~CODY~"The Crown Prince has arrived!" These words have been echoing in my ears since I turned ten years old. I've grown accustomed to hearing them, and as I was about to turn eighteen that night, they clung to me even tighter. Being the Crown Prince came with its perks, or so they said. Everyone expected me to be flawless, including my parents.Tonight held special significance for me. It marked my eighteenth birthday, celebrated with Caden and Cara. As Lycans, it was expected that we would discover our mates that night. With the moon shining brightly in the sky, I walked to the front of the royal garden to join my siblings. On my right, I saw my best friend, Rain, waving at me. We had been friends since we were nine.Our friendship was said to be fated by my parents. They believed that the Moon Goddess had destined us to be best friends forever, and they weren't wrong. But what if I wanted more? What if I'd been harboring a crush on my best friend since we turned thirteen? At first
~Cody~"Hey, my dear friend, "Rain placed his hands on my shoulders, and the familiar rush of emotions returned. It was like an electric shock coursing through my body. I forced a smile, trying my best to hide the feelings I had for him. My heart raced like an incessant drum, and to make matters worse, he was laughing and refused to let go of my shoulder."Rain," I muttered, removing his hand from my shoulder. "Where's your girlfriend?" I asked, hoping my question would divert his attention. Rain sighed and folded his arms. I sighed in relief that he was keeping his hands to himself, sparing me from the overwhelming effect of the mate bond. It was agonizing being so close to him and not being able to claim him as mine."She left to babysit her siblings," he replied, placing his hand on my shoulder again and gently squeezing it. I couldn't contain it, and a low growl escaped my lips."Why the heck are you growling at me?" he chuckled and patted my back.Because you're making it hard fo
~Cody ~ The party ended after the kiss with Rain, and everyone started leaving, including Cara. I had thought she would still be crying from rejection by Jackson, but instead, she returned to her room after saying goodbye. Now, left alone with Rain, it was hell. We were both drunk, but he was much worse than I was. He started singing while I pulled him from the ground to lead him into my room. "if all the raindrops…." he hiccuped and pointed towards me. "Sing along with me!" he shouted at me. I rolled my eyes at his foolishness, heaved a deep sigh, and started dragging him towards my room. "no," he shouted and fell to the ground. "I don't want to go home. I want to stay with you," he suddenly grabbed my legs and pulled me down. I landed on the ground, and then he lay atop me. What was this temptation? I thought as his face leaned towards mine. The memory of the kiss returned to my head, and Rain was making it worse. "what are you doing, Rain?" I tried to push him away, but he
~Cody~Two years later,I slammed my hands against the counter, facing the woman who stood before me, enforcing the rules of the dormitory. I had just arrived at the royal college, expecting to be treated like the crown prince that I was. Instead, I was greeted with disrespect, courtesy of my parents, who had set the rules when the Royal College was founded."The Alpha King and Luna Queen set the rule that two students should be per dormitory, Your Highness. I am not doing anything wrong," the woman replied.Frustrated, I repeatedly slammed my hands on the counter and glanced at her name tag on her left chest before taking a deep breath. "You have no idea where I am coming from. I have just returned from two years of prince training, and my parents hastily sent me here to continue my never-ending education. And now, I am expected to share a room with someone, Lara!" I shouted her name and sighed deeply.I couldn't believe it when my parents told me I had to complete college immediatel
~Rain~"I don’t want to share a room with him," his words resounded as he repeated it to the dormitory lady. His words sent a dagger to my chest; I had never expected him to say something like that.I knew I had been wrong for walking out on him after what happened the night after his birthday two years ago, but I couldn't stop thinking that I had broken Amara’s trust. I had always felt something for Cody, but I had no idea if it was my brain speaking or just me speculating things in my head. After that night, I realized that I felt something for Cody, which ruined my relationship with Amara, and we ended up breaking up.When I turned eighteen, my lycan never came. I couldn't be like everyone else because I was wolfless. When I asked my parents about it, they told me it resulted from tampering with the balance of the underworld, and the following day after my birthday, I suddenly had a massive transformation. My hair changed color, and my eyes turned into two different colors. I had n
~Cody~I awoke to Rain's chest's gentle rise and fall, my head resting on him. Blinking my eyes open to the soft morning light filtering into the room, I stifled a light yawn, careful not to disturb Rain's peaceful slumber. My gaze naturally drifted upward to Rain's face, and a smile played on my lips as my fingertips traced the contours of his features — starting at his perfect eyebrow and trailing down to the bridge of his nose. As my hand reached the tip of his nose, a gentle grip enveloped my fingers, and Rain fluttered his beautiful eyes open."Our mate is so beautiful," Ezra exclaimed in my mind. .."Good morning, Your Highness," Rain's voice, more profound than usual, greeted me like a soothing melody. His perfect, long lashes, followed by a warm smile, blinked at me.My heart, and indeed my entire body, trembled as our eyes locked. Why did he have to smile? I pondered, the connection between us unbroken."Your..." I started to say, but my eyes widened as the previous night's e
Cody POVI stood at the door's entrance, waiting for him to finish picking up our books. The bathroom incident lingered, and I couldn't shake the memory. It had happened suddenly, catching me by surprise as we both stumbled, lips meeting. The mental replay of it left me wanting more. "Now you're thinking about it again when you promised to stop," Ezra reminded me.I sighed, recalling that I'd made that promise ten minutes ago, yet the memory still consumed my mind. This mate bond was becoming aggravating, making me feel like a relentless, uncontrollable desire to be with Rain, which was frustrating."Your Highness," Rain announced his presence as he stood before me, waving his hand.Frowning, I wondered what he was doing and walked away toward the elevator. Once inside, the enclosed space heightened my inner turmoil. One voice urged me to kiss Rain, while another told me to reject him. I groaned audibly, unable to bear it any longer. I leaned against the elevator frame, took a deep b
~Rain~It was happening again. Throughout the history class, I could feel his intense glares directed at me, even though I avoided eye contact. If looks could kill, Cody would have already taken my life.Amara shared details about her upcoming birthday party, and we reminisced about our history while she laughed it off. When I turned around, his once bright blue eyes, now darker, were fixed on me. I visibly gulped, forcing myself to focus on the professor and ignore the erratic beating of my heart.The overwhelming feeling persisted—one moment, he ignited my emotions and the next, he made me regret encountering him after two long years. Throughout the class, I nervously rubbed my sweaty hands together, concealing them from Amara, who was still immersed in her birthday party discussion.As the class concluded and Cody exited the room, I hastily rose and caught up with him. Finding him alone, as Caden had abandoned him to flirt with others, I attempted to speak as I approached him. Howe
RainTwo years later,I frowned as I checked the watch in my hand for the time and hissed again. The plane should have landed, but it hadn't, which made me question why I had arrived two hours earlier. I had come when the sun was about to set, and now, it was dark, yet the plane showed no sign of landing.I shook my legs, stood up, and rubbed my hand on my forehead. I couldn't concentrate and only think about seeing him again after two months. That was the longest we had been away. He had gone on a royal prince's assignment, even though he was not the crown prince anymore. I should have gone with him, but I stayed back to finish some school projects, leading to our separation for two long months.I missed him so much, and even though we did video calls, chatted, and had phone calls, I still couldn't stop thinking about him, knowing that I was going to bed alone without his warm hands around my waist. Today was his birthday, and I had planned a massive surprise for him, which he would
~Cody~ Three weeks later,"Are you ready?" he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist."I've been waiting for this day all my life, and I'm happy that finally, I am going to see it happen with you." I turned around to face him and kissed him on the lips. The kiss was short, and I soon turned back to face the mirror. "What do you think the world will think about us, Rain?" I rubbed my face and adjusted my tie as I stared at myself in the mirror. This was it. I had made the decision, and there was no turning back. I made the decision myself when we arrived from the in-between because it was my decision, and I would never regret it.Today was the day I would reveal myself to the world, not just myself. I was also showing my mate for everyone to see."Everyone must accept us for what we are, Cody, and if they don't, we can always run away without caring about what anyone thinks. This is our time, and now that both our parents have agreed to it, who else can stop us from becoming what we
~Rain~As I released the arrow, my eyes followed it anxiously as it soared toward the source of the voice. The voice unleashed a scream, accompanied by growling, and a bright light emerged, revealing Gasin.Having envisioned Gasin as an ugly creature, I was surprised to find a beautiful red-haired woman. The only features distinguishing her as a goddess were a mark on her forehead and six fingers. This unique trait instilled a sense of fear in me, uncertain of what might unfold."You found the arrow of light!" she growled, placing her hand on the arrow in her heart. "You stupid boy!" Gasin pointed toward me, and the monstrous creatures ran from behind the Alpha King and Luna Queen, advancing on me.In the chaos, one of the creatures slashed across my chest, causing me to groan in pain. Before I could recover, another struck my back, forcing me to drop the bow from my hand."Cody!" I heard my name shouted. "What the hell are you doing!" Cody screamed. "Don't hurt him, please. He didn't
~Cody~I smiled brightly when I saw him heading towards me. He was here, which means he passed the test with me. ''Rain!" I shouted his name and rushed to hug him as soon as our eyes met. "I am glad we both made it," I chuckled and kissed his forehead. "I had thought that maybe something bad had happened, but here you are, smiling brightly at me. I am happy that we were able to work it out."Rain smiled and embraced me warmly, not letting go. "I had thought that something had happened to you, but I am happy that you are here, and there is nothing wrong with you," he muttered."Me too," I told him and sighed.A bright light suddenly appeared, breaking us apart, and from the bright light appeared a man dressed in a black robe with red patterns. The man's silver hair shone brightly as he approached us, carrying a powerful aura to behold."You both have succeeded, and I am proud of you," he said, bursting into laughter. "In all the years of being a master here, you are the first that woul
~Cody~The light. After the light appeared, everything changed, and I found myself in a room filled with diamonds. Rain was nowhere to be seen. It's like he was separated from me; no one needed to tell me that the test of desires had started.‘’You are weak!’’ A voice sounded behind me as I stood amid the diamonds, not taking another step because I had no idea where I was. ‘’Nobody wants you and Rain to be together. You are only a liability to him, and the sooner you realize this, the better.’’ The voice shouted, his voice resounding in the room.‘’Who are you?’’ I demanded to know the voice that sounded menacing and powerful enough to intimidate me. ‘’I won’t ask you again, who the hell are you!’’ I screamed back at the voice.‘’This is why you and Rain can never be together,’’ Caden shouted as he appeared before me. ‘’You are too weak, unable to defend the kingdom, and you caused the disappearance of our parents. Everything that is happening is all because of you. This is your fault
~Rain~ Finally, we were there, and it was the last phase, meaning that we would face Gasin sooner or later once we got what we wanted. That meant it would be the end of her. She wouldn’t bother us any longer, and everyone would be freed from her cruel rule. It also meant I could be together with Cody again without worrying about what others think about us."Are you ready?" I asked him. "This is the last place, and here, anything might happen. Promise me that you will return to me?" I asked, and he nodded in response, grabbing my shirt collar and pulling me into his arms."You also promised me that everything would be fine and you wouldn’t die in there?"I nodded in response, and he leaned in, kissing me quickly. I kissed him back, cut short by Teo, who had appeared from nowhere behind us. "I believed that you two are already done with your lovey-dovey moments," he laughed, and then his tone suddenly changed. "You also need to know that even though you might have promised yourself to
~CODY~ My eyes widened in shock as I watched him fall. ‘’Rain!’’ I shouted his name. It shouldn’t have to end this way, I thought. He didn’t have to sacrifice his life because of me, and now, he expected that I would be happy that he was gone. I could feel the rage building inside of me. It was just like the heat emanating from the boiling fire. I was angry at myself; it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t fallen. ‘’Everything is because of me!’’ I screamed and hit my chest repeatedly. ‘’if only I had tried my best to convince him then…..’’ I let out another scream as I placed my hand on the ground, tears flooding my eyes. How was I even supposed to live without him by my side? He was selfish, that I believed. He wouldn’t have left me alone and fell to the fire if he were not selfish. He was a selfish man who only thought of himself and not others. If he was not selfish, he should have let me go instead; now, he was gone. ‘’Rain!’’ I leaned against the edge of the step and
~Rain~ ‘’watch where you put your feet!’’ I shouted to Cody as we started climbing the valley. It was hard even to walk perfectly because the steps were not straight, and that was not all; it was dark, and the only glint of light we could rely on was the light that had penetrated one of the holes in the valley's walls. It was challenging to walk perfectly, and holding onto the wall was our only support. ‘’soon, we will reach the other side,’’ Cody assured me and laughed. ‘’And then, we will return with the sword, and it will spell the end for Gasin.’’ I should have been laughing alongside him, but I didn’t find the urge to laugh because I thought about many things that could go wrong. I feared something dangerous might happen to us In the valley because Teo had mentioned something about a boiling valley, but I had not seen anything related. I was starting to get worried about what could go wrong. ‘’are you alright? You are not…..ah!’’ he screamed as he tripped and fell.
~Cody~ Countless hours of walking had left me exhausted and hungry, and despite the weariness, our limited time in the realm compelled me to push forward. I couldn't bear to be responsible for wasting precious time, especially knowing Rain would worry. As my legs trembled, they eventually gave way, and I found myself on the ground. "Cody!" Rain rushed over; concern etched across his face. "What's happening? Are you alright?" Gasping for breath, sweat streaming down my face, I shook my head. "I'm not doing well," I confessed, sighing heavily. "I..." Pausing, I noticed the worry in Rain's eyes. "I don't want to impede our progress, and now..." "Mortals," Teo interjected. "I wouldn't blame you if you're getting tired. After all, this is not your home. Don't worry; I'll get you something to eat, and there's a stream down there." He pointed in the right direction. "You can go there and drink some water. I'll fetch food for both of you." With that, he flew away. "Can you walk?