Here To Claim
1045 Words
Caelan’s POV
My father was gone and the pack house in Nightfall was too quiet, and the only way to drown out that silence was to do exactly what he had asked on his deathbed.
I had arrived at the Ironcrest pack and I didn't have the time or patience to stick around for too long.
I stepped out of the carriage. Alpha Dan was already there, his face tight with sympathy.
"Caelan," Dan said, reaching out a hand. "I heard. I am so sorry for your loss. Thorne was—"
"He was my father," I cut him off. I didn't want the speech. "And he is dead. That is all there is to it."
Dan pulled his hand back, looking slightly stung.
"I understand. It’s a hard time. Why don't we go inside? You need rest."
"I didn't come here to sleep, Dan," I said. I started walking toward the great hall, forcing him to keep up with me.
"I came because of the alliance. My father made me swear to fulfill the bond before he passed. He wanted the marriage to happen immediately."
Dan stopped in the middle of the hall. "Immediately? Caelan, the mourning period—"
"I don't care about the mourning period," I snapped. I turned to face him, my hands clenched. "I gave him my word. I’m going to keep it. Where is Ariselle?"
Dan hesitated. "She’s at the training grounds. She’s been there since dawn."
"Show me," I commanded.
We walked toward the back of the estate. The sounds of wood hitting wood reached us first. When we rounded the corner of the stone wall, I saw her.
Ariselle was in the center of the pit, surrounded by four men. She was covered in red dust and sweat. Her hair was a mess, pulling loose from its tie. She didn't look like an Alpha’s daughter. She looked like a soldier in the middle of a war.
She ducked a swing from a heavy wooden staff and swept the feet out from under the man behind her. She was fast. Too fast for a woman. Especially one that didn't belong in the pit.
Inside me, Obsidian let out a low, guttural growl.
“Take her. She is ours to take and make love to,” he urges.
The heat hit me instantly. I had seen beautiful women before, but none of them looked like this. None of them looked like they could kill me and enjoy it.
"That's enough!" I called out.
The training stopped. The warriors looked up, saw my black tunic and the crest of Nightfall, and dropped their heads in respect. Ariselle didn't. She stood tall, wiping sweat from her eyes with a dirty hand. If anything, she didn't look too pleased that I had just ended the training.
"You're back," she said. Her voice was flat.
"I am," I said, stepping into the dirt of the pit. I walked until I was standing right in front of her. "Drop the weapon."
She looked at the wooden sword in her hand, then back at me.
"Give me a reason."
"I’m here to honor my father’s wish," I said. "He’s dead, Ariselle. And his last request was that I marry you. I’ve come to claim you."
She stared at me for a long second, then she actually laughed. The laughter came out like a mockery. It didn't have any warmth of even true amusement.
"So that's how it works? Your father dies, and suddenly you remember you need a wife? Did he have to tell you how to put your pants on this morning, too?"
"Watch your mouth," I growled, stepping closer. I could smell the salt on her skin and the sharp scent of her wolf.
"I’m not asking for your opinion. I’m telling you how it’s going to be."
"You aren't telling me anything," she shot back. She poked the tip of her wooden sword into my chest.
"Go back to your dark pack house and mourn. I have actual work to do here."
I grabbed the wooden blade and wrenched it out of her hand, tossing it into the dirt. I stepped into her space, looming over her until she had to tilt her head back to look at me.
"Listen to me," I whispered.
"I’m the Alpha of Nightfall. I have the power to make this alliance work or to break your pack. You are moving into the East Wing with me today. We are going to start this marriage whether you like it or not."
"I'm not moving an inch," she said. Her eyes were like blue fire.
"I don't belong to you. I don't belong to a dead man’s promise. I belong to myself."
"Ariselle!"
Alpha Dan stepped forward, his voice booming across the yard. He looked at his daughter with a mix of exhaustion and impatience.
"Father, tell him to leave me alone," Ariselle said, turning to him.
"No," Dan said.
"He’s right. Thorne is gone, and the alliance is the only thing that keeps us safe. You will move yourself to the East Wing like I had said before. You will not forbid yourself from being in the East wing because Alpha Caelan is staying there. You will spend time with him. You will make this work."
Ariselle looked like he had slapped her.
"You're giving me to him? Just like that?"
"I am securing our future," Dan said. "Go. Tell the ladies to pack your things back to the East wing.”
Ariselle turned back to me. The fury in her expression was so thick I could almost taste it. She stepped even closer, her chest heaving as she breathed.
"You think you won," she said quietly.
"But you’re just moving a wolf into your space, Caelan. Don't be surprised when you wake up with your throat torn out."
She pushed past me, intentionality slamming her shoulder into mine as she walked away.
I watched her go, my skin buzzing where she had touched me. My wolf was pacing, demanding I follow her and finish what I started.
"She’s a handful," Dan said, walking up beside me.
"She’s a problem," I corrected. I looked at the dirt where she had been standing.
"But she’s my problem now."
- Writer
