The Alpha's Claim

Chapter 8: Tree of Life

"Xorran.." Ellio muttered his name as the Alpha held him tight on his hands.

Xorran pulled Ellio away from the monster's hold. The tentacle tried to fight. Its grip tightened around Ellio's foot making the human flinch in pain.

The monster was not planning to let go; it was as if it wanted Ellio so badly. It left Xorran with no other choice but to break a twig from the nearby branch of the tree and cast it towards the tentacle.

It pierced through its flesh, letting go of Ellio's foot in the process. The tentacle quickly goes back to the c***k in fear, disappearing from their sight.

Xorran then helped Ellio on his feet.

"Why did you follow me here?" Hearing that husky deep voice after a long while made Ellio's heart skip a beat. His tone is void of emotion, the same cold and frosty voice with a hint of anger but it brought an unexplainable warmness to the heart of the boy in front of him.

Ellio gulped. His cheeks were wet with tears and there was a stain of mud right on his forehead. His arms have scratches that he probably got from being dragged on the ground and his hands were wounded and bloody. Maybe seeing this pitiful state of his claim is what triggered Xorran's wrath.

"If I haven't heard you, you're probably dead by now." Looking up at the tall, dignified and handsome Xorran scolding him, Ellio's eyes watered again. "You are always trying to get yourself killed, you insolent human." Xorran's jaw clenched. "If your goal was to die all along I should have let those other guardians rip you apart."

His words were harsh and in Ellio's current emotional state, it wasn't helping and even made the pain go worse. There was already a dagger in his heart and Xorran penetrated it even deeper. There was already a dagger in his heart, and Xorran forcefully pierced it even deeper.

Xorran was not oblivious about the fact that he is hurting Ellio but seeing him right now, in this state, with the wound on his neck bitten by his immortal enemy, Salem, his plan to calm dowm didn't make it through and instead he turned more furious.

"Let me ask you, what has gotten into your mind and you allowed Salem to bite you?"

“I..” Words died in Ellio's throat. "I did that for―

"Do not give me crap about saying that you did that for my werefolks because I will never accept that reason!" Xorran's voice raised. "Just admit it that you hate being trapped here in Acadia and went for the easy way out, death."

"Xorran it's n-nothing like that..!"

The Alpha could not accept the fact that Ellio did really risk his life for everyone's safety. He couldn't take the guilt that this human who badly wanted to survive just gave up his life for the werewolves who did nothing but hurt him.

Xorran badly wants to believe that Ellio chose his selfishness, to die in order to break free from this dimension but Xorran knows that it wasn't the case.

"Do not do that ever again.." Xorran's voice came low and hoarse which slightly startled the human. "Cause if you die.. I will too."

Ellio's lashes trembled, looking up at the Alpha who confessed his love in an indirect way. Ellio refuses to understand what those words really meant. He was taken aback and never expected to hear such words from him.

Ellio doesn't understand him or everything that he has been feeling ever since Xorran claimed him. After that incident, Ellio felt that he was not the owner of his heart anymore.

"Why..?” Ellio came almost speechless.

Xorran averted his eyes, unable to stare into Ellio's wet ones. "Because you're my claim.."

Hearing that from him, Ellio's confusion builds up even more. Everyone talks about claims here and there but no one dared inform him what it really meant to be someone's claim.

Seeing Ellio knitting his brows in between tears, Xorran realized that hiding from Ellio the true whole truth about the claim will not do them good and will make situations go worse. Having no other choice, he extended his hand to the human.

Ellio looked up from staring at the ground as he saw a palm being handed to him.

"Follow me," Xorran mutters. "I will explain everything to you..

Despite having doubts, Ellio trusted him and accepted his hand. With Xorran leading, they walked deeper into the forest. Ellio doesn't know where they were going but with the Alpha's hand gripping on his, his fear subsides. He feels safe with Xorran.

After a couple steps they have arrived in front of a group of hanging dead vines. The plant that was originally green has transformed into a dead brown. It looked like curtains that separates Ellio and Xorran from the other side.

After glancing at Ellio, Xorran used his arm to sway the curtain of vines to the side, revealing the scenery on the inside. After having a short glimpse, the human looked up at Xorran. "You can go in.'' With that confirmation, Ellio stepped inside. Xorran followed him on his back.

Upon having a full sight of the area, Ellio's mouth gaped on in awe. The reason for his amazement was the enormous tree that stands out among the rest. Its size was a hundred times bigger than the two gentlemen who just entered. Its green leaves were long gone, and only dark and huge limbs had remained.

The branches that were originally brown but turned into pitch black extend high up in the air as if providing a roof for people to shelter on the under. The moon can be seen in between the dead branches, giving enough light for Xorran to see the amazement in Ellio's sparkling eyes.

Even though the tree had long since died, it was still a sight to behold for someone who had never seen anything like it. Ellio wished he could have seen it alive, flourishing, and full of life. It would have been more lovely.

"This is the tree of life," Xorran mutters while Ellio was still busy traveling his eyes across the tree. " A gift from a God thousand of years ago together with the creation of the fourth dimension, this dimension."

The human was admiring the scenery while listening to Xorran.

"Centuries ago, before I was even born, us supernaturals had lived in the first dimension, the earth, together with the humans. My ancestors and yours had gotten along well, not until Nefario, the current God of the second dimension, Hell, caused a war between species," Xorran continued.

Ellio couldn't help but wonder, What if that God did not break out a war, could these creatures have lived with them on Earth? I don't know but a human playing sports with vampires or wolves competing with dogs would have been cool.

"To protect what he must protect and to keep the peace, Nefario made the fourth dimension and Acadia has risen."

Ellio was never interested in History class. He either sleeps or chats with his seatmate but when Xorran is doing the lecture, he doesn't know why he was very attentive.

"Our dimension and yours is connected through a portal in the tree of life."

Ellio spotted an oval shaped hole from the bottom part of the stem. That area was where a glowing portal was originally located but now it has become just a normal passageway.

"However, 15 years ago, the portal closed and the tree began to wither." Xorran reminisced about that time when they ignored the problem because they thought that such a creation by a powerful God would never die.

"Day by day, the tree lost its leaves until it finally died. Us supernatural creatures started to weaken. We were no longer as strong as before." Upon Xorran's remarks, Ellio remembered what Salem had said in that incident by the farmland. About the vampire being weak. Now I understand.

"Darkness traveled from this area all across to the North, South, West and East Acadia. Black cracks from the ground started to show up. Dangerous and wild monsters which we don't know the origin of, were wandering around the dimensions with the intent of destroying and slaughtering everyone."

"Then those Phenos weren't inhabiting here before?" Ellio asked.

Xorran nodded. "And there are much more wild and dangerous monsters out there. Those Phenos are not even the worst."

Ellio had witnessed how violent and strong those Phenos are. Salem, the guardian of the vampires, can only s*******r them because of Ellio's blood. And to think that there are creatures worse than them out there in the unknown, Ellio couldn't help but to be nervous not just for his safety but also for the rest of the supernaturals here in Acadia too.

"If we cannot find a way to save Acadia, darkness will completely devour the whole fourth dimension and death will be inevitable." Xorran turned to Ellio who was looking at him too. "I have searched for a solution for a long time already, did everything way that I know of, but none of them worked." there was helplessness in his tone. "To tell the truth, I was about to give up and decided to accept our fate.. but then one day.."

The Alpha stared right into Ellio's eyes. They were once again shining with hope. "..the tree of life lit up and it brought you.."