I Claim Your Love
The Trials

“Today is the day Cornell.” The petite bird sitting on the shoulders of Callan nuzzled its mane to the flesh of the man. Callan looked at the open field which was starting to fill in with young enthusiasts who wished to prove their capability and serve the Alpha. The contenders this time were three times more than what used to be in the previous trials. He was aware of the fact that most of the men were eyeing the head warriors spot. The men presumed that levelling a human in the field would be a child’s play and they could easily surpass Callan’s mettle.

Everyone underestimated Callan for he was human.

Callan looked at the ground which had a long rope circled above the earth around his knee height and then he looked sideways at the long stand where his father and other elders had already taken their seats with their mates. His eyes caught the anxious and hopeful eyes of his father- the current head warrior.

Justus was devastated when he came to know that Callan was not a shifter. Still he kept his hopes alive and trained the boy to outperform any expectations which came his way. Callan had proved that he could tackle any shifter or any adversity with ease. Justus made his son tough and brave. What worried him though were the sheer number of participants who nominated themselves to challenge his son. Under any other circumstances Callan could fight four to five people at a stretch but to face these many people would tire him out and eventually his exhaustion would force him to quit.

When Justus registered Callan looking at him, he smiled in acknowledgement. He smiled for he knew that whether his son wins or loses today he was already a champion for his parents. The love Mary and Justus will shower on him, would never depend upon the legacy of their forefathers which Callan may lose today.

Callan smiled cheerfully and shifted his focus to take note of the other participants. He noticed that among the men some juvenile entrants were also present. It was a no brainer that they were willing to grab the easy pie.

Callan huffed at their stupidity and moved his focus to other people. His smile faltered when he saw Aldous, Marden, Richard and Tusker flexing their muscles and glaring at him. This was not a good sign. Though these four were always after Callan and deeply hated him, the fact that they were some of the best fighters amongst the pack could not be ignored.

Callan fidgeted his fingers as he exhaled an air of anxiety.

“I have been preparing for the trials for my entire life and now when the moment has finally arrived I feel like a deer caught by the hunter.” The raven cawed and bobbed its head up and down. Callan chuckled “No you silly bird. I don’t want you to interfere in any of the fights I go through today. I appreciate your concern but I will keep myself safe.”

But the bird was not having it as it cawed and bellowed its voice in a threatening manner. Soon the entire crowd looked at the man in confusion. Callan embarrassingly smiled at them and bowed his head. “Fine, fine you can meddle in between only if my life is in danger.”

“If that's the case than you should take the bird with you. Keep it as your secret weapon.” Callan was startled for a moment when he heard Aurora’s voice. He embraced her with a smile. She winked at him and caressed the mane of the bird “I can see you are all ready.”

“I think so. By the way what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be going to the stands, cheering for me perhaps.”

Aurora chuckled “You are my one and only favorite people around here. Who do you think I would root for? I just came here to see how you are and to tell you something.”

“What? ”

The healer hesitated “It is more of a request actually..” Aurora held one of Callan’s hands and brought it up to his chest height, pointing to the shining metal wrapped around his wrist “I want you to keep wearing this throughout your bouts.”

Callan was taken aback at this appeal “No way! keeping this bracelet would mean that I am cheating my way up. Besides this metal acts on its own sometimes. I have no control over it. If something happens, we could get exposed.”

Aurora was persistent “I know you are worried but I am worried too. If you keep wearing this bracelet it would give me assurance of your safety. Just wear it for my sake please.”

“What if it shows its powers?”

“It wont. It will only act when you have extreme emotions. So try to take deep breaths and keep your mind cool.” However what Aurora was saying was the complete opposite of how the metal worked. She just wanted to keep him under check. For the past few days she had been working on deciphering the know how of Callan’s powers through the old book. In the meantime she wanted Callan to control his powers so she could be ready to teach him what she learned through the book.

Callan reluctantly nodded at his friend which brought an enthusiastic smile on Aurora’s face.

****

The anticipation and anxiousness of the crowd was silenced when the Alpha entered the arena and took his rightful place besides Rosaline. He moved his head around the entire open field and saw the one for whom his heart ached, standing near a tree all alone. He looked to his sides and noticed that Garrick had left his place to stand among the participants.

Einar stood from his place and raised his head to reach the sky. He bellowed his howl to show his authority and declared that there was no one above him. The crowd all at once bowed their heads and kneeled in their own places expressing their respect and acknowledging the Alpha’s dominance. These were the times when Callan regretted not being a wolf. Unlike everyone else, he was not compelled to bow down or submit to the Alpha. It was very hard for his conscience to give in before any other force. His instincts denied this enfeeblement. With a sigh and reluctance he kneeled before Einar.

Einar then linked everyone and commanded them to take their positions. He saw the look on Callan’s face expressing dispassion. Though he would have overlooked a million of his misdeeds but when it came to respecting him as the leader, Einar could not tolerate the disregard Callan showed.

He gulped his anger at the moment and looked at everyone around with delight “It is with great honor and privilege I announce that this years participants are the most ever witnessed than in any of the previous trials. I am humbled to know that you all are willing to serve your Alpha. It means that I have proved my worth. Thank you.” He quickly scanned the ground and located his father. He acknowledged the proud look of his father with a smile of his own.

“Now to begin with, to make our pack more efficient and self reliant I have decided to bring in some changes...” As soon as the words left his mouth the crowd erupted in murmurs. The wolves loved their everyday lives however monotonous it might’ve been. It was their basic instinct. It was one of the reasons the rituals and traditions were followed generations after generations without any questions. They did not wanted to embrace change.

Einar cleared his throat “I know that you all are disinclined to do something which you have not done ever. However I would want you all to trust me because whatever I do will only be for the betterment of the pack.”

The crowd hummed in response. Einar looked around before bellowing his voice “Before we begin the trials I would like the defenders to step forward.” Amongst the chattering and buzzing of the people Garrick, Arthur and Callan made their way to the stands of the Alpha. They stood at a comfortable distance from each other and turned their backs to their Alpha to face the crowd.

“Standing before you are the sons of the former beta, gamma and the head warrior. Make sure you choose the right person to challenge for there are no second chances.” Einar pointed his finger towards Garrick “The ones who wish to challenge Garrick; step forward.”

People looked around each other and wondered who would turn up to face the former beta’s son. Though Garrick was not at the same level as Einar but still he was a skilled fighter nonetheless. Add it to the fact that he had been trained along side the Alpha and had never lost to anyone aside from his best friend. After long anxious breaths a tall muscular man raised his hand and marched his way to stand in front of Garrick. It was Aldous.

After waiting for a few brief moments Einar spoke again “I guess that’s it for Garrick then.” He looked towards Arthur and gestured his hand “The ones who wish to challenge Arthur may step forward.”

Tusker and two other men made their way to stand in front of the former gamma’s son.

“Finally the ones who want to face the head warriors son may step forward.”

To the astonishment of everyone in the stands, a chain of people lined up in front of Callan. The numbers were such that three rows had to be formed to accommodate the challengers.

While some laughed at the situation, people close to Callan were tensed and worried for he was outnumbered by a large factor. To face so many people and overcome their confrontation was out of the bounds challenge for Callan. He cautiously put a brave front in front of his opponents and smirked in artificial confidence.

Callan knew he was cornered.

On the outside he was showing a courageous front while on the contrary he was scared and lonely from within. People were sure of the demise of the Ashton legacy with Callan’s defeat. He could see it in their eyes. The hatred; the rage; the detest for him. Like every particle in the universe was pitted against him.

And then he saw the smiling face of his mother.

She gleefully smiled and swept the tear drops from her chin. She lifted one of her thumbs to him and cheered him with her love. That was all what Callan needed. The simple gesture from his mother gave a new zeal of confidence to him. Instead of caring about the outcome, he decided to give his all in the matches.

Einar whistled to gain attention of the muttering crowd “Let me summarize the rule for you once again. Every opponent will be picked at random to face the defenders. You can either fight in your wolf or human form. You have to force your opponent to submit. This process will continue till only a single man stands tall. He will be declared the winner.”

Einar held the hammer with a big wooden head and struck the large metal disc “Let the bouts begin.” He than gave the hammer to the announcer and sat near a smiling Rosaline.

The first match to be announced was between Aldous and Garrick. Both the men took their respective stance in the ring and waited for the match to start. As soon as the metal ringed, both the men turned into their respective wolves and snarled at each other. They circled around the circumference judging each others actions before making a powerful dash to the centre. Both the bodies collided with a great force while their muzzles were trying to dominate the other mouth. They used various manoeuvres to subdue the other. There was growling, biting and rolling over each other; all to show their dominance over the other. The onlookers cheered, screamed and placed bets to decide who would win the fight.

Up until now both the wolves were critically injured. Bleeding, claw marks, broken bones and other injuries was a common sight. Einar was worried for his friend but at the same time he was thoroughly impressed by the resistance that Aldous had put on. To level a wolf of Garrick’s calibre was no small feat and for Aldous to stay put in this match for so long was commendable.

With haggard breaths and injured legs both the contenders circled each other. Garrick realised that Aldous was wasting time to regain his strength and his end was near. He found an opportune moment when Aldous slightly faltered moving ahead and launched himself over his opponent with all his might. Aldous was thrashed to the ground by the weight of Garrick’s wolf and the canines were now piercing through his mane deeper and deeper. With nowhere to run Aldous reluctantly buried his head to the ground and whined. The announcer crashed the gong with the hammer indicating that Aldous had submitted and the match was over. Every member in the arena stood up for the wolves with a thunderous applause appreciating the valor and will power of the fighters.

The sight in front of them was a wake up call for the other contestants. Aldous and Garrick had transformed in their humans but both of them were heavily bruised and blood oozed from every part of their injuries. The match had taken such a toll on their bodies that their senses were badly affected and they were supported by other arms to even stand on their feet.

Both of them waved their hands to the audience and bowed to the Alpha before leaving the premises.

The dong went again and next was the battle for the position of gamma of the pack. The biggest advantage for Arthur was that he was quick on his feet and relied mostly on his wits. He made a sorry figure for two of his opponents before a gruelling duel between him and Tusker took place. The fight was captivating and nail biting to say the least. Eventually Arthur was helmed as the better of the two men. Both the Alpha and Luna had smiles on their faces when the men bowed before them.

However the stretch of Einar’s lips reduced when the hammer hit the metal disc again for now it was time for his mate to enter the ring.

Callan slowly motioned his legs to the centre and bowed before the audiences and the Alpha. As expected he received a luke warm response from the onlookers. No clapping, no cheering; just blind stares. As if they were uninterested to be there or they wanted the match to be over in an instant. At that very moment Callan dreaded his decision to participate. The undue pressure of winning was overwhelming him. Everything hinged on what he did inside the ring. There was no backing down now. Moreover, whatever happened today could not be undone ever. There wont be any second chances and so he had to pass the test.

Callan stared at his hands as he felt the warmth of the sun. His eyes wandered the rugged surface beneath all the way to the stands were his parents were breathing in anxiety. Callan just smiled at them and reassured them that their son would be victorious today. Memories of his training flashed in front of his eyes. The sweat and efforts his father put in to craft his son and make him a skilled fighter and all those years of hardship were a dose of encouragement for him.

Rosaline seemed pretty excited when Callan’s name was announced. She had even wished him success before the ceremony started. On the contrary Einar supported his elbows through his thighs and leaned his chin to the entangled fists. He stared keenly at the upcoming match. Callan could deduce that the Alpha did not seem too enthusiastic about the bout. However today he was out there to prove every assumption wrong and win people.

The announcer introduced the first random opponent to the audience. He was a huge buff man who devilishly smirked at Callan for he towered over him easily by a foot. Callan stood head to head with the man never breaking his gaze. The man playfully shouldered Callan which pushed him back by a few steps. The sudden faltering in his steps was cheered by the people around. It was concocted that the man would easily break Callan’s neck and win the match.

The dong rang once more and both the men took their respective positions. In his haste to finish Callan’s chapter the man accelerated towards him. The menacing look in his eyes confirmed his intentions to Callan. But as soon as he reached the handsome man every mouth in the arena lay hung open for Callan swiftly jumped over his shoulders and grabbed his opponents hands backwards. He kicked the back of his legs to stumble him to the ground and stretched the hands with force, dislocating it from the joints. His opponent lay on the ground moaning in grave pain as his hands laid behind his back in an unnaturally twisted position.

Everyone around was stunned.

People looked at the scene with utter disbelief. To defeat a man of such a built was praiseworthy. What surprised them though was that the man was taken down by the most ‘weak’ being of the pack, a human. The astonishment was such that even the announcer forgot to ring the bell for a moment. He steadily hammered the ring and declared Callan as the winner with a low voice, seemingly confused and unsure of himself.

Callan seemed relieved as the match did the trick. For the next several gongs a number of his opponents did not show up. While the once who did, suffered a similar fate as the first match. Though Callan was now gaining more confidence within, he was constantly on his nerves as he wanted to save his energy and finish his matches as early as possible. He made quick jobs of his easy opponents while he used his bag of tricks to fend off the others. But now the challenge was getting real.

He was left with just two opponents- Richard and Marden.

Callan was exhaling long breaths as he was exhausted going through the long list of fighters. He knew that the hurdles before him were the final obstacle before he gained his moment of glory. The first person to enter the ring was Richard. He carefully undressed his clothes ever so slowly as if he was taunting Callan with his steady motions. He then oscillated in a particular area before growling loudly and transforming into his wolf.

There were no holds barred when Richard made the dash. Initially the wolf only made fake passes and mock attacks at Callan. He wasn’t trying to battle him. His main intention was to prolong time in the ring and worn out the human. The trick seemed to be working as Callan had now lost momentum and his mind was compelling his body to relax, to breathe, to slow down perhaps. Callan was taken by surprise when the wolf jumped over his head and turned his body to attack him from behind. The wolf in the very next instant caught hold of Callan’s leg from behind. He bit the flesh of his lower leg and forced him to kneel down. The canines were sunk in deep and Callan could feel the protruding of his flesh, the spilling of his blood. Though Callan was in excruciating pain he knew that he would have to retaliate or else the game would be over for him.

The wolf used its strength and pulled Callan’s body backwards through the power of his mane. Callan moaned in pain so loud that his voice echoed throughout the arena. He took deep breaths and with great efforts retrieved a dagger from his chest pocket. With one breath of confidence he swayed his left hand all the way down to the back of his knee to hit the mane of the wolf, piercing the dagger through it. As soon as he did the motion the wolf detached its canines from Callan’s flesh and roared in agony. Callan took this moment and pressed the metal deep inside the wolfs flesh. This led the wolf to lay on his side pressing his body to the ground while Callan tied a rope around its neck and pulled the wolf backwards by bending its spine.

The pain and suffocation forced the wolf to submit as he laid his body to the ground. Callan pulled himself up but wobbled in his stance due to his grievous injury. He had taken just two steps forward when suddenly the back of his leg was thrashed with a force by a shoulder. Richard had shifted to his human and attacked Callan blindsided. Though the match was over the gong had not belled. Richard took advantage of this situation and further injured the already weak man.

Pain seared through Callan’s leg as his minds focus was now on solely to recuperate through his wounds. But as fate would have it he was in more pain than he thought. The canines had pierced at a deeper interjection while the agony was coming in like waves. The blindsided hit made matters worse for him. He looked at a smiling Richard whose eyes were lined in at a smirking Marden. Callan sighed for he now understood what this was all about. It was a plan by the two of them to make him weak and take him out of the match.

Richard raised both his hands in mock surrender and with a devilish smile he stepped out of the ring. Marden entered the ring as the announcer declared the final match for the trials.

This was it. This was the moment where Callan had to decide to either rise or perish. He was asked if he wanted to quit from the duel but he refused every time. He gathered his courage and with blood dripping injured leg he took his position. When the hammer hit the gong one last time he stayed put in his position for he knew that he needed just one powerful but effective move to take down Marden. On the other side Marden had changed in his wolf and his eyes were now set to the already injured leg of Callan. He dashed his way ahead but before he could make any of his moves Callan walloped his hidden dart straight to one of the hind legs of the wolf and he faltered. The wolf bounced a few steps before unintentionally leaning his head in front of the man. The dart had made the wolfs movements numb and he collapsed. Every effort to move his limbs was in vain as Callan thrashed his leg to the mane of the wolf and forced him to submit. With a frozen body and no where to escape, Marden reluctantly submitted to the man standing on his neck.

The entire crowd was mere mute spectators. They could not believe what they saw! The most underrated man among all of the pack proved to be the best among all the fighters. People were left speechless. Their heart sank while there was worry and hatred in their eyes. For them it was like a nightmare that came to life..

The gong ran once again and Callan was over the moon for he had defeated every opponent of the pack and successfully proved his worth. The years of torture, pain and resentment had finally made him realise his dreams. It was a sweet victory for him. The first thing he wanted to do was to hug his parents and embrace their love for he knew that he had made them proud.

The once stunned and unresponsive crowd were on their feet again as they cheered, whistled and roared their voices. Callan was taken aback by the sudden reaction of the people and his mind was at last in palliation. Happy for he had finally earned the respect of his people. His heartfelt joy was expressed in the happy tears that were brimming his eyes. He grinned from ear to ear between his deep breaths. He was overwhelmed with jubilation because people had finally accepted him..

With the excruciating pain and wobbly feet, he moved a leg forward to step out of the ring but his gesture came to a halt by the sudden loud ringing of the large metal disc. The ringing of the gong indicated just one thing- someone had challenged Callan!

Callan was addled. As far as he remembered he had defeated every one of the men who had stepped foot in the ring. Then who could this new opposer be? After facing a number of men and exhausting his body to the limits how was it fair to him! He was drained physically while his mind lost its capability to think rationally. However if the dong had belled one more time he was left with no choice but to face whoever was in front of him.

He carefully moved his body around with a limping leg and took a defensive stance when all air left his lungs. His eyes widened like saucers while his mouth was left ajar. He could not believe what he was witnessing. He did not miss the flaring of the nose, the eyes full of rage and the snarling and huffing in between. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that he would come across an opponent as such.

Callan’s hopes just came crashing down as standing before him was none other than the Alpha himself!

********

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