I Claim Your Love

2 years later

It was cold on the mountain top as the icy wind was dominating the entire region. Callan stepped every foot cautiously. After walking a few distances he could clearly see his destination. Two flag posts on either side of a large cave. This place was home to a small population of grizzly bears. It was Callan’s favorite place in the world. As soon as Callan crossed the flags he was crushed by a hug and he fell down.

“You are finally here. I had told Mother that you will visit today but she said that you would rather spend your day with your pack and I told her that you can never ditch your best friend but she said.....”

“Can’t breathe.” Callan said in almost a whisper, it was difficult for him to speak. His face was red as his best friend had bottlenecked the air supply.

“Ohh! Pardon me. Sometimes I forget that you are a non-shifter. Here you go.” He released his friend while Callan exhaled a large breath he was holding up thanks to his friend. He got himself up and dusted all the ice from his clothes.

“You really should stop doing that Archer. By the way Happy birthday my dear friend” Callan twitched his nose and hit Archer on the back of his head playfully.

“That hurts.” Archer groaned.

“Exactly my point.” Archer and Callan continued their playful banter as they rolled over the ice and wrestled each other. Archer’s ears perked up when his father whistled from inside the cave.

“We should go inside, Father is calling us. By the way happy birthday to you too.” Callan smiled and followed his friend inside the cave.

The cave inside resembled a dome structure. It was essentially carved out to fit a family of eight bears. The Kemps resided to the nearest boundaries of the western region of the blue moon pack. After Callan moved to his new home he was finally able to make some new friends who were uncritical and less concerned with his inability to shift. One such dear friend was Archer who stumbled upon Callan when the latter was returning home after fishing while Archer in a pang of hunger had consumed all his catch on his way home. Archer had no time to go back to the river and catch any fish. It would require tremendous effort and his precious time. So Callan selflessly gave away all his fish to Archer so that his family could feed and Archer be saved from the scolding of his father. That was the beginning of an affectionate confraternity between the boys.

As soon as he entered the cave, Callan was assaulted with the aroma of delicacies which were served on the table for everyone to eat.

“Callan my boy. How have you been?” Callan was again squeezed tightly in the arms of Archer’s father. Archer was a true copy of Lancelot, the only difference being that the father was buff and hirsute while Archer still had his boyish charms. Another common thing with the family was that they were always in their bare essentials to cover themselves. They hated clothing.

“I’m fine thank you. Mother has sent her wishes and has asked you to visit us someday.” He quickly grabbed a box of berries from his pocket and handed over to the chief of the house. Lancelot appreciated the gesture and set the box on the table besides all the food.

“You are finally here. I hope the ice has not bothered you much, soon it will be winter and the weather up here can be severe.” Callan was greeted by a lady of his height. She closed the gap between them and embraced Callan.” I wish you a very happy birthday dear Callan. I hope your special day brings you lots of happiness and fun. You deserve them a lot.” Callan could see the merry and delight in Myla’s eyes.

The table was decorated with different kinds of cuisine ranging from hare, deer, boar and fishes to puddings, tarts, custards and patties. It was a lot of food on the table.

After a while later the other members of the family joined in. Archer’s grandma, his elder brother and his mate with their toddler and Archer’s elder sister. They all wished Callan on his birthday. It had only been two years but the Kemps were already fond of the boy. Lillian, the elder sister of Archer was nervous and fidgeting.

“Are you all right my child?” Myla asked her daughter with concern.

“Y-yes mother.” She could not help but look at Callan every chance she got. When Callan returned her gaze she blushed red, bowing down looking at her lap. Callan looked sideways to his friend and raised an eyebrow as if to ask what was happening. Archer just shrugged and pursed his smile. Callan knew that Archer was teasing him and made a point to broach the subject later.

“What are you your plans for your birthday celebration?” Lancelot asked striking a conversation.

“This day is never about me. It’s about the future Alpha of the pack. We have a feast in his honor and we all cherish the fact what a great Alpha he is going to be. The man born with a silver spoon.” Callan was nonchalant and sarcastic in his tone.

“That’s too bad. Surely your parents must have had celebration plans for you. After all you are their only child.” Myla sympathized with the boy.

“My father is the head of the security while my mother is assisting our Luna all day. Since it is a big day, both of them are busy and don’t have much time even for each other. So even if they want to be with me they really can’t. They always come late that day; usually I get to see them the next morning. Most of the times I have celebrated my birthday the day before or the day after, but it’s not the same. I feel like the essence of one being special is missing. To be honest this is the first time when I have celebrated my birthday on the exact day.” Callan could see pity and compassion in every face on the table.

“Don’t worry Callan, you are always welcome to celebrate your birthday with us.”

“Alphonse is right we could celebrate according to your likes and wishes from next year onwards. You could bring your friends if you want.” Callan appreciated the gesture by the elder brother and his mate.

“Oh you poor thing! I did not realize when I asked Archer to invite you today. You must be feeling terrible to share your special day with someone else even today.” Myla was regretful that Callan had to share his birthday with her son. She thought that Callan needs to be treated special, like the day was meant for him.

“On the contrary, this has been the best birthday of my life! I can’t express in words how happy I am today. And no, I don’t have any problem to share this day with my best friend. At least I get acknowledged here unlike my pack.” Callan’s eyes had been glossy at this time.

“What do you mean?” Lancelot was perplexed.

“What he means father is that very few people in his pack remember that its Callan’s birthday as well. It is strange, but only Callan and the Alpha’s son share the same birth date in the entire pack. Which means that only these two should have a special occasion to celebrate. Yet they neither acknowledge him nor do they appreciate it, they simply ignore him. It’s always his parents and a few elders of the pack who bless him. Rest of them surround the Alpha’s son and try to please him as if he was the king.” Archer was furious on how the blue moon pack treated his friend. He had advised Callan countless times to stay with him in his cave, but the boy loved his parents too much and knew that he can’t escape his responsibilities. Callan weakly smiled and patted the back of the palm of Archer to assure that he was alright and that Archer should calm down.

****

After the feast the family presented gifts to the birthday boys. Archer presented a new Axe made from the strongest wood in the forest while Callan gave a pot of freshly harvested honey to Archer. Honey was difficult to get in this season but Callan managed to arrange some from his human friends just to see the delight and excitement in his best friend’s eyes. Archer was ecstatic when he sniffed the honey and straightaway attacked the pot. Lillian presented Callan with freshly baked muffins which she made herself. She seductively touched Callan’s hand while gifting him the muffins. She giggled and moved strands of her hair to the back of her ear. Callan was uncomfortable with this gesture; he nervously pulled himself back and sat besides his best friend.

“What has happened to Lillian? She is behaving strange.”

“Not just Lillian my friend, the girls in these mountains are swoon over by your charm. They want to eat you alive.” Archer could not control his laughter when Callan’s expressions were as if he could die of embarrassment any moment. “The Bennet’s daughter had visited our home three times today, just to know if we need any assistance with the preparations. Her real motive however was to join us because YOU were our guest for the feast. Fun fact; she and Lillian had a girl fight over you yesterday. Oh! I just loved it!” Callan was baffled with all this information.

“Oh Luna! Not Lillian please. I have always treated her as my sister. This is definitely awkward. What has happened to the girls these days? Fighting over something like this is just too much.”

“You must be joking! Have you seen yourself in a mirror? You are the best looking man I have ever seen in my life. You have the hair, the face the body which a girl desires and a boy envies. Don’t take it otherwise but had I been a girl I would’ve definitely mated you.”

“Stop exaggerating. This has become a serious issue for me these days; the girls have been behaving odd around me. They stammer, they don’t look my way and some keep giggling when they pass me.”

“I am not exaggerating my friend. Don’t tell me that the girls in your pack are not hitting on you. Everyone wants a piece of you Callan.” Archer winked and smacked Callan’s arm playfully while devouring the sweet taste of honey.

Callan was pensive at what Archer had said. He surely was getting all the attention from the girls and more of ire from his male counterparts. He never asked any of it, it was already difficult to be the odd man in the pack and now his looks have only strained his bond with his coetaneous members. Callan was jaded with these thoughts and decided to call it a day. He departed from the cave thanking the Kemps and mostly avoiding Lillian while Archer accompanied his friend to his house.

The weather outside had been severe. The wind was harsh and chilly. However Archer noticed that while the wind was attacking him left and right Callan was unfazed by the ambush as the winds made a straight pathway for Callan to follow. This was strange. It was like Mother Nature was helping the boy find his way back home. Archer did not think too much about it, he considered this a fluke and was behind his friend taking advantage of the situation. On reaching the house, both the boys laid the presents on the table and went straightway to the human settlement to meet their other friends there. The boys celebrated their day with merriment and enthusiasm. Callan felt like he belonged somewhere, where people do care about him and he is not burdened to prove himself to anyone.

At twilight however Callan realized that he had to visit the grand feast at the Alpha mansion and participate in the celebrations. He bid adieu to his friends and was on his way to the center of the village. The birthday celebration in their pack has never been a happy moment for Callan. Everyone surrounded Einar and blessed him, wished him to be the fierce and the most dominant wolf in the world. As if he needed any of it. While Callan would be avoided as if he does not belong there. Einar on the other hand enjoyed all the attention he used to get. People glorified him; put him to a pedestal like he was meant to be.

Callan also hated the fact that Einar had become cold towards him. After the day following his recovery Einar stopped showing himself abruptly. There were days in a stretch when the boy did not see or hear anything about the Alpha’s son. When he finally showed up; he was cold and different towards him. He used to glare at Callan with a scowl every time they crossed paths. It even happened once that his wolf lost control and was about to attack Callan but was saved by the Alpha.

The boy however did not know what had caused Einar’s fury.

The Alpha’s son was punished for the act and Callan was blamed for the entire incident by his fellow pack mates. From that day onward Callan had maintained a safe distance from Einar and his friends. He only focused on his training and his routines and was back home when it was all done. He avoided the boy like a plague. Even during breakfast at the Alpha house Callan used to sit to the farthest point away from Einar. It was not that he feared him, in some proportion he did but mostly he wanted to avoid any conflict as Einar was going to be their future leader and he had to be in good terms with him. The only time he regretted was times like this when he had no other option but to face the Alpha’s son. Not only did he have to face him today but also wish him for his birthday by presenting him with a gift as was the tradition.

Callan knew that Einar despised him as the latter appreciated every gift he used to get in some way or another except his. He would use the gifts for their meant purposes or as a decoration, but Callan’s gift was never to be seen by anybody. This was the case every year.

Why do I even bother to present him with a gift. Callan thought. Even if I give him a present that imbecile will be thankless and throw it away like he always does. I would have appreciated even a single gesture of gratitude for investing my time and effort for the gift. But no, he has to feed his gigantic ego. As always, I have no other option. Had it not been for father I would have never visited this place today. Ever.

Callan scowled at that thought and exhaled with exasperation when he saw the Alpha house in sight.

****

"You have been pacing around and looking outside the window the entire day. You even missed the hunt. Who does that? Are you even listening to me?” Garrick patted Einar’s shoulder who was lost in his own thoughts never leaving his gaze off the window. Garrick had his attention at last when he finally spoke. “You have avoided every one of us from the time when sun showed up.” Einar was in no mood to argue with his friend and was out of his room straightaway.

"Where are you going?” Garrick asked his friend, trying to understand the state of his mind. Einar blocked Garrick and went for a run alone.

He was furious.

He expected his relatives and friends to be there as his parents were ostentatious when it came to celebrations, so the entire village had been invited. But he eagerly awaited the arrival of his favorite countenance. Since his departure from the alpha village, Einar had been on his toes for his arrival in the pack house. He eagerly awaited his entrance everyday while equally dejected when he leaved the premise. He used to secretly watch Callan train. He watched the boy doing his various other tasks as well. But he always turned a blind eye when the boy was in front of him or looked at his side, as if he never existed. His wolf however was in dispute with him over the issue. His wolf wined and clawed his way out to catch a glimpse of the boy, to touch him, to feel him, to be near him.

One such day when the boy was training; another wolf was touching Callan bare. It was a part of their training but Einar was still agitated. His anger knew no bounds when in a fighting state the other wolf was lying above Callan on the ground, with their bare chests in contact with each other. Einar lost his cool and his wolf came out, but when he was about to attack the other wolf Callan was in front of the boy shielding him. Einar’s wolf growled and snorted not at Callan but at the other wolf that he could see over the shoulder of Callan. His father’s timely intervention saved the other wolf from his wrath. It took Garrick and a run to the woods to cool his temperament and return to his normal state. After that incident however everyone thought that Einar was furious over Callan for some reason. Even Einar did not refute those rumors.

The feelings for Callan had grown within the two years’ time span. When Callan did not show up for training, Einar would have a sour mood while his temperamental wolf wanted to go find him. He did not know the reason for this behavior, but he concluded that his wolf cares for the boy.

Einar thought that these emotions were just a phase or it could happen that Einar was attracted to Callan. And why would he not. He was breathtakingly gorgeous. His stature, his built, the way he carried himself was all beautiful. Einar always wondered what it would feel like to have a taste of his scarlet lips. Einar brushed aside these thoughts. He had to control himself. The Lycan code proscribed a same gender mating. Those found guilty would be disciplined by the law makers. Einar was an alpha wolf who had to lead by an example. He had expectations and responsibilities to his pack. Being the only child of the Alpha he had no option to quit. He was sure that the tryst with Callan was just a phase. But what if it was beyond that. What if he loved him and wanted him to be on his side.

What if he wanted Callan to be his. Forever.

********

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