CHAPTER 6: TASTES OF FREEDOM

In a small town not far from Cold Valley, a black car screeched across an empty lot, tires burning rubber as it spun in a perfect drift.

Inside, Damian grinned, actually grinned wildly as he spun the wheel one last time and brought the car to a controlled stop. The air smelled of smoke and freedom.

Kevin clapped from the passenger seat, phone in hand. “Finally! You’re smiling like a normal teenage boy who just broke the law.”

“Don’t ruin it,” Damian said, and added “ This is life ”.

They parked near a shady alley and Damian stepped out of the driver’s seat. He wore a black leather jacket, ripped jeans, and combat boots. So far from royal robes and ceremonial armor he may as well have been someone else entirely.

He was no longer a prince today.

Just a twenty year old guy with too much energy and a hunger for something real, for his mate and freedom.

“You look like the love interest in a high school drama,” Kevin smirked. “If the girls weren’t staring before, they definitely will now.”

“I don’t care about those girls, they're no different from Betha ” Damian muttered.

“Still obsessed with finding your mate?”

“Still obsessed with shutting you up,” Damian replied, but there was no venom in it. This is how Damian has been, maybe because of the anger he has for feeling caged and controlled by his parents.

They wandered down the street, grabbing greasy fries from a food truck and walking past the local community board. A colorful flyer caught Kevin’s eye.

“Look,” he pointed. “A student camp. Right after graduation. Wilderness, bonfires, nature. Your favorite.”

Damian snorted. “You mean bugs, smoke, and sweaty humans?”

Kevin wiggled his brows. “It will be fun, imagine what if she’s there?”

That silenced him. The possibility of his mate being there at the camp is unknown but he would take the chance.

Moments later, two false names were written in bold ink at the bottom of the signup sheet:

Damon Blackwell & Kai Rivers.

And they went back to school after Damian had enough fun for the morning.

That same afternoon, far from the school halls, a cloaked figure slunk through the alleyways of the neighboring town.

Betha’s spy sniffed the air, eyes glowing faintly. He prowled past the school where Damian now walked like a normal senior, completely undetected.

He paused by a tree, confused. The scent trail had stopped.

“Where did you go?” he growled.

He closed his eyes, channeling his senses and found nothing. The concealment charm worked.

Frustrated, he kicked over a trash can and vanished into the shadows.

……..

Meanwhile in Cold Valley…

The final week of high school hit like a tidal wave.

Alison sat in her room surrounded by study guides, her fingers tangled in her hair. The smell of roasted chicken drifted in from downstairs, and soft music played from the diner’s old radio.

Her dreams had been quiet for two nights now, but the silence was somehow louder than the howls had been. Like a calm before the storm

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” she called.

Mr. Fisher entered, holding a long box wrapped in gold paper with a soft blue ribbon tied around it.

“What’s this?” Alison sat up, blinking.

He gave a sheepish smile. “You think I’d let my daughter graduate without a proper dress?”

“Dad…”

“Open it,” he urged.

Alison carefully untied the ribbon and opened the box and gasped.

Inside was a breathtaking dress: a flowing gown in soft moonlight silver, made of layered chiffon and silk. The bodice shimmered faintly, embroidered with delicate stars and vines, and the back dipped low in an elegant V-shape.

“Dad… it’s beautiful and magical” her voice wavered.

Mr. Fisher rubbed the back of his neck. “I saw it and… I just knew. You deserve to feel magical, even if it’s just for one night.”

Alison stood and hugged him tightly. “You always know how to make me cry.”

“No tears allowed,” he chuckled, patting her back. “Only sparkles and success.”

They laughed, but Alison’s heart was full. He might not have been her blood, but Mr. Fisher had always been her dad.

………..

COLD VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

The next day at school, Alison reunited with Kira and Sara at their usual bench.

“Final math exam tomorrow. I’m already crying in imaginary numbers,” Kira groaned.

“Have you picked out shoes for graduation yet?” Sara asked, flipping through a magazine.

Alison nodded. “My dad got me the prettiest dress ever. I swear, I’ll look like a fairy.”

“A hot fairy, with silver eyes.” Kira corrected.

“If it weren’t for my dad, I’d wear contacts to hide them..” Alison complained

“ Why? I love them, they are cute. ” Sara spoke with a soft comforting voice

“ Very easy to catch attention and I checked no one has silver eyes, it's like I'm not human”

“ That means you're unique, don't think about anything else for now just think about camp ” Kira suggested

“You have to slay. Just in case you meet a mysterious brooding boy at camp who falls in love with you.”

Alison laughed. “You watch too many dramas.”

Sara grinned. “But you’re not denying it.”

“Maybe a little mysterious boy wouldn’t be so bad,” Alison admitted quietly.

Back in Arvendale…

Storm clouds hovered over the distant mountains, and inside the royal sanctuary of House Castiel, sorrow lingered like incense.

Duke Castiel stood by the arched window, dressed in black and silver, his expression unreadable. His gloved hands were clasped behind his back, eyes locked on the sky.

On the bed behind him, Duchess Lilith lay beneath silken sheets, her skin pale, her lips dry.

“She’s weakening,” the healer whispered. “The spell she cast has drained her magic over time. The longer it holds, the more she suffers.”

“She won’t lift it,” the duke said, voice low and tense.

“It’s been fifteen years,” the healer urged gently. “You’ve searched all lands. Perhaps…”

“No.” Castiel turned. “My daughter lives. The spell only binds her power, not her soul. Lilith would know if she were gone.”

From the bed, Lilith stirred, her voice faint. “She’s… alive.”

Castiel knelt beside her, taking her hand in both of his.

“I feel her in the moonlight… in the pull of the tides. My blood, my magic, my child. She’s out there.”

Lilith’s silver eyes fluttered open, glowing faintly. “She will awaken. And the world will know her name again.”

That evening back in the human world,..

Kevin tossed Damian a drink as they sat under a sky slowly melting into dusk.

“You realize what you did, right?” Kevin said.

Damian looked over lazily. “What?”

“You just signed up to sleep in a not fancy wooden cabin, eat from cans, and hike with humans.”

“I’ve slept in war camps during snowstorms,” Damian replied. “A few bugs won’t kill me.”

Kevin stretched. “Still hoping your mystery mate shows up?”

“I’m not hoping,” Damian said, glancing up at the moon. “I’m waiting, she's out there. Even if the feeling is not strong but I can feel her ”

That same time in the Cold Valley town, Alison once again climbed to the diner roof with her stargazing journal.

She traced the phases of the moon, feeling the magic in her fingertips though she couldn’t explain it. Her bracelet pulsed softly, matching the rhythm of her heartbeat.