Mated to Her Alpha Instructor Chapter 130

Eileen

He set me on my feet beside the bed, firelight from below casting dancing shadows across his features as he slowly, deliberately began unfastening my dress. "Tell me what you want," he murmured against my temple.

"You," I breathed. "All of you."

The dress pooled at my feet and his hands were on me, fingertips tracing the curve of my waist, the slight swell of my abdomen where our child grew. "You're so beautiful," he whispered, reverent. "Every change, every day—more beautiful."

I reached for him, tugging his shirt free and running my palms across the hard planes of his chest, feeling his heartbeat thunder beneath my touch. "I need you, Regis. Need to feel you close before you go."

He lifted me onto the bed with careful strength, following me down into the soft furs, his weight settling over me in a way that made me feel simultaneously protected and desired. His mouth found the curve of my neck, lips brushing over the faded mark there, and I felt the first stirrings of heat bloom beneath my skin.

"Here?" he asked, tongue tracing the old scar.

"Yes," I gasped as his teeth scraped lightly. "Please."

But he didn't bite, not yet. Instead his mouth traveled lower, kissing and tasting, hands exploring with the thorough attention he always gave me, as though mapping every inch was both duty and privilege. When his fingers found the heat between my legs I arched into his touch, already desperate, the bond between us amplifying every sensation until I couldn't tell where my pleasure ended and his began.

"So responsive," he groaned against my breast. "So perfect for me."

His fingers worked me with maddening skill, building the pressure until I was writhing beneath him, small desperate sounds escaping my throat. Through our bond I felt his own arousal, his restraint, Valdor prowling beneath his skin demanding he claim and mark and possess.

"Regis, please—"

"Not yet, love. Not yet." He shifted lower, replacing fingers with mouth, and the first touch of his tongue made me cry out, hands fisting in his hair. He worked me relentlessly, pushing me higher and higher until the world narrowed to sensation and need and the overwhelming presence of him in my mind and body both.

When the first climax crashed over me I screamed his name, back bowing off the bed, and felt his satisfaction through the bond like a second wave of pleasure. Before I could catch my breath he was moving up my body, positioning himself at my entrance, eyes blazing gold in the firelight.

"Ready?" he asked, voice barely human.

"Yes. Please yes."

He entered me slowly despite the urgency I felt thrumming through him, giving my body time to adjust, and the stretch and fullness drove coherent thought from my mind. When he was fully seated he paused, forehead pressed to mine, both of us breathing hard.

"I love you," he said roughly. "Moon help me, I love you so much it terrifies me."

I cupped his face, thumbs stroking his cheekbones. "I love you too. Now move."

He did, setting a rhythm that was both tender and claiming, each thrust driving deeper, hitting places that made stars burst behind my eyelids. My legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer, needing more, needing everything.

Through the bond I felt him approaching his own edge, felt Valdor demanding he mark me properly, permanently. "Do it," I gasped. "Mark me. Make the bond strong."

His rhythm faltered, eyes flaring brighter. "You're sure?"

"Yes. Now, Regis. I need—"

His teeth sank into my neck at the same moment he drove deep, and the dual sensation—pain and pleasure, bite and thrust—sent me spiraling into an orgasm so intense I lost sense of everything but him. I felt his release pour into me as his mark reformed, felt the bond between us blaze incandescent, felt Valdor's triumphant howl echo through both our minds.

When awareness slowly returned I found myself cradled against his chest, his tongue carefully cleaning the fresh mark, his hands stroking my hair with infinite gentleness. "Mine," he murmured. "My brave, beautiful mate."

I managed a shaky laugh. "Yours. Always yours."

He rose briefly to fetch warm water and cloth, cleaning us both with tender care before gathering me back into his arms. The blankets cocooned us in warmth and the scent of our joining, and through the renewed mark I could feel him so clearly—his love, his fear, his absolute determination to keep me safe.

"Sleep now," he whispered, lips against my temple. "I'll watch over you."

"You need rest too," I protested weakly, already feeling exhaustion pull at my limbs.

"I'll rest when I know you're safely asleep." His hand settled over my abdomen, protective and possessive. "Both of you."

I wanted to argue but comfort and security and the lingering afterglow of our connection dragged me under. The last thing I was conscious of was his heartbeat beneath my ear and his voice, so quiet I might have dreamed it: "I'll burn the world before I let anyone hurt you."

Dawn came too soon, pale light filtering through the window to find us still tangled together. Regis was already awake when I stirred, watching me with an expression so full of love and sorrow it made my chest ache.

"Time?" I asked.

"Soon." He brushed hair from my face. "Kieran's waiting in the clearing."

We dressed in heavy silence, the weight of parting settling over us like frost. When we descended to find him in full travel gear, weapons strapped and ready, the reality of what he was riding into crashed over me anew.

At the door he pulled me close one final time, one hand cradling the back of my head while the other splayed protectively over my belly. "Remember your promise," he said against my hair. "Any sign of trouble—"

"I'll call immediately." I pulled back to meet his eyes. "And you remember yours. Come back to us."

"Always." He kissed me then, deep and claiming, pouring everything he couldn't say into the press of lips and touch of tongues. When he finally pulled away we were both breathing hard. "Two days. Three at most."

I watched from the doorway as he mounted his horse, as Kieran emerged from the trees on his own mount, as they turned toward the road that would take Regis back to the Academy and whatever confrontation awaited him there. Just before the forest swallowed them, Regis looked back, and I raised one hand in farewell, the other resting on my stomach.

Through the bond I sent everything I couldn't voice—my love, my trust, my determination to be worthy of his faith in me. I felt his response like a caress, like a promise, like an oath written in fire across both our souls.

Then he was gone, and I was alone with my purpose and the mark burning bright on my neck. I turned back into the cottage, fingers touching the fresh bite, and made my own silent vow.

I would talk to Nina. I would uncover whatever secrets Silas had died to protect. I would help build a world where people like us—marked by blood and circumstance and the cruelty of others' choices—could stand in sunlight without fear.

And when Regis returned, I would show him exactly what his Luna was capable of.

The morning sun broke over the trees, painting everything gold, and I stepped back into the cottage to begin.