Chp 31
1916 Words
PEARL
We reached the edge of the Scholar Woods, where a few academy staff waited to tie the blindfold and time us. The forest loomed ahead, tall trees casting dappled shadows across the marked path. I could already spot ropes, low-hanging branches, and what looked like a shallow stream near the middle.
Perfect. Just enough to humiliate us.
Demyan turned to face me, his hands already behind his back like a prisoner accepting his fate.
“Go ahead. Blind me,” he said dramatically. “Let the world fade into darkness.”
“You are so dramatic.”
He grinned. “That’s what makes me fun.”
I tied the cloth over his eyes a little tighter than necessary. “If you fall, don’t blame me.”
“Oh, I will,” he said easily, “and I’ll make sure the whole academy knows it.”
“Ready?” one of the scholars asked, raising a small brass timer.
I took a breath. “Ready.”
“Begin.”
We stepped into the woods, my voice already firm and clipped. “Okay, step over a root in three… two… now.”
His foot barely missed it.
“Oh, you are good at this,” Demyan said, arms held out a bit as he walked blindly.
“Don’t flatter me. Next, duck—now!”
He ducked too late. A branch caught his hair.
“Ow! You did that on purpose.”
“I warned you.”
“You paused.”
“I timed it.”
“You lied.”
I couldn’t help it—I laughed. He looked ridiculous stumbling through the woods like a drunk noble in a masquerade, muttering about betrayal and forehead injuries.
Still, he followed my instructions without question. And despite how chaotic he acted, I noticed how he listened—really listened—to my every word. He trusted me, even if he joked through it.
“Left. Step up. There’s a rock. Careful… and now a small log to your right. You need to step over it slowly.”
He did. Flawlessly.
“You’re actually doing pretty well,” I muttered.
“That’s because I have a very motivating voice guiding me,” he replied smoothly. “Kind of like music. Angry, sarcastic music.”
I tried to sound stern, but my lips twitched. “Less talking, more walking.”
We approached the stream, shallow but wide enough that one wrong step meant wet boots—and a bruised ego.
“Okay, this one’s tricky,” I said, voice lowering. “There are stones in the water. You need to step carefully, one at a time. I'll count you through them.”
“Lead the way, My Alpha.”
I chewed my bottom lip, nerves tightening in my chest. “Right foot forward… just a little. There’s a stone—yes, that’s it. Now left foot. Good.”
Step by step, he moved. His arms were slightly out, like he was ready to catch himself, but he kept trusting my every instruction. He didn’t even hesitate. I don’t know why, but something about that made my chest feel… warm.
Demyan trusted me more than I trusted myself.
As he reached the final stone, I whispered, “Okay. Now, big step forward. You’ll be back on dry ground.”
He moved.
His foot hit dirt.
We made it.
Demyan pulled off the blindfold and looked back with a grin, eyes crinkling from the sun.
“Told you we’d make a great team.”
I rolled my eyes, heart still pounding in my chest. “You almost fell. Twice.”
“But I didn’t.” His voice softened slightly. “Because you were there.”
That stupid flutter in my stomach returned.
Before I could say anything, the scholar at the end called out, “Time: forty-seven minutes. Well done.”
Demyan turned to me, offering a lazy bow. “Would you look at that? We didn’t die.”
“Don’t get used to it.”
But I smiled—just a little.
We walked back to the main hall in silence, the woods stretching behind us like a secret only we shared. The warm sun filtered through the leaves, lighting our path in golden patches. Demyan stayed beside me, unusually quiet.
Maybe it was the way the light caught in his hair.
Maybe it was the way his sleeves were rolled up, his shirt damp from where the stream had splashed us.
Or maybe it was just the adrenaline crashing down, but everything about this moment felt… different.
Calmer.
Real.
“I wasn’t sure you could actually guide me,” he said finally, breaking the silence. “But you did.”
“Didn’t have a choice,” I replied. “You’d probably walk into a tree on purpose just to blame me.”
He chuckled, glancing sideways at me. “That’s fair.”
A few beats passed. Then he added, softer, “You’re different when you’re serious.”
I looked up at him, startled.
He shrugged, almost shy. “I mean, don’t get me wrong—I enjoy teasing the life out of you. But when you’re focused… when you’re leading… it’s kind of—” He hesitated, then gave me a small, sideways smile. “It’s kind of cool.”
My chest tightened. I quickly looked away, heat rising to my cheeks.
“I’m always cool,” I mumbled.
He laughed again. “Sure you are, Perin.”
We reached the steps of the hall. No one was around—everyone else still out doing their tasks. The old building cast long shadows, and the breeze was starting to pick up, tugging gently at our clothes.
I moved toward the stairs, but my foot caught on the edge of a loose stone.
And I stumbled.
Hard.
Before I could hit the ground, Demyan’s arms wrapped around me, catching me against his chest with a sudden oof.
“Whoa—hey! You okay?” he said, holding me steady.
I blinked up at him.
He was… really close.
Too close.
His hands were gripping my arms, warm and firm. His face was just inches from mine—close enough that I could see the faint scar near his left brow, the gold ring in his eye that flickers when the light hits it just right.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
The wind rustled the leaves above. My heart pounded like a drum inside my ribs.
Demyan’s eyes flicked down—just briefly—to my lips.
Then back up.
“You should really stop falling for me, Perin,” he said, voice lower now, laced with that maddening charm.
I smacked his chest, breaking the moment. “You wish.”
But I didn’t step away immediately.
And neither did he.
*___*---*___*
DEMYAN – POV
One second, he was walking ahead of me with that stubborn determination he always had—and the next, he tripped.
I didn’t think.
I just moved.
My arms caught him before he could hit the stone steps.He landed against me, light but tense, his hands instinctively grabbing my shirt for balance.
And suddenly, the world slowed.
Perin was in my arms.
And I didn’t want to let go.
His face was turned up toward mine, surprise flickering in those dark eyes. The sharp, smart mouth I loved to argue with was only inches away. His cheeks were pink, probably from the fall, or maybe—just maybe—from being close to me.
My heart thudded hard in my chest, louder than it should’ve. What the hell was happening to me?
This wasn’t the usual teasing thrill. This was… dangerous.
Real.
I’d always known Perin was different. Too clever. Too fast. Too guarded. But lately—ever since we got separated during the game, since the night at the cabin—something inside me had started to shift.
He made me feel alive. Challenged. Curious.
And now?
Now I couldn’t stop looking at his lips.
What the hell, Demyan?
I covered it with a smirk. “You should really stop falling for me.”
I just wish i could say ‘her’, i really want perin to be a girl because of my confused feelings and the scent that is attracting me towards him, his eyes narrowed as he smacked my chest. “You wish.”
But he didn’t step back.
he stayed.
And I hated how much that thrilled me.
I loosened my grip slowly, carefully, giving him the choice to move. He did—finally—but the space between us still buzzed with something electric.
I watched him brush himself off like nothing had happened, like he hadn’t just sent my pulse into overdrive.
“Well,” I said, forcing my tone back into something casual, “you handled the blindfold well. I might even let you guide me through a battlefield next time.”
he rolled his eyes and muttered something under hid breath, but I caught the way his lips twitched—like he wanted to smile but wouldn’t let himself.
And I knew then: I was in trouble.
Not the playful, get-scolded-by-the-scholar kind of trouble.
The kind that wrapped around your chest and didn’t let go.
Later that night The academy was quiet.
I slipped away from the main hall once the laughter died down, leaving Rowan and Killian bickering over who had the worst time crossing the stream. I needed air—and space from my own damn thoughts.
The courtyard was bathed in soft moonlight, cold and still. The stone beneath my boots echoed faintly with every step. I leaned against a pillar and stared at the stars.
And I thought about him.
Perin Vale.
I dragged a hand through my hair, annoyed at myself. He was in my head—and not in the usual, competitive way.
There was something about him.
Too fast with words. Too sharp with eyes. Too aware of things most boys would miss.
And when I caught him today, when he stumbled and landed against me…
My heart had stopped. Just for a second.
His chest had been too soft. His scent—clean linen, river water, something faintly sweet—lingered longer than it should’ve. His eyes… they’d widened like he wasn’t used to being touched like that.
And then he didn’t move.
He stayed.
Boys didn’t react like that. Not usually. Not with me.
But the bathhouse—
I narrowed my eyes, remembering.
He outsmarted me. Sent a boy in his place. I’d been sure I’d catch him then. That was my moment, my proof. But he’d flipped it on me.
Now I couldn’t tell if he was actually just a strange, tightly-wound scholar with the worst attitude…
Or if he was something else entirely.
A girl?
Maybe.
But it didn’t make sense. Or maybe I just didn’t want it to make sense, because the idea was… dangerous.
And worse?
Tempting.
I closed my eyes, resting my head against the stone column.
“Get it together,” I muttered. “He’s a pain in your ass, not some moonlit mystery.”
But the memory of his weight in my arms, his breath catching against my neck…
I exhaled sharply, angry at the heat rising in my chest.
I didn’t know who he was.
I didn’t know what I wanted him to be.
But I was starting to think that whatever game Perin was playing…
I was losing it.
- Writer
