Mated to Her Alpha Instructor Chapter 153

Eileen

The invisible chains dragged me forward. I clawed at the dirt, trying to find purchase, but the magic was relentless—pulling me toward that pulsing purple circle carved into the ravine floor.

"Stop struggling," Cornelius said mildly. "You'll only exhaust yourself faster. And we need you conscious for the ritual."

"Go to hell." The words came out breathless. My body felt like it was being crushed from all directions at once.

"Eloquent as always." He crouched at the circle's edge, running his fingers over the glowing runes. "You know, I almost admire your spirit. It's a shame you were wasted on a Beta bloodline. With proper breeding, you could have been extraordinary."

The chains yanked me the last few feet, slamming me down in the circle's center. Nina and her mother lay bound in silver on either side, both unconscious. Ianthe's face was bruised and swollen. Nina's breathing came shallow and pained.

*I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you.*

Cornelius stood, drawing a curved dagger from his robes. The blade seemed to drink in the moonlight, runes crawling along its surface like living things.

"The beauty of this ritual," he said conversationally, "is that it requires *living* blood. Not corpses—living vessels, with beating hearts and flowing veins. The magic feeds on your fear, your pain, your desperate will to survive." He smiled. "So please, struggle all you like. It only makes the harvest richer."

He grabbed my wrist before I could pull away. The blade bit deep.

I screamed.

Not from the pain—though that was bad enough—but from the sensation of something being *pulled* from inside me. Like invisible hooks had latched onto my life force and started reeling it in.

My blood dripped into the circle. The runes blazed brighter.

"The witch-blood for the binding." Cornelius moved to Ianthe, slicing her palm. Her eyes flew open with a choked gasp. "The moon-blessed for the power." He turned to me, and his smile widened. "And the Alpha's heir for the legacy."

*No. No no no—*

Heat bloomed in my stomach. Not pain—not yet—but a pulling sensation, like someone had wrapped strings around my womb and started tugging. The baby kicked frantically.

"Stop!" I thrashed against the invisible bonds. "Take whatever you want from me, just don't hurt—"

"The child is the *point*." Cornelius's voice hardened. "Vane blood, moon-blessed blood, conceived in defiance of every law of nature. Do you have any idea how rare that is? How *powerful*?" He leaned closer. "I'm going to drain just enough of your life force to bind that power to me. You might survive—the baby certainly won't. But look on the bright side: you'll finally be ordinary. Isn't that what you always wanted?"

Rage burned through the fear. I tried to reach through the bond—tried to scream for Regis—but the magic seemed to muffle everything. All I could send was broken fragments: *help please hurts baby help—*

The pulling sensation intensified. My vision swam.

*I'm sorry, little one. I'm so sorry.*

Then—howls. Multiple wolves, crashing through the forest.

Cornelius didn't even glance up. "Right on schedule." He raised one hand, fingers dancing in a complex pattern.

A volley of arrows whistled from the shadows.

Owen burst through the tree line in wolf form, three of our warriors at his flanks. He shifted mid-leap, landing in a crouch with his blade drawn—

The arrows struck.

Purple-black poison coated the tips. Owen howled in pain, collapsing as the toxin spread through his veins. The warriors behind him went down the same way, convulsing.

"Did you really think I wouldn't plan for pursuit?" Cornelius tsked. "I've been preparing this for *months*. Every variable accounted for." He turned back to me. "Now, where were we?"

The ritual circle flared brighter. The pulling sensation turned into outright agony—like someone had reached inside me and grabbed my heart.

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Could only feel my life draining away, drop by drop, into the hungry earth.

Owen was trying to crawl toward me, poison arrows jutting from his back. His lips moved: *Hold... on...*

But Cornelius had already turned back to the ritual, chanting words in a language that made my bones ache. The magic intensified.

And then—blessedly—darkness took me.

---

*"Alight out your fangs."*

The voice pulled me back from the void. Not Regis's voice.

This was... older. Deeper. Like bedrock given speech.

I opened my eyes—or tried to. Everything was silver-blue fog, thick and luminous. I stood in it, barefoot, the ground beneath me smooth as glass.

"Where...?"

*"Inside,"* the voice said. *"Where I've always been."*

The fog parted.

She was *enormous*. Easily twice the size of Regis's wolf-form, with silver-white fur that seemed to glow from within. Her eyes—those eyes I'd seen in a dozen dreams—burned ice-blue and ancient.

"Who are you?" I whispered.

The great wolf lowered her head, nosing my cheek with impossible gentleness. Her breath smelled like pine and winter stars.

*"I am Lumina. Your wolf."* She nuzzled me again, this time at my stomach. *"And hers."*

"I don't understand." My voice cracked. "I'm wolfless. I've always been—"

*"Never wolfless. Only sleeping."* She pulled back, meeting my gaze. *"Your bloodline carries the Moon Goddess's gift—but it lies dormant until awakened by great need. Tonight, that need came."*

I touched my stomach, feeling the baby's weak flutter. "Is she...?"

*"Our cub is strong. Stronger than you know."* Lumina's tone shifted, becoming almost apologetic. *"But I am still too weak to manifest fully. I can protect her womb—create a barrier the dark magic cannot penetrate. I cannot shield you as well."*

My throat tightened. "So I'll die, but she'll live?"

*"Perhaps. Or perhaps the Beta—"* She turned her massive head, looking past me into the fog. *"—has bought us time."*

I followed her gaze. Saw a faint image: Owen collapsed, Cornelius distracted, the ritual circle stuttering as its power wavered.

"He's dying for me," I choked out.

*"He is giving you a chance. Do not waste it."*

Heat bloomed in my core—not the pulling agony from before, but warmth. Power. Lumina's presence expanding through my body like light through crystal.

"What do I do?"

*"Survive."* She pressed her forehead to mine. *"Hold on until your mate arrives. He's coming—I can feel him through your bond. The rage. The terror. The love."* Her ice-blue eyes softened. *"Trust him to end this. But first, you must survive long enough for him to reach you."*

Silver light exploded from where we touched—so bright I had to close my eyes.

When I opened them again, I was back in my body.

---

Every nerve ending screamed. My wrist still bled sluggishly into the ritual circle, but the pulling sensation had *stopped*. No—not stopped. *Resisted*.

I felt it now: a warm, glowing barrier around my womb. Lumina's power, thin as paper but holding fast. The dark magic beat against it like waves against a seawall, trying to force its way through.

And failing.

"What—" Cornelius stared at the ritual circle, which had begun to crack. Purple light flickered and died in sections. "This shouldn't be possible. You're *wolfless*—"

The barrier pulsed. Heat spread through my abdomen.

Nina's silver chains snapped.

Ianthe's bonds shattered.

The ritual circle gave one final, violent shudder—and broke apart entirely.

"NO!" Cornelius lunged for the dagger.

I tried to roll away, but my body wouldn't respond. Too much blood lost. Too much energy spent. All I could manage was a weak flop onto my side, curling around my stomach.

*I did it. She's safe. Our baby is—*

Cornelius loomed over me, face twisted with fury. "If I can't have the power, then *no one will!*" He raised the dagger overhead. "Starting with you!"

I closed my eyes.

*Regis. I'm sorry. I tried.*

Then—a sound. Small but defiant.

I forced my eyes open. Nina had pushed herself upright, one hand extended, purple light crackling around her fingertips. Her face was sheet-white, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"No more," she whispered. "No more victims."

The purple bolt caught Cornelius square in the chest. He staggered, the dagger's arc going wide—missing my heart by inches and scoring a deep gash across my shoulder instead.

I screamed.

Cornelius recovered fast, snarling. He raised the blade again.

Owen was still trying to crawl, poison turning his veins black. He managed a hoarse shout: "Not... her..."

Time seemed to stop.

I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Could only stare at the blade descending toward my heart, and wonder if Lumina's barrier would hold—

A roar split the air.

Silver-black fur exploded into view.

And everything went white.