Mated to Her Alpha Instructor Chapter 138

Eileen

The dining hall took my breath away. Moonstone lanterns cast soft light over a long table set with fine dishes and crystal glasses. Several wolves were already seated—older pack members, likely Adrian's inner circle and family.

Then he entered.

Alpha Cross commanded attention without trying. Tall and broad-shouldered, with gray eyes that seemed to miss nothing, he moved with the controlled power of a seasoned warrior. Morgan immediately went to his side, slipping her hand through his arm with comfortable familiarity.

"Forgive the delay," Adrian said, nodding to Regis. "Border security required personal attention."

"Understandable." Regis returned the gesture, and I felt the subtle assessment passing between the two Alphas.

Adrian's gaze moved across our group—pausing briefly on me with polite interest, lingering a moment on Owen and Mira with what might have been approval. Then his eyes landed on Nina.

I felt her entire body go rigid beside me.

The Alpha's expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes—recognition, maybe, or shock so carefully controlled it was almost invisible. His hand tightened almost imperceptibly on the wine glass Declan had handed him. The moment lasted perhaps two seconds before he looked away, turning to greet an elder who'd approached him.

"Nina?" I whispered, tightening my arm around hers. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." The word came out strangled. "I'm fine."

But she wasn't. I'd never seen her so pale, and her fingers clutched my arm hard enough to bruise. My mind raced, trying to understand what I'd just witnessed.

"Do you know him?" I kept my voice low as we moved toward our seats.

"No." She shook her head too quickly, too forcefully. "I've never seen him before."

The lie was obvious, but I didn't push. Not here, not now. I just guided her to the chair beside mine and tried to ignore the way my stomach had started churning with unease.

---

Dinner proceeded with surface pleasantness. Morgan proved to be an engaging conversationalist, asking about my work at the medical camp with genuine interest.

"I heard you developed a treatment for those parasitic infections," she said, leaning forward. "That's incredible, especially while pregnant. How are you managing?"

"Some days better than others." I appreciated her directness. "But the work helps. It gives me purpose."

"I understand that." Morgan's smile turned wry. "Everyone expects the Luna to just smile and look decorative. But Adrian knows better than to try keeping me in a cage."

Beside her, Adrian made a sound that might have been amusement. "She'd bite my hand off if I tried."

It should have been charming, the easy banter between chosen mates. But I noticed Nina beside me, barely touching her food, her head bowed so her hair fell forward to hide her face.

Across the table, Owen was introducing Mira to his parents—a kind-faced older couple who seemed delighted by their son's sudden mate bond. Mira gradually relaxed under their warm acceptance, her natural cheer reasserting itself. I was happy for her, truly. But it only made Nina's distress more noticeable by contrast.

I tried several times to engage Nina in conversation, but she gave one-word responses, never lifting her eyes from her plate. And each time I glanced toward the head of the table, I found Adrian looking in our direction—or rather, in Nina's direction—before quickly turning his attention back to Morgan or the elders.

Something was happening here that I didn't understand, and it made me feel a bit uneasy.

---

After the meal, Morgan suggested a walk through the gardens to view the moonstone lanterns. Most of the group agreed enthusiastically—Mira practically dragged Owen along, eager to explore, while Regis accepted with the courtesy expected between allied packs.

But before we could move toward the doors, Nina's hand caught my sleeve.

"I'm tired," she said, her voice flat and distant. "I'd like to rest."

"Nina—"

"Please." She still wouldn't meet my eyes. "I just need to be alone."

I watched helplessly as she hurried from the dining hall, her posture rigid with barely controlled panic. Every instinct screamed to follow her, but I also knew that Nina sometimes needed space to process whatever demons haunted her. Pushing too hard would only make her retreat further.

"Is she unwell?" Adrian's voice came from behind me, and I startled.

Up close, the Alpha's presence felt even more imposing, though his expression held only polite concern. Yet something about the careful neutrality of his tone felt wrong—too controlled, as if he were working hard to sound merely courteous.

"She's fine," I said quickly. "Just exhausted from travel."

He nodded slowly, but I caught the way his jaw tightened, the way his eyes tracked the doorway Nina had disappeared through. Then Morgan touched his arm, drawing his attention back, and the moment passed.

But it left me cold.

---

The gardens were beautiful, lit by dozens of glowing moonstones suspended in delicate iron frames. Mira exclaimed over every flower bed while Owen pointed out various features with obvious pride in his pack's territory. Regis walked beside me, one hand resting at the small of my back, alert despite the peaceful setting.

But I couldn't appreciate any of it. My mind kept circling back to Nina's reaction at dinner, to the way Adrian's eyes had found her across the room, to the tension that had hummed between them despite—or perhaps because of—their complete lack of direct interaction.

What had happened between them?

"Your friend went back to her room?" Morgan appeared at my elbow, her expression thoughtful. "I hope she's not feeling excluded. I'd hate for any guest to be uncomfortable here."

"She'll be fine once she rests," I assured her, though I wasn't certain of anything anymore.

Morgan studied me for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision. "You know what? I should check on her. Make sure she has everything she needs." Her smile brightened. "I'm actually pretty good at putting people at ease—comes from dealing with nervous pack members all the time. Why don't we both go? Girl talk might help her feel more welcome."

I hesitated, torn between the impulse to protect Nina's privacy and the genuine warmth in Morgan's offer. And beneath it all, my own burning need to understand what was happening.

Before I could respond, she'd already linked her arm through mine.

"Come on. We can bring her some of that honey cake from dinner—nobody can resist Cook's honey cake."

I glanced back at Regis, who'd been listening from a few paces away. He met my eyes, concern evident in his expression, and gave me a small nod. Permission, or perhaps acknowledgment that we both sensed something was wrong.

"Don't push if she wants to be alone," he said quietly.

I nodded, then let Morgan guide me back toward the main building, my heart beating faster with each step.

---

The hallway leading to the guest quarters felt longer than I remembered, my footsteps echoing off stone walls. Morgan chatted easily about tomorrow's ceremony preparations, but I barely heard her. My mind was too full of questions I couldn't answer.

Why had Nina reacted so strongly to Adrian? Why had the Alpha watched her throughout dinner with that carefully blank expression? And why did I have the unsettling feeling that they were both lying when they claimed not to know each other?

We stopped outside Nina's door. Morgan raised her hand to knock, still wearing that warm, open smile.

"Hello, Nina?" she called. "It's Morgan. I brought some dessert, and Eileen's here too. May we come in?"

Silence.

I pressed closer to the door, listening for any sign of movement inside. My pulse quickened with an anxiety I couldn't quite name.

Something was very wrong.

I knocked again, her cheerfulness dimming slightly. "Nina? Are you alright?"

Still nothing.

I reached for the door handle, my hand trembling slightly, and wondered what we'd find on the other side.