I Claim Your Love novel Chapter 53

Callan loved the fresh air that came from the ever onward road. The swarm of birds, the passing trees and the uneven path was all of a sudden mesmerizing him. He was delighted to say the least. He kept gawking at the man who rode the horse just in front of him and dreamily smiled at him without being detected.

Ragnar on the other hand was feeling frustrated. The map he held in his hands was inverting its position every now and then. He deeply sighed and concluded that the map is of no use from hereon. He communicated the same with Justus and it was decided that the wolves would travel along the path. However just after crossing some of the land, the horses neighed and stopped abruptly. Ragnar and the wolves were blindsided by the ample of white matter in front of them.

“The map ends here.” Justus looked worriedly at his alpha.

“But there is nowhere to go. Is this a trap?” Mary questioned

“No. There has to be a way. If only the clouds could move a little.”

Callan was right behind all of them and was sure that the fog was created to provide a distraction for visitors. He looked at the distressed faces of his parents and slowly moved his palm backwards. As if on cue the clouds dissipated on its own and a large metal door appeared out of nowhere.

The wolves were left astonished and all of them exclaimed in surprise. The door stood lonely, midway in their path. The metal door was the size of a small mountain while its exterior was wrapped all around by strong vines and creepers.

“It is as if the gods heard our plea.” Zelda whispered in shock.

The metal doors made a screeching sound and slowly flapped its plates to open up. The wolves were taken aback when they saw a completely different world inside of the door from the one which was apparent in front of them.

“Are you sure we should step in?” Justus asked a pensive alpha.

“We have come a long way; there is no turning back now.”

Ragnar gestured his convoy to follow him while he led the charge. As soon as they entered the gates, they were invited by mildly warm breeze and a pleasant atmosphere all around. The bushes which were spread on the ground chirped along the beautiful butterflies in joy. The trees were abnormally large while flowers blossomed wherever the eyes roamed. Amidst the happy nature were small huts made of bamboo which camouflaged its appearance to blend in with the atmosphere. They were sparsely scattered and poorly built.

When the wolves announced their entrance, every member of the hut was out of his home to receive them with an unknown expression. Some gawked in sympathy while others bored their eyes in annoyance. The wolves felt a bit uncomfortable when they scanned the area.

The people of the small village were all dressed alike. It was the same brown colored fabric wrapped around their waist and extending to their ankles. It was the only piece of cloth they were wearing. The most unnerving fact about them was the lack of hair on their body. Zelda and Mary gave a detestable look when they noticed the absence of any single strand of hair in the bodies of the villagers.

Callan was aware that he was being watched. In fact the people of this village only noticed two people; him and his mate. He could see the look of pity and hate among them. As if their arrival was unwanted.

“Why are all of them staring at us?” Though the question was directed to the alpha, Callan was as curious as his luna. Ragnar shrugged and continued for some more distance. He stopped when he saw a man with three other people in line looking intently at the alpha.

Ragnar ordered the wolves to station their horses and he stepped down. He stood in front of the mysterious man and smiled in acknowledgement.

“I bet it was you who replied to my letters.”

The young man nodded “Welcome to our world. I am Rosaline’s cousin Kilijah as you know me.”

“I am Ragnar alpha of the..”

“Blue moon pack and she is your mate Zelda.” The young man smiled at the bewildered faces of the alpha mates and turned his attention to Einar “And of course you should be Einar.”

“Our future alpha and Rosaline’s mate.” Zelda added

“Is he now.” the young man smirked.

Einar’s face was tensed all of a sudden. He weakly smiled at the man and bowed his head.

“These are the..”

“Ashtons. I know them son of Gregor.” The young man’s attention was piqued entirely to the mystique of a beauty standing right behind his father. Kilijah cleared his throat “You all must have been tired from the long journey. Have some rest. Shida has set up your living arrangements. We shall meet at sunrise.”

Shida stepped forward and gestured the wolves to follow him. When Callan was about to step behind his father Kilijah interrupted him “Your shelter is this way.” He pointed to a hut in the opposite direction from that of the wolves

“But I cannot leave my parents.” Callan looked helplessly at Justus and Mary. While Einar was agitated by the sudden distance. He breathed deeply to calm his emotions and turned his face to avoid interrupting or worse killing the man named Kilijah. Ragnar on the other hand ordered Callan to do what he was told. With no choice left, the handsome man turned his back dejectedly and walked to his destination.

****

The morning came a little early for the handsome man. He was desperately waiting for the arrival of his fellow companions. Especially the son of the alpha. The night when Einar unknowingly confessed his feelings shattered all the resolves which Callan had in mind to get his man. He was desperately waiting for the opportune moment when they were together and alone so that he could confess his feelings as well.

Callan was all smiles when the muscular man appeared from a distance. He lovingly looked at him while his heart fluttered with happiness. He couldn’t control his feet and marched ahead to meet his man. Midway though Callan was interrupted yet again by Kilijah. He looked suspiciously at him and backed down. Kilijah was starting to get on Callan’s nerves. It was as if he was trying to separate Einar from him.

Kilijah smiled and stationed himself before the wolves while two other men guarded Callan from both sides. The closeness of the two men towards his mate was making Einar’s locket glow. He was on the threshold of losing his control. He palmed his locket and squeezed it with full force.

Kilijah addressed the wolves “I hope you all had a wonderful stay here. Before I proceed with the sessions let me put forward some of the rules.”

He sternly gazed at the handsome man and gritted his teeth. He swept his face to the left and smiled back at the wolves “In no way is any of you allowed to carry any sharp weapon. You have to leave all your belongings outside of the hut. It is advised that you ask questions related to you and only you. The powers of the Calistor works only till the time you stay in its proximity. Which means that once you leave the hut there wont be any second chance. Use your time well. Lastly, we the seers have the liberty to chose which question needs to be answered. Inside the hut your wolves would feel powerless for some time but worry not, for it is a safeguard magic designed by our ancestors.”

The rules laid before them looked fairly simple. Yet Einar was nervous as his instincts dictated something questionable. He was worried for Callan throughout the night. The environment around though serene was highly suspicious. Moreover he was annoyed by the constant glares his mate received. Apart from the people here in the village Einar felt as if something else was following them. He kept his mum for long but he was sure that it wasn’t his imagination. He knew that Callan attracted trouble and so was worried for him.

Einar’s pensive thoughts were distracted when Kilijah requested the wolves to follow them. He took all the wolves to a nearby pool where the entire mass was covered by beautiful, glossy oval stones. Each stone differed from the other in size and color. These stones were transparent while their unique colors shined to overpower the other stones. Zelda, Ragnar, Justus and Mary were pleasantly surprised by what they saw. It was mesmerizing. On the other side Einar and Callan were skeptic for their senses were warning them of an unknown danger.

“Put your hand in the water and desire for the stone which you like.”

The wolves did as they were told. One by one every senior wolf stepped in, entered their hand in the water and wished for a stone. The liquid in the pool gushed and bounced and an eye catching stone appeared right into their palms. Each of the wolves were blessed with a beautiful stone which radiated its glow in the fullest. Kilijah looked nervously at Einar and requested the muscular man to step in.

When it was Einar’s turn to enter the water the small stones rumbled against each other. The action caused fear among the seers while his parents looked at each other with anxiousness. The first step in the water caused a mini storm whirling in the center of the pool. The stones moved apart and away from the direction wherever Einar was stepping foot. They piled up one above the other and circled the available space. It seemed like the gems were petrified of the man.

Einar tried to retrieve one of the ovals but he failed each time. Whenever he tried to catch a stone, the gem would change its direction and move abruptly away from him. Einar was getting frustrated and he stopped moving. He was about to leave the pool, when his eyes gathered attention on one particular gem which was stationary and shining in all its might. It was unique and bigger than the rest of its peers. However unlike the vibrant, bright and striking ovals, this stone was completely dark and opaque. It was heavier and bigger in size.

As soon as Einar touched the stone a mystical fog emitted through the oval and spread all around the man. Even before anyone could register anything, a loud screeching noise emanated through the stone and everyone except Callan was on his knees covering his ears. An unknown fear crippled through their veins and their heart beat spiked.

The locket in Einar’s neck floated in air for some time and all of sudden the mystical fog was absorbed by it. The noises stopped and Einar turned to look at the fearful faces staring at him in skepticism. He stepped out of the water without bothering about the stares and rested his feet away from the piercing eyes. Callan was amused when he saw the look on the faces of the seers.

He giggled quietly but all his smile left his face when he noted that it was his turn indeed.

Kilijah looked nervous and contemplated whether or not he should proceed further with the Elemental. He was aware of the outcome but he couldn’t deny the man a chance. He slowly nodded at Callan and requested him to step forward. The handsome man hesitatingly stepped foot in the water. However even before he landed his feet, the water gushed and stormed in an unruly manner. Every particle of the liquid was shy of Callan. The more he stepped forward the more the water was leaving the ground and moving away from the man. Callan pursed his lips and hid his glowing bracelet with the palm of his other hand.

Just when it looked like it couldn’t get any more abnormal, the ovals of the water raised itself from the water. They gathered momentum and started revolving around the man with full force. Callan was unaware of the happenings while he feared something uncanny would harm him. Fear was evident in each and every one of the onlookers. It looked as if Callan was trapped in a mystical cage of gems. The ovals were declining to alleviate its ferocity.

Einar looked at Callan helplessly and a sense of anxiety seeped in to his heart. He wasn’t having it and he decided to intervene. He growled fiercely and charged towards the pool when all of a sudden the ovals stopped its motion and rotated in speed.

Even before Einar could take action the ovals charged at the muscular man. It was like a meteor shower from above the sky. Every gem looked angry and ready to strike. They thrashed every available part of the wolf with ferocity. The force was such that the man had to land on his knees. Blood dripped from the wounds while Einar moaned in agony.

Callan was pained at the sight of Einar getting hurt and he started flickering his thumb and his forefinger. One by one every gem surrounding the alpha’s son burst in mid air providing some relief to the ailing man.

The alpha mates were quickly by the side of their son while Callan’s parents stood by him. Kilijah looked petrified and he heaved heavily. He quickly regained his composure and cleared his throat “I-I think we should waste no more time. Alpha mates and warrior mates of the blue moon pack follow Otinshi. She will show you the way to your destined seer.” He focused on a bruised Einar and asked if he was fine. Einar nodded and looked worriedly in the direction of Callan

“Son of Ragnar you have to follow Shida. He will take you to your destination.”

“What about my son?” Justus asked with a concerned look.

Kilijah and the other seers exchanged looks with an unknown expression. They kept quit for a very long time before a drop of water finally escaped through Kilijah’s eyes. His voice broke as he spoke “The man will be attended by our lord.”

All eyes were stationed at Callan as he was the first one to leave. The other wolves were taken to a different hut while Einar was led to a shelter which was secluded from the rest and at a distance from the others. He frequently looked at the back of his mate till the time he was out of his sight.

The juvenile led Einar into the lone hut. When Einar entered through the door, the room brightened with every step he took. Artifacts were decorated intricately all around the walls. There were articles and containers of various shapes and sizes made up from clay. The roof was decorated with bright colored curtains forming an umbrella right at the center. The curtains stretched its wings right till the ground and floated in air after every interval. Beneath the circular canopy was a large circular table up to the length of Einar’s ankle where random things unknown to the man were kept in an unorganized way.

Einar sighed in annoyance and folded his hands to his chest. His attention was diverted when he heard a distinct voice from the shadows of one of the curtain

“You seem too excited to visit this place.” The voice snorted in sarcasm.

A small, slender figure appeared out of the shadows and looked intently at Einar. Her eyes were focused on the man as she sat on her knees besides the table. Einar felt uncomfortable looking at the lady in front. Though nudity wasn’t new to him he was not accustomed to see people with no hair at all. He diverted his eyes and exhaled loudly “I am not sure why I am here.”

The lady smiled and rolled her palm subconsciously in mid air “There is a strong turbulence of emotions inside of you. You are caught in the middle of a fiery storm and you know no way out. am I right?

“Maybe.”

“Have a seat son of Ragnar.” the lady gestured Einar to take the place opposite of her. Einar looked at her with suspicion for quite a few moments before reluctantly shifting his body weight to his knees.

“I am Dohdig”

Einar snickered and shook his head with a smirk “Another weird name.” he whispered to himself.

“I suppose you don’t like our names.” The lady smirked in response “Tell me son of Ragnar, what brings you here?”

“I don’t know.” He sighed “I was told that I would find the solution to my problems here..”