Mated to Her Alpha Instructor Chapter 49

Regis

The office was quiet except for the faint ticking of the clock. Eileen sat curled on the leather sofa, clutching the blanket around her shoulders. Her eyes were still red from crying, but she was watching me now—hesitant, as if weighing whether to speak.

"Regis… am I too weak?" she asked suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I almost signed it. That settlement. If you hadn’t come, I think I would have."

I sat beside her, close enough that our knees touched, and took her cold hands into mine.

"No, don't blame yourself," I said gently. "What happened wasn’t weakness—it was instinct. When you’ve been cornered, your mind reaches for the fastest way to make the threat stop. For some people, that’s to fight. For others… it’s to yield."

Her brow tightened, as if the word yield stirred something buried deep.

"It feels like you’ve been carrying that reflex for a long time," I continued, my voice low and steady. I searched her face, letting the silence stretch just enough. "Where do you think it started?"

She drew in a shaky breath, and for a moment I thought she might turn away. But then her shoulders slumped, and the words came out in fragments. "My parents… whenever I came home after being bullied, they never asked what happened. They just said, ‘You must have caused it,’ or ‘Girls should be obedient,’ or ‘Don’t embarrass the family.’" Her hands tightened around mine, knuckles white. "So I learned… if I just apologized and kept quiet, it hurt less than being blamed."

Her voice broke, and fresh tears spilled over. Through the bond, I felt the depth of that pain—years of it, layers upon layers of being told she was wrong for defending herself, for simply being.

A low growl rumbled in my chest before I could stop it. Valdor surged forward, my eyes flashing gold as fury flooded through me. Eileen flinched slightly, and I forced myself back under control, though the anger still simmered beneath my skin.

"That wasn’t parenting," I said, my voice rough. "That was training a child to become prey without fangs."

She stared at me, wide-eyed.

I tightened my grip on her hands, grounding both of us. "From now on, you need to shut out those voices. You are not the ‘obedient girl’ they tried to make you. You are a person—flesh and blood and worth—and you deserve respect."

Her breath trembled, the bond between us quivering with confusion and fragile hope.

"I want you to remember this, Eileen," I continued, holding her gaze. "You need to grow your own fangs—not to hurt others, but to protect what’s yours. Your rights. Your safety. Your peace. If something is too much for you to handle, come to me. But never, never go back to apologizing and surrendering by default."

She nodded shakily, her hands squeezing mine as if anchoring herself to my words. "I… I’ll try."

"That's all I ask." I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead, lingering there for a moment before pulling back.

As the immediate storm of her emotions began to settle, I saw a new worry flicker across her face. She bit her lip, then asked hesitantly, "Our relationship… will it be exposed because of what happened today?"

I straightened slightly, reaching for the glass of water I'd set on the side table and handing it to her. "You don't need to worry about that."

She took the glass but didn't drink, her eyes searching mine. "But if people find out, it could hurt your reputation at the Academy. Or cause trouble for your family…"

"Eileen." I waited until she met my eyes again. "Thomas won't dare spread rumors, and as for my family—" I paused, choosing my words carefully. "My father will support us."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really." I brushed a strand of hair back from her face, letting my fingers linger against her cheek. "You don't need to carry that burden. What you need right now is to rest here, where it's safe. Let me handle the rest."

She studied me for a long moment, and I could feel her tentative trust through the bond—fragile, but growing. Finally, she nodded.

I guided her to the small rest room adjoining my office, a private space with a comfortable couch that could serve as a bed. As I helped her lie down and tucked a soft blanket around her, she caught my hand.

"Be careful," she whispered.

Something in my chest tightened at the quiet concern in her voice. I brought her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "I will. If you feel unwell, message me immediately."

Her fingers tightened around mine briefly before letting go. I waited until her breathing evened out, the bond humming with her exhaustion, before I turned and left the room.

---

The Vane estate loomed ahead as I urged my wolf into a faster lope through the forest. Valdor was still simmering with rage, his instincts screaming to go back and tear Andrew Blackwell apart, but I kept him leashed. There were better ways to destroy vermin than with claws.

I shifted back to human form at the edge of the grounds, pulled on the plain clothes a servant brought, and strode into the main hall, where my father sat at his desk reviewing clan documents. The firelight cast long shadows across the stone walls, and the family crest gleamed above the mantle.

"Father."

Alfred Vane looked up, his sharp gaze immediately assessing. "What's happened?"

I didn't waste time. "Thomas Blackwell abused his position as an elder to cover up his son's harassment of a student. The victim is my mate."

He set down his pen slowly, his expression hardening. "Your mate… the girl from the Whispering Woods?"