Mated to Her Alpha Instructor Chapter 129

Eileen

I processed this, my mind already leaping to implications. "Cornelius?"

"Almost certainly, though proving it is another matter." His hand found mine, fingers lacing together with desperate intensity. "But that's not what worries me most. Eileen, the way Silas operated, the sophistication of his network, the specific knowledge he had about witch capabilities..." Regis's voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "I think he wasn't just abusing Nina's mother for sadistic pleasure. I think he was trying to extract her magic. To weaponize it somehow."

The words hung in the air like poison.

"If he succeeded," I said slowly, horror dawning, "if he found a way to steal or replicate witch magic—"

"Then we will all be in danger." Regis's other hand came up to cup my face, his thumb stroking my cheekbone. "That's why I'd tripled the usual guard rotation. And if Silas's allies realize Nina survived, that she might know what her mother was forced to create—"

"They'll come for her." I finished the thought, my mind already racing through contingencies and defenses. "We have to stop them. Whatever Silas was planning."

"I know." Regis pulled me closer, burying his face in my hair. "But Eileen, this is dangerous. More dangerous than anything we've faced. These people have proven they're willing to torture and murder to get what they want." He drew back enough to meet my eyes, his own bright with barely contained emotion. "I need you safe. You and our child. I need you far away from this."

For a moment I let myself lean into him, let myself feel the fear that beat in time with my heart. Then I pulled back enough to hold his gaze, keeping our hands joined between us.

"Nina is me," I said quietly but firmly. "Maybe not in the specifics, but in everything that matters. She's someone the world decided wasn't worth protecting, someone whose pain was acceptable collateral damage in someone else's schemes." My voice wavered but I pushed on. "I know what that feels like, Regis. I know what it does to you, believing you're not worth defending, learning that your suffering is just... convenient for people with power."

His grip tightened on my hands but I didn't let him speak.

"I don't want our child born into this world. Not this version of it, where people like Nina have to hide what they are to survive, where people like I was are taught to be grateful for scraps of basic dignity." The words were shaking now but I didn't try to steady them. "I'm tired of proving I deserve to exist. I'm tired of watching others prove it too, over and over, while the ones who should be proving they deserve their power just... inherit it unchallenged."

"Eileen—"

"I know you want to protect me. I know every instinct you have is screaming at you to lock me away somewhere safe until this is over." I squeezed his hands, willing him to understand. "But I can't do that. I can't hide while Nina faces this alone. I can't stand behind you and let you fight battles that are mine to fight too."

Something shifted in his expression, fear giving way to something that looked almost like awe. "You're asking me to let you walk into danger."

"I'm asking you to trust me to do what I'm good at." I brought our joined hands to my chest, letting him feel my heartbeat. "I'm a healer, Regis. Let me help heal this. Let me talk to Nina, carefully, gently, see if she knows anything about what her mother was forced to create. Let me do something more than just existing behind your protection."

He closed his eyes, jaw working as he fought some internal battle. When he opened them again, they were bright with emotion I couldn't quite name. "You terrify me sometimes," he said hoarsely. "The courage it takes to say that, to ask for this when you know how desperately I want to keep you safe..."

"Then trust me." I leaned forward until our foreheads touched. "I'm not asking to charge into battle. I'm asking to use my skills to help someone who desperately needs it while hopefully uncovering information that might save lives. Let me be your partner in this, Regis. Not just someone you protect."

His exhale was shaky, warm against my lips. "If anything happens to you—"

"Nothing will happen. Not with Kieran watching over the station, not with you just a thought away through our bond." I pulled back to meet his eyes. "But we have to do something. We can't just wait for them to make the next move."

The silence stretched between us, filled only with crackling fire and thundering hearts. Then, slowly, Regis nodded. "All right. But you promise me—promise me, Eileen—that you'll be careful. That you won't push Nina beyond what she can handle, and you won't take any risks without backup."

"I promise."

"And if I say we need to extract you immediately, you don't argue."

"Yes, Alpha." I tried for lightness but his expression remained grave.

"I'm heading back to the Academy tomorrow to question Cornelius directly. He might know Silas's complete plan, and I can't get answers here." Regis cupped my face in both hands. "Kieran will stay at the station—he'll be under orders to protect you and Nina above everything else. I should be back in two days, three at most. And Eileen? If anything feels wrong, anything at all, you call for me immediately. I don't care what I'm doing or who I have to interrupt. You and our child come first. Always."

I turned my head to press a kiss against his palm. "I know. And you need to trust that I'll be smart about this, that I won't take stupid chances." A small smile tugged at my lips. "You've spent months telling me I need to value myself more. Let me show you I've been listening."

He made a sound that was half laugh, half groan, and pulled me into his arms. "When did you become so brave?"

"When I realized I had something worth being brave for." I tilted my head back to look at him. "When I understood that loving someone isn't about making yourself smaller so they can be bigger. It's about growing together until you're both strong enough to face whatever comes."

The kiss he pressed to my forehead was reverent, weighted with promise and pride and fear all tangled together. "You're going to be an incredible Luna," he whispered. "Not because of me or my family or any title. But because of this—because you see suffering and refuse to look away, because you choose compassion even when it's complicated, because you're willing to fight for what's right even when it's hard."

Tears pricked my eyes, the validation sinking into places that had been hollow for so long. "Then help me be that person. Don't ask me to hide from the hard parts."

"I won't." He kissed me again, properly this time, sealing the promise. "But I reserve the right to be absolutely terrified for you every single second."

"I can live with that."

We stayed wrapped in each other's arms while the fire burned low and the moon rose outside the windows, letting the gravity of what we'd agreed to settle around us. Outside, the night sounds of the forest continued their ancient rhythm. Inside, I felt something in my chest unfurl—not the absence of fear, but the presence of purpose.

When Regis finally pulled back, his eyes had shifted to something darker, more intense. His gaze dropped to my neck, to the mark that had faded to barely visible, and I felt the answering heat low in my belly.

"We should strengthen the bond," he said, voice gone rough. "Before I leave tomorrow. So I can feel you clearly no matter the distance."

I stood, taking his hand and pulling him toward the stairs that led to the loft bedroom. "I was hoping you'd say that."

The careful control he'd maintained all evening shattered. In one fluid motion he had me in his arms, carrying me up with Alpha speed, his mouth finding mine in a kiss that spoke of possession and worship in equal measure. By the time we reached the bedroom, my fingers were already working at his shirt buttons, desperate for skin against skin, needing the connection before reality intruded again.