Mated to Her Alpha Instructor Chapter 57

Eileen

The cafeteria hummed with its usual midday chaos—trays clattering, voices overlapping in a constant wash of sound—but Mira had dragged me to the quietest corner she could find, a small table wedged between two stone pillars where the acoustics swallowed most of the noise. She slid into the seat across from me, her expression cycling rapidly between worry, anger, and barely contained curiosity.

"Alright," she said, keeping her voice low but urgent. "Spill. What the hell happened yesterday? Everyone's talking about Elder Blackwell getting pulled from the Council, and people are saying Instructor Vane half-shifted in the hallway and nearly killed someone." Her eyes searched mine. "This has to do with you, doesn't it? Did they hurt you?"

I took a breath, steadying myself. I'd promised her the truth—or at least, as much of it as I could safely give. "I'm okay, Mira. Really." I reached across the table to squeeze her hand. "But you're right. It does involve me."

Her grip tightened, her wolf practically visible behind her eyes. "Tell me."

So I did. I kept it brief, my voice barely above a whisper as I recounted how Andrew had cornered me near the edge of the woods two days ago, how I'd used the spray and run. Then being summoned to Thomas's office, facing his threats of expulsion unless I signed a false confession admitting I'd attacked his son unprovoked.

"I almost did it," I admitted, shame heating my cheeks. "I was so scared of losing everything that I nearly signed that lie. But then Regis showed up."

Mira's hand slammed down on the table—not hard enough to draw attention, but enough to make our water glasses jump. "That gamma piece of shit," she hissed through clenched teeth. "Using his father's position to harass a pregnant student? And Thomas covering for him? They should both be permanently exiled from the pack, not just—" She cut herself off, breathing hard. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't there. If I'd been with you that afternoon instead of stuck at that stupid family dinner, Andrew wouldn't have dared come near you."

"Mira, no." I gripped her hand tighter. "This isn't your fault. None of it."

But she was already spiraling into self-recrimination, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "My wolf might not be able to take him in a fight, but she's fast. We could have gotten you away safely, or at least—"

"Mira." I kept my voice gentle but firm. "You're here now. That's what matters."

She wiped at her eyes roughly, then her expression shifted to something between awe and disbelief. "But Instructor Vane... he actually claimed you publicly? In front of Thomas?" When I nodded, she let out a shaky laugh. "Eileen, do you understand what that means? He used his family name and his Alpha status to protect you. He put himself between you and the Council." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "And a guy happened to be there, saying he had Andrew by the throat, that his eyes went full gold, and his claws were out. Is that true?"

The memory made my pulse quicken—not with fear, but with that same fierce gratitude I'd felt when I'd walked into that hallway and seen Regis defending me with such savage intensity. "He was... very angry," I managed.

"Of course he was!" Mira's eyes were wide. "An Alpha's protective instinct toward their mate isn't something they can just turn off, especially when you're carrying his child. But Eileen—" She leaned closer, her expression softening into something almost envious. "You're so lucky. Most students in your position would have no choice but to accept whatever punishment the Council handed down. But you have an Alpha who's willing to burn the whole system down for you."

Her words settled over me like a warm blanket, soothing some of the residual fear and shame. "I know," I whispered. "I'm starting to understand that."

Mira pulled me into a fierce hug across the table, her voice muffled against my shoulder. "No matter what happens next, you're not alone anymore. You've got Instructor Vane, and you've got me. And if you ever need anything—anything at all—you better ask me, okay? It would make me really happy to help."

My nose stung with unshed tears as I hugged her back. "Okay. I promise."

---

Regis

The training yard was finally empty, the last of my students having collected their weapons and filed out with the kind of relieved expressions that told me I'd pushed them harder than usual today. I probably had—my wolf was still riding close to the surface, needing an outlet for the aggression that had been simmering since yesterday's confrontation. Better to work it out on practice dummies and sparring drills than risk losing control again.

I was rolling my shoulders, trying to ease the tension coiled there, when Kieran's voice cut through the quiet. "Easy there, man. You nearly turned those Beta students into punching bags. Especially the ones who hang around with Andrew."

I turned to find him leaning against the fence, a piece of grass between his teeth and that knowing look in his eyes that meant he'd been watching for a while. "They needed the practice," I said flatly.

"Sure they did." He pushed off the fence and walked over, his casual demeanor at odds with the sharpness in his gaze. "But seriously, Regis—you still worked up about yesterday?"

I grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from my face, not bothering to deny it. "Thomas and Andrew got off too easy."

"Maybe. Though word is your father's already putting pressure on the Council." Kieran's expression turned approving. "The warriors at the border are celebrating. Marcus says the healers are too—they're sick of watching good wolves suffer because some desk-bound elder decided to sit on resource approvals."

"He's cleaning house," I said shortly. "Thomas is just the beginning."

Kieran nodded, understanding what I wasn't saying—that this went deeper than one corrupt elder, that my father was using this incident to push reforms he'd wanted for years. "Good. About damn time." Then his mouth quirked into a half-smile. "Though I'm guessing the real reason you went nuclear on Thomas wasn't about Council reform. It was about what he and his son did to Eileen."

The sound of her name on his lips made something in my chest tighten protectively. "They threatened her. Tried to force her to sign a false confession while she was terrified and alone."