words caught everyone’s attention “Callan should be treated as an exception. Though he is a part of the pack, he is just a human. Our laws are meant to be for wolves and hence legally and morally we don’t have the right to treat him at par with us.”

“A good point you made there Ragnar.” Donovan smirked with a smug look on his face “Always trying to protect that filthy bastard.” he bowed his head to the elders to present his case “I would like to bring notice to the fact that though the man is just a human, he is a part of the pack. He was never considered different from the wolves around here. Moreover he even did participate in the trials to try and qualify for the head warrior’s position. Why should he be treated any differently?”

The murmurs and whispers erupted once again. It was again left to the elders to decide the next course of action. Ragnar was apprehensive of the outcome for he knew his plea wasn’t going to save the human. He tried his best but that wasn’t enough. On the other hand Donovan side glanced the man and menacingly curved his lips. He was portraying different scenarios in his head where he could kill the Elemental.

The elder raised his hand to announce the decision “Although what alpha Ragnar suggested is true up to some extent, we cannot deny the facts presented by the alpha of Tarakan. Callan did wrong him and so he needs to be punished. However, since this case is a little complicated we have to consider the pleas of both the parties. Hence the council has decided that the possibility to punish Callan by death shall be ruled out. Alpha Donovan shall decide the measure of such punishment which should not lead to death.”

An angry crowd detested the decision. They wanted the man to be killed for his deeds. They wanted to cleanse the pack of Callan’s evil. The murmurs soon turned into roars and the people seemed to loose their control. Donovan was calm for the entire moment. Aldous could sense the immoral thoughts lurking inside the brain of the man. He was sure that Donovan had some ulterior motive behind all of this but he kept his suspicion to his self for he had no proof against the alpha.

“I don’t agree with the council’s opinions..” Donovan raised his voice “But I am going to respect the decision. I have come to an agreement.”

“Tell us what you want alpha of the Tarakan pack.”

“I wont kill the man. In fact I wont even touch him but he won’t go scot free either.”

“The authority to punish him still remains by your side. The council would agree on any such measures which does not lead to the death of the human.”

“I understand.”

The crowd was taken by surprise by the sudden change of heart in the wolf. He made his way to the head warrior of the blue moon pack and whispered in his ears. Aldous was stunned for a moment and looked at the alpha in disbelief. He reluctantly nodded his head and turned his back to vanish from the place.

Donovan then made his way to the Elemental and rattled the chains collared through Callan’s neck. “I will make sure that I hit you so bad that you would wish death was better.” he leaned ahead and whispered in Callan’s ears “You would cry and beg to kill you but I wont do that.”

He retreated his steps backwards as he witnessed the appearance of Aldous from the far vision. In the very next moment Callan was being dragged to a large triangular formation of thick wood. Aldous marched ahead and tied Callan’s hands to a chain dangling from the vertex of the formation. He looked apologetically at the Elemental when he forcefully ripped open the shirt of the man.

The chilling silence all around was frightening.

Aldous then unwillingly handed over the fleshy leather whip to Donovan and gritted his teeth in defeat. Donovan on the other hand crackled the leather to a thunderous sound before feeling the thing in his hands. He looked at a scared Callan and smiled with pleasure. The cheering of the crowd resumed once again as with every step the alpha took, the voices grew louder.

The alpha roared in rage and hit the first strike. He bared his teeth and laughed when the sharp crack of the whip burned the pure flesh of the handsome man. Callan took short gasps of breaths to endure all the pain he could. He fisted his hands and curled his toes to suffer the pain patiently but his eyes could no longer deny his state of distress as they freely flew.

The stiff defiance by the handsome man was making Donovan irritated and he started hitting the man with more vigor. He hit the bare flesh of the man rigorously. Callan could feel the sting of the leather through his skin and when the first moan escaped his lips, Donovan smiled with victory.

He crackled the whip once more before circling the handsome man and battering his torso mercilessly. Callan’s pained whimpers disappeared amidst the cheering of the crowd. The leather soon penetrated the first layer of skin and the burning red liquid made its way, dripping down through Callan’s hips.

The vulnerable state of the handsome man was making Ragnar feel extremely helpless. Tears streamed down through Zelda, Rosaline and Aurora’s eyes while Aldous and Arthur suffered in silence.

Callan’s stature was slowly loosing its form. His legs were wobbly while be barely had the strength to keep his eyes open. All this while, Donovan assailed Callan’s body the way he could, the way he wanted to. It came to a point where the leather would stick to the body firmly and tear open the skin on retreating from Callan’s body. At times the whip would entangle itself hardly with his torso and penetrated even further than the hit before.

The succession of the strikes had deprived Callan of his strength. His eyes were shutting close while his head leaned back due to his drained energy. His breaths were slow and his body was now hanging with the support of the chains. The puddle of blood on the ground was soon growing in its circumference.

The men of the Tarakan pack sang songs of dominance and valor of their alpha while the blue moon pack watched the wretched state of the man with indifference.

The once beautiful body of the handsome man was covered with horrendous scars of evil. His skin was protruded on the outside in an inhuman way. Every wound that was made on his body, oozed blood continuously. The glowing skin of the man that would make any person jealous had changed its complexion and form.

Callan was ruined.

Donovan raised his hands skywards and growled with authority. The sting of the whips finally stopped but it left Callan like never before. Half dead, half alive.

The alpha of the Tarakan pack seemed satisfied with his heroics as he stepped onto the blood and closed the distance with the handsome man. He turned the side of the whip and poked the peak of the hard wooden end to the exposed skin of the man. The sensation brought downright shivers and extreme pain to the handsome man as he moaned desperately for relief.

“I want you to feel this pain.” he poked the wooden end even further and spit on the face of the handsome man “Your pathetic.” He snarled “Death wont come easy to you and I will make sure of that.” He retreated his steps back and ordered his men to take positions for his job was done here. He cracked the whip once again at the wooden structure and it came crashing down on the weakened body of the handsome man.

Aldous, Arthur and Aurora rushed to the scene as quickly as they could. Aldous and Arthur were trying to remove the heavy structure while Aurora was near Callan, trying to wake him up.

Donovan rolled the leather whip around its wooden support and threw the thing at Callan disrespectfully. “Sleep well human for I will be back when you are alive and healthy.” He laughed hysterically and made his way to the dais to greet the elders.

The vicissitude of fortunes had raised its ugly head.

Callan’s broken figure was laid on the ground. The slight flow of breeze forced his body to shiver and his lips to tremble. A sudden darkness clouded his eyes as his breaths were sickly and low. He gasped in a large breath before his lips parted for air and his body transferred into a state of eternal unconsciousness.

********