Damian walked into his chambers, his silver eyes scanning around as he shut the heavy door behind him. The faint sll of Evelina from the day before still lingered, but the room was empty, dimly lit by moonlight coming through the tall windows.
Storm’s voice rumbled in his mind. "You pushed her too hard. She’s avoiding us now."
Damian sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. "What was I supposed to do? She needs to know the truth."
"And what did it accomplish?" Storm growled. "She ran. Again."
Damian sank onto the edge of the bed, his gaze fixed on the floor. "Calling off the engagent was the right thing to do."
Storm huffed in frustration. "And yet, she isn’t here."
Damian’s chest tightened at the truth in his wolf’s words. Evelina hadn’t returned to his chambers after the incident with the aphrodisiac, and he wasn’t sure she ever would.
He had hoped... expected... but the bed remained cold and untouched.
"Maybe I pushed too much."
"No," Storm argued. "You didn’t push enough. You should’ve kissed her again, held her longer. Made her feel the bond instead of running after her with words."
Damian sighed, shaking his head. "She’s not even in her chambers. I’ve checked. She’s deliberately avoiding ."
"She didn’t co back to your room last night either," Storm reminded him. "The aphrodisiac wore off, but now it’s the bond that’s keeping her away. She’s terrified of what it ans."
He stood abruptly, pacing to the window and back again. The restless energy coiling in his chest wouldn’t let him sit still. "She’s just being cautious," he told himself more than his wolf. "After everything that’s happened, she’s wary. It’s not about ."
"Keep telling yourself that," Storm muttered in sarcasm.
Feeling uneasy, Damian walked to the nearby bathing chamber, but the warm water did little to calm his nerves. When he returned to the room, the sense of emptiness hit him even harder than before.
His wolf softly whined in the back of his mind, reflecting the ache he felt.
"She’s avoiding us," Damian admitted finally, sitting on the edge of the bed. "But I can’t let her push away forever."
************
The next morning, Damian stirred from a fitful sleep to the sound of knocking at his door. Groaning, he sat up as the door creaked open, revealing Jasper’s familiar grin.
"Arise and shine, Your Highness," Jasper greeted, bowing slightly. "The King sent to inform you that he’s going hunting today with Lord Luther, and he expects your company."
Damian rubbed a hand over his face. "Of course he does."
Jasper hesitated, then asked, "Do you want to get soone to prepare your gear, or—?"
"Have you seen Evelina?" Damian interrupted.
Jasper blinked. "Not since yesterday," he said slowly. "Why? Did sothing happen?"
Damian frowned with a distant gaze. "She’s avoiding ."
Jasper tilted his head, his grin turning mischievous. "Because you called off the engagent?"
Damian shot him a look. "Yes."
"Well," Jasper said, his tone mock-serious, "you can’t bla her. That’s a lot of pressure, Your Highness. I an, imagine being the reason a prince throws royal politics to the wind. Poor girl’s probably hiding to avoid the scandal."
Damian let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why do I even bother talking to you?"
"Because I’m entertaining," Jasper quipped with a wink.
Before Damian could respond, another knock sounded at the door. A guard entered, bowing deeply. "Your Highness, the King is waiting. He asked to remind you to hurry."
Damian nodded, dismissing the guard with a wave. "Fine. I’ll be there shortly."
As the guard left, Damian turned to Jasper. "Find Evelina. Make sure she’s alright."
Jasper raised a brow. "Anything specific you want to say?"
"Just... make sure she’s okay," Damian repeated, his tone leaving no room for argunt.
Jasper saluted playfully. "Consider it done."
************
The courtyard was lively as the King, Lord Luther, and a few guards prepared for the hunt. Damian joined them, maintaining his usual calm deanour despite the ongoing chaos inside him.
"Damian," King Lucian greeted him with a sharp tone. "You’re late."
"Apologies, Father," Damian replied, mounting his horse. "I was speaking with Jasper."
Lucian was looking at him intently, as if trying to find sothing, but he didn’t say anything more. Instead, he urged his horse to move ahead, guiding the group into the forest.
The hunt officially started, and the group divided into smaller teams to explore more areas. Damian rode next to his father and Lord Luther, and the three of them moved through the thick woods in tense silence.
Eventually, Lord Luther broke the quiet. "The engagent," he said in a low voice. "I hear it’s... postponed?"
Damian’s grip on the reins tightened. "It’s called off."
King Lucian shot him a sharp look, but Luther chuckled. "You’ve got a spine, I’ll give you that. But alliances are delicate things, Your Highness. One wrong move and the whole web collapses."
"I’m aware," Damian said evenly. "But I won’t build alliances on false pretenses."
"False pretenses," Lucian echoed with disdain. "Is that what you call duty now?"
Damian t his father’s gaze. "I call it choosing the right path, even if it’s not the easiest one."
Lucian’s lips thinned, but he said nothing out loud. Turning his attention back to the forest ahead, he muttered to himself. ’We’ll see about that.’
*************
By the ti the hunting party returned to the palace, the sun was dipping low in the sky. Damian dismounted, his thoughts imdiately turning to Evelina. He sought out Jasper, who t him near the stables.
"Well?" Damian asked briskly.
Jasper shook his head. "No sign of her, Your Highness. I checked the library, the gardens, even the kitchens. It’s like she’s vanished."
Damian’s chest tightened, Storm growling restlessly in his mind. "She wouldn’t just leave."
"Of course not," Jasper said, his expression growing serious.
"Have you checked her chambers? The market?"
"Everywhere," Jasper replied almost imdiately
The realization hit Damian like a blow, his chest tightening as Storm’s growl echoed in his mind. "Where are you, Evelina?" he whispered.
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