Chp 34
1981 Words
PEARL POV
I sensed him before I saw him.
A silence fell over the hallway, subtle but unnerving, like the moment just before thunder cracks. My steps slowed. I clutched the books to my chest tighter, reminding myself to keep my posture loose, my walk confident—like a boy.
But then I saw him. Leaning casually against the marble column by the library entrance was a stranger. Tall. Dressed in black robes with silver threading at the sleeves—an emblem I didn’t recognize. His eyes, cold and calculating, scanned the room with the kind of detachment that made your skin crawl.
He didn’t smile. Didn’t blink.
Just watched.
And when his gaze locked onto me—it stayed.
I stiffened.
There was no warmth in the way he looked at people. No flicker of curiosity or friendliness. It was the gaze of someone used to hunting the truth… and enjoying it. He tilted his head slightly.
“Perin,” he said, with a voice like velvet wrapped around a blade. “The infamous scholar with a perfect challenge record, I presume.”
I swallowed. “That’s me.”
He stepped forward. Not a sound from his boots. Like a shadow peeled itself off the wall.
“I’ve heard interesting things about you,” he said, circling. “Fast. Smart. Keeps to himself. Mysterious.” He stopped beside me. “Almost too perfect.”
The skin at the back of my neck prickled. I forced a grin. “Or maybe I’m just a boring student who does his homework.”
His eyes flicked over me—not lecherous, not admiring. Measuring. Like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
“I’m Lucien,” he said, offering a hand. “New observer sent by the Council. I’m here to monitor the Scholar Games—and evaluate… anomalies.”
My fingers twitched, but I didn’t take his hand.
Rowan’s voice echoed from the corridor. “Perin! Come on, Demyan’s already waiting.”
I turned toward Rowan like a lifeline, but not before Lucien whispered behind me—
> “You hide it well. But secrets don’t last long in this place.”
My chest clenched, I walked away, heart pounding louder than my footsteps. When I glanced back—
He was still watching me.
Smiling.
Like he already knew the truth.
Who is he? And why would he say something like that?
The way Lucien looked at me—through me—my stomach still twisted with unease. Everything about this place suddenly felt… off. Too loud, too tight. I couldn’t breathe.
My head throbbed, and I gripped my books harder until my knuckles turned white.
I can't do this anymore. Maybe Aunt May was right…
A girl like me, living under a lie, in a den full of wolves? I was playing with fire—barehanded.
I hurried away, pushing through the quiet side of the University, where few students wandered. The wind was softer here, brushing against the ancient stones and rustling the dry leaves like a whisper. I found an old tree with a bark worn smooth by time and dropped onto it.
My chest heaved.
Just breathe, Pearl. You're okay. You’re okay.
But I wasn’t.
Lucien’s voice replayed in my head like a curse.
“You hide it well. But secrets don’t last long in this place.”
I clenched my fists.
Who the hell is he? Some council observer? A royal spy? Or just another wolf playing mind games?
No—I can’t let him rattle me. If he’s here to threaten me, I’ll find out why before he finds a way to hurt me.
But I couldn’t tell Cecil. She’d panic. She’d send for my aunt, and everything I worked for would unravel. No… this fight was mine.
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I gasped, flinching away, my heart slamming into my ribs.
“Perin!” a voice called sharply.
I spun around, breath ragged—
But it wasn’t Lucien.
It was Demyan.
He crouched in front of me, brows furrowed, one hand still hovering near my shoulder. His eyes scanned my face with open concern, but beneath it—something else. A tension in his jaw. A flicker of protectiveness that looked too much like rage.
He sat beside me on the bark, his presence grounding me. I exhaled shakily.
“What happened, Perin?” he asked softly, his voice unusually gentle. “You looked like you’d seen a ghost when I touched you.”
I shook my head quickly. “I… I just got startled.”
Demyan didn’t buy it. His tone hardened, his eyes narrowing.
“Was it just me you thought it was? Or did you think it was someone else?”
He emphasized those last words like they tasted bitter.
I glanced down, gripping the edge of my tunic. “No one. Just… someone strange I met near the library. I didn’t recognize him, that’s all.”
Demyan didn’t speak. But he was watching me closely—too closely. Like he could sense every lie I didn't say.
“Don’t lie to me,” he said after a beat. “You were shaking. Whoever it was, they rattled you.”
I hated how much he noticed.
I hated that part of me wanted to lean into him, to let him carry my fear for just a moment. But I couldn’t. Because the truth was too dangerous.
Instead, I managed a weak smirk. “You worry too much.”
He rolled his eyes and muttered, “You make it impossible not to.”
Then, gently, he placed his hand on top of mine—warm, steady, his thumb grazing my knuckles just once before pulling away.
I didn’t move. I just stared at our hands.
And for the first time in hours, I felt safe.
But also… more exposed than ever.
*____*----____*
DEMYAN POV
The moment I saw him—Perin—rushing across the courtyard like something was chasing him, my heart kicked up in my chest.
He looked pale. Tight-jawed. Like he couldn’t breathe.
I didn’t even think. I followed.
He disappeared behind the old stone path that curved toward the quiet side of the university—the place most students avoided because of how eerie it felt. That’s how I knew something was wrong. Perin wasn’t the type to hide.
I found him sitting on a fallen tree, shoulders hunched, head bowed, one hand pressed over his chest like he was holding himself together.
I hesitated for only a second before I stepped forward and placed my hand gently on his shoulder.
He jolted like I’d burned him. His eyes—wide, terrified—met mine, and my stomach dropped.
He thought I was someone else. Someone dangerous.
“What happened, Perin?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm, but it came out rough. “Everything okay? Why did you panic?”
He was breathing hard. His eyes were darting, like he was deciding whether to lie.
“Was it just me… or did you think it was someone else?”
I couldn’t help the edge in my voice. I wanted—needed—to know who put that look in his eyes.
He tried to brush it off. “No one. Just some stranger near the library. Looked weird, that’s all.”
I didn’t buy it. Not for a second.
His posture, the way he clutched his robe, the flicker of fear he couldn’t hide—it all screamed something had happened. Something that shook him.
I sat down beside him, the bark creaking under our weight.
“Don’t lie to me,” I said lowly. “You’re not okay.”
He didn’t reply. Just stared ahead, pretending to be fine when he clearly wasn’t.
I hated it.
I hated that he didn’t trust me enough to say what scared him. I hated that I couldn’t punch whatever it was in the face. And most of all, I hated the feeling clawing at my chest—because I didn’t understand it.
Why did I care this much?
He’s just a scholar. A clever, annoying, infuriating scholar who gets under my skin.
And yet… every time he looked at me with those big, stubborn eyes, I felt something coil in my gut. Protective. Possessive. Confused.
Without thinking, I reached down and placed my hand over his. Just for a second. Just to let him know—I’m here.
He didn’t pull away.
And that… did something to me.
I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. His lips were slightly parted. His lashes flickered. There was something so strange about him—something I couldn’t name.
My wolf stirred under my skin, restless.
I turned away quickly, dragging in a breath. Get a grip, Demyan.
Still, I kept my body close, just in case someone—or something—tried to mess with him again.
Whoever that stranger was… if he came back, he’d have to deal with me.
I’d never seen Perin flinch before. Not like that.
Not even when he was soaked and shivering in the cabin. Not even when I caught him off guard in the courtyard. But earlier—he looked like he’d seen death itself.
And now, he was pretending like nothing had happened.
He sat across from me in the study hall, head bent over his scrolls, fingers tapping the parchment absently. He wasn’t reading. Just… faking it.
I could tell.
Then I saw him. The stranger from the other night. The one with the smug eyes and that calculated walk—Lucien.
He entered like he owned the place, his movements too smooth, too precise. Wolves who move like that are dangerous. They know exactly what they want.
I leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing as Lucien’s gaze swept the room—then landed on Perin.
I felt something shift in my chest.
He was walking straight toward him.
I rose from my seat halfway before I stopped myself. Relax. Maybe they just know each other.
But Perin didn’t look like he knew him.
In fact, the moment Lucien drew close, I watched the color drain from his face.
Lucien bent slightly, close enough to speak just to him. His expression was smooth, unreadable. But Perin—his shoulders stiffened. His hand clenched around his quill.
I couldn’t hear what Lucien said, but it was short. Just a few words.
Perin barely nodded in response. He looked down, like he wanted to disappear.
Lucien walked off a second later, casual, unbothered—as if he’d just greeted an old friend.
But Perin didn’t move.
He sat there, frozen. Eyes wide. Breath shallow.
My jaw tightened.
What the hell did that guy just say to him?
I stood up and made my way across the room, pretending to be nonchalant, but every step was deliberate. When I reached Perin’s table, I leaned against it like I was bored.
“You okay?” I asked.
He didn’t look up at first. Then, a forced smile. “Yeah. Why?”
I nodded slightly toward Lucien’s retreating form. “That guy. You know him?”
Perin hesitated. “Not really. Just… bumped into him yesterday.”
Lie.
I could smell it.
Something in me growled low, and I didn’t even realize I’d clenched my fist until I felt my nails digging into my palm.
He’s hiding something. And I didn’t like how easily that stranger could rattle him.
But I didn’t push. Not yet.
“Next time he comes near you,” I said slowly, “you tell me. Or I’ll handle it myself.”
Perin blinked at me, surprised. “Why do you care?”
Good question.
I glanced away, jaw tight. “I don’t like people threatening my classmates. That’s all.” But even I didn’t believe that.
- Writer
