I Claim Your Love novel Chapter 52

****

Rosaline sat on the chair with her hands folded to her chest and her gaze was completely stationed on the sac which was swelling as the time passed by. She occasionally bit her lips and tapped her feet. She was distracted by a deep voice “You seem nervous.”

Rosaline looked at a concerned Callan and nodded “When the alpha knew about my ancestors I thought he would reprimand me. He didn’t say anything!”

“The alpha is not unkind. He understands your predicament and would surely come up with a solution.” He turned his back and picked up a random shirt to fill in his sac “So..” He turned again to look at the lady “This cousin of yours.. Have you met him?”

“A few times. When my pack was plundered I turned to him for help. He was ready to give me shelter only if I practiced witchery.”

“That seems unfair.”

Rosaline smiled “They live in a cult where no outsiders are allowed. It is a prerequisite that needs to be adhered to if you want shelter.”

Callan nodded in understanding and looked at Rosaline apologetically. How alone and afraid the poor woman might’ve been when her pack was brutally attacked and she was left with no choice but to wander from place to place for her survival. Callan felt lucky that though the pack didn’t like him he had a place to live which could provide him protection.

“Will you be alright on your own?”

“I can manage myself. Moreover it is just a matter of a few days.”

“Why aren’t you coming with us?”

“I wasn’t called.”

Callan scowled “I didn’t get you.”

Rosaline stood from her place and helped Callan pack his things “Everyone seeks knowledge for their own benefit but the seers chose who they disseminate that knowledge to. You have to write a letter addressing them and burn it in fire. If the same letter returns to you in any which way than you are lucky.”

Callan looked puzzled at the information “How did the alpha receive the invitation?”

“The letters which were bombarded to the alpha after Einar’s attack on the pack had one of them written by the seer.”

“This is strange.”

“It addressed the Knight family and surprisingly the Ashton family with each individual names.”

“This also means that you should be with us, after all.. ” Callan pursed his lips “You are a knight as well.” He spoke lowly with a withering smile.

“My name wasn’t on the list. Perhaps I seek no knowledge from them.”

“It goes the same for me as well. I don’t want to know anything.”

“This surprises me too. I can understand alpha Ragnar’s concern but what is your father worried about?”

Callan was curious too. He wasn’t sure why his parents were dragged to this expedition. Besides what did they want to know and about whom? The previous encounter with a seer didn’t bear any fruit for that was the time since the rumours about him started. His parents’ secretive nature was getting on his nerves while his frustration was growing.

He sighed deeply as he knotted the opening of his sac “I wish I knew.”

****

Callan watched his feet take steps across the patchy uneven surface. Though he balanced his stance perfectly to move ahead he was vigilant throughout. On occasions he swiped his neck all around to look if anyone was following him. He was walking in a hurry with no clear destination in his mind.

Soon he came across an open surface somewhere between the wide gap trees of the dense forest of the mountains. He circled his fingers and the dried leaves covering the plain ground danced in the wind before eloping to the sky. Callan again looked all around him and slowly retracted a crushed paper from his pocket. He opened another pocket to retract an envelope and spread the fine dust over the plain land. Without wasting any more time he muttered the verses encrypted on the crushed paper and the land beneath came alive. The fine dust rearranged themselves constantly and levitated above the ground only to form a human face. One particular face.

The figure thus formed slowly opened her eyes and smiled at Callan “I was desperately waiting for any message. Now I feel relieved.”

“I am happy to see you too Aurora.”

“How is it going on with you?”

Callan sighed in a mock frustration and with uninterest he said “We have been travelling for the past four days and are yet to reach the destination. I am not sure whether the alpha knows where we are heading.”

Aurora looked concerned. “The land of the seers is a hidden place whose whereabouts are known to no one. The map your father has will constantly change its position and show only the path which is necessary to reach till the sunlight diminishes.” She took a pregnant pause before asking “How are you coping up with Einar?”

“He has been distant throughout the whole journey. He only talks when he wants to know something.”

The distinct sound of the rustling of bushes caught Callan’s attention and he moved his head in a jiffy. He gestured the sand face to stay calm while he bravely marched ahead to the source of the sound. He carefully looked all around but found nothing.

“What is it?” The grimes on Auroras concerned face were constantly rearranging themselves.

“I felt as if someone was watching me..” Callan scowled and looked all over again. He was sure that he heard a certain noise and that his mind was not playing tricks with him. However he rebuffed the thought of an intrusion and believed that the wind or an animal must have waved the long thick bushes “Anyways.. I wanted to talk to you about something important.”

“Are you alright?”

“Not exactly.” Callan sighed deeply and wet his lips “Since the day I have started this journey my body feels heated.”

“Heated as in?”

“I cant really explain but I am warm all of a sudden as if I am having a fever and then its nothing.”

“Its strange. Let me see what information I can come up with and during..”

Their talk was interrupted once again when Callan heard another sound coming from the tree leaves above. It was strange but the handsome man was alert at once. He knew that this wasn’t his imagination besides he was far away from his peers. He cleared his throat and almost whispered “I think I am being watched. I need to leave.”

Aurora agreed with her friend “Take care of yourself.”

Callan nodded once again as the sand figure closed her eyes and slowly dispersed, scattering its fine grimes all over the land while the handsome man looked all around in suspicion and walked away as fast as he could.

****

A big land mass of thick wild grass, cold under the chilly winds of the mountains lay ahead as Callan walked out of the dense forest. This place seemed strange to him. There was radiating heat on one side while deadly chilly winds breezed a major portion of the mountain. However the plants of the habitat were grooming themselves with the environment despite the harsh weather.

The handsome man walked further to the open ground. He saw two ladies sitting besides a big log of wood while two men were standing at a distance from them busy in their own conversation. However their attention was diverted when luna Zelda all of a sudden spoke “Where have you been? We thought you were lost.”

“Just wandering around, looking for any way out of here.” Callan spoke uninterestingly. Frustration was clear on his face. Justus and Ragnar soon appeared right besides him.

“Cally we have talked about this.”

“I don’t understand mother.” The handsome man raised his angry voice “Why have I been dragged to this and who are we even meeting?”

Justus was upset by the way Callan spoke to his mother “I know you are frustrated from the strenuous journey Callan but this is not the tone in which you talk to your mother.”

Callan knew that his father was right on this matter. Besides it wasn’t the journey but the changes within him which were making him temperamental. Whatever may be the reason Callan knew that pouring out his anger on his loved ones was wrong. He lowered his dejected eyes and apologised to his mother “I am sorry.”

“Don’t be son.” Zelda put her loving hand on the back of the man and caressed him while Mary smiled at him and nodded her head “We all are impatient and not knowing anything is not helping at all.” Zelda looked at all the three men “Come, have something to eat.”

Callan agreed and joined the other men. They all followed the ladies and took their places besides the wooden log. Callan was bemused for a second when he saw what was to consume for lunch. His face twisted in revulsion but he kept his mum and sat besides the alpha. When Mary started serving the meat she looked at her son apologetically. Being a human was certainly not easy. The wolves had a strong system which could macerate the raw flesh within them easily but for Callan he had to rely on a heated cooking so that his body could adjust to the meat and assimilate properly.

A nicely cooked meal looked impossible at this time for the chilly winds were making it difficult for the wood to hold any large fire. Callan thought about using his powers but felt uneasy about it. Moreover the sudden conflagration could garner unnecessary attention and alpha Ragnar could get suspicious.

Callan smiled at his mother and happily took the plate. He looked at the oozing blood from the cuts of the meat loaf. It seemed as if the bison was hunted right in his plate. He picked up the part hesitatingly and brought it near his mouth when he heard some approaching footsteps. Callan saw his mate running towards them with a sac in his hands.

Einar stood besides his mother and smiled at her worried face. Zelda asked with concern “Where were you?”

“I.. uhm.. I-I went for a walk. I-I mean to hunt.” he stole glances at the handsome man and to his father sitting right besides him “I couldn’t find anything so I brought these.”