I Claim Your Love

Chapter 30: 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.

at his friend which brought an enthusiastic smile on Aurora's face.

****

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

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

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

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

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

know that you all are disinclined to do something which you have not done ever. However I would want you all to trust

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

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

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

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

and two other men made their way to stand

to face the head warriors son

in the stands, a chain of people lined up in front of

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

he was

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;

he saw the

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

You can either fight in your wolf or human form. You have to force your opponent to submit. This

a big wooden head and struck the large metal disc "Let the bouts begin." He than gave the hammer to the

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

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

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

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

hands to the audience and bowed to the Alpha before leaving the

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

of Einar's lips reduced when the hammer hit the metal disc

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.

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

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

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