~Rain~I couldn't keep track of how many times I had scanned the library while sitting across from Amara that evening. We had gathered for the in-between project, but my thoughts were consumed by what Aria had told me. The possibility of finding a solution to my birthday curse filled me with joy, yet the knowledge that I had only two months left to live cast a dark shadow over me."Her name is Gasin," Cody's voice interrupted my thoughts as he tapped me on the shoulder. "The goddess of the in-between is called Gasin," he repeated."That's a strange name," Asher commented, opening the book in front of him. "I found information here about those who enter the in-between, especially if they make a deal with Gasin, facing dire consequences."The mention of the in-between sent shivers down my spine, as I had already heard from Aria about the true nature of this place."It doesn't sound like a pleasant destination," Asher remarked. "I wouldn't want to end up making a deal with a goddess and
Cody POVI hissed for the umpteenth time during the car ride to the royal home. I was seething with anger at that moment and felt like I might explode if Rain's hand hadn't been there to calm me. His hand gently rubbed mine every time I hissed.We exchanged no words during the ride because I was still upset with him for lying to me and keeping me in the dark. However, my anger couldn't linger for long when I knew that my parents were the root of the problem, the reason for his lies. Today, I was determined to confront them and find a way to prevent the curse from manifesting."Cody," Rain called my name as we approached the grand gate of the royal home. I turned to face him with a stoic expression. "Are you going to stay mad at me for long?" he asked.I scoffed and looked out of the window. "I'm not mad at you. I'm angry at myself for not realizing what was happening, and I couldn't figure it out. Moreover, I'm mad at my parents for instructing you to lie instead of informing me about
~RAIN~The deafening silence in the royal dining hall almost made me wish the ground would open up and swallow me. I ate quickly, hoping to escape the Alpha King's constant gaze, the only thing keeping me going being Cody's reassuring touch on my hand.When we finished our meal, I hurried out of the dining hall with Cody following closely. I was relieved the Alpha King didn't stop us for more conversation. Upon reaching Cody's room, he closed the door behind us, and I turned to face him."Do you think the Alpha King will ever accept our relationship?" I asked him.Cody's body went still, and he responded, "Rain, what are you saying? He will accept it in the end, and there's no stopping us."I nodded, then swallowed hard. "I mean, you're the crown prince. Our love won't be accepted by everyone.""Rain," he said, grabbing my hands, "I am willing to fight for us. I love you, and to me, you are everything."I took a step closer to him, closing the distance between us, and cupped his face.
~Cody~ It felt like a dream, or perhaps it was just my imagination because it couldn't possibly be real. Rain and I stood before a crowd, professing our love and exchanging rings."I promise to be with you forever," Rain whispered as he slid the ring onto my middle finger."Together forever," I replied, slipping the ring onto his finger. The crowd cheered with joy, and even my father was applauding as he watched the ceremony. They all eagerly awaited our kiss. As I leaned in to kiss Rain, a sudden gust of wind roared, and one by one, everyone at the wedding began to vanish."Cody," my mother called out."Watch out for the wind," my father warned before disappearing right in front of me. I looked around, and everyone had disappeared, leaving only Rain and me. As the wind approached, I grabbed Rain's hand and pulled him closer, but he, too, disappeared as the wind reached us."Rain!" I cried out as I was left alone in a now-deserted scene. "Take me!" I screamed at the wind, raising my
~RAIN~I bowed my head to the Alpha King and Luna Queen as I prepared to enter the car that would take us back to school. However, the Alpha King unexpectedly grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him. "Listen to me," he muttered, casting a glance toward Cody, who stood by the car."Yes, your highness," I replied respectfully. "I am all ears."The Alpha King cleared his throat, and my heart raced, fearing he might say something to drive a wedge between Cody and me. Instead, he gently squeezed my shoulders and lifted my chin to meet his gaze. "Listen to me, boy. Both of you made it back here without being seen, so do the same when you're returning," he advised and then glanced at Cody. "My son is glaring at me right now because he thinks I'm trying to separate you again."Well, that was precisely what he was trying to do."Believe me when I say that I'm doing everything I can to protect both of you from what others might think and say about you. The council of elders can be ruthless, an
~CODY~I sighed for the umpteenth time as I unzipped my bag, hoping not to return to the room and find another warning letter in the mirror. Rain had wanted to inform my parents about it, but I had stopped him because it would only make them more worried about us potentially being forced to separate. Until I found a way to save Rain from his peril, I had no intention of telling my parents."Are you alright?" Rain's voice sounded beside me as he stood by the bed, holding his luggage. "Are you all packed?"I nodded in response. "Yes, I am."He stretched his hand out for me to take. "Let's go; the others are waiting."I grabbed his hand, and we both headed out of the room. Just as he was about to lock the door, I stopped him. "Wait, I want to take another look around."He frowned at me before nodding in response, letting me reenter the room. I looked around, noticing how everything was neatly arranged. If someone had broken into our room, I believed it might have been someone we knew, an
~RAIN~I yawned, fluttering my eyes open to the murmur of the other students. I noticed the bus had stopped in the middle of what appeared to be a forest. Naturally, it had to be a forest; what else was I expecting?I heaved a deep sigh, glancing to my right to see Cody still sleeping peacefully with his head on my shoulder. "Hey," I gently tapped him on the shoulder, and he groaned as he slowly opened his eyes."Where are we?" he asked."I believe we've arrived," I replied, pointing forward to the students disembarking from the bus.He groaned and stretched. "We better join them." He stood up, and I followed behind him. Once outside the bus, we trailed the rest of the students until the teacher stopped at the center of the woods. There, a large clearing was devoid of grass, surrounded by tents, about twenty in total. A long table displayed various colored boxes."We are here," the teacher, Loki, adjusted his glasses and clapped his hands. "Welcome to the Forest of Truth!" he announce
~CODY~My phone buzzed with a message from Rain, sending my heart into a sudden race. I scanned the table for any sign of him, but he was nowhere in sight.The message on my screen illuminated with anticipation: "Meet me inside the forest - Rain." Excitement and curiosity ignited within me. Without hesitation, I pocketed my phone and headed towards the edge of the woods."Rain," I called out when I couldn't spot him."Here" A whisper reached me from behind, and before I could react, strong arms wrapped around me. Rain's lips pressed against my neck, and laughter escaped me—a delightful surprise."Rain, you sure know how to make an entrance," I chuckled, turning to face him."I wanted to surprise you," he grinned, kissing the top of my head."Well, mission accomplished," I replied, reciprocating the embrace. "I missed not having you close to me last night. It makes me hate this whole trip thing.""Me too," he whispered. Our eyes met, and without words, I leaned in, capturing Rain's li
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?