Mated to Her Alpha Instructor Chapter 140

Regis

Something was off about Adrian.

I'd known him for years—fought beside him at the Alpha training camp, shared strategy over maps stained with blood and dirt. Adrian Cross was the kind of Alpha who could stare down a charging enemy line without blinking, whose decisions were as sharp and clean as a blade through bone.

But tonight, at the dinner before his own mating ceremony, he'd barely touched his food. He drank more than usual, his words carefully measured as he made conversation with those around him. To anyone else, he might have seemed composed, even relaxed. But I'd seen Adrian under pressure before—I knew the difference between calm and control.

*What's wrong?* I asked through our Alpha link, keeping my expression neutral.

His response came with a slight laugh. *Even Alphas get jittery before a ceremony this important.*

He had a point. Maybe I'd feel the same way when my time came. Before I could respond, he raised his glass toward mine. "Try the wine—we had it specially aged for tonight. It'd be an insult to the vintner if my dearest friend doesn't appreciate it."

The wine was remarkable—smooth and rich, with layers of flavor that lingered on the tongue. I'd always kept my distance from alcohol, knowing I didn't handle it well. But this was a celebration, in friendly territory, the night before Adrian's mating ceremony. Refusing would seem unnecessarily cautious.

I finished my glass. Then accepted another when Adrian's cousin came around with the bottle.

After dinner, we were all happy to join Morgan's suggestion of a garden stroll—all except Nina, who still seemed unable to adjust to the atmosphere.

The garden was beautiful in the moonlight, all silver-touched roses and stone pathways that wound between carefully manicured hedges. Morgan walked beside Eileen, their heads bent together as they talked about something I couldn't quite hear. Adrian and I fell into step behind them, and for a few minutes there was nothing but the sound of gravel crunching beneath our boots and the distant call of night birds.

Then Morgan and Eileen veered off toward a side path, Morgan's voice carrying back to us with bright determination. "I want to check on Nina—she seemed tired earlier. We'll catch up with you in a moment!"

Adrian stopped walking.

The change was instant. His shoulders went rigid, and when he turned to face me his expression was carefully, *too* carefully neutral. "Your mate seems close to that healer," he said, his tone light in a way that didn't match the intensity in his eyes. "Nina, right? Quiet one."

"Yeah, they're classmates and friends," I said, my voice even. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." Adrian's gaze had already shifted back toward the path where the women had disappeared. "Morgan wants to make friends with everyone."

I nodded. The Adrian I'd known at training camp wouldn't have noticed if someone seemed out of place, let alone cared. Maybe that was the magic of finding your true mate.

We'd made nearly a full circuit of the garden and were heading back when Morgan and Eileen reappeared. Morgan's smile looked a little strained, her usual confidence dimmed by something I couldn't identify. Eileen caught my eye and gave a small shrug, her expression puzzled.

"Did she tell you anything?" Adrian's question came out too fast, too sharp. He caught himself immediately, smoothing his features into something calmer. "I mean—is she settling in all right?"

"She said she was tired," Morgan said slowly, studying her mate's face with the beginnings of concern. "She thanked us for the visit but asked to rest. I hope I didn't overwhelm her—I know I can be a bit much sometimes."

The tension drained from Adrian's shoulders so visibly it was almost comical. "I'm sure you were fine," he said, reaching for her hand with a tenderness that looked genuine. "She's probably just not used to social gatherings."

But his relief had been too obvious. I hadn't expected him to be so concerned about Nina's comfort on their first meeting. Morgan's influence on him ran deeper than I'd imagined.

---

Back in our room, I meant to share my observations with Eileen. Meant to comment on how profoundly mates could influence each other. But the moment the door closed behind us, the edges of the world started going soft. The cool evening breeze outside must have masked it, but now in the enclosed space, heat flooded through me.

"Regis?" Eileen's voice came from very far away, even though she was standing right in front of me. "Are you... are you drunk?"

I blinked at her, trying to bring her face into focus. She looked beautiful in the low lamplight, her dark hair falling loose around her shoulders, her amber eyes wide with something between concern and disbelief. "I only had one glass," I managed, which came out slightly slurred. "Maybe two."

"You had *one and a half glasses* of wine." She stepped closer, peering up at me with that particular expression she got when she was trying not to laugh at me. "I didn't know your tolerance was this bad."

"It's not bad," I protested, reaching for her because she was *right there* and she smelled like wildflowers and home and everything good in the world. "I'm a very capable Alpha."

"A very capable Alpha who can't handle wine," she murmured, but she was smiling now, her hands coming up to steady me when I swayed slightly. "Come on, let's get you to bed before you embarrass yourself further."

But I didn't want to go to bed. I wanted to stay exactly where I was, with Eileen warm and solid in my arms, her heartbeat thrumming against my chest in perfect sync with my own. The bond between us felt wider somehow, more open, and through it I could feel everything—her amusement and affection, yes, but also that nagging thread of worry that had been there all evening.

"You're elsewhere," I said against her hair, tightening my hold when she tried to pull back. "I want you to focus on me."

"I—" She paused, clearly surprised I'd picked up on it. "I just want to say goodnight to Nina first."

"Later," I heard myself say, which was selfish and I knew it, but the wolf in me had decided that Eileen wasn't going *anywhere* until I'd thoroughly reminded her who she belonged to. "Stay with me for a while. Please."

I felt her soften against me, her worry giving way to warm exasperation. "You're not usually this clingy."

"I'm not clingy." I was absolutely being clingy. My hands had somehow found their way into her hair, and I was nuzzling against her throat where her scent was strongest, breathing in the chamomile and apple-sweetness that meant *mine, mate, home*. "I'm being affectionate."

"Regis—"

I kissed her to stop whatever sensible argument she was about to make, and after a moment's token resistance she melted into it with a sigh that went straight through me like lightning. The room spun pleasantly when I lifted her, and she made a sound that might have been protest or laughter—I wasn't sure which and didn't particularly care, because she was hooking her legs around my waist and kissing me back with the kind of heat that made rational thought impossible.

"Just for a little while," she murmured against my mouth when we came up for air. "Then I really should—"

"Just a little while," I agreed, which was a lie because I already knew I wasn't letting her go anywhere tonight, but she was smiling and her hands were in my hair and nothing else mattered except this: my mate, safe and warm and *mine*, while moonlight spilled through the windows and painted everything silver.

I lay her down on the bed and followed her into the softness of blankets and skin.

Tonight, for just a few stolen hours, there was only this: Eileen's breath catching as I traced the curve of her hip, the bond between us blazing bright and true, the absolute certainty that whatever storm was coming after these days—we'd face it together.

I pressed my lips to her mate mark and felt her shiver, felt the answering pull in my chest that said *yours, always yours*, and let the world narrow to just this room, just this moment, just us.

Tomorrow.

We'd deal with everything tomorrow.