Mated to Her Alpha Instructor (Eileen and Regis) novel Chapter 128

Regis

Dinner had been peaceful–lamb stew with roasted vegetables, nothing too heavy for her stomach. I’d watched Eileen pick at her food with small, careful bites. She seemed content, if tired, the earlier tension from our conversation about the border assignment slowly fading into comfortable domesticity.

I was clearing the dishes when she spoke, her voice carrying a note of careful determination that made me pause mid–reach for her plate.

“I want to start packing the things I’ll need to bring…” She started, watching my reaction. “It’ll take a few days to organize everything properly. Better to start now than scramble at the last minute.”

I straightened, studying her. There was something deliberate in her tone, almost… rehearsed. And beneath it, through our bond, I caught flickers of nervous anticipation mixed with an emotion I couldn’t quite identify. Planning anxiety, perhaps. Or something more.

“Already?” I couldn’t help the slight smile that tugged at my mouth. “My eager little healer. We still have over a week before departure.”

She flushed slightly, fingers fidgeting with the edge of her napkin. “I’ve never been away from the academy for so long. I want to make sure I have everything I might need. And“-her chin lifted with endearing stubbornness-“I want to do this properly.”

The pride that surged through me was fierce and warm. “Of course. You’re right to be thorough.” I set down the dishes I’d been holding, moving around the table to press a kiss to her forehead. “Take your time. Make your lists. If there’s anything you need that we don’t have, we’ll get it tomorrow.”

She relaxed slightly under my touch, but that strange flutter of concealed excitement remained in her scent. Sweet apples and chamomile, yes, but underneath… something almost mischievous.

Actually,” she said, voice determinedly casual, “why don’t you go look at those tactical maps in the study? The ones showing the border terrain. It would help you prepare too.”

I pulled back slightly, searching her face. Her expression was perfectly innocent, but it stirred with interest in my mind. She’s planning something for me.

I tamped down on the spike of heat that thought triggered. “You want me out of the way?”

“Not–not out of the way. She stood, smoothing her hands over her skirt in a nervous gesture. ‘I just thought… we’ll both be busy these next few days. It makes sense to divide tasks.”

She wasn’t wrong. And yet, the way she avoided my eyes, the slight tremor in her fingers–there was definitely something she wasn’t telling me.

Patience. She’ll call when she’s ready.

I paused outside our bedroom door, heart pounding. Through the bond, I felt her–nervous, yes, but also excited. Waiting.

I pushed the door open.

And froze.

The room was transformed. Candles–dozens of them–cast flickering golden light across every surface. Their glow caught on scattered flower petals across the bed, pale and luminescent. And in the center of it all stood Eileen, her back to me, wearing one of my shirts.

But not as I’d ever seen it worn before.

The linen hung loose on her smaller frame, the neckline pulled down to expose her shoulders and the elegant curve of her collarbones. Below, the shirt’s hem barely covered her thighs, leaving her legs bare. And through the thin, candlelit fabric, I could see everything–the shadow of her curves, the dark outline of lace underwear, the way the material clung to her skin.

My breath stopped. Valdor surged forward with a possessive snarl, and it took every ounce of control I possessed not to cross the room and claim her right then.