Disguised Before The Alpha Prince

Chp 36

PEARL – POV

I stared at the same page for what felt like an eternity, but the words might as well have been in an ancient wolf dialect. My fingers gripped the edges of the book tighter, my mind refusing to focus.

Lucien’s warning. The stranger in the garden.

“He knows everything.”

The words haunted me, echoing inside my head like a curse I couldn’t shake.

I slammed the book shut.

Why can’t I just focus?

I was supposed to be here to learn, to prove that I could survive in this world dressed as Perin. But right now, I just felt like a fraud with fraying edges.

“Are you trying to kill the book or pass the exam?” a voice said lightly.

I looked up—Demyan.

He was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, his scholar robe slightly disheveled like he had either just fought a tree or slept through a lecture.

I blinked. “What?”

He walked over and pulled out the chair beside me, sliding into it with far too much ease for someone surrounded by piles of parchment and unread scrolls.

“You’ve been glaring at that book for the past hour like it owes you money,” he said, raising a brow. “Need help? Or do you need someone to dramatically throw it out of the window for you?”

I couldn’t help the small puff of laughter that escaped.

“You’re not funny.”

“I’m hilarious. You’re just too stressed to appreciate fine comedy,” he replied with a mock sigh. “So what’s got your brain twisted in knots? Is it the treaties? The histories? Please don’t say the battle strategies. Those gave me nightmares.”

I looked at him, and smiled,he was trying to make me laugh, he must have noticed that I was stressed. There was humor in his voice, but his eyes were watching me carefully—soft, concerned, like he saw through the armor I thought I was still wearing.

“I just… can’t concentrate,” I muttered. “Everything’s a mess right now.”

Demyan tilted his head. “Then maybe you need a break. Come on, let’s do something mindless. Like testing how many pencils we can stick in Rowan’s hair before he notices.”

I snorted, shaking my head. “You’re impossible.”

He grinned. “And yet, here I am. Your loyal study jester.”

His ridiculousness made my chest feel a little lighter.

Just a little.

And for the first time all day, I felt like I could breathe.

He pulled my arms and made me stand.

“Come on, let’s go out and get some cool breeze. You’ll feel better,” he said as he dragged me toward the door.

I tried tugging my hand free, but his grip was firm—gentle, yet unyielding. Moon goddess, he’s strong.

“I need to study, Demyan. I don’t have time for this,” I muttered, lowering my gaze, already feeling the guilt of wasted time gnawing at me.

He didn’t say a word. Just kept walking, half-dragging me behind him until we were outside, under the open sky.

The breeze was soft against my face. Cool. Calming.

“Studies can wait, Perin. If you want, I’ll help you later,” he said, glancing at me with a grin. “I’m surprisingly good at pretending to be smart.”

I tried to keep my expression neutral, but a smile tugged at my lips despite myself.

“Pretending, huh?”

“Hey, don’t judge me. I’ve survived this long. It’s a talent.”

I rolled my eyes and sat down on the stone bench near the small courtyard fountain. Demyan plopped down beside me like he had no bones in his body, his posture lazy, his head tilted back to soak in the fading sun.

“I know something’s bothering you,” he said after a pause, his voice softer now. “You’ve been zoning out a lot. Frowning. Looking like you're about to challenge your books to a duel.”

My smile faded.

“I’m fine,” I said.

He didn’t force me to answer his questions. Just let the silence linger, like he was giving me space—but staying close in case I needed to fill it.

I glanced sideways at him. His eyes were closed, lashes casting shadows on his cheeks. The breeze tossed his hair in all directions, and for a moment, I forgot about Lucien. About the fear clawing at my ribs.

Being near Demyan… it was like finding a pause button in the middle of a storm.

Maybe I could let myself breathe—for a little while.

“I really should go back inside,” I said, pushing myself up from the ground. “I have to study or I’ll fail.”

I took a step, trying to sound confident and serious. But of course—just my luck—my foot slipped on a patch of damp stone.

“Ah—!”

I crashed forward with a yelp, landing hard against Demyan. My palms hit his chest first, but then the rest of me followed—my chest pressed tightly against his, our faces inches apart.

His hands instinctively caught my waist to steady me, but the contact made my skin erupt with heat.

His chest was firm beneath me. Too warm. Too steady. My heart thundered in my ears, and I realized—moon goddess—my chest was pressed directly against his. And worse… my face was burning. Burning.

A flush raced up my neck and exploded across my cheeks like fire.

Oh no.

The potion. The scent-masking potion Cecil gave me every morning. I forgot to reapply it.

I forgot.

I felt it—my scent shifting, spiking under stress, reacting to the sudden closeness. I could feel the warmth of Demyan’s hands, still holding my waist. But now… now something is changing.

His grip stiffened slightly. His brows knit together.

And then… he inhaled.

Slowly. Deeply.

Like something just struck him. A realization? Or just confusion?

I tried to push away from him—gently, but urgently.

“Sorry—sorry!” I scrambled, my voice cracking, “I didn’t mean to—”

But he didn’t move.

His eyes were locked on mine, his expression unreadable. His body leaned slightly closer instead of moving away. His nose flared again—subtle, but enough to tell me he’d caught it.

Why now? Why today?

“What… is that?” he murmured, his voice low, husky, like he was trying to solve a puzzle that was tugging at the edges of instinct.

Panic surged in me.

I tried again to get away, this time forcing space between us with a little more strength. “I—I should go,” I stammered. “Really.”

He blinked like he was pulling himself out of a trance, but his eyes didn’t stop following me as I stood, brushing myself off with shaking hands.

This can’t be happening. Not now. Not like this.

If he figures it out—if he connects the dots…

I needed to find Cecil. I needed more potion. I needed to run before everything I’d built came crashing down.

But behind me, I could still feel Demyan’s eyes on my back, lingering with questions that hadn’t existed before.

I ran.

I didn’t even stop to think—just kept moving until the garden, the halls, the curious glances from students were behind me. My heart was still racing, pounding like a war drum inside my chest.

When I finally reached the servant quarters, I yanked the door open and stepped in, gasping as if I’d been underwater.

“Cecil!” I called out, my voice tight, desperate.

She turned from the small desk in the corner, her expression shifting from calm to concern in a heartbeat. “Pearl? What happened?” she whispered, rushing over to me and closing the door.

“I think—” I panted, grabbing her arms, “I think the potion is wearing off. He—he almost caught my scent. I fell on him, Cecil! Full on! Chest-to-chest and his nose was practically buried in my neck.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh moon goddess…”

I paced in front of her, arms flailing like I was unraveling. “He sniffed me, Cecil. Like—deeply. And then just stared like he was trying to figure out who or what I was. I could see it on his face. I could feel it in the air.”

Cecil groaned softly and pulled me toward the small wooden bench near the bed. “Sit down. And calm down.”

“How should I calm down!” I hissed. “I forgot to reapply the potion this morning and now Demyan’s probably halfway to piecing the whole thing together!”

Cecil quickly opened a hidden compartment in the cabinet and pulled out a small vial of the scent-masking potion. She handed it to me with shaking fingers. “Here. Take it. Now.”

I gulped it down without hesitation, the cool liquid burning my throat in the worst way.

Cecil sat beside me, watching me closely. “Did he say anything?”

“No. But he didn’t need to.” I leaned forward, burying my face in my hands. “He looked at me like he was on fire and he was trying to figure out what was happening .”

She placed a gentle hand on my back. “Pearl… maybe it’s time we figure out a way to lessen your contact with him. You’ve been getting too close.”

“I didn’t mean to.” My voice cracked. “It just keeps… happening. I hate how he makes me feel sometimes. The way he teases me, confuses me… and now this heat, this tension between us—I don’t know if it’s me or the mate bond reacting. I’m scared, Cecil.”

She sighed and looked away. “This is getting dangerous. And if that other wolf—Lucien—knows something too…”

I nodded slowly. “He whispered to me. Said he wouldn’t bite. But he knows. I can feel it. He’s just playing with me.”

There was a long silence between us, thick with anxiety.

Then Cecil whispered, “We may not have much time left before your cover starts cracking on all sides.”

“I need to be ready,” I murmured, fists clenched. “I can’t let them find out. Not yet.”

She stood and gripped my shoulders. “Then you need to be careful, Pearl. No more falling for handsome wolves. And for moon’s sake—no more skipping your potion.”

A small, shaky laugh escaped me. “Deal.”

*____*---*____*

DEMYAN – POV

I wasn’t expecting him to fall.

One moment, Perin was saying something about needing to study, the next—he was in my arms.

No, on me.

The force knocked the breath from my lungs as his body collided with mine. His chest pressed fully against mine, soft but firm in a way that didn’t make sense. And the scent that hit me next—

It wasn’t normal.

Not his usual faint, woodsy scent. This was warmer… richer… sweeter. My instincts stirred violently, confused and intrigued. I breathed it in deeper without even realizing it, and suddenly everything else faded—the sound of the breeze, the light of the setting sun, the world around us.

Only him.

Perin’s face was too close. Flushed. His body trembled slightly like he was trying to hold himself back. My hands were on his waist, and I wasn’t letting go. I couldn’t.

Damn his waist was so thin and body so soft I felt like staying this way forever.

My heart pounded, and then something else stirred to life—low, primal, and very much aware of the way he fit against me.

Damn it.

A heat pulsed in my core, heavy and immediate. I swallowed hard and shifted slightly, but it was too late. The tension was obvious—tightening in my trousers as my body reacted faster than my brain could reason.

I cursed myself silently.

What the hell is going on?

This wasn’t just attraction. It was need. Fierce, instinctual, and burning. His scent was calling to something inside me I didn’t even understand.

Perin looked terrified as he scrambled off me, his hands shaking, his face a shade of red I’d never seen before.

“I—I should go,” he stammered, avoiding my eyes.

I didn’t say anything.

Couldn’t.

I just sat there, still reeling, my body taut with confusion and heat. My eyes tracked his every movement. The sway of his steps. The way he held his arms close to his chest like he was guarding something.

That scent.

That body.

That moment.

Something’s not adding up. And this ache—this hunger that started the moment he touched me—it wasn’t going away.

My wolf stirred beneath the surface, pacing now. Alert.

There’s something about Perin… and I need to know what it is. Now I'm almost sure that perin is Pearl but I still need to be 100% sure.