Mated to Her Alpha Instructor Chapter 48

Regis

I took a step closer, keeping my voice gentle despite the rage building in my chest. "Eileen. Tell me what happened."

"She assaulted my son," Blackwell cut in sharply. "Used a chemical weapon to injure him. We're handling it internally, but—"

"I asked *her*." My voice came out harder than I'd intended. Valdor was pushing close to the surface, furious at the fear-scent rolling off our mate.

Eileen's breath hitched. Her hands twisted together, and through the bond I felt her warring impulses—the desperate need to tell me everything, and the deeply ingrained instinct to stay quiet, to not make trouble.

"Don't be afraid," I said softly, moving closer. "Just tell me the truth."

Her eyes filled with tears. "He—Andrew—he stopped me in the woods yesterday. Cornered me. Said horrible things about..." Her hand moved to her stomach. "About me being pregnant. He tried to—he grabbed me, and I—I used the defense spray from your class. I didn't know what else to do."

The bottom dropped out of my stomach. Yesterday. When I'd been at the border. When she'd told me she was "fine" and "safe."

"He tried to touch you?" My voice had gone very quiet.

She nodded, tears spilling over. "I'm sorry. I should have—I should have told you, but I thought—"

"This is ridiculous," Blackwell interrupted. "She's obviously lying to cover up her own—"

"She's not lying." The words came out flat, absolute. I could feel the truth of what she'd said thrumming through our bond, could smell the lingering fear on her skin.

Blackwell's eyes narrowed. "And how would you know that, Regis? Unless you have some... inappropriate connection to this student that would compromise your judgment?"

The challenge hung in the air. I saw Eileen tense, saw her eyes go wide with new fear—not of Blackwell, but of exposure, of what it would mean if our relationship became public knowledge.

I held Blackwell's gaze and made my choice.

"She's not just my student." I reached for Eileen's hand, threading my fingers through hers. "She's my mate."

The shock on Blackwell's face would have been satisfying under other circumstances. Eileen's hand tightened on mine, her breath catching.

"Your—but she's—" Blackwell sputtered. "She's wolfless. That's impossible."

"Clearly not." I pulled Eileen closer to my side, letting my scent wrap around her. "And your son assaulted my pregnant mate. I'll be filing formal charges with the academy council and the Vane family elders."

Blackwell's face went from shocked to calculating. "Now, let's not be hasty. I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding—"

"There's no misunderstanding." My voice dropped into the Alpha register, making him flinch. "Your son cornered a pregnant woman in an isolated area, verbally abused her, and attempted to assault her. She defended herself. Those are the facts."

"Andrew says—"

"Andrew is a liar." I cut him off. "And you're trying to bully my mate into signing away her rights because you know exactly what he did."

Through our bond, I felt Eileen's emotions shifting—from fear to something like wonder. Like she couldn't quite believe I was real, standing here, defending her.

"I want copies of any documents you tried to make her sign," I continued. "And I want a formal investigation opened into your son's conduct. If you refuse, I'll take this directly to the academy board and the regional pack council."

Blackwell's jaw worked. He knew he was cornered. The Vane family carried too much weight for him to simply dismiss this.

"Fine," he bit out. "But you should know, Regis, that pursuing this will raise... questions about your relationship with a student."

"Let them ask." I kept my voice level. "I have nothing to hide. We completed our mate bond privately, as is our right. But I won't let you use threats to silence her."

I pulled Eileen toward the door. She came willingly, her hand still gripping mine like a lifeline.

"This isn't over," Blackwell called after us.

I didn't bother responding. Just led Eileen out into the corridor, away from that office and that man and that horrible document.

The moment we were alone, her knees buckled. I caught her easily, pulling her against my chest as she started to shake.

"I've got you," I murmured into her hair. "You're safe. I've got you."

She made a small, broken sound and buried her face in my shoulder. Through the bond, I felt everything she'd been holding back—the terror from yesterday, the humiliation in that office, the crushing weight of being blamed and cornered and made to feel worthless.

"I'm sorry," she choked out. "I should have told you. I was just—I thought—"

"Shh. Not here." I scooped her up, cradling her against my chest. She didn't protest, just curled into me like she was trying to disappear.

I carried her through the corridors, ignoring the stares, and didn't stop until we reached my office. The door locked behind us with a solid click.

Only then did I set her down on the couch, kneeling in front of her so we were eye level.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, keeping my voice gentle even though Valdor was howling for blood. "Did he touch you? Did he hurt the baby?"

"N-no. I got away. The spray—it worked." She hiccupped, tears still streaming down her face. "But he said awful things. Called me—called me—"

"I don't care what he called you." I cupped her face in my hands, making her look at me. "None of it was true. Do you understand? None of it."

She nodded, but I could see she didn't really believe it. Could feel through the bond how deeply those words had cut.

"I'm going to handle this," I told her. "I'm going to make sure he and his father face consequences. But first, I need you to tell me everything that happened. All of it. Can you do that?"

She took a shaky breath and nodded again.

And as she spoke—haltingly at first, then in a rush—telling me about Andrew's accusations, his father's threats, the settlement document, I felt Valdor's rage building to match my own.

Someone had hurt our mate. Had terrorized her, threatened her, tried to make her believe she deserved it.

That couldn't stand.

When she finished, I pulled her into my arms again, holding her close.

"You did nothing wrong," I said firmly. "Not yesterday, not today. You defended yourself and our child. That took courage."

"I was so scared," she whispered against my chest.

"I know." I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "And I'm sorry I wasn't there."