Disguised Before The Alpha Prince

Chp 51

Pearl's POV

The announcement had come earlier in the day, two weeks off from the academy to visit family or simply rest.

The dorms buzzed with excitement. Some were already writing letters to their parents, others packing with laughter echoing through the halls.

For me, it was simple. I would visit Cecil. She had written to me just a week ago, urging me to come see her and rest. I missed her warmth, her fussing, her quiet strength. I needed it more than I admitted.

I folded my few belongings into a small travel bag. Across the room, Demyan was doing the same, only… he was quieter than usual.

Too quiet.

He folded his robes with unnecessary precision. His brows were slightly furrowed, jaw tense. But when I glanced at him, he caught me looking and offered a faint smile.

“I’m nearly done packing,” he said casually, voice low too, too low “What about you?”

“Almost,” I replied, watching him carefully. “Where are you going?”

He shrugged, avoiding my gaze as he tucked a book into his bag. “Just… home. It’s been a while.”

Something about the way he said it made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. His voice sounded forced, hollow.

“Demyan,” I stepped a little closer. “Is everything alright?”

He paused for a heartbeat, then smiled again, this time more convincingly but not enough to fool me. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t it be?”

I frowned. “Because you’re folding your clothes like you're preparing for war, not a vacation. And you’re keeping your distance.”

He didn’t answer right away. Just zipped his bag and turned slightly away.

“Maybe we just need a little space,” he said, too soft, too careful. “This break… it’ll be good.”

I stared at him, heart tightening for reasons I couldn’t name. There was a wall between us again, one I thought we’d broken through.

Why was he building it back up?

He didn’t meet my eyes. And I didn’t ask any more questions, even though I wanted to grab his arm and demand the truth.

Instead, I turned and silently resumed packing, the weight in my chest growing heavier.

Something was definitely off.

And for the first time in days, I was afraid not of him, or myself but of what this distance might mean.

The bag slung over his shoulder looked too heavy for a simple two-week break. Maybe it was the way he gripped it, knuckles white, or the way his eyes flickered toward me one last time tired, guarded, unreadable.

“Take care, Perin,” Demyan said, his voice low and soft like it always was when he was trying to sound unaffected. But I heard it, the hesitation, the weight hidden beneath.

I tried to smile. “You too. Travel safe.”

It was all I could manage. All I dared to say.

He lingered for half a breath, as if he wanted to say more, as if the silence between us had more meaning than either of us were willing to name.

But then he turned. Walked away.

And I didn’t stop him.

Killian caught up to him at the gate, calling his name. Demyan didn’t turn at first, but Killian grabbed his arm, and after a moment of exchanging words too quiet for me to hear, they disappeared together.

And just like that, I was left standing with Rowan.

The courtyard felt colder somehow. The buzz of goodbyes and laughter around us dulled into a soft hum in my ears. All I could see was Demyan’s back disappearing into the distance and I hadn’t even asked him why he looked so weighed down.

Why he felt like he was saying goodbye to more than just this place.

“Are you alright?” Rowan’s voice broke the silence beside me.

I blinked, pulling myself back to the present. “Yeah,” I replied, a little too fast. “Just… thinking.”

He tilted his head, studying me with that intense gaze of his, the one that always felt like it could peel through layers. “You didn’t even try to stop him.”

I crossed my arms, trying to shrug it off. “Why would I? He’s just going home.”

Rowan stepped slightly closer. “He’s not. That wasn’t the look of someone going home for rest.”

I glanced at him, a flicker of surprise crossing my face. He noticed too?

But instead of replying, I looked back toward the path where Demyan had vanished.

“I didn’t want to question him,” I murmured. “He didn’t look like he wanted to talk about it.”

“And you care about him enough to let him go?”

That question hit harder than I expected. I didn’t answer. Not because I didn’t know, but because… I did.

Rowan didn’t press. He simply stood beside me, quiet, thoughtful.

The silence stretched. I wasn’t sure what felt heavier—the storm brewing in the distance, or the one quietly building inside me.

I remained still, eyes fixed on the path where Demyan had disappeared minutes ago. I told myself I wasn’t worried. I told myself he was fine. That he would come back.

So why did my chest feel so... empty?

“You shouldn’t waste your thoughts on him,” Rowan’s voice came softly beside me, but there was an edge hidden beneath its calm.

I turned my head slightly, my brows knitting. “What do you mean?”

He gave me a half-smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I mean Demyan. He’s not who you think he is, Perin. That guy carries more secrets than anyone I’ve ever known. The kind that pulls people under when they try to get close.”

I looked at him carefully. Rowan’s gaze held mine, unwavering.

“I’m not trying to scare you,” he added quickly. “I just don’t want to see you hurt.” He stepped a little closer, and I could feel the warmth of his presence, the possessiveness laced under his concern. “If there’s ever a time you feel like things are too much or if you just need someone who won’t lie you can come to me.”

I drew in a breath, unsure how to respond. His words felt heavy, laced with something deeper. Was he warning me… or was he hoping I’d give up on Demyan?

“You’re acting like I’m chasing after him,” I said, my voice even. “I’m not. He’s just… someone I know.”

Rowan’s smile flickered. “Maybe. But I know how you look at him when you think no one’s watching. And I see how he looks at you like you’re the only one that exists.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, voice dipping lower. “But that doesn’t mean he’s right for you.”

I didn’t answer. My heart was conflicted, torn between the safety I felt around Rowan and the wildfire that blazed every time Demyan looked at me.

Rowan reached out, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “You’re strong, Perin. You deserve someone who sees you for everything you are. Not someone who disappears without a word.”

I nodded slowly, not quite meeting his eyes. His words dug into my mind, planting doubts where there had only been confusion before.

But despite it all despite Rowan’s quiet intensity and his open offer of comfort my thoughts still drifted back to Demyan. To his warmth, His silence, His storm.

I adjusted the straps of my satchel and glanced up at the sky. The trees were thick ahead, the forest already beginning to swallow the sun. I hadn’t planned on the path taking this long, but I needed to see Cecil. Just once. Just for a few hours before I left again to face this tangled world of secrets and expectations.

“I’ll come with you,” Rowan said, appearing at my side with a calm certainty.

I blinked. “It’s not necessary”

“It is,” he interrupted, his tone firmer than usual. “You’re not crossing the forest alone.”

Something in his expression silenced the protest on my tongue. His jaw was tight, his hand resting casually near the hilt of the small dagger at his belt. His body was calm but his eyes were scanning the treeline as though he expected something to leap out at any moment.

He didn’t speak much as we walked, but his presence was heavy beside me. Protective. Focused. Every time a twig snapped or an owl hooted overhead, I could feel him stiffen slightly, ready to act. I couldn’t deny the safety I felt with him.

“You don’t trust the woods?” I asked, trying to lighten the air between us.

“I don’t trust what lurks in them,” he said bluntly. “Especially not when you’re around.”

I raised a brow at that. “I’m not helpless, you know.”

He gave a soft, dry laugh. “You’re strong, Perin. But strength doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be protected.”

His words echoed strangely in my chest. For a moment, I didn’t know what to say.

We continued in silence, the distant shimmer of Cecil’s village finally beginning to appear through the thinning trees. The weight in my chest eased slightly, knowing I was almost there.

“You’re close to this girl?” Rowan asked suddenly.

I nodded. “She’s family. The only one I can truly be myself with.”

Rowan didn’t speak after that. He just walked closer, always slightly ahead, clearing any low branches, stepping in front of sharp thorns before I reached them. Every movement he made was careful, practiced. Like a soldier guarding something fragile.

Maybe he thought he was protecting me.

Or maybe… he was trying to claim me before someone else did.

The forest finally opened up to the edge of the village, where the faint scent of fresh bread and chimney smoke lingered in the air. The sight of the familiar stone path that led to Cecil’s cottage made something inside me unclench. I was close. I could finally breathe.

“We’re here,” I said softly, slowing my steps.

Rowan nodded beside me but didn’t move. His eyes swept the horizon once again, lingering on every shadow, every corner. The protective tension in him hadn’t faded since we entered the woods.

“You can go back now,” I said, turning to face him. “I can manage from here. Cecil’s house is just a few minutes away.”

He frowned slightly, as if weighing whether to argue. “Are you sure? I can at least walk you to the door.”

“I’m sure,” I replied gently, offering him a small smile. “You’ve already done more than enough.”

There was a beat of silence between us. The breeze picked up, rustling the trees and brushing a few loose strands of hair into my face.

Rowan’s voice was low when he finally spoke. “You’d tell me if you weren’t okay, right?”

I hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. But I am okay. Really.”

His lips pressed into a tight line, but he gave a short nod. “Alright. I’ll head back.”

He didn’t say goodbye, just turned and walked a few paces before pausing to glance over his shoulder. “If anything happens… anything at all… call for me.”

“I will,” I promised.

With that, he finally turned away fully, his tall figure disappearing into the line of trees.

I stood there a moment longer, watching the place where he had been, then turned toward the narrow path that led to Cecil’s door.

I didn’t know what Rowan was thinking. Or why he looked at me the way he did sometimes like he knew more than he was letting on.

But right now, all I needed was Cecil.