Disguised Before The Alpha Prince

Chp 47

Demyan POV

I sat alone in the shadowed corners of the empty study chamber reserved for noble-ranked students, though I hadn’t earned that by title here. It was the silence I needed after today’s events. Silence to think, to plan.

But instead, my jaw clenched at the memory of Lucien’s filthy hands on her.

On my mate.

I had used every string I could pull. Every connection I had.

And it wasn’t hard because cowards like Lucien always leave trails. His misconduct wasn’t a one-time incident. All it needed was someone to shine a light on it, someone with enough weight behind their voice to make the whole scholar council listen.

That someone was me.

A knock on the hidden side door broke my thoughts. The panel opened, and Karl stepped in, his expression half amused, half cautious.

“You’re scaring the elders,” he said casually, but I saw the seriousness beneath his eyes.

“Good,” I muttered. “They needed a reminder.”

Karl sat across from me, the dim lantern between us casting flickering shadows on his face. “Lucien’s expulsion is official now. They posted the order on the announcement board. He’s no longer part of the academy.”

I gave a small nod. “That’s just the beginning.”

Karl raised a brow. “You’re still not satisfied?”

“No.” I leaned forward, voice low and sharp. “I want him found. I don’t care if he’s hiding in a pit under the forest. I want you to track him down and bring him to me.”

Karl’s smirk faded. “That’s not an order from a prince. That’s an order from a mate, isn’t it?”

I didn’t answer.

He sighed. “You know, for a second, I thought you were into guys when you were running around calling him ‘Perin’ and losing your mind over him.”

I shot him a look. “Very funny.”

He raised both hands. “Hey, I’m not judging. Just surprised. Until I saw you nearly destroy a tree because he got a cut on his hand.”

“He’s not a he,” I said flatly.

Karl blinked, and then his jaw dropped. “Wait. What do you mean by that?”

I gave him a tight nod. “I knew the moment I felt her scent change. My instincts... they’ve been screaming at me for days.”

“And you’re calm about it now?” Karl said, baffled.

“I’m not calm. I’m calculating. There’s a difference.”

I stood, walking over to the window, my hands curled into fists. “He—Lucien—he touched her. He threatened her. And if I hadn’t been there...”

A rush of fury bubbled up again. I would’ve burned the entire forest to ash if it meant keeping her safe.

Karl leaned back with a whistle. “Damn. You’re completely gone nuts for her.”

“She’s mine,” I said softly but firmly. “She doesn’t know it yet. She’s scared. But I’ll protect her until she’s ready to see me for what I am.”

“And Lucien?”

I turned to him, eyes like ice.

“When you find him, bring him to me. Alive. But make sure he wishes he wasn’t.”

Karl gave a half-smile. “You got it, Alpha.”

I stared out into the night, where stars glittered like sharp steel above the treetops.

He laid a hand on her. That was his last mistake. Now, she’s under my protection. And I’ll make sure no one and no one—dares touch her again.

I entered the room and closed the door behind. I saw Pearl sitting there engrossed in her book and I took a seat in the corner of the room while I laid my back on the wall.

I should have been reading. The leather-bound scroll sat open in my hand, the ink dancing across the parchment with ancient symbols I could recite in my sleep. But my eyes weren't on the text.

They were on her.

Pearl—no, Perin, as the world knew her was sitting ahead of me, completely immersed in her notes. The strands of her hair had slipped from the loose bun she’d tied at her nape, brushing softly against her cheek as she leaned forward. Every now and then, she’d blow it away with a small puff of breath, pink lips pursing just so.

Goddess help me.

Those lips, soft and unpainted, yet they stirred something raw and unrelenting in me. I couldn’t stop wondering what it would feel like to have them pressed against mine. Would she tremble? Would she push me away first, before melting into me like she did in my dreams?

And her body… those soft curves I felt when I carried her. Even bound, even hidden, I could feel the truth of her against me, warm, delicate, real. The memory of her bare chest brushing against me in the shed, the way she clung to me in her sleep...

I rubbed the back of my neck, fighting the heat crawling up my spine.

“Alright, what in the name of the moon goddess is going on with you?” he said softly.

I blinked. Killian had dropped into the seat beside me, his arms crossed like he’d been waiting for the right moment to pounce.

I cleared my throat. “Nothing.”

He leaned in, voice low and teasing. “Don't lie to me, Demyan. I’ve seen the way you look at him, what Perin means to you.”

I didn’t answer.

Killian chuckled. “You’ve got it bad. You keep staring like you're about to compose a love poem. So what's the deal? Are you two together or what?”

My jaw ticked. “It’s complicated.”

“You think?” Killian said, half-laughing. “You nearly ripped Lucien’s head off, and you’ve been trailing Perin like a wolf in heat.”

I shot him a warning glare.

He raised his hands. “Hey, I’m not judging. I’m just saying if you don’t figure this out soon, someone else will. You might want to lock it down before the next i***t makes a move.”

I looked back toward her. She was chewing on the end of her quill, eyes narrowed in thought. So innocent. So focused. So unaware of the storm she stirred in me.

“She’s mine,” I said softly, more to myself than him.

Killian blinked. “You just said ‘she.’”

I exhaled. “nothing you are hearing things.”

He whistled. “Well, I can never understand what you're thinking Demyan .”

I ignored him, gaze drifting back to her. Her fingers were stained with ink. There was a smudge on her cheek she hadn’t noticed. She looked so small in this grand hall. So strong and yet so fragile.

But she wasn’t alone. Not anymore.

“I won’t let anything happen to her,” I murmured. “Not again.”

Killian clapped a hand on my shoulder and stood. “Good. Then stop staring and concentrate on your notes ”

He walked away, leaving me with my thoughts

*___*----*___*

Pearl POV

I tried to stay focused on my notes.

I really did.

The ink on the parchment was starting to blur as my quill scratched over the page, and yet every word I wrote felt hollow because my skin was tingling again.

It was him.

I didn’t need to lift my head to know that Demyan was watching me. The weight of his gaze was intense, unwavering, almost... possessive.

I swallowed hard, fingers tightening around the quill as a strange heat crept down my neck. It was like he was stripping away the layers of my disguise with his eyes. My loose tunic suddenly felt too thin. I shifted in my seat, trying to compose myself, but the feeling didn’t go away.

My eyes flicked up.

There he was, sitting across from me, legs stretched out like he didn’t have a care in the world. His robe had fallen open just enough to reveal his chest—bare, sculpted, and dusted with faint lines of muscle that made my breath hitch.

And that hair.

It was always slightly messy, but now, it was falling loosely over his forehead like he’d just run his fingers through it. He looked so effortlessly undone. And he was staring directly at me.

I quickly looked away, face flushing.

Goddess, why does he have to look like that?

I could feel my heart thudding too loudly in my chest, echoing in my ears like a war drum. Was he really looking at me like that? Like he could see me?

Not just Perin. Me.

The real me beneath all the layers of lies.

I shifted again, hugging my notebook closer to my chest. His stare hadn’t relented not even a flicker of hesitation. It was bold. Certain. Like he knew something I didn’t.

A strange panic bubbled in my throat. What if he knew?

I shook my head.

No. If he knew, he would’ve said something. Right? Or maybe... he was just toying with me. Demyan had always been difficult to read, one minute cold and stoic, the next, warm and impossibly gentle.

I stole one more glance at him.

He was smirking now.

Smirking like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.

Flustered, I dropped my gaze and pretended to scribble more notes, but my hand was shaking just enough to ruin my handwriting.

I hated how easily he got under my skin. I hated how good he looked doing absolutely nothing.

And I really hated that deep down... a small, dangerous part of me wanted to walk right up to him and ask what the hell was going on between us. Because whatever it was... it wasn’t nothing.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

The room was suffocating. The scratch of my quill on parchment faded beneath the weight of his gaze. I didn’t have to look to know Demyan’s eyes were fixed on me steady, unreadable, too intense.

My heart fluttered again, and I stood abruptly, shoving back my chair.

“I need some air,” I murmured, mostly to myself, but Killian gave me a look as if he knew exactly why I was fleeing.

I slipped out of the room, the corridor’s cool air a relief against my burning skin. My mind swirled with confusion. Was it just my imagination? Or was he truly watching me as if he knew?

I paced down the stone hallway, pressing my hand to my chest to calm my racing heart.

"Running again?"

His voice stopped me dead in my tracks.

I stiffened and slowly turned. Demyan stood just outside the doorway, casually leaning against the wall as if he had all the time in the world. But his eyes those piercing, golden eyes—were anything but casual.

“I wasn’t running,” I said, avoiding his gaze.

He pushed off the wall and strolled toward me, slow and steady, like a hunter approaching its prey. “You keep saying that.”

“I just needed air,” I repeated, eyes flicking away from him. Anywhere but his face. His half-loosened robe was dangerous enough bearing a glimpse of his firm chest and toned arms but the intensity in his stare was the real threat.

He gave a half-smile, c*****g his head. “Are you alright?”

I nodded quickly. “Yes. I’m fine.”

“Strange,” he said lightly. “Because you look like someone being haunted.”

I blinked at him. “Haunted?”

“By something you're not saying.” His voice dipped lower, almost a tease. “Or someone.”

My stomach twisted. He didn’t know. Or… if he did, he was doing a damn good job of pretending he didn’t. Which somehow made it worse.

“I’m just tired,” I said softly, hugging my arms around myself. “Too much has happened lately.”

“Fair,” he said. “Lucien’s actions were…unforgivable.”

My breath hitched. I glanced at him. “How did you—?”

“I arrived on time,” he said, gaze darkening for a second before he caught himself and smiled again. “You’re safe now. That’s what matters.”

Something about the softness in his voice made my chest ache.

He stepped closer, but not too close. Just enough to make me feel it. His presence. His heat. His concern.

“If it’s too much, you can walk away from all this,” he said quietly. “You don’t have to prove anything.”

I looked up at him, startled by the sincerity in his voice. He truly didn’t want me to suffer but he also didn’t know who I really was. What I had to protect.

“I can’t,” I whispered. “I need to be here.”

He studied me for a beat longer. “Then be careful, Perin.”

The way he said my false name made me flinch. Not because it was harsh. But because it wasn’t mine.

Then, just like that, he turned and walked away leaving me in the silence of the corridor with a storm raging inside me. He didn’t know. But part of me wished he did.