The Kiss

~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 for me to think, I wanted to say, but I bit my lip and laughed. "Eighteen is a great age," I said, trying to engage in a conversation with him, something to distract me from staring at his lips and the sensation of his hand on my shoulder.

"What are you trying to say?" Rain playfully rolled his eyes at me. "In two months, I'll be turning that age, so don't think that you..."

Cara joined the conversation and slapped Rain's back. "Stop complaining, Rain. We're older than you."

"With two months," Rain retorted, scoffing. "Stop acting as if we're years apart!"

Cara and I laughed at him. "What? Is it funny?" he asked, and we both shrugged our shoulders, as if in perfect synchronization. "Whatever."

"Hey, children!" Caden appeared among us, clapping his hands. "What are you three doing here, chatting like grown-ups? We have a party going on!"

"You mean the party where you're dancing with five girls," Cara retorted.

"Of course. I'm having fun dancing while you three are standing here like idiots."

"You're the idiot. Where's Adeline?" Cara asked, scanning the area. There was no sign of Adeline anywhere.

"Well," Caden cleared his throat, looking around. "Where's your, uh, less than intelligent boyfriend? Isn't he supposed to be somewhere around here?"

I nudged him on the shoulder, shaking my head at him, hoping he'd realize it was not an appropriate topic. But he persisted, even laughing. "I guess the less-than-intelligent one didn't show up. And you," he pointed at me. "Have you found your mate yet?"

Just as I was about to reply, Cara grabbed his ear and pulled him down to her level. "Never mention that jackass's name in front of me again!" she warned, her voice carrying a loud growl, and then she pushed Caden away.

Caden groaned and rubbed his ear. "I don't know why I have a baby sister who hates me so much," he scoffed and turned to leave. But then he stopped and faced us with his arms folded. "Since none of us have found our mates, why don't we have fun tonight?" he suggested, inviting us to a game after the party.

"I…" I started, intending to decline, but Rain, placing his hand on my shoulder, answered on our behalf.

"We're interested!" he shouted.

"This is a dangerous game," Ezra complained in my head. "I don't think I can hold it in anymore. I should have marked and mated with him by now!"

"Quit complaining," I replied. "He has a girlfriend, and we can't even claim him because he doesn't…"

"Whatever," Ezra said and broke the connection between us as if he was already bored with the conversation.

I heaved a deep sigh and looked up at Rain, who was running his hands through his hair and laughing. This was torture, I thought as I continued to look at him. When our eyes met, he gave me a bright smile that lit up the whole room, and soon, my stupid heart started beating so fast that it felt like I was about to have a heart attack.

"Rain," I muttered, lost in a trance, and raised my hand to touch his face. "You look…" I had almost said that he looked beautiful when Caden shouted that the party was over.

"Thank you for coming, old folks, but now it's time for the teenagers' party!" he announced, clapping his hands before leading a group of teenagers out of the garden in the direction of our building.

"We should follow him," Rain said, pulling me towards them before I could say anything. When I turned to see where Cara was, she was also following behind, engaged in conversation with a boy I didn't even recognize. I frowned; I had wanted to go meet her, not to do anything irrational, but Rain's hold on me made it impossible.

It was messing with my head. He had no idea what his touch was doing to me, and no matter how hard I tried to pretend that I was unaffected, the bond was there, and only I was suffering from it. I closed my eyes throughout the walk to the mansion, blocking his scent from my head and the fantasies I pictured myself indulging in with him.

It wasn't until we got to the living room that I fluttered my eyes open. The light in the room was much brighter than the moonlight in the garden, revealing Rain's beautifully chiseled face and his captivating obsidian eyes. The way he stared at me made it seem as if he felt something for me, or perhaps I was imagining things that might never come true.

I wanted to scream at that moment, tired of the torture I was going through, but then he nudged me on the shoulder, breaking my train of thought. He pointed towards Caden and laughed. "Your brother outdid himself for this birthday."

I frowned as I looked around and sighed. There was a mini bar in the living room with a bartender, and, as if that wasn't enough, our baby pictures adorned every corner of the walls, with ribbons bearing our names hanging everywhere.

"Hello, everyone! Drink and have fun tonight! Being eighteen is the best thing ever!" Caden yelled into the microphone, laughing. "Mind you, I already got permission from the alpha king and Luna queen about the party, so my dear sister Cara, stop glaring at me," he laughed, pointing towards Cara, who indeed was glaring at him.

"Your siblings are chaotic," Rain commented, laughing.

"And that is why I am the only sensible one amongst them," I replied, joining in the laughter.

"So, this thing about finding your mate, she is not here, right?" he asked, and it piqued my interest as to why he was suddenly interested in my mate.

"Why are you asking about my mate?"

Rain laughed and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the bartender. "Give us something strong, dear bartender."

The bartender nodded in response, bowing his head at me. I acknowledged him with a wave and then faced Rain. "What do you mean when you were asking about my mate?"

He suddenly leaned in, and I blinked as I felt his breath on my neck when he opened his mouth to speak. "You have something on your forehead," he said, his fingers making contact with my forehead, making me gasp and close my eyes in the process. "Easy there," he muttered, his voice sounding like a melody in my ear.

Was this the power of being mated to him, or was it because I had always had a crush on him? I couldn't figure it out. I hated that I was feeling like this and still unable to express my mind. My eyes fluttered open, and I saw him smiling at me.

"It was something on your forehead," he said, pointing to our drinks. "Here, cheers to being eighteen," he handed the drink to me and clinked his glass with mine. "You don't have to say anything about your mate if you're not comfortable with it," he said and gulped down his drink. "It is..."

"No," I cut him off before he could finish talking. "It's just that my mate might..." I gulped down the drink, feeling its warmth down my throat, but it didn't stop me from speaking. "My mate might not be someone who wants me."

"Hey," he greeted, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Don't say that. You're a perfect person, Cody. You are the crown prince, selfless and kind to everyone. I don't think your mate wouldn't want you," he said, bursting into laughter. I joined in, though I knew deep down that if he knew he was my mate, he wouldn't like it. "I want another drink!" I shouted to the bartender, and the night continued in a haze of drinks. For once, I wanted to shed my perfect attitude, knowing this might be the only time I got to spend with him.

"Game time!" Caden announced, stopping the music. "We're going to play a game amongst ourselves. It's called the king and servant!" he declared. "I'm sure you're all familiar with the king and servant game, right?" he asked, and they all chorused with a yes.

The king and servants game was a popular game where whoever picked the king’s card gave orders to the one who picked the servant’s card.

It was a game I usually hated, but that night, I decided to forget my perfect self. "Let's go," I said, dragging Rain’s hand and pulling him towards the rest. We all sat down on the ground, and Caden explained the rules of the game. Whoever refused to do the king’s bid would be the king’s servant for five days. After he listed out the rules, the game started, and the cards were placed on the ground. There were ten of us playing, and each of us picked a card. I sighed when I realized I was not the servant. I looked at Rain, who also shook his head, indicating he was not the servant.

One girl announced that she was the king, and another guy announced that he was the servant. The girl issued his order to the guy, instructing him to dance with the girl he liked the most at the party. He picked another girl and danced with her, fulfilling the king’s order. This continued into the night, and when no one picked the king’s card, we all drank.

Everything went well until Caden picked the king’s card and Rain picked the servant's card. "Who is the king?" Caden shouted, raising his card. "I am!" he screamed. "Who is the servant?" Rain sighed as he lifted his card. Just as he was about to stand up, he almost lost his balance, but I held his waist and helped him stand upright. He rubbed my hair in return and laughed.

Damn, his laughter was much more beautiful when he was drunk, and it made me smile like an idiot.

"Your..." he belched and then chuckled. "I meant to say my king. What do I do?"

Caden looked around and then smiled mischievously. He also seemed drunk, though not as much as Rain, who was staggering while standing. "Servant," he cleared his throat and pointed at Rain. "I want you to, um...” he placed his hand on his chin and then snapped his fingers when an idea came to his head. "I need you to pick someone of the opposite sex in this room and kiss him."

Everyone gasped and wowed at what he had said. "Ooooooooou....” They all started murmuring amongst themselves, but I was shaking terribly where I was. I looked at my brother and saw him laughing, unaware of what he had caused me. He was laughing while my heart raced at the thought of Rain kissing another man.

"I will kill anyone who dares to kiss our mate," Ezra growled in my mind. Just like me, he was annoyed at the stupid game my brother had started. I clenched my fists while waiting patiently for who Rain would pick. "If he dares pick anyone, I will..." Ezra suddenly stopped talking as Rain pointed towards me.

Was this a dream? I looked around and noticed that all eyes were on me. Before I figured out what was happening, he grabbed my hand and pulled me up from the ground. "You're my best friend, Cody, and so, I am picking you!" he chuckled and cupped my face, pulling me closer to himself.

"Rain..." I muttered his name to make sure I was not dreaming. "Are you sure about this?" I asked, placing my hands on his shoulders. "You can..."

"My time is limited," Caden shouted and then started clapping, joined by others.

"Kiss him, kiss him!" they all chanted. Their voices slowly disappeared from my head as I focused on Rain alone. The room grew smaller, and it was just us, staring at each other, waiting for who would lean in first. He did, but instead of kissing me, he rubbed his fingers on my lips. "Cody," he muttered my name. I blinked repeatedly and trembled as he pulled my head forward. "Cody," he muttered my name again and then leaned in to kiss me on the lips.

"Oh la la," Ezra sang in my head.

My hands dropped from his shoulders and I felt a rush of emotions—happy, confused. I couldn't explain it. The warmth of his lips on mine was what I had always imagined. Soft and gentle. I couldn't help but kiss him back when his lips moved slowly against mine. Blood rushed to my ears as I felt more of the emotions. My breath quickened, and I felt the butterflies, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Baby steps," Ezra laughed in my head, satisfied with the kiss, just like me.