Disguised Before The Alpha Prince

Chp 54

Pearl POV

The long corridor stretched into silence as the oil lamps flickered slightly then suddenly, the doors to the Moon Mansion opened.

A strange hush fell over everyone in the hallway. The maids, every one of them instinctively stepped to the side, lowering their heads, folding their hands, and bowing deeply. The air turned heavier, tighter.

I followed suit, dropping my gaze and bowing low, just as I'd seen the others do. My heart, however, thundered in my chest like a warning drum.

Boots tapped against the marble floor steady, commanding, almost predatory.

From beneath my veil, I dared to lift my eyes just a fraction.

A man had entered, his presence like the hush of a blade before it strikes. He wore a deep wine red cloak trimmed in black, its fabric trailing behind him like shadow. A full black mask covered his face, glinting under the lantern light. Even without seeing his eyes, I could feel them sweeping over us like cold steel. His hair was dark, visible only in the edges that curled behind the mask’s straps. He looked like a phantom sculpted from blood and dusk.

He walked with a silence that made people hold their breath.

“The Alpha Prince…” someone whispered beside me, barely audible.

“So he’s returned…” came another voice.

I stayed bowed, still as a statue, but my ears strained for every word.

“His father’s health is failing again.”

“They say he came from the borderlands no notice, no escort…”

“He’s terrifying. My cousin said she once saw him make a Beta flee the court in tears.”

Then the whispers took a darker turn.

“I heard he killed his mate.”

“No. She ran away. The second one did. The first one disappeared altogether.”

“Maybe both. Who could stand being near someone like that?” the maids kept gossiping about him.

So that’s him? The prince? The one my aunt warned me about? I thought, trying to keep my head down.

I remembered her words with sudden clarity:

“Cold. Unforgiving. A man of short temper. Don’t be taken by his face, Pearl. He doesn’t let anyone near him, not without a price.”

And yet… here he was.

A man wrapped in shadows and silence, the entire mansion shifting around his presence.

My fingers tightened around the brass lantern I held. I didn’t dare look up again as he passed, but the moment his steps echoed beside me so close I could smell the faintest trace of cedar and frost my breath caught in my throat.

I had no idea that the man all of them feared… was someone I already knew. Not yet.

But something in my soul stirred, as if I already recognized him even hidden behind the mask.

I had barely calmed my breath when the overseer’s voice cut through the corridor.

“Night helpers, move to your stations. You’ll be briefed outside each wing.”

Cecil was already gone as she was assigned to the linen hall. I missed her presence instantly.

As the rest of us were herded like quiet shadows through the carved stone corridors of Moon Mansion, I tried to stay at the back of the group, hoping to be given a storage room or hallway. Somewhere unnoticed. Unimportant.

But fate had other plans.

“You,” the head maid pointed at me. “You’re helping in the East Wing. His Highness’s quarters.”

My heart nearly dropped. “I–His…?” I started to speak, but her glare silenced me.

“You’ll be supervised. No questions. No noise. No eye contact. Is that clear?”

I nodded quickly, bowing again to hide my trembling.

The Alpha Prince’s quarters…?

Each step toward the East Wing felt like walking deeper into a lion’s den. The lights here were dimmer, quieter. There were fewer guards, but the silence weighed twice as heavy. The mansion, as grand and golden as it was, now felt more like a labyrinth.

The maid leading me gave quick instructions. “You’ll help set fresh water for bathing, trim the lamps, and make sure the rugs are brushed before the morning servants arrive. Stay quiet. If the Prince returns late, leave immediately.”

I nodded again. My tongue felt like it had vanished.

We entered the outer antechamber. It was regal and minimal. Black and burgundy tones. Golden embroidery. A wolf’s insignia carved into the wall.

She left me alone.

As I went about my tasks, I kept my head down. I swept the rugs lightly, avoiding any noise. I trimmed the lantern wicks with shaking fingers. I refilled the water bowl beside the washstand. Everything gleamed like it belonged to a ghost.

But as I knelt to fold a stray cloak lying over the chair, I caught a scent.

Faint. Familiar.

Cedar… and frost.

My hand froze in mid-air.

I turned my head, slowly, carefully but the room behind me was empty. Or was it?

A shadow flickered by the doorway. Barely there. Like someone watching.

I swallowed hard, trying to calm the thump in my chest.

He’s not supposed to be back yet, I told myself. He wouldn’t just stand there… would he?

Still, I could feel it again—that heavy presence. Like the air had thickened just around me. My skin prickled. My hands shook a little.

I bowed low. “im sorry,” I said quietly to no one in particular. “I’ll take my leave.”

I turned to go but before I left, I glanced one last time at the velvet-draped doorway.

No one was there.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had been here. Watching me. Not with hate But with something else.

My heart thudded so loud in my chest I thought the walls could hear it. The weight of that invisible gaze hadn’t left me, and I kept my head bowed as I reached for the folded cloak.

Suddenly—

A soft sound. A shuffle. A brush of movement behind the tall screen.

I stilled completely.

The Prince?

I wasn’t ready to face him. I wasn’t even supposed to be in the same room as him. All those rumors about his rage, his cruel punishments, the women who had run from him flooded my mind in a sharp wave.

The air around me tightened, holding its breath.

Then—

“Meow.”

My breath hitched.

What?

I blinked, my eyes darting toward the source of the sound. A tiny white and grey cat slipped out from behind the screen, its eyes round and curious as it padded toward me without a hint of fear. Its tail flicked in that slow, confident way only cats had.

It… wasn’t the Prince.

My knees gave slightly as I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. “Seriously?” I whispered to the cat, giving it a flat look.

The cat only meoweed again and sat beside me as if it had accomplished something grand by scaring the soul out of me.

I let out a soft laugh dry and shaky.

All that tension. All that anxiety. Over a feline guardian of the Alpha’s lair.

But just as I was about to turn, a subtle sound caught my ear. A door closing. Not loud, but… deliberate.

I paused.

And that’s when I saw him.

At the far end of the hallway half-hidden in shadow, stood a tall figure in a wine-red and black cloak. The black mask covered his entire face, the gold edge glinting faintly in the light.

The Alpha Prince.

He had returned.

My entire body snapped back into alert. I bowed quickly, nearly stumbling in the process. “Forgive me, Your Highness,” I whispered.

He didn’t speak.

Just stood there… watching.

I lowered my head even further, the tips of my fingers tightening around the edge of my apron.

But after a long moment, he turned and disappeared down another corridor.

I remained bowed, waiting until my heart settled in my ribs again. The cat brushed against my leg, as if it had done its job of warning me after all.

“I need to get out of here,” I muttered under my breath, grabbing the last of the linens before slipping out through the side passage.

This place was suffocating. The rumors weren’t just stories they had presence, power. That masked man carried an aura that could make your knees buckle.

And yet… part of me couldn’t stop thinking about that silent exchange.

No words.

Just… watching. Almost as if he had recognized something. But no—that was impossible.

No one here knew who I truly was. Right?

The cat darted off into the corridor, and I was about to follow it back toward the linen quarters when I felt a presence behind me.

My shoulders tensed.

Footsteps.

Slow. Heavy. Deliberate.

I didn’t dare look back at first, hoping I was just being paranoid. But the pace matched mine… too closely. Every turn I took down the dim corridor, the faint scrape of boots followed. My breath quickened.

Don’t panic. Don’t run. That’ll give you away.

But the moment I reached the end of the hallway and saw the empty corridor split into two paths, I made a decision.

I turned sharply and slipped into a side passage.

The presence followed.

I could hear it now someone trailing me deliberately. Every nerve in my body went on high alert. His clothes were all black, his face masked like the others, but something about the way he moved sent chills down my spine. Like he wasn’t one of the regular guards.

He wasn’t just guarding.

He was hunting.

I didn’t know how far I ran before my eyes landed on a small wooden door slightly ajar near the end of the left wing. It looked like it hadn’t been used in weeks, dust lining the floor outside it.

Without thinking, I slipped inside and pulled the door shut behind me, praying it wouldn’t creak.

My breath caught in my throat.

The room was nearly pitch dark. A faint slit of moonlight filtered through a small window high on the wall. The air smelled of old wood and forgotten things. I crouched in the far corner, behind what looked like an old dressing divider, pressing my hand over my mouth to quiet my breathing.

Silence.

Maybe I lost him.

I sat there, frozen, counting the seconds in my head.

Then—

Click.

The door.

Locked.

My heart dropped.

He was here.

I strained my ears, trying to hear footsteps, but whoever entered moved with ghost-like precision. I could hear the faint rustle of fabric… the soft creak of leather gloves.

And then, just as I peeked slightly past the screen—