Disguised Before The Alpha Prince

Chp 46

Pearl POV

The silence between us was soft this time. Not like before, when words were weapons and space was a battlefield. Now it is completely different from before, a pocket of peace after the storm.

Still… questions itched beneath my skin.

As we began walking back through the woods, I tried to find the right moment. He was walking a little ahead of me, always glancing back, like he wasn’t just checking to see if I was still following, but watching over me.

“Demyan,” I called softly, trying not to sound too eager.

He slowed and turned, his expression unreadable. “Yeah?”

“I was wondering… about your partner for the task. Didn’t you have one assigned?”

He nodded. “He fell sick before we even left. I informed the Head Scholar before following you.”

I blinked. “So… you came after me alone? Even though you weren’t part of the task anymore?”

He shrugged, like it was nothing. “You were with Lucien.”

That name made my stomach twist. I looked down at the ground. “And… about Lucien?”

“I’ve already dealt with him,” Demyan said calmly. “He won’t be coming near you again. I made sure of that.”

The way he said it sent a chill up my spine. It wasn’t a threat. It was a promise.

And that made me feel safer than I should’ve.

We kept walking, and when we came across a shallow stream, I paused, looking for stones to hop across. But Demyan just stepped forward and without a word he scooped me up into his arms like I weighed nothing.

“Wha—Demyan! I could’ve walked!” I said, half panicking as I clung to his shoulders.

“I know,” he replied, his tone amused. “But there is no need for you to walk. Not today.”

I felt my face heat up as he carried me across and gently set me down on the other side.

When we approached a narrow ledge with a cliff edge just to our right, he held my hand tightly, guiding me across each step. Not once did he let go.

And every few feet, he kicked away loose rocks or cleared the path with his boot before I could trip on anything.

It was like he was creating a trail just for me.

“You don’t have to… do all this,” I mumbled after a while, embarrassed by how gently he was treating me. “I’m a boy, remember? Boys are supposed to be strong, not—”

He stopped walking and turned to me with a small laugh, his eyes glinting with something warm and wicked.

“You’re not like other boys, Perin.”

I blinked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He looked away with a smirk and muttered under his breath, “If you only knew.”

Finally, we reached the bottom of a steep slope. The path was jagged and muddy. One look at it and my legs already ached.

“You can’t climb that,” Demyan said, already crouching down.

“What are you—?”

“Get on,” he said over his shoulder. “You’re hurt. You’re not walking up that cliff.”

“Demyan—”

“No arguments,” he cut me off. “You either climb my back, or I carry you.”

With a defeated sigh, I climbed on. He hooked his arms beneath my knees and hoisted me easily. I could feel the heat of him through his shirt, the steady strength of his back, and the warmth of his scent so close to mine.

And for a second… I felt safe again. He was muscular and stronger than any other man I met and he didn’t seem to mind carrying me not just physically, but through every storm I refused to name.

The temple gates looked like salvation etched with ancient markings, flanked by tall silver flags fluttering in the late afternoon wind. The moment we stepped through, a dozen eyes turned to us.

Whispers followed like a ripple in the water.

I immediately slid off Demyan’s back, landing a little awkwardly on my feet. My legs still felt like jelly. My heart raced, not from the climb, but from the weight of all those stares.

Demyan stood beside me like a silent storm. Broad. Unshaken. Like he was ready to strike anyone who said a word.

“Perin?” It was Rowan’s voice, calling from across the courtyard.

He rushed toward me, worry painted across his face. “Where were you? We heard Lucien left without reporting back. What happened? Are you alright?”

I opened my mouth, but Demyan stepped slightly in front of me.

“He left him in the forest. I found him alone,” Demyan said coolly, his tone holding just enough edge to silence any more questions.

“Left him alone!!” Rowan’s eyes flickered to me sharply.

I felt my breath hitch but Demyan didn't answer him. He just stared down Rowan with such intensity, even Rowan seemed to lose his footing for a second.

Killian approached from the side, clearly tense. “Where’s Lucien now?”

“He won’t be coming back for a while,” Demyan said, brushing invisible dust off his sleeves. “He’s… recovering.”

I shivered, remembering how Lucien had whispered in my ear. How close I’d come to—

No. I couldn’t think about that. Not here.

“Should we report this?” Rowan asked.

Demyan met his gaze, firm and unblinking. “Leave it to me.”

And just like that, the conversation was over. Demyan’s authority wrapped around the moment like steel.

We were escorted inside by a few scholars. I could still feel the stares, but none dared to ask questions. Not when Demyan was walking beside me like I belonged to him—like I was something he had fought for.

Once we were inside the quiet warmth of our assigned quarters, I let out a slow breath.

Demyan didn’t speak right away. He just placed a hand lightly on my back, guiding me to sit down on a cushion near the fire.

“You're safe now,” he murmured.

I looked up at him, heart pounding. “Why are you being so… kind to me?”

He didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he just crouched in front of me, eyes dark, jaw tense, as if he was battling with a thousand words he couldn't say.

“I told you,” he said finally. “You’re not like the others.” My heart fluttered again.

The great hall was tense. The midday sun poured through the stained-glass windows, casting flickers of color over the floor, but the air was heavy too still, like it held its breath with us.

All the students were gathered, lined in neat rows. I stood between Rowan and Killian, trying to seem calm, though my nerves pulsed in my fingertips.

At the front, the head scholar stood with several other senior scholars behind him, their expressions grave.

A hush fell as he stepped forward.

“A decision has been made regarding the conduct of one of our students,” the head scholar announced, his voice ringing through the silence.

My heart thudded.

“Lucien has been dismissed from the Scholar Academy,” he said, every word firm and final. “Due to behavior unbecoming of a scholar and a threat to another student’s safety.”

Gasps rippled through the hall. A few students exchanged shocked looks. Rowan turned to me immediately.

“Did something happen? Is this about—?”

I didn’t answer.

My eyes were already on him.

Demyan.

He was leaning casually against one of the marble pillars, arms crossed, face unreadable but his lips curled into the faintest smirk.

A chill ran down my spine. He didn’t even try to hide it from me.

He wanted me to know.

I stared at him, stunned. He had made it happen silently, powerfully. The man who once said he wouldn’t get involved had torn Lucien out of the academy with one pull of a string I never saw.

The head scholar continued with other announcements, but my thoughts had already drowned in that moment. I could still feel Demyan’s eyes brushing over me like a silent promise.

He didn’t look away. Neither did I. Somehow, deep down, I knew this wasn’t just about punishment, It was personal and it had everything to do with me.

The crowd had thinned. The buzz of whispered gossip still clung to the hall like smoke after a fire. Everyone was talking about Lucien’s sudden expulsion but I wasn’t listening to them.

I was moving through the empty corridor behind the east wing, my steps quickening with each turn. I needed to find him.

And I did.

Demyan stood outside the stone balcony, where the ivy wrapped around the railing. He was alone, staring off into the woods in the distance like he hadn’t just shaken the very foundations of the academy.

I stopped behind him. “You did it.”

He turned slowly, the smirk gone now, replaced with something quieter, warmer.

“You make it sound like a crime,” he said.

I walked toward him, eyes never leaving his. “Don’t play dumb. Lucien was removed right after our return. No one else knew what happened… You made it happen.”

He didn’t confirm it, but he didn’t deny it either.

“You saved me.” My voice wavered. “Again.”

Demyan looked away, his jaw tight. “You shouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place.”

I stepped closer, searching for his expression. “But how did you do it? The head scholar, the committee, they don’t act this quickly or harshly without real pressure. You... you knew who to talk to.”

He finally looked at me, something unreadable in his eyes. “I know people.”

That wasn’t just knowing people. That was an influence. Power. He wasn’t just a strong fighter or a brilliant student. He was something more. Something... dangerous.

He could bend the system without flinching.

And he did it for me.

For the first time, I truly grasped it.

Demyan wasn’t just strong. He was connected. Feared. Respected. Maybe even… untouchable.

And yet, here he was, arms crossed loosely, gaze locked on me like I was the only thing he wanted to protect.

“Why do you keep doing this?” I asked him softly.

He gave a breath of a laugh, one that held no humor. “I told you before, didn’t I? I can’t help it.”

The silence that followed was heavy, but not uncomfortable.

“I’m not weak, you know,” I muttered, almost to myself. “I can protect myself too.”

“I never said you couldn’t.” His voice was lower now, almost reverent. “But I still will. Always.”

The sincerity in his tone hit me harder than any grand gesture and I didn’t know what scared me more, how far he went for me…or how much I wanted to lean into that warmth he always gave so freely.

It was getting darker and all the students returned back to their dorm.

The room was quiet when we stepped in. The door clicked shut behind us, and I stood near the entrance for a moment, watching Demyan remove his outer cloak and drape it over the chair like he had done it a thousand times before.

But tonight felt different.

I moved toward the bed slowly, still playing the earlier scene in my mind, Lucien being stripped of his rank, the stunned silence in the main hall, the way Demyan hadn’t even blinked.

He was now by the hearth, tending to a small fire. The orange glow lit up the sharp edges of his jaw, the way his brows were slightly furrowed in thought.

I lowered myself onto the edge of the bed, fingers absently tracing the hem of my sleeve. “You really did all that, didn’t you?” I murmured.

His eyes flicked to mine from across the room. “I did what I had to.”

“But how?” I asked quietly. “You’re not just a student here, are you?”

He didn’t answer right away. Just stared at the fire, the reflection of flames flickering in his eyes.

“I don’t like people hurting what’s mine,” he finally said, his voice calm—too calm.

My breath hitched. “Yours?”

Demyan straightened and walked toward me slowly, his steps quiet on the wooden floor. He crouched down in front of me, so close I could feel his warmth.

“Why are you so afraid of letting someone protect you?” he asked.

I didn’t know how to answer.

Maybe because no one ever had. Not like this.

He reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his touch gentle but purposeful. “One day,” he said softly, “you’re going to stop running from me.”

I swallowed hard, the air between us thick with tension. “You scare me sometimes,” I whispered. “Not in a bad way… just... you’re so much more than you pretend to be.”

His lips curved slightly. “Maybe one day I’ll tell you everything. But not yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because I need you to choose to trust me before I tell you who I really am.”

That just left me speechless.

He stood again and went to grab a small wrapped bundle. “You didn’t eat properly earlier,” he said, shifting the conversation effortlessly. “Here.”

I blinked, surprised as he handed me a warm roll and fruit he must have stashed from the kitchen.

Even in all that power, that danger… he still noticed whether or not I ate.

He still remembered the smallest things.

I took the food silently and watched as he moved to sit by the window, arms folded, eyes distant.

Just who are you, Demyan?

And why do I feel like the closer I get… the more I might lose myself?