The Alpha's Claim

Chapter 7: Dark Forest

When Ellio woke up, he felt as if he came back from the pits of hell. He grunted in slight pain as he pushed his body to sit up and lean against the headboard of the bed. It took him a long amount of time to realize that he wasn't dead and he survived from Salem's fangs.

He caressed the spot in his neck and hissed in pain when his hand touched the two round wounds that the vampire had left upon biting him.

Ellio's memory while Salem was sucking his blood until he dried was fully stuck in his head. The unbearable pain, the fear, the feeling of slowly dying, everything.

Until now he still couldn't believe that he survived that. He was expecting to be in hell right now but look at him, perfectly breathing.

His eyes turned towards the open window where the light coming from the sun had entered, giving enough warmth inside his cold room.

Ellio removed the quilt above him before slowly standing up from the bed. His feet were weak and threatening to collapse but he successfully made it to the window, holding against the bottom frame for support.

From that castle window, he can see the full view of the village. The busy streets were filled with werefolks doing their morning duties. Some were flowering their plants in the backyard, some were cleaning the dried leaves that fell from the tree, the children were happily running and the elderly watched them with a smile.

Everything was in harmony. It was as if the m******e didn't happen. Everyone in the village was safe and the Phenos had been successfully slaughtered.

"Salem did it," he muttered, heaving a sigh of relief.

Upon seeing the werefolks with curves in their lips as they greet another day in their life, the corners of Ellio's lips tugged up to form a small smile. It was worth it after all.

"You're awake!"

Ellio's eyes turned towards the door upon hearing a voice. In a split second, he expected to see Xorran the first thing he woke up but it was not the Alpha who was holding a tray full of food but the beautiful Kerry instead.

He walked back to bed and sat again before his weak feet fully gave up. Kerry laid the tray of food right in front of him.

"How are you feeling?" The joy in his voice invaded Ellio's ears. She is more than happy to see that the human is already awake and perfectly breathing.

Upon seeing Kerry, he couldn't help but to be once again amazed by this werewolf's beauty. Her eyes are bright as if competing with the sun shining outside. Her hair was silky and naturally white.

He wears a dress with the color of beige and white that compliments her glowing skin color. Her features are delicate and soft, making people go in a complete awe, like the beauty of the first snow.

Ellio couldn't help but to compare himself. Between him and Kerry, there is no doubt that Xorran would choose her over him.

"A bit unwell but I feel better, Kerry." Amidst the insecurity, Ellio responded with a smile. His voice was hoarse and weak.

"Here, I brought you food and medicine. Come and eat before it gets cold."

Ellio doesn't really have the appetite to eat but it will be bad for him to refuse the food that this beauty had brought him. So, he picked the wooden soup and started to dig in.

"You didn't have to do it, Ellio.."

The human looked up to Kerry when she opened up a topic. "..risking your life like that just to save everyone."

Ellio couldn't look at her and stopped munching his food.

"You are the Alpha's claim. Everyone should be risking their life for you and not the other way around.." The human was slightly taken aback by Kerry's words.

Ellio had no idea what a claim actually meant. Kerry did tell him a few things but her words were filtered for she didn't know how to properly explain it to the human. The culture of claiming doesn't happen in the human's realm so Ellio is new to this whole situation.

He couldn't understand why the werefolks despise him so much just because their Alpha claimed him, or why it's everyone's responsibility to risk their lives for him.

"I heard that some of the werefolks harmed you.." Kerry continued and Ellio remained silent. "But still, you were ready to trade your life for their safety.. and I admire you for that." The Luna smiled at him. Her sapphire eyes were glistening with admiration and gratefulness.

"Thank you, Kerry." Those words were all that Ellio could say. "How many days have I been asleep?"

"It's been six."

"Hours?"

"Days."

"What?!" Kerry chuckled upon his reaction. "I was sleeping beauty for six days?!"

"A powerful vampire almost sucked every single drop of blood from your body. It usually takes a long time before full recovery."

Ellio nodded, still in disbelief that his eyes had been closed for six consecutive days.

No wonder, I'm so hungry.

The next few minutes were spent in silence. Ellio tried hard not to think about Xorran, but his mind was so full of him until it overflowed and he spoke.

"Where's Xorran, by the way?" he asked. His mouth automatically opens and spits the next few words, as if it has its own mind. Ellio was shocked with himself as to why he said it too. "Can I go and see him?"

For a while, Kerry was unable to respond. She seemed to be at a loss for words in response to the question. Ellio's curiosity grows with every second Kerry remains silent.

"Ellio uhm.. about Xorran.." Kerry continued searching for a way to properly respond without making Ellio feel bad, but then she realized that no matter how she says it, he will still end up hurting him. "He doesn't want to see you for the time being."

The human's heart went heavy and Kerry saw it. She felt bad but she couldn't do anything about it because this is what the Alpha wants. Xorran refuses to have a sight with the human for a few days.

Ellio nodded with a sad smile. As Kerry leaves his room, Ellio goes back to bed and stares at the ceiling, contemplating the reasons why Xorran doesn't want to see him.

Xorran was gone for a week and Ellio had slept for six days so to sum it all up, the humans haven't seen the Alpha for half a month. Ellio does wonder why he was feeling this way. The urge to see that man grows at each passing second and it's driving him mad.

The fact that Xorran refuses to see him after that long period of time is what pisses him the most.

"Whatever! I don't care!" Ellio sat up from lying down on the bed and grabbed the pillow. He faced it and squeezed it with his hand. "If he doesn't want to see me then I don't want to see him either! It's not like my whole life depends on him!" he was panting in anger after finishing those remarks.

But it was not long when his angry facade slowly transformed into a sad one. He pursed his lips as he felt his eyes tearing up. Ellio doesn't know why he gets emotional when it comes to Xorran.

He's a man who has spend twenty-two years in this world yet look at him now, crying like a brokenhearted teenager because a big dumb dog named Xorran doesn't want to see him.

"Why am I crying?! I'm a grown up man for fùck's sake!" he cursed himself before shoving his face in the pillow. "He isn't even worthy to shed tears for!"

A mixed emotion of anger and sadness engulfed Ellio. His tears continued to silently pour until he fell asleep again. Upon waking up, the sun has officially set and the moon is now shining brightly in the night sky. Its light illuminates through the open window giving Ellio's room with enough gleam.

His stomach grumbles. Since he had slept for the whole day, he had skipped lunch and even dinner. His tummy was empty, begging to be filled so as much as Ellio wanted to just go back to sleep, he couldn't ignore the grumblings of the monsters in his stomach.

The human lazily stood up and dragged himself out of the room. His eyes that were threatening to close just now went wide upon seeing a familiar back walking in front of him. Upon this man's turn towards the staircase, Ellio caught a side view of that face and his guess was right.

"Xorran.." he whispered and followed him silently.

It was the dead of the night. The palace's maids were already resting so no one was able to see a sneaking Ellio. The human crept and hid from one wall to another. He did not let Xorran escape from his sight. The two-way door of the palace was left unguarded so Ellio was able to walk through without problem.

He silently follows Xorran through the huge courtyard of the palace until they've reach the main gate. Ellio hid behind one of the palace's pillars and watch Xorran speaking to the guards by the gate but because he was far away, he couldn't really hear what they're talking about.

The two palace guards in their full armor bow at Xorran as they open the gate for him.

Xorran walks out leaving Ellio sighing upon this obstacle. He knew that the guards wouldn't let him out but he can't give up. His longing to see Xorran intensified when he caught a glimpse of the Alpha's face earlier. He felt like one more second without Xorran will drive him mad.

Ellio picked up a rock not so far away from him before throwing it far towards the east side of the courtyard. It made a sound loud enough to alarm the guards and avert their attention towards where the noise was coming from. They marched to that direction, leaving the door of the gates unguarded.

Ellio took that opportunity to get out where he was hiding and walked towards the gate. His step was fast yet careful. The least thing that he'll want is to get caught. Open successfully out from the gates, he searched for Xorran and was relieved to see him still at sight. He followed him towards the vast forest.

Oblivious of the person following him, Xorran continued to walk. Ellio has no idea where the Alpha is going but he still trails. The sound of insects during the night was amplified. Ellio is never fond of their kind and the darkness of the night just added to his fear.

Without the moon, everything is pitch black. The trees in this forest are truly huge, indicating that they've been here for a long time now. As he walked further and deeper into the forest, Ellio felt a sense of deja vu. These canopies and plants were of the same kind as those he saw in the human's realm, when he was being chased, the incident before he entered the portal.

Ellio flinched and almost cursed when something cooed. He looked up and found an owl with round eyes peering at him from the branch of the tree.

Fùck you, owl! He gave it a middle finger before cursing it internally.

After having a staring game with the owl, in which he was defeated, he looked back at the direction where he last saw Xorran and to his unfortune, the Alpha was not there anymore.

"Where is he..?"

Ellio walked and searched for Xorran around the area. His head is turning here and there in hopes of spotting a sign of him.

"Xorran?!" he shouted.

His walk speeds up as his heartbeat goes fast too. Minutes passed and he still couldn't find him. Ellio started to get nervous. The sounds of animals around him were turning loud, addening up to his anxiety.

"Where are you, Xorran?!" The drumming of his heart was deafening as he ran through the forest.

His feet didn't stop not until he reached a side of the forest that was completely different from before. Due to the desperation to find Xorran, he didn't know that he had reached the deepest part of the forest.

He looked around. Unlike earlier, the trees and plants in this area were dead. There were no leaves from the canopies and only the dead branches remained. It was uncivilized, with no animals or insects inhabiting. The light of the moon illuminates against the dark tree trunks and overhanging limbs creating a shadow on the ground.

Heart kept slamming against his ribs, Ellio gulped hard, trying to calm down his nerves but it was useless because it only got worse.

Ellio never felt this scared and nervous all his life. Except at that one time he accidentally broke his mother's favorite antique vase when he was young.

In a slow pace, Ellio continued to walk. He needed to be careful because the cracks in the ground were huge. One wrong step and his foot will slide right in.

"Xorran are y-you there..?" his voice echoed. Even if he spoke in a low tone, it was amplified resulting in it becoming loud. He didn't stop looking around. Ellio doesn't know how huge this forest is or where it will take him but he knows he needs to get out of here.

His eyes started to produce unshed tears when his hope slowly fades. His surroundings were becoming more and more frightening as he went deeper into the forest. Everytime the wind blows, it creates whispers that give Ellio's goosebumps. He hugs himself and softly sniffs. "Xorran, w-where are you..?"

The silent and eerie forest was suddenly filled with Ellio's scream when a slender tentacle owned by a kind of monster made its way out from the c***k. It slithered and wrapped itself on Ellio's right foot. The human fell to the ground when the tentacle pulled him. Ellio's hand was fast to move and grabbed at one of the tree's roots to prevent that monster from fully dragging him towards the deep and huge c***k.

But the monster was a hundred times stronger than Ellio but still, he used up all his strengths to hold onto that root. Another tentacle slithered out from the c***k and grabbed Ellio's other foot.

"No! Arghh!" he grunted as he tried so hard to not let go but Ellio knew that it was just a matter of time before his hand will give up. "Help!" he cried. "Help please! Someone please help me!"

Ellio just got out of a life and death situation with Salem and now he is experiencing the same thing with this monster. The desperate grip of his hand wounded his fingers and bled his nails. "P-Please.. someone h-help.."

He cried, watching as his trembling and bloody hands slowly slid away from the root.

"I only just wanted to see him, why does it have to be this hard.." Ellio sobbed, pertaining to Xorran. In that situation where he didn't know if he'll gonna live up for another day, he let his emotions out and didn't hide it anymore. "I miss you.."

When his hand finally gave up, Ellio accepted his fate, and that this was going to be the end of his life.

But just as he was about to get dragged into that c***k, a hand suddenly grabbed onto him, preventing that monster from taking him away.

With eyes full of tears, he looked up and saw the face of a man that he was longing to see.

"And I've missed you too.."