I Claim Your Love

Chapter 53: Taken

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..”

“But you already have the solution to your problems.”

Einar squeezed his brows “What solution?”

“Accept the handsome man as your mate.”

Einar was taken by surprise and his mouth was left ajar “H-How do you know!”

“We are cursed by the thirst of knowledge. We love to unearth secrets. A sea of curiosity always flows

within us. So tell me son of Ragnar... What would you like to know?”

Einar looked at the lady with doubt. He wasn’t sure if should even go through with this. The lady

deduced Einar’s dilemma and she leaned forward to whisper “You can ask me anything.”

The muscular man thought for a moment and decided to go with the flow. He had been suffering for

years with the burden of hiding such a big secret from the entire pack. Moreover the situation with

Callan wasn’t improving as the days went by. He needed guidance or at least someone who could

understand him. He took a deep sigh and uttered the question which haunted his mind for years “Why

am I paired with a male?”

“I don’t have the liberty to answer this question. It is something related to your beasts.”

“Can you tell me about the demon?”

The lady nodded “The demon in you is not an ordinary spirit. Yes he comes from the outside realm but

he exuded power even in his own world. Make no mistake son of Ragnar; the demon is not to be toyed

with. You are testing his limits and he wont allow you to manhandle him like the wolf.”

“Why is the wolf not able to recover from the spirits onslaught? He can fight it right?”

“The wolf in you is yet to reach its full potential but he is slowly getting there.” The lady narrowed her

gaze at Einar and looked at him sternly “You want the wolf to step up to your demon! Do you even

know what would happen shall the wolf and the spirit go against each other?” she leaned ahead and

whispered menacingly “You have no idea!”

“The wolf..”

“Is more powerful than you can ever imagine. Every alpha wolf is possessive and wants to dominate

the other wolves around him. Prove his worth to be the strongest of all of them. Your wolf doesn’t do

that, does it?”

The words got Einar thinking and he lowered his voice in negation “No it doesn’t.”

“He has no need. He has overcome his lust for land and supremacy. He doesn’t need that.” The lady

paused for a moment and gave a smug look to the man “And what he does need is something that you

aren’t willing to provide him.”

Einar realized what the lady was implying. He smirked and slowly shook his head “It will never happen.”

“It is your choice of course.” The lady leaned back and kept her eyes fixed at the man before her. Her

gaze pierced through the soul of the man trying to decimate the real him. Einar looked uncomfortably at

her while his heart beat spiked with nervousness. The lady snorted “Shall we proceed.”

Einar nodded in a jiffy.

“Put your palm on the table.” ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Einar did as he was told. The table shivered and one by one all of its contents jumped and danced until

it fell to the ground. Among the various containers that were kept a brownish-red clay pot and grimes

matching the container levitated in the air and slowly settled in front of Einar.

“Touch the pot.”

The light contact from Einar ignited the grimes in a vertical fashion and suddenly the pot was being

dragged by an unknown force towards the lady sitting at the other side. She closed her eyes tightly and

gasped in a lot of breath. Her cheeks were inflated while the nerves on her neck popped out to liberate

itself. She kept her fist tightly gripped but her eyes could not bear the brunt of the onslaught. The

process was too much for her. Though she constricted her eyes as tightly as she could, she was

unable to hold the blood which dripped through her eyes..

“Are you fine?” Einar asked with concern. He was a bit afraid at the moment.

The lady slowly opened her eyes and shakily nodded her head. Red liquid flew down the smooth skin

of her face through her eyes. She took deep breaths in between and looked at the man with

determination “Go ahead son of Ragnar, ask me anything.”

The muscular man waited for the longest of the time to ascertain what he really wanted to ask. He

looked all around and decided to delve in the matter which troubled him the most “What would happen

to me and Callan in the future? How long could I hold the truth for him?”

“You may try to avoid it, delay it and even run from it for now son of Ragnar but you cannot escape it.

The beautiful man has a powerful charm which will captivate you in his binds. You wont be able to hold

for long.”

“These are just predictions right?”

The lady smirked and shook her head “What I saw is the future son of Ragnar. A future which is

inevitable. One that cannot be changed. You and the head warriors son are meant to be together. No

power in the world can keep you apart; not even you.”

The words stung Einar’s brain and his thinking process halted for a moment. This was the only thing

which he had been trying to avoid all his life and now the seer bluntly declared that the handsome man

will be his in the end. This was not what was supposed to happen. Einar had put in a lot of efforts, had

sacrificed a lot just for the sake of Callan and his pack. It was better this way. Callan and him staying

apart was the only way to make things right.

“I have come way too far. I have set a new life for me. Everything is arranged. I cannot undo what has

been done and Callan being my mate is not right. What would happen to the pack? What is Rosaline’s

fault in all of this. I cannot betray her!”

″You wont son of Ragnar. Her own fate will bitterly sting her.”

The words puzzled Einar. The lady seemed to know something about Rosaline but wasn’t revealing the

secret. Einar was worried for his friend “What are you trying to say. I don’t want Rosaline to be harmed

in any way.”

“You should worry about yourself and the handsome man at the moment.”

“I don’t have the right to imagine my future with Callan. It will only complicate things. I cannot harbor my

happiness at the stake of my people.”

“There isn’t any other way son of Ragnar. You and the handsome man will be together. Your bond is

stronger than I thought.”

Einar slammed his fists hard onto the table and gritted his teeth in anger “It is all because of my stupid

beasts. I want to get rid of them.”

“Careful for what you say!” the lady put her hand to her thumping chest while her eyes enlarged from

what she heard from the man. When Einar tried to say something the lady interrupted him and

instructed him to stay silent “The beasts inside you are not too pleased by your ardor. If they so desire

your body will perish like the fine sand of our land.”

Einar was unfazed by the threat. He was fighting a losing battle “I cannot let this happen. I will make

sure that the beasts will never get what they wish for.”

The lady giggled “From what I see, you may be a little late for that.”

The words confusticated the man again. However at this point of time he felt more helpless than

puzzled. The lady in front looked certain about her witchery. The words she spoke came from the

inevitable future. Callan and Einar together would create chaos in the werewolf world. Callan’s life

would be put on the line just because he was mates with Einar. Moreover shall anything bad transpire

with the handsome man his beasts would go on a rampage and kill everyone in their path.

No! This should not happen!

Einar knew what the demon did to the army of the ferals and he didn’t forget the last time when his wolf

was out of control. He was not capable to handle them. He wasn’t sure for how long he could have a

control over them. It was already difficult to keep them separated with their beloved. He didn’t want to

imagine the future when his beasts were let loose.

“Do something.” Einar whispered and almost pleaded “Me and Callan being together will put his life in

danger. The king and the entire werewolf clan will torment us. You don’t know how strong headed that

human is. The moment he realizes that he indeed has a mate he will move heavens to claim me. The

people on the other hand will despise him. I can fight for him till my last breath but I know it will be

futile. He is a non shifter. He may assert that he is strong enough to protect himself but he is not. He

will be the target for no fault of his. Their will be attempts to harm him or worse even kill him! I cannot

bear that!”

The lady smiled as she picked up a few of the burning grimes with her hands and laid them in front of

the man “You see son of Ragnar.. There are consequences to every action. What we do today decides

our future. Putting your mates life in danger was your doing. I will still suggest you to brace yourself and

spend together all the time you have with him..”

“Why do you say that? Will something happen to me?”

“Yes.” She whispered in trepidation “Something will happen to you.” she held the container in her hands

and the grimes inside of it inflated its fire and bounced one by one out of the pot “The Caloti has

spoken son of Ragnar. Your future with the handsome man is certain but your time is constrained.

Though you don’t wish for it but you would have no choice left.” The brim of water in her eyes broke its

resilience and she wept silently. Her gaze was stationed at the pot till the last of the grime jumped out

of it. She gasped in short breaths before slowly lifting her eyelashes to the perturbed man waiting for an

answer “You cannot escape fate son of Ragnar for it is predestined that you would destroy your own

happiness. You will kill the man you love!”

A slight discomfort seeped in to the heart of the muscular man. His eyes enlarged while he forgot to

breathe for a moment. His brain couldn’t understand the passage of time. What had the lady spoken!

He couldn’t imagine Callan in pain and now it was written in stone that he would kill him!

“No..” his voice shook and his lips trembled “No... ” his face was flushed with the onslaught of the

dreadful emotions “No...” His eyes freely flowed his sorrow. “NO!” he screamed in agony and pulled his

hair. He sniveled and gasped in short breaths. “I cannot do this.” he whispered to himself “I cant even

think of hurting him in the slightest. This cant be true.” he lifted his head to look at the lady with hope

and desperation “Please tell me its not true.”

The lady gestured her fingers at the fiery grimes which vomited the strong flames and rotated on the

table “The pebbles don’t lie son of Ragnar. Your actions will be accounted for in the future. Spend your

time wisely with the handsome man.”

“Isn’t there a way out of this.”

“The future is certain.. However..” the lady took a pregnant pause “You can buy some time for the both

of you.”

“How?”

“Let him be free! Release him from the binds of your love. You are not his destiny son of Ragnar. He

can never be a part of who you are. You are only fooling yourself if you think that you can be his world.

He may never love you the same way as you do. His objective in life wasn’t to be someone’s mate. He

will give you pain and nothing else..”

The air he breathed felt as if it was strangulating him. Einar wanted to die at that moment. Breaking the

bond with Callan was eventually worse than death. No wolf desires a life away from his mate. An

unknown force was pulling him down. His heart was being shattered into a million pieces. What a cruel

game his fate played with him!

Einar cried his heart out for the longest. He couldn’t control himself. It was as if he had lost everything.

His sacrifices; his years of pain and his façade were all meaningless. Even if he was able to save

Callan from the entire world how was he supposed to save the handsome man from himself. He would

be the killer of his own mate!

Einar breathed heavily and composed himself. He looked all around him and pursed his lips. He

lowered his head to level the lady and whispered in a withering confidence “If.. If I break the bond can

you guarantee that the future will change its course..”

The lady was filled with compassion looking at the dreadful state of the wolf. The pain in Einar was

deeply affecting her. She dejectedly lowered her eyes and shook her head.

Einar nodded absentmindedly because for the first time in his life he didn’t knew what to say. He wasn’t

sure how to react. He wanted to scream, to yell his pain out but he couldn’t. He wanted to abduct the

man and take him to a lonely place away from everyone so that they could spend the time they had left

together; embracing each other; loving each other..

Einar’s pensive thoughts were interrupted when the curtains of the hut threw immense light of the

radiating sun. The muscular man scowled and wiped his face when he saw his mother running towards

the man. Her hands were shaking while her forehead was occupied by the beads of terror.

Einar quickly stood from his place and held the arms of Zelda in concern “Mother! What’s wrong?”

“I-Its Callan.”

Einar’s sad eyes dramatically turned into the ones of anxiousness and fear “What about him?”

Zelda’s shaky hands slowly pointed to the shutter as her voice broke “H-He..” She gulped in fear “He

has been taken!”

********