~CODY~I woke up to the gentle rays of sunlight streaming onto my face, signaling that morning had arrived. I stretched and reached out for Rain on the other side of the bed, but it was empty and unusually cold, indicating he had left a while ago. As I fluttered my eyes open and rose from the bed, I called out, "Rain," but there was no sign of him in our RV."Where are you?" I wondered aloud as I stepped out into the bright morning sun. I soon realized we were no longer in the mountains but had returned to the location where Rain had rented the RV. Spotting him engaged in conversation with a middle-aged man, I called out his name once more. When he noticed me, he waved to the man and greeted me."Cody, you're awake," Rain said with a smile.Frowning, I gave him a questioning look, wondering what had transpired while I was asleep. Without me asking, Rain began to explain that he had left the mountains and didn't want to disturb my rest."You should have told me instead of handling eve

~Rain~ I stood in front of the alpha king and the Luna queen, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest. Cara and Caden were also present in the room. I wasn't afraid of Cara, but I couldn't say the same for Caden, who was glaring at me. The relentless beeping of the machine beside Cody's bed was the only sound in the room as they waited for me to speak."Well," Caden broke the silence. "Aren't you going to address that you failed to protect the crown prince?" Caden accused."Caden, please. We can't place all the blame on him," the Luna queen came to my defense and asked her question softly. "Tell us what happened. According to the news we heard from Lara, you two didn't return to the dormitory on Sunday, and this morning, you both appeared to be in a fight. Can you explain where you were and who you encountered?"Cara cleared her throat and exchanged looks with me. She was the only one who knew what Cody and I meant to each other, and I hoped she wouldn't reveal it because it was th

~Rain~Three days had passed since Cody was attacked, and now we were both returning to class since I had to be by his side until he was fine. I was happy, and he was happy. The alpha king and Luna queen finally left after making sure Cody was fine, and the security on campus became more stringent. They stationed royal guards everywhere to protect Cody and investigate the attack."Hey, it's time," Cody announced as he came from behind me and hugged me. "You look great, by the way," he commented, giving me a playful pat on the backside.I chuckled as he walked past me to the door. Ever since the attack, we had grown closer. I had apologized for ignoring him on the day of the attack, but I hadn't told him about the voice in my dream."Let's go," I said as I opened the door, and we both walked out holding hands. When we were about to reach the elevator, and as the doors opened, we entered and held hands again, as there was no one inside. However, a voice announced their presence, and we

~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

~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.