Chapter 19 - I'm Cupid Now

I had to wake up in the middle of the night for watch, but it was uneventful. When light began to filter through the moss-covered cave entrance, everyone was woken up so we could prepare to leave. Figuring out how to subtly guide everyone in the direction of Erin's string was a problem I didn't really want to solve, but I'd created it for myself.

Why did I think I could meddle with fate and not out myself? It's fate for a reason, right? Goddess, this was Wren and Joshua all over again, though I think I can get away with strangling Erin. I hadn't thought strangling either Wren or Joshua would get the point across very nicely. Plus, how the hell was I supposed to know that Wren was special like me?

"Aaron, do any of these rock formations look accurate to the description given to you?" Minori asked as we all stood outside the cave entrance.

"Umm," I attempted to look like I was searching. "I'm not quite sure. Maybe we can try that direction first, though? The canyon widened out over there, so maybe that's a good spot to start."

I pointed in the direction of Erin's string. Minori took the answer and began walking. Ugh, I guess we weren't flying there. Maybe it was best not to fly in on a dragon, anyway. If Erin's mate was out here, I doubt they'd take well to a surprise like that.

It suddenly hit me that Erin's mate was from the dragon realm. Were they a dragon, too? It seemed likely, right? Damn. That'll be interesting news to bring home. As we walked, I wondered what kind of mate the Goddess gave my best friend. They'd better be amazing. Erin deserved that. After everything he's given and lost, didn't he deserve a little happiness?

We walked for what seemed like hours when a heavy aura settled over me. A chill went down my spine. What was this feeling? It felt so cold and heavy, like a weight crushing down on my chest. The urge to turn around and escape the pressure was intense, but we continued forward. I seemed to be the only one from our original party that felt it. Minori had a slight grimace on their face, but everyone else looked fine. So, did this only affect magical creatures? Was it...was it like a ward? Meant to keep wandering creatures away from whatever was in this direction?

Something stirred in the back of my head as we continued to walk. Erin's string was getting closer and closer to its end. I could see it by midday. The pressure continued to get more intense and even painful the further we walked. At one point, I had to pause for a second to rub at my chest.

Minori noticed and took this as a chance for the group to rest. I walked off to the side and leaned against a large rock, squeezing my eyes shut.

"You feel it, too," Minori stated.

"I do," I admitted. No use lying if they accused me so bluntly. "What is it?"

"It is used as a territorial marker. Dragons are territorial and possessive, especially wild ones like those that live here. Long ago, this was how dragons kept trespassers off their land, but this feels...different. Usually, you would be able to sense that you've trespassed into specific territories, but I do not get that sense. It's almost as if the dragon that created the marker is not the actual owner of the territory."

My eyes popped open. "Do you think those parasite things could force Rin to create a marker around their own prison?" I asked.

Minori smiled tightly. "It's likely, but that's not why we're heading in this direction, correct?"

I think my heart just stopped for a second. "... How'd you know?" I asked, lowering my voice.

Minori chuckled. "My clan does more than grow moss. I was elected as the guardian of the portal you entered through because of my ancestral power. Do you know what my name means in the human realm?"

"No."

"One of the meanings is 'truth.' I can sense when someone is lying and when they do, it allows me to search for the truth within their innermost thoughts and feelings. You've been lying to us all since the beginning, but I knew your intent was not malicious," they answered.

"Oh. Then, why are you letting me do this? I'm distracting us from the mission," I said.

"How do you know that? What if this is meant to happen? One thing I have learned from Yuki is that fate works in mysterious ways. What might seem inconsequential or wrong can actually be the best path to follow."

"I hope so," I grumbled.

They looked at me carefully. "We must continue. The closer we get to the center of the territory, the worst the pressure will be, but we will have to endure. If the dragon hasn't shown up yet, then that is already cause for concern. We must be cautious from this point onward."

Minori walked away and began our journey again. I caught up with Erin who looked at me with a small smile. "Let's hope this is the right direction," Erin said. "I'm surprised we haven't encountered anything yet."

"Erin! Why would you say that-"

The ground began to tremble almost immediately. Wow, wonderful. The moment Erin opens his big mouth to say something about how we haven't encountered anything.

However, hope began to bloom in my chest when I realized the trembling was what happened when Rin was being used. Were we...were we actually in the right place? Goddess, I didn't want to get my hopes up, but...

The trembling continued as rocks began to crash to the ground from above us. We all ran to find the nearest cover, which happened to be Minori. They'd shifted, so we all ran to huddle underneath their large body. They grunted once in a while when a rock would land on them, but they remained steady.

A scream pierced the air quite quickly. The hope that had been slowly blooming exploded. I knew that scream. We're in the right place.

Holy shit wait-

No, that wasn't possible, right? This was all just a coincidence...right? Oh my Goddess, is-

"That scream," Erin muttered from beside me, his eyes wide. "It sounds so pained."

"Wren said that Rin screamed when Kit saw them. I think Rin is close by, but that also means someone is using their power right now," I announced.

The scream died down along with the trembling. When Minori deemed our surroundings safe, they shifted back and grabbed the clothes they'd discarded. It was a pain getting them to wear clothes. They did not like being modest. "If you think that was Rin, then we must hurry. Who knows what their power was just used for," Minori said.

Our pace quickened as we all walked through the canyon. It was deathly silent compared to earlier. Minori was right. The pressure continued to get more intense, but I had to ignore it. My brain was whirling with a million thoughts. I didn't want to believe what was happening, but it felt like too much of a coincidence not to consider. Erin's string was still leading in the same direction, through the canyon.

When we passed a certain point, the canyon widened considerably. The scenery became all-too-familiar now. That rock structure I'd seen that stretched along some line was the parasitic structure blending in with the canyon. And right in front of us was that very same structure, with a limp dragon attached to it by shackles.

And connected to that dragon was the red string tied to my best friend.

Great Goddess, I can't believe this is happening. My head snapped over to look at Erin. His eyes were wide, his body tense. "Erin?" I called out softly.

His head snapped in my direction. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. I almost laughed, but then he'd probably freak out. "What's with your face? You look like you've seen a ghost," I teased instead.

Erin turned to look back at Rin. His mouth opened when Rin's head snapped up and zeroed in on Erin. I saw their mouth open in a gasp before their eyes looked off to the side. "Minori, watch out," they suddenly screamed.

We all turned our heads in time for a man to emerge from the shadows. No, I mean literally. He materialized right before us. Minori suddenly cried out and crumpled to the ground. Behind her stood a lady I recognized immediately. That scary fire lady. We were right about everything.

"What's this? A rescue party?" The lady asked with a twisted smile.

She glanced over at Rin before shaking her head. "Mm, it seems our little dragon called some friends for help. Father will be displeased. Why don't we show our unwelcome guests to the door, Brother?"

The man nodded. He had a black hooded cape covering his face and body that seemed to be made of shadows. What the hell was he? I didn't have much time to question it because they attacked us. The rest of the group shifted quickly and I followed suit, ignoring the fact that I'd ruined my clothes. Who cared about clothes when you were being shot at with fireballs? Goddess, I never wanted to deal with this lady ever again, yet here I was.

The man mumbled something and the shadows slid to his feet and formed the shadow-creatures I remembered seeing yesterday. So, had he been tailing us since the beginning? Or were these creatures native to the realm? Oh my Goddess, Aaron, who fucking cares. Focus.

I noticed almost immediately that Erin was not fighting with us, but I knew what he was doing. He was going to his mate to free them. Damn, it was still crazy to think about. Rin was Erin's second-chance mate. My meddling actually helped us all. I take credit for that one-hundred percent. Screw fate, I'm werewolf Cupid.

One of the shadow creatures lunged for me and we surprisingly rolled around. I expected to just fall right through it. Scarily enough, it could walk on both two and four limbs, which it used to its advantage. It stood to its full height in an attempt to intimidate me. I growled, crouching down in preparation to fight, but the warrior that joined us lunged for it first, bringing it down and breaking the creature's neck.

.

.

.

Erin

The moment I smelled them, my entire world became one single person. I didn't even think it was possible to focus on a single being so entirely. Even from the distance we were at, I could smell sakura blossoms and something earthy but slightly spiced. It was an intoxicating scent that reminded me of the brief time we'd spent in Osaka before coming here.

And when our eyes connected, I was lost to the world. Was this what my friends felt when they met their mates? Was this what I had been missing out on for so long? It was amazing.

As soon as the fights broke out, I was running to my mate. They were my top priority now, plus they were why we came here in the first place. Rin. As I neared the structure, Rin looked at me with wide eyes. Goddess, I think I'm looking into the eyes of an angel. They were so beautiful, but they were sparkling with tears.

I paused in shock right in front of Rin. "Why are you crying? Are you hurt?" I blurted out worriedly.

"I- please... help me," they whispered.

"Of course."

I hurried to look at the shackles. They were very thick. Hmm. I grabbed ahold of the one connected to Rin's left hand and tried prying it apart. Nothing. There was nothing around that could be used, either.

"The rock weakens magical creatures, but you can break it," they said.

Goddess, I think I've fallen in love with their voice. It broke my heart to hear how hoarse it was from screaming, but it was still beautiful. I stepped forward to where the shackles connected to the rock. Placing my hand against the structure, I used my other to rip out the shackles. They gave way fairly easily. Damn, glad I wasn't magical. I didn't think I'd ever understand how magical things worked, anyway. I worked on Rin's other hand, too.

"Look out!" They yelled, just in time for me to jump back from a fireball that would've hurt so badly.

Aaron snapped his head back to look at us. He growled and lunged at the lady that sent the fireball our way. They tumbled around on the ground as the woman screeched angrily.

I focused back on the task at hand. Kneeling down by Rin, I broke the rest of the connections to the rock. They gasped as they stepped away from the structure and their legs gave out from underneath them. I shot up to catch them, the sparks that flew between us warming my body. "Um...hi," I said like an idiot.

What else could I say? My mate was right here in front of me, in my arms. Here, in the dragon realm. With me. Right here.

My brain is short-circuiting.

My heart skipped a beat when Rin smiled at me. A genuine smile that showed off elongated canines. "Hi. Thank you for rescuing me," they said.

Did they feel the same breathless feeling I did? Or was I the only one without a functioning brain? I'd thought that the people I've had feelings for in the past were beautiful, but they didn't compare to Rin. They're otherworldly. "Y-you're welcome," I mumbled.

We continued to stare at each other until I heard a yelp of pain. My head shot up in the direction of the sound. Aaron was on the ground with what looked like an arrow sticking out of his side. Shit. I turned back to Rin and offered a nervous smile. "Uh, sit down for a moment and wait here. I have to go help."

"Go."

I slowly eased them down to the ground and resisted the urge to stand by, instead shifting and running to my best friend. Aaron and the others needed me more than my mate did at the moment.

~~~

Erin finally met his mate! To anyone who guessed it early, congrats. I saw that y'all were way ahead of the game and I applaud you for that lol.

Now, I can finally announce the third book: Sakura Mochi. This will be the final book in this particular series, but I think it will be fairly long. This book already seems like it will be going on for quite a few more chapters, but yeah. Erin and Rin will have their spotlight. I can't wait for y'all to see more of their dynamic. All you've seen of Rin is the scared prisoner, but they're a lot different once they're free and happy XD

Stay tuned for more insanity and thank you so much for reading!

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