Mated to Her Alpha Instructor Chapter 101

Derek

"I needed to pick something up—"

"Bullshit." She stepped closer, and there was something ugly twisting her pretty features now. "You have no reason to be anywhere near those rooms. Unless..."

I watched her piece it together, saw the moment the idea took root.

"Eileen," she breathed. "You were with *her*."

"What? No—"

"Don't lie to me!" Her voice cracked like a whip, loud enough that a few passing students glanced our way. She grabbed my arm, nails digging in through my sleeve. "That's where she works, isn't it? And you—" Her laugh was bitter. "You went to see her."

"Celeste, you're being ridiculous—"

"Am I?" She was almost vibrating with fury now. "Because last night, you told me you were going training with Blake. Remember? Late session, you said. You'd be back around midnight."

My blood went cold.

"But then I ran into Blake's girlfriend this morning," Celeste continued, her voice gaining a sharp edge. "And you know what she told me? Blake's been with her EVERY EVENING this week!"

Fuck. *Fuck.*

"So where were you really, Derek?" She pulled me closer, her face inches from mine. "Who were you *really* with?!"

"I was—it wasn't—" My mind scrambled for an excuse, any excuse. I'd been with Lyra at that little tavern off campus, but I couldn't say that. And I definitely couldn't admit I'd just cornered Eileen in a storage room, grabbed her, threatened her—

The silence stretched too long. I saw the moment Celeste's anger crystallized into certainty.

"You're still obsessed with her," she whispered. "After everything, you're still sniffing around that pathetic little wolfless—"

"It's not like that—"

"Then what *is* it like?" she demanded. "Tell me. Right now. What were you doing in the herb rooms with *her*?"

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Every possible answer felt like a trap.

And in my hesitation, Celeste's expression shifted from fury to something colder. More dangerous.

"Oh my God." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "You've been *seeing* her. This whole time. All those lies about training, about being busy—you've been sneaking around with that desperate little bitch behind my back."

"No! Celeste, that's not—"

"Don't!" She shoved my chest hard enough to make me stumble back a step. "Don't you dare lie to me anymore. It all makes sense now. The way she suddenly stopped following you around, acting like she was *over* you—it was an act, wasn't it? You two planned it. Pretend to hate each other so no one would suspect—"

"You're being crazy—"

"I'm being *crazy*?" Her voice cracked, rising loud enough that several students stopped to watch. "You reek of that storage room, Derek! The same place she works every day! And you expect me to believe you just happened to be there? That you weren't meeting her?"

Tears were streaming down her face now, but her expression was twisted between hurt and rage. And something else—something that made my blood run cold. Her eyes were starting to shift, the pupils elongating. Her wolf was rising.

"You bastard," she spat, and her voice had dropped half an octave. "You absolute *bastard*. I knew you had a thing for her—secretly—but I thought once we were together, once you had me, you'd finally get over it. But no. You just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

"Celeste, calm down—" I took a step back, suddenly very aware of how close she was. How her nails had grown sharper where they dug into my arm.

"And her—God, that innocent act." Celeste's laugh was harsh, almost a snarl. "Playing the victim, the poor little wolfless girl who got her heart broken. But she knew exactly what she was doing, didn't she? Knew you'd come crawling back eventually because men like you *always* do."

She grabbed my wrist, and I felt her claws break skin. "Well, you know what? I'm done being made a fool of. We're going to find her right now, and everyone's going to see what you both really are."

"Celeste, wait—" Panic spiked through me. She was half-shifted, her strength doubled, and the look in her eyes said she was ready to tear someone apart. Maybe me. Maybe Eileen. Maybe both of us.

I couldn't tell her the truth now. Not when she was like this. *I was with Lyra last night* would only make things worse—prove I was cheating, just not with who she thought. And admitting I'd cornered Eileen, grabbed her, threatened her? That would make me look even worse.

I was trapped.

"You think I'm insane?" She was already dragging me forward, toward the residential quarter, her grip bruising. "I should have known better than to trust a Beta who couldn't even be loyal when he got exactly what he wanted. And her—acting so high and mighty lately, like she's too good for everyone now."

"Celeste, please—" I tried to dig my heels in, but she was too strong now, her wolf too close to the surface. Students scattered out of our path, eyes wide.

"Everyone's going to know!" Her voice rang across the quad, loud enough to echo off the buildings. "Everyone's going to see that underneath all her playing at being better, she's still just a desperate little nobody. And you—" She yanked me so hard I nearly fell. "—you're just another cheating bastard who couldn't keep it in his pants!"

This was spiraling out of control. I'd wanted Eileen put in her place, yes, but not like this. Not with Celeste half-feral and dragging me along like a trophy, not with half the academy watching and whispering.

But I couldn't stop her. Not without making everything worse. Not without admitting truths that would destroy me just as thoroughly as they'd destroy Eileen.

So I let her pull me forward, my heart hammering, cold sweat breaking out across my back.

I'd wanted consequences for Eileen. I just hadn't expected to be dragged into them too.