Mated to Her Alpha Instructor Chapter 15

Eileen

I didn't stop running until I was back in the dormitory, my lungs burning and my heart hammering against my ribs. Mira was still at her practicum, thank the moon—I couldn't face her questions right now, couldn't pretend everything was fine when I'd just run away like a coward.

I sank onto my bed, pressing the heels of my palms against my eyes. What the hell was wrong with me? I should have stayed. Should have faced him, given him some kind of answer instead of bolting like a scared rabbit. But the thought of seeing disappointment in his eyes when he realized what a mistake he'd made...

I can't do this twice in one week. The thought hit me like a punch to the gut. First Derek, now potentially Regis. I wasn't strong enough to have my heart broken again so soon. Better to run now than wait for the inevitable rejection.

My hand drifted unconsciously to my neck, fingers pressing against the scarf. Something felt... off. Different.

Frowning, I stood and moved to the small mirror hanging on the wall, unwinding the scarf with careful fingers.

The bite mark was still there, the crescent shape of his teeth still etched into my skin, but something had changed. The edges were blurred now, less defined. The silver-moon glow that had pulsed beneath my skin for the past four days was dimmer, like a lamp slowly running out of oil.

And his scent—cedar and mint, the smell that had wrapped around me every night since the forest—was barely there anymore. Just a faint echo, a memory rather than a presence.

What was happening?

I'd assumed the mark would be permanent, that I'd carry it forever as a reminder of that night in the forest. But if it was disappearing...

Relief hit me first, sharp and sudden. If the mark faded, I wouldn't have to hide it anymore. Wouldn't have to explain to Mira or my family or anyone else why a wolfless girl like me had an Alpha's bite on her throat.

But right behind the relief came something else. Something that felt horribly like *loss*.

Suddenly, the device I brought back buzzed against my nightstand.

I nearly jumped out of my skin, staring at the glowing notification. My hands shook as I picked it up.

Message from: Regis Vane

My finger hovered over the screen. I couldn't make myself open it. Couldn't read whatever anger or pity or formal dissolution request he'd written.

Finally, taking a shaky breath, I tapped the screen.

I read it three times, the words blurring together. He was... apologizing? Saying he'd take responsibility, not demanding I disappear?

It didn't make sense. I was just a wolfless nobody. He's an Alpha, a combat instructor, from an ancient bloodline. He could have anyone. Why would he want to take responsibility for—My thoughts spiraled, crashing into each other like broken glass. I couldn't think straight, couldn't form a coherent response even though I knew I should refuse his offer.

I checked the time and cursed under my breath—afternoon classes in twenty minutes. Maybe I should just... deal with this later.

I pulled the scarf back into place, yanking it tighter than necessary, and went out of the room.

---

The rest of the day passed in a haze. I went to my classes but absorbed nothing, my mind caught in an endless loop of *fading, fading, it's fading*. My instructors' voices washed over me like white noise.

By the time evening came, I'd made a decision.

I needed to know why the mark was fading. Needed to understand what it meant.

So I went to the library.

The section on mate bonds was tucked away in a corner of the archives, dusty and rarely visited. I had to show my student identification to the librarian and explain that I needed the texts for a "research project on healing bond-related injuries" before she grudgingly gave me temporary access.

I pulled down every book I could find, stacking them on a small table in the back where no one would see me. Most of them were dry academic treatises, filled with diagrams and terminology I didn't fully understand. But then I found it—a slim, leather-bound volume titled *Marginal Bloodlines: Case Studies*.

I flipped through the pages, my heart pounding, until I found the section I was looking for:

> *Wolfless individuals, or those with severely diminished lupine essence, lack the energetic pathways necessary to complete a reciprocal bond. When marked by an Alpha or Beta, the imprint will begin to fade within 5-10 days, as the mark cannot be anchored without a returning bite. During this period, the Alpha will experience increasing discomfort—a sense of incompleteness, heightened irritability, insomnia, and loss of appetite. Once the mark fully disappears, the bond will reduce to minimal levels, retaining only faint scent recognition insufficient to sustain a mating relationship...*

I read the passage three times, each word sinking deeper into my chest like a stone.

Five to ten days. It had been four.

The mark was fading because I couldn't complete the bond. Because I was *broken*.

And Regis—he was probably already feeling the effects. The "incompleteness." The pain.

I closed the book slowly, my hands shaking.

*This is better for him,* I told myself firmly. *When the mark is gone, he'll be free. He can find someone else. Someone whole. Someone who could bite him back and complete the bond properly. Not me.*

But the thought didn't bring the comfort I'd hoped for. Instead, it just made the hollow ache in my chest grow wider.

I gathered the books, returned them to their shelves, and left the library with my head down and my heart heavy.

---

The walk to the cafeteria was automatic by now. I'd been making this trip every day after classes for three years—ever since my parents made it clear that paying for my existence at the Academy wasn't part of their plan. The scholarship covered tuition and books, but living expenses? That was on me.

So I worked in the kitchens. Scrubbing pots, prepping vegetables, earning just enough to cover meals and toiletries. It wasn't much, but it was mine. No strings attached. No debts to repay.

I pulled my jacket tighter against the autumn wind. My shift started in twenty minutes.

Halfway to the cafeteria's side entrance, I heard the voices.

They were coming from a side corridor near the central courtyard—tall, male, punctuated by laughter. I recognized one of them immediately.

Derek.