Chapter 4 The New Roommate

• ~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 immediately upon returning from two years of prince training.
• "You are the crown prince, and you have to finish your education," my mother said as soon as I arrived. It made me question why I was born as the crown prince, and when I got to the college, expecting to be treated accordingly, everyone treated me differently.
• "There is nothing I can do, Your Highness," the woman bowed her head. "I apologize if this offends you, but in the royal college, apart from the honorifics used to address royals, everyone is treated equally according to the rules."
• "Frustrating," I muttered to myself and sighed. "Can I please get my schedule, keys, and other important information about my school activities?"
• Lara nodded in response. "Since it's already late, Your Highness, the only thing I can provide right now are the keys to your room," she informed me, and I let out a growl.
• "This is why I dislike schools so much. We've been at this for two years, and I had thought it was over, and now this," Ezra complained. "Can't we just cancel this whole school thing, please?"
• I ignored him and focused on the blue keycard in her hand. "This is the keycard to your room, Your Highness," she said.
• I took the keycard from her and stared at the name inscribed on the cardholder: "The Royal Blue." That was the name of the dormitory where I would be residing. "I just hope I won't be sharing with someone too loud," I said, grabbing my luggage and dragging it toward the elevator. Thankfully, I hadn't overpacked, as no one could help me.
• "Frustrating school," I muttered as I entered the elevator and kicked the door. Just then, someone else entered, too engrossed in her phone to notice me or acknowledge my presence. I ignored her and closed my eyes, trying to cool down from all the stress I had endured.
• A lot had happened.
• After the morning Rain and I fought, I cut off all contact with him. I had taken the opportunity of prince training to leave the realm where I wouldn't have to deal with having a mate who didn't want me. I had spent two years trying to heal from his rejection, but the pain persisted. No matter how hard I tried to pretend, I couldn't stop thinking about him. Now that I was back, I dreaded the possibility of running into him because I had no idea how to face him.
• The elevator's ding brought me back to reality as it opened on the eighth floor, where I was headed. As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, the girl who had entered with me raised her head to look at me. When our eyes met, she gasped and quickly bowed her head. Before I could respond, the elevator doors closed.
• I sighed and walked down the quiet hallway, passing different doors. I expected to hear the bustling noise of werewolves or lycans, but there was nothing. It was eerily silent; not even a pin drop would make a sound on the ground.
• Strange, I thought.
• When I reached the door, I closed my eyes and silently prayed that my roommate would be someone I could relate to or even befriend. With a positive mindset, I swiped the card on the reader, and it beeped. Placing my hand on the doorknob, I stepped into the room.
• The room was shrouded in darkness but filled with the scent of rain, just like him. It either smelled like him or maybe I was overthinking it because I hadn't seen him in a long time or missed him. The smell sent shivers down my spine and made my body's hair stand on end with each step I took into the room. I found it intriguing and was eager to discover who my roommate would be.
• "Hey—" I began to say something but was suddenly knocked down by someone surprisingly lurking in the darkness. I was caught off guard, not expecting someone to be in total darkness with no hint of light.
• I groaned in pain as my luggage crashed onto my legs, followed by the weight of the person in the room. The moment our bodies touched, I gasped as the electric shock returned. "No, no," Ezra growled in my head.
• "This can't be," I thought, struggling to process everything. The one person I had tried so hard to avoid was lying on top of me, causing my heart to race and giving me goosebumps.
• "Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?" He demanded, confirming my suspicion. It was him, even though his voice sounded more profound and mature. His arms had become muscular, and his grip on my throat could render an average werewolf unconscious.
• I had hoped he would recognize me by my scent, but to my disappointment, he didn't. He continued to question me.
• "Rain!" I shouted his name, unable to keep up the pretense that I didn't know it was him.
• "You even know my name!" he shouted, tightening his grip on me.
• I growled, pushing his hand away, and then shoved him over so I was on top of him. "Are you insane?" I screamed. "You don't even recognize my voice anymore." The disappointment in my voice was evident because I couldn't believe that I had been thinking about him for two years while he couldn't even remember me by my voice or my scents. He tried to struggle against me, but I grabbed his hands and pinned them above him. "It's me, Cody!" I yelled while he continued to work.
• "Cody," he stuttered my name, and I let go of his hand, only for him to grab mine and push me over so that he was on top of me again. He clapped his hands, and a bright light reflected on my face. The light was so intense that not even Rain's muscular frame could block it from entering my eyes. I closed my eyes briefly until I felt Rain hugging me tightly.
• "Oh, goddess!" he exclaimed. "You're here!"
• I fluttered my eyes open, and our eyes met. For a brief moment, I couldn't stop staring at his beautiful eyes, no longer obsidian; instead, one side was green, and the other was a much darker green. Even his hair was different. It was now silver ombre and long, reaching his shoulder length. He looked entirely different, and if I had not recognized him by his scent and only seen him, I would have thought he was another person.
• "Cody. You're truly back," he shouted my name and tried to hug me again, but I pushed him off me.
• "You're the one in this room?" I asked with total disgust, sounding the same way he had said the day he walked out of my room. "How am I supposed to share a room with you?" I shouted and stood up from the ground, looking around the room. It was larger than I thought, with enough space for two people. I was expecting a bunk bed, but instead, there were two separate beds on each side, a long shelf divided into two, and two desks on each side of the room. Rain had already occupied the left side, which meant I was supposed to occupy the right side, but there was no way in hell I would share a room with him.
• "This must be a joke," I said, rubbing my face.
• "Cody," he called out my name and stood up from the ground. "We are roommates, and—"
• "No!" I shouted, shaking my head aggressively. "There is no way I am going to share a room with you," I told him, then headed towards the door, walking out and heading towards the elevator. The last person I wanted to share a room with was my mate, who rejected me and didn't even recognize me by my scents.
• How the hell was I supposed to cope when it was going to be a one-sided thing? For two years, I tried to move on, hoping that I could deal with getting rejected by my mate. I didn't tell anyone about it, even though my mother noticed that I was acting weird after Rain left, and as if that wasn't enough, my father wouldn't stop bothering me about finding my mate.
• Everyone expected I would appear with a woman who would be the crown princess, but no one knew what I was going through.
• No one.
• "Cody, wait," Rain shouted after me as I entered the elevator. He put one of his feet between the doors before they could close, allowing him to join me. "Where are you going? Don't you feel tired from your travels?"
• Now he cares. I scoffed, folding my arms as I ignored him. "I want to punch him so bad for everything," Ezra said. "And then, I want to kiss him. It is so good to see our mate again."
• I rolled my eyes, wondering if he was on my side or Rain's. "Remember what happened, Ezra, and don't fall because he is our mate," I reminded him.
• "Cody," Rain called my name again, and I have to admit that his low voice was the coolest glow-up that he had. They sounded like magic sounds in my ears. Perfect and magical.
• "Don't speak to him," I muttered repeatedly and closed my eyes, blocking his voice until the doors opened. I rushed out of the elevator and walked towards Lara, who was still in the lobby. When she saw me, she stood up from where she sat and bowed her head.
• "Is there any problem, Your Highness?"
• "Yes," I said, pointing towards Rain. "There is no way I am sharing a room with him. I want another roommate!"