LOGINPearl’s POVThe hall fell into a thick, choking silence as the Imperial Head Scholar stepped forward. His expression was carved from stone, lips a grim line as his gaze fixed on me sharp, unforgiving.“Perin,” he said, his voice steady and heavy, slicing through the tension like a blade. “You stand before this council not as a student… but as a traitor to the Empire. Evidence has been presented, damning and irrefutable. You are hereby accused of treason against the crown.”The words crashed into me like a tidal wave. The crowd gasped. Whispers burst like embers across dry grass.Traitor…?My feet felt frozen to the floor. The weight of the accusation bore down on me harder than anything I’d faced before. Not because I was guilty but because I knew, deep in my bones, that someone had twisted something against me. I had done nothing. Nothing. But that didn’t matter. The brand had already been stamped.I stood motionless, a single figure beneath the banners of the Empire, as the air thic
Pearl POV The sky above the academy was beginning to shift from gold to deep amber as Demyan led me away from the crowd. I hadn’t expected him to seek me out like this not after the confrontation with Rowan, not after everything that had happened. But he did. With eyes that seemed too serious for the casual way he held my hand, he pulled me along a quiet path toward the garden steps behind the eastern tower.I didn’t say a word as we walked. Neither did he. Not at first.When we stopped beneath the shade of the twisted fig tree, where golden sunlight filtered through the leaves like scattered sparks, he finally turned toward me, his expression unreadable."You left," he said quietly.I blinked. “I had to. Cecil was worried. I didn’t mean to worry you.”Demyan’s eyes searched mine, but I could feel the tension just beneath the surface. He wanted to say something, his lips parted like he might but then closed again. He nodded once, almost absentmindedly.“I understand,” he said.But th
Pearl’s POVThe morning air was still and heavy, the kind that carried unspoken words and held back emotions. I stood in front of the small mirror, adjusting the final fold of my boy’s robes, ‘Perin’s robe’ as Cecil stood silently behind me, her fingers tightly gripping the fabric of her apron.“You don’t have to go back yet,” she said suddenly, her voice quiet but firm. “You can stay a few more days. It’s still early.”I met her gaze through the mirror. “The break is over, Cecil. If I don’t return now, questions will rise.”“I don’t care about their questions,” she snapped, stepping closer. “I care about you. You’ve barely rested. Your body’s still sore and… and danger lingers around you like a shadow. You’re marked by something bigger than either of us.”I turned, placing a hand gently on her arm. “I know, Cecil. But if I run now, I’ll keep running forever. Danger doesn’t fade just because I change places.”Her eyes glistened. “You could come with me to another town. We could start
Demyan’s POVThe fabric of my cloak brushed against the polished stone floor like the whisper of a storm. Deep crimson, it fell behind me in regal waves, the color of blood and fire, and today, of defiance.I pulled the hood up over my head, letting the shadow fall over my face, then fastened the black mask. It covered my expression but not the heat that simmered beneath my skin. I was not here as a son today, I was here as the Alpha-to-be, and I wanted answers.The hallway stretched long and cold, moonlight piercing through the tall windows. Each step echoed, loud in the silence, louder still in the turmoil of my thoughts. I didn’t want a war within my own home, but I’d start one if I had to.I reached the east corridor the one leading to my father’s private wing, when a figure stepped out of the shadows, blocking my path.Sirek.The last face I wanted to see.The man had always worn arrogance like a second skin, but today his smirk pushed me too far. He stood there in his grey cerem
Demyan’s POVThe room was dimly lit, bathed in the amber hue of the oil lamp by the bedside. The night air was heavy, still, save for the occasional whisper of wind brushing against the window panes.I leaned back on the bed, robe carelessly loose around my waist, chest bare, rising and falling slowly as I took another sip from the glass of wine in my hand.It should’ve calmed me. It didn’t.My mind… it wasn’t here.It was with her.Pearl.I closed my eyes for a moment, letting her name echo inside me. Her voice, her stubbornness, her sharp tongue and the way her eyes shimmered when she smiled, even when she didn’t mean to.She left.I knew she would.And yet, it didn’t stop the ache that settled deep within my chest.The silk sheets beneath me felt cold. Empty. I reached for her in my thoughts, remembering how she trembled under my touch, how her breath hitched when I whispered her name.I brought the glass to my lips again, the wine bitterer than I remembered. Or maybe it was just m
Pearl’s POVThe steam curled gently in the air, filling the bath chamber with a warm haze. I slipped into the water, sighing as the heat wrapped around my sore muscles. My limbs still trembled from the night before his touch, his words, the way he looked at me like I was something sacred.“Let me help you,” Cecil had offered moments ago, hovering near the tub with a concerned look.But I had quickly shaken my head. “I can do it myself, really.”She had narrowed her eyes slightly but said nothing. Thank the Goddess she didn’t press.Now, alone, I leaned back in the water, letting it soothe the ache in my thighs. My fingers moved slowly, brushing over my skin. When I reached a mark, one of many my breath hitched slightly. There, on the side of my breast, was a faint bruise shaped just like his mouth.I bit my bottom lip and closed my eyes, tracing it softly. Demyan.Each mark told a story. His restraint. His desperation. His love. I couldn’t stop the smile that curved my lips. I wasn’t







