"How could he! This man is getting on my nerves now. I mean he could have done something else but targeting your parents was a real low for him." An angry Archer spoke through his gritted teeth and kicked the stone which was lying on his way. He looked at the distraught face of his best friend and the anger inside him grew.
Callan kept his gaze low and looked at the ground beneath. The grimes were circulating and mixing up with other grimes to form random shapes. He circled his palm in a uniform direction again and again. His face was stoic but his mind was not at peace "He had planned it all along."
"But how did he know about your excursions to queen Katana's island?"
"He used to follow us."
"You didn't realize back then?"
Callan shook his head still looking at the ground "It was Orcus who told me about it."
When Callan was silent again, Archer found it hard to go with his next assumption. He paused at his words, letting his eyes roam all around before gathering his courage to speak "Do you think that the demon..."
"No!" Callan jerked his head up in a sudden reaction "He is there somewhere but he doesn't want to show himself."
Archer pursed his lips and paused his thoughts for a moment. He looked apologetically at Callan and asked for forgiveness. The desperate look of hope in Callan's face was making him worried about his best friend. He smiled at him awkwardly and said "That's messed up."
"Tell me about it." Callan scoffed "He thinks he hurt me and so without considering my feelings he distanced himself from me. He is guilty."
"The real shameless person here is that son of the alpha."
A small bead of water ran through the cheek of the handsome man as he lowly spoke "He didn't know."
Archer gazed at Callan in surprise "What?"
"He never thought his plan would take such a drastic turn. I could see it in his eyes. He wasn't expecting Daragor to show up and leave so suddenly."
Archer's mouth lay hung open. It was hard for him to believe that even after all the pain Callan went through he was still defending the person who tormented him greatly. "How can you still defend him!" Archer raised his hands up in air in an act of disbelief and exhaled short breaths of anger.
"It wasn't his fault."
"THEN WHOSE FAULT WAS IT?"
"I don't know." Callan spoke in a meek voice.
"Oh you do.." Archer ran his hands through his hair in frustration and waited for his anger to cool down. He kneeled besides his best friend and looked at him with compassion.
"Please don't do this to yourself." The were-bear almost begged "Your constantly overlooking his mistakes time and again. All he ever does is force you into unfavorable predicaments. He is hurting you, do you even realize that?"
"He loves me and I love him."
"This is madness..! " Archer rose from his seat and raised his voice in anger "You are clearly obsessed. There is a difference between right and wrong which you don't want to see right now. Your prejudiced against Einar which makes you believe that he has to have a reason to cause you pain. If he is so much of a man where is he now? Did he even bother to apologize? Does he even care for what state you are in? Are the rules for his love different?"
Callan softly shook his head and looked at Archer with a teary eyed smile. "Sooner or later he will come to me Archer. I'm sure of it."
The endless hope in Callan's eyes was burning his life slowly and Archer knew it. However it was becoming difficult for him to make his friend realize that Einar's company was more of a disaster for him. All he wanted was to see Callan happy and clearly the happiness wasn't with Einar. "It is difficult to make you see reason when you've blindfolded yourself. When people are in love they don't hurt each other. Whatever the case maybe, attacking your parents wasn't the right thing to do. He has thrashed your fathers image and destroyed his identity. Most importantly he has separated you from your parents. What justification would you give for that?"
"I can still meet my parents. I'm not part of the pack remember?"
The bear sighed in defeat "Why are you making this difficult?"
Archer swung his right leg and kicked the stone on his way. He frequented his leg movements at random paths for he wasn't sure how to deal with the situation anymore. His mind was at unease. Archer could clearly see the path of self destruction which Callan was readily accepting to forego. The feeling of helplessness was too much for him at this moment.
Callan saw the frustration in Archers face and he decided to give the man his own space. After a long time Callan mustered the courage to look at his best friend in the eye "When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow." Archer turned towards the handsome man. The anger inside of him had subsided a little however he wasn't done with the subject. He realized that Callan's state of mind was vulnerable right now and so his sense of judgment was somewhat impaired. Anything said would only fall on deaf ears and so Archer decided to drop the subject for now. He took calm breaths and pursed his lips "I may be gone for long. My brother needs help with relocating."
Callan weakly smiled at Archer and stood up from his place to embrace the were bear in a tight hug "I will miss you."
Alphonse and his mate were with their fourth child now. The addition of the new member to the family was making the cave a bit too crowded. Henceforth Lancelot and Myla decided to shift places so that they can be together with their children in a larger cave. However this decision impacted Archer greatly. He wasn't ready to move out since he spent his entire life in the mountains. More importantly moving places would mean that he had to leave Callan and Fayette behind. The bear was in a dilemma to chose between his family and Callan who was more of a brother to him.
When the Elemental heard about this predicament he assured Archer that moving places was a right decision for his family and he should join in. This meant that both of them wont be able to meet as frequently as they used to meet up until now. Callan was saddened by the distance but Archer's family needed him. He couldn't be selfish to hold back his best friend.
With heavy hearts both the friends embraced each other in a hug while Archer patted Callan's back to comfort him "Me too. Just promise me that you would take care of yourself."
The handsome man giggled at Archers persistence and swiped a bead from his cheek "I will take care of myself."
****
The clouds outside were gaining momentum as the once white foggy substance was replaced by the dark color of thunder. Stanislas looked at the environment in awe when his ears perked on the arrival of a familiar person "It looks like it will rain."
"I think so too father."
Stanislas turned and hugged his daughter with delight. He pecked her forehead and retreated himself to resume looking at the sky with indifference "I hope your trip to the blue moon pack was a success."
"Yes father." Beatrice smirked "You should have seen the face of that pathetic alpha, how I was..."
"I am not interested to know about Ragnar or his son." The king growled.
"I'm sorry father." Beatrice cowered before her father and bowed her head in submission.
"Did you find the answers?"
"Yes father."
"And.."
"The human is definitely an Elemental father. Fire, Air and perhaps the Earth are his Elements."
A loud thunder boomed throughout the sky. The crazy zig zags were closing in on the the surrounding area. It looked as if the lightnings were about to descend and struck.
The king gulped and bit his lips upon hearing the news. "Are you sure?"
"Yes father."
The king closed his eyes for his assumptions were true. His greatest fears were about to come to life. He had been keeping a close eye on the human for he wanted to be sure about something. He turned his face to look at his daughter and asked in a stern voice "Did you see him controlling the thunders?"
"Hmm.." The princess tried to recollect all her memories of Callan "No father. Not that I recall of."
"Think Carefully.."
"Yes father I am sure about it."
Stanislas was pensive and he sighed a deep breath "Tell no one. Neither the queen nor your brothers."
The skies rumbled once again and thunders preluded the large water drops which were soaking the palace grounds. Stanislas face was stricken with horror. He realized that his days as a king were outnumbered if he didn't do something about it. The rise of the Elementals meant that the supreme one was born again and if that was true than it meant that the beast had come to life without a doubt. He swiped the precipitation beads of his fear and held his head high "We need to know all that we can. If the human is what I think he is then we all are doomed!"
"But why?"
"His soul may be attached to someone who has the power to snatch my kingdom." The skies rumbled and the lightening roared its presence. It was as if the zig zags were warning the king. Like a few of the thunders would struck down on the palace and crumble it into pieces
"If the human has the ability to control thunders than it means that he has come to life again.."
"I'm confused. Who has come to life?"
The king kept gawking at the black clouds which were gaining momentum once again. He wet his lips and paused before saying "A powerful being from the past. Legend has it that the beast could wipe out an entire community when he reaches his full power."
"Killing an entire community! Who could be that powerful?"
Stanislas turned towards his daughter to look at the horrified state of Beatrice. He smiled at her in encouragement and spoke "don't stress yourself my sweet little daughter. Just find out a way to keep a close eye on that human."
Beatrice nodded her head and smirked "I know a way father."
****
One Month Later
Surrounded by the air of melancholy, Callan felt desolated with a pensive sadness of his own. He covered himself with a thick blanket and sat on the edge of the window witnessing the fluffy white substance forming a thick layer on the ground. The raining snow reminded him of his diminishing liveliness. The greenery of his hope and happiness was now being covered by the snow of woe and distress.
It had been almost a month since the handsome man had locked himself. Away from the normal world Callan found solace in the arms of loneliness. He couldn't will himself to move away from his spot or rekindle his emotions and be happy once again. He longed for the company of Archer but he knew he couldn't be here at this time. Aurora and Fayette used to visit him frequently but it wasn't the same.
Even after whatever happened that fateful day, Callan missed Einar.
He tried to force his mind to give up on Einar but he couldn't do it. Every memory that resurfaced in his mind would resoundingly divert its trajectory to either the wolf, the demon or the son of the alpha. He tried his best to hate him or even intensely dislike him but he couldn't. The façade would not last for long and he would again dream about the cherished moments he spent together with Einar and his beasts.
Callan was so immersed in himself that he didn't realize that someone was at the door. His attention was diverted when the man cleared his throat and Callan instinctively looked at his direction.
Shock.. Surprise.. Happiness.. Sadness.. Anger..
These were the chronological emotions which featured on Callan's face. He wasn't expecting anyone at Aurora's place. Certainly not the person who was standing at the door right now. He narrowed his eyes in anger and spat with venom
"Why are you here? Did you force Aurora."
Einar pursed his lips and took two steps ahead. His eyes were full of tears and the pain he suffered throughout the days clearly showed in his weak self. His muscles were thin while his eyes puffed out. It seemed as if he hadn't been sleeping for a long time. It took efforts for him to even stretch his lips to form a smile.
Callan was deeply saddened by the state Einar was in. The time apart had been disastrous for the wolf. He could see Einar's withered state. The dark circles around his eyes, the mass leaving his body and the loss of warmth from his face were all a proof that the muscular man had suffered much. It was heartbreaking for Callan to watch his love in such apathy.
The handsome recalled his resolve and his once serene and compassionate face turned into the stoic, indifferent one. The sudden change in Callan's expressions brought Einar back to reality. His smile was gone and he realized what he came here for in the first place. He marched ahead, however his movement was halted when Callan intervened "Stay right there."
Callan gulped his longing for he wasn't ready to face his lover. His weak heart wanted to hug the man in a tight embrace and kiss him dearly. He could see the same burning hunger inside of Einar but the invisible wall between them was too much of a barrier. Both the men gazed at each other without saying anything. Many unspoken words were conveyed through those locked eyes.
Einar was the first to speak "I need to talk."
"Just go. I don't want you here." Callan gritted his teeth and turned his back to Einar.
The words spoken brought an ache to his heart but it wasn't as if Einar was not expecting this reaction. He was ready for it. He had practiced it many a times in his head and yet when the words were finally spoken it still hurt a lot.
Einar's body ached for the need of Callan's body to cuddle, to feel safe, to have the warmth of a lover. His body, his brain and his tired soul were in a desperate need for Callan's presence. The days without him had extracted a huge amount of self morale, joy and a will to live. His actions were detrimental to both the men. At that moment he thought what he was doing was right. He knew Callan would be upset and would hate him but Einar was taken by surprise when the handsome man had completely withdrawn himself from the outside world. It was unexpected.
It took days of courage for Einar to finally request Aurora to let him meet his mate. It took another few days for him to convince the witch that he indeed had no ill intentions, that he only wanted to have a glimpse of the man. Eventually it was the pathetic state of the son of the alpha which sympathized with Aurora and she led him to Callan.
"I am really sorry for what I did." Einar cleared his tears though the back of his palm.
"I know you are but what would it change."
"I didn't know the demon would show up. I wasn't betting on him."
"I know that too."
The vague responses from Callan was making Einar frustrated. It was as if Callan had made up his mind and Einar was fighting a losing battle. In a desperate attempt he braved himself and held Callan's hand. He turned him around and looked at him with pleading eyes "You have to give me a chance.."
"So that you could hurt me again." Callan stared at Einar with defiance and the muscular man bowed his head in shame "Maybe this time the pain would be even bigger than the last one."
"Don't say that." Einar responded quickly. "I cant even think of hurting you."
"And yet you do it every time." Callan pushed Einar to create some distance between them "You know what is the saddest part of it all?" Callan narrowed his eyes as the streams of his pain flew through his eyes "That I cant will myself to punish you, to hate you. I cant. I just cant. I cant stop thinking about you. Even when we are in this situation I cannot force myself to pull away from you. I should be punching you in your face but all I'm worrying about is your weak self. Its you I think about all day, its you who I talk about, its you who I dream about."
Callan closed the distance and poked a finger right at the chest of the muscular man "You've made me into a mess."
A long silence followed as both the men stared at each other. Callan with the burning rage inside him and Einar with a sincere apology. Callan's eyes flickered from Einar's face to his lips and then back again to his eyes. His resolve was becoming weaker and weaker the more the time he spent with the muscular man. He sniveled and heaved deep breaths to calm his anger. He went a step closer to Einar and looked him in the eye "I know you cant have me as your mate but I'm sorry. Its me you've got and you will accept that one day or the other. You cannot..."
"I accept you."
"What!" Callan's mouth lay hung open and his brain froze for a second. The sudden reaction form Einar was unexpected and mind boggling to say the least. Did he hear the words correctly? Did Einar Ragnar Knight say that he accepted him? What did that even mean?
The questions were straining Callan's brain and he was surely finding it difficult to understand anything. He moved his lips but could not utter any words. He gestured through his hands while his face still showed shock.
Einar weakly giggled at the confusing state of his mate and without giving him any warning he grabbed him by his waste and pulled him closer. "I should have done this way earlier."
Just as the handsome man was about to respond he was taken by surprise when the muscular mans mouth was on his. The movement of Einar's lips coaxed Callan and he felt himself calming down. The kiss was hungry and yet it was gentle. The kiss wasn't the same like anything Callan had ever experienced. The kiss was steeped into a passion that ignites. It was a promise of realness, a promise to hold on forever. And with it Einar gestured that he was there, his soul connected with that of the handsome man. Both the men were in each others protective cocoon. They felt the longing, the desire the burn within them and finally after all the torturous years their mind was at peace.
Both the men parted their lips when they were short of breath. Callan's cheek flushed and a small tear of happiness flew through his eye. Einar held both the cheeks of the handsome man with his palm. He lovingly kissed the forehead of Callan and said the words which the handsome man eagerly awaited for "Callan Justus Ashton... I love you from all my heart."