Mated to Her Alpha Instructor Chapter 146

Eileen

"No sign of him," Kieran admitted. "We've had scouts combing the border areas, but it's like he vanished. Though..." He hesitated. "We have had scattered reports of unknown wolves near the border. Nothing concrete, just glimpses. Could be unaffiliated wanderers, but the timing feels suspicious."

I felt a chill run down my spine. Silas wouldn't just disappear. Not after everything Regis and Alfred had uncovered.

"The training camp?" Regis asked Garrick.

"Running smoothly, Commander," Garrick replied in his gravelly voice. "The new medical training is popular—warriors like knowing they can help their packmates in the field. Morale is good overall, though..." He scratched his jaw. "There's been some grumbling about Elder Cornelius being confined. Some of the older warriors don't like it. They remember when he had more influence."

"Noted," Regis said. "Keep an eye on any who seem particularly vocal about it. I want to know if anyone tries to organize dissent."

"Yes, sir."

I'd been quiet during most of the meeting, but now I found myself speaking up. "The fact that Silas disappeared so completely bothers me. It's too clean. Too convenient." I looked at Regis. "And if Cornelius's supporters are already restless..."

"You think they're connected," Regis finished for me.

"Don't you?" I met his gaze steadily. "Cornelius was working with the shadow packs. Silas is from the shadow packs. Now Silas vanishes just as Cornelius is confined? That's not coincidence."

Kieran let out a low whistle. "She's got a point."

Regis's jaw tightened. "I know. I've been thinking the same thing." He looked at Garrick. "Double the guard rotations at the training camp. No one enters or leaves without being logged. And Kieran, increase patrols around the outpost perimeter. I want regular check-ins every two hours."

"What about the staff?" I asked quietly. "Should we warn them?"

"We'll increase security measures and cite general border tensions," Regis decided. "No need to cause panic, but everyone needs to be alert." His eyes found mine, and I saw the protectiveness blazing there. "Especially you and Nina. You don't go anywhere without an escort. Not even within the compound."

I wanted to argue—I hated being coddled, hated feeling like a burden—but the grim set of his mouth stopped me. This wasn't about controlling me. This was about genuine danger.

"Alright," I agreed softly.

---

The meeting broke up shortly after, with Kieran and Garrick heading off to implement the new security measures. Regis and I were preparing to leave when there was a sharp knock at the door.

A young messenger burst in, breathless and wide-eyed. "Commander Vane! Urgent message from the capital. The communicator—" He thrust a sealed letter forward.

Regis took it, his expression darkening as he recognized his father's seal. He broke it open and read quickly, his face going progressively more tense with each line.

"What is it?" I asked, though dread was already pooling in my stomach.

Regis looked up at me, and I saw real anger burning in his ice-blue eyes. "Cornelius escaped."

The words hit like a physical blow. "What?"

"Last night, apparently. The guards were drugged—medical supplies stolen from the infirmary stock. He cleared out his personal belongings and left a note." Regis's hands tightened on the letter, crinkling the paper. "Father has search parties out, but there's been no sign of him."

"He had help," I said immediately. "He must have. Someone got him those drugs, helped him plan—"

"I know." Regis set the letter down carefully, as though afraid he'd tear it apart otherwise. "Which means he has collaborators still in place. People we haven't identified yet."

The implications crashed over me like a wave. Cornelius was out there somewhere, angry and desperate and connected to the shadow packs. Silas was missing. And we were all sitting here at a medical outpost with only basic defenses.

"What do we do?" I asked quietly.

Regis stood and came around the desk to me, pulling me gently to my feet and into his arms. "We stay alert. We trust no one outside our inner circle. And we keep you and Nina safe at all costs."

I pressed my face against his chest, breathing in his cedar and mint scent, letting it steady me. "I'm scared," I admitted in a whisper. "Not just for me. For the baby. For Nina and Mira and everyone here."

"I know." His hand stroked down my hair. "I'm scared too. But we'll get through this. Together."

I pulled back enough to look up at him. "Promise me something."

"Anything."

"Don't keep things from me. Don't try to protect me by hiding information." I held his gaze firmly. "I need to know what we're facing. All of it."

He studied my face for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Alright. No secrets. You're my mate, my partner. You deserve the truth."

"Thank you."

We stood there for another moment, holding each other in the lamplight of his office. Outside, I could hear the compound settling into evening routines—healers finishing their shifts, warriors changing guard posts, the normal sounds of a functioning outpost.

But beneath that normalcy, I could feel the tension thrumming. The waiting. The sense that something was coming, dark and dangerous, and all we could do was prepare as best we could.

I touched my belly again, feeling the slight roundness there that was just beginning to show. *I'll keep you safe,* I promised silently. *And I'll protect everyone here. Whatever it takes.*

When Regis and I finally left the office and made our way back to our quarters, the compound was fully lit with torches and lanterns. Patrol wolves moved along the perimeter like shadows against shadows. Everyone was on edge, even if they didn't know exactly why.

Nina was standing outside her door when we passed, wrapped in a shawl and staring up at the stars. She looked over at us as we approached, and I noticed her gaze was too sharp, too alert for someone simply taking in the night air.

"I saw the messenger," she said before either of us could speak. "The young one—he nearly knocked me over running to the administrative wing. And then the patrol rotations changed within the hour." Her eyes moved between me and Regis with quiet precision. "Something happened. Something bad."

Regis studied her for a moment, then gave a single, measured nod. "Elder Cornelius is no longer in custody."

Nina's expression didn't shift dramatically—no sharp intake of breath, no visible shock. She simply pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders, as though the news had confirmed something she'd already been bracing for rather than surprised her. "Then he had people still working for him, besides Silas," she said quietly. "Inside the capital."

"That's what it looks like," Regis replied.

She was silent for a moment, her gaze drifting back up to the stars. "Be careful. Both of you. Whatever he's planning, he's had time to be angry about it."

"We will," I promised. "You be careful too, Nina."

She nodded and slipped back into her room, leaving Regis and me alone in the corridor.

"She's right to be worried," I murmured as we continued to our own quarters.

"So am I," Regis admitted. "But worrying won't change what's coming. All we can do is be ready."

That night, I lay awake long after Regis had fallen into an uneasy sleep beside me. Through our bond, I could feel his restlessness even in slumber—his wolf prowling and alert beneath the surface.

My hand rested on my belly, and I sent a pulse of calm through the bond to our child. *Sleep, little one. I'm watching over you.*

But even as I tried to project confidence, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were standing on the edge of something terrible. A storm was gathering in the darkness, and when it broke, nothing would be the same.

All I could do was hope that when the time came, I'd be strong enough to face it.