Offered to the Triplet Alphas

Chapter-113. The holy rain [Asher]

"The crown prince is here!"

A celestial guard's voice rang across the Virgo army, silencing the murmurs as a masked figure strode forward.

The emblem of the Solvaris pack was engraved into his golden chest armor, adorned with the complete nine stars of the Swan constellation. The celestials were notoriously selective about who could bear the full constellation.

Undoubtedly, this was him - Caelum's son.

Usually, nature announced the arrival of the immortals by adjusting itself to accommodate our auras. So, even though the mouse prince chose stealth- suppressing his aura, minimizing his presence - he couldn't stop the shift in the elements of nature around him.

I had already registered how his presence softened the disturbance my aura had created in nature. His determination to conceal his identity was commendable, but in his attempt to do so, he had exposed his power potential.

Even for high-ranking celestials, hiding their presence so effortlessly wasn't easy because their souls constantly resonated at a higher vibration, often in harmony with nature.

Manipulating one's aura in a way that could even deceive nature was something even high-ranking celestials failed to master.

Growing up in the Infernal realm must have wired the mouse prince differently from the other celestials. Even though Cadence pulled him out of the Forced Activation before things worsened, he'd spent months within those walls - surviving, just like Ezra and the others.

Naturally, I expected the unexpected from him, but something that badgered me the most about him was, I sensed no danger from him. Either he wasn't a threat... or he was dangerous beyond the scope of my danger sense.

All heads turned to him in unison. The mortal soldiers bowed their heads, while the celestial guards dropped to one knee in a knight's bow, their armors clicking as they hit the ground.

His black hooded cloak billowed behind him as he strode towards the shadow barrier, revealing a physique that instantly reminded me of Ezra.

Though the hood concealed most of his golden and black masquerade mask, his glowing hazel eyes stood out as they peered at my shadows.

It seemed as if he was trying to see past my shadows to confirm Xanthea's presence.

"Do you see her?" Nikolai asked, standing beside him. "My sister?"

"I hear her," the mouse prince said in a resonating, morphed voice. "It's faint... but she's here."

I frowned, narrowing my eyes.

Hear her?

What does that mean?

I glanced at Xanthea, still resting silently in my embrace.

Even if she were screaming at the top of her voice, no one would hear her through my barrier. So what exactly was he hearing?

The mouse prince's eyes widened, glowing bright golden before they darkened into the shadows.

"This is bad," he said grimly.

"What's wrong?" Nikolai asked, his voice hinted with subtle panic as he skimmed his

eyes from the barrier to the mouse prince.

"He is here," he said, clenching his fists. "Alpha Asher is here with her."

I cocked a brow.

So he can hear me as well, and I am not even uttering a word.

"I've heard Alpha Ezra was the worst of the triplets," the guards discussed among themselves.

"Yeah. Alpha Raven has got a sharp tongue, but he isn't as unhinged as Alpha Ezra." "As for Alpha Asher... aside from attending meetings and handling political negotiations, he never does anything. So this shouldn't be bad, right?"

"So... why does the crown prince look so wary of him?"

"Like your guards said, Asher being here can't be as bad of news as Ezra, right?" Nikolai asked the mouse prince.

"Alpha Asher himself is bad news," the mouse prince said. "And the worst thing about him is that he does nothing. Which means I don't have enough information on him or what he's truly capable of."

We were both wary of each other, and I wouldn't be foolish enough to underestimate him just because he looked afraid right now.

"Whatever. He's just a demon," Nikolai scoffed as he continued in an obnoxious tone. "With you and all these celestials here, he's clearly outnumbered. He might be a lord in his own realm, but here?"

He chuckled, glaring at the barrier with a sneer.

he's just another demon. And demons don't stand a chance against celestials. You and your people can easily slay him and bring the great demon lord to his knees - to his fucking doom," Nikolai

I tilted my head.

the mortal soldiers' chest at Nikolai's words was knocked right off their faces as soon as the tendrils of my shadows

guards, Nikolai, and the mortal army retreated

guards threw themselves between the mouse

thundering as they stared at the barrier, bracing themselves for an attack. Some celestials shifted in their divine wolf forms, while the mortal army had over a hundred guns pointed

"But history proves... infernals have destroyed more celestials than the cold pages of any book could ever record." Then he turned his glare

shut your mouth and stay out of this. I don't want a war - and neither does Alpha Asher. Because if he did... do you think any

at his words, but he gritted back

his guards took the frontline. He peered at the barrier

"Begin!"

of thin air, holding golden sun staffs in their hands. All

atop their staffs flared to life, radiating with a yellow

the mana radiating from the light. However, their actual goal wasn't to break through my barrier, but something else. "Shift!"

guards obeyed, transforming into divine wolves. Those with wings soared into the sky, their staffs clutched in their jaws, circling around the graveyard in a synchronized

graveyard from both above and below. Their combined mana condensed to form a halo of

usual cleansing ritual to suppress demons. They weakened demons with a shower of holy rain, and once they lost powers temporarily, the CSS

fact that the mouse prince chose to use the CSS against me

grumbled in my head, clearly

mostly irritated Icifer, but one at this scale could inflict

him deep within me, but he resisted, snarling in defiance as he

I fear a fucking holy rain? I don't care what the rain does to me,' Icifer took over my eyes, glaring at the clouds. 'But

good for Xanthea,' I said. 'It will rejuvenate her

annoying houseflies hovering in the

speaking, the holy rain will

don't care how badly it hurts,' Icifer grunted.

'But-'

celestial banes far worse than this, and I'd suffer them a thousand times over for my mate's safety.

was exactly why I wanted to suppress him. But

wouldn't back down, and if I pushed too hard, he might not

I shut my eyes.

to deal

But before that...

hands glided up Xanthea's thighs. My shadows weaved through the fabric of her nightgown. Slowly, the soft white dress transformed,

the change in her clothes,

chime as they brushed

the coattails, edged with ornate metallic details. Her breath hitched when she realized that this was the signature royal attire of the Infernal

the corset belt at her waist, encrusted with black jewels and chains, but before I could relish the way it hugged her figure, a raindrop slithered down

groans, not allowing his hold to weaken on the shadow

clamped up as one after another, countless raindrops scorched my skin like acid, sizzling

background when I saw how the rain plumped Xanthea's parched lips, how it soothed the swelling on her ring finger where I

the serenity in her eyes was replaced with terror and panic. Her eyes widened as she stared at my face, tarnished by the searing

holy rain.

"A-Asher?"

face

for how

against her chest as she wrapped

up to her knees.

a few seconds. Icifer was

to comprehend her actions. And when I finally realized,

using her body to shield me from the

trying to...

the divine burns felt like the most beautiful pain

good in her embrace, I

Well... t-this is...' Icifer awkwardly shifted within

used to being protected, but for once, it didn't feel

my eyes,

she was hurting. I felt it in her restless heart pounding wildly in her chest, in the panicked grip of her fingers clutching my clothes, in her breaking breath

as they bled on my skin. "Xanthea. I'm

a trembling whimper. "It's weakening

It's burning you. I-is

memories, Xanthea hadn't just inherited her knowledge, but her experience and skills as well. No

whispered against her chest

teeth, panting as she hugged me closer, trying to cover

raindrop.

she panted, her breath hitching as she