Mated to Her Alpha Instructor (Eileen and Regis) novel Chapter 157

Chapter 157

Regis

The training encampment was exactly as I remembered it–I had also been trained here for a month–functional, austere, and utterly devoid of comfort. Rows of tents stretched across a cleared field, their peaked roofs snapping in the wind. Beyond them lay the drilling grounds, already marked with practice dummies and weapon racks. To the west, a crude wooden structure served as the command post, its interior lit by lamps that flickered through the windows as dusk settled over the border.

1 dismounted, handed the reins to a waiting attendant, and rolled my shoulders to ease the tension that had been building since the fork in the road. The separation from Eileen gnawed at me–not painfully, but persistently, like an itch I couldn’t scratch. Through the bond, I could feel her: settled, calm, her emoticns tinged with fatigue but steady. She was safe.

For now.

Valdor stirred restlessly in the back of my mind, uneasy at the distance. She is far.

Not so far, I told him. Half an hour’s ride at most. And she has Mira. She has Dr. Hawthorne.

She should have us.

I didn’t argue. He was right. But this was the reality we’d chosen–or rather, the reality the Council had forced upon us. Eileen had to prove herself on her own terms, and I had to trust her to do it.

Still, the thought of Silas lurking in her vicinity made my jaw tighten.

I pushed through the command post door, ducking slightly to clear the frame. Inside, the space was cramped but organized: a wide desk covered in maps and supply lists, a weapon rack along one wall, a pair of worn chairs flanking a cold hearth. It would do.

I’d barely set my pack down when my communicator buzzed. I pulled it out, and the tension in my chest eased the moment I saw her name.

“We arrived safely. The outpost is clean and organized, and Dr. Hawthorne seems kind. The baby and I are both fine. Don’t worry.”

Then: “I miss you.”

I typed back quickly, forcing myself to keep the message measured even as part of me wanted to write more–wanted to tell her that I hated being apart from her, that every instinct I had was screaming at me to ride back to the outpost and stand guard at her door.

Instead, I wrote: “I’m glad you’re safe. Rest when you can, and don’t push yourself. Let me know immediately if anything feels wrong.”

I hesitated, then added: “I miss you too.”

Well enough. A few complaints about the accommodations, but nothing unexpected. His tone was dry. “I’ve assigned evening drills to keep them occupied. Figured it’s better than letting them sit around and get nervous.”

“Good thinking.” I turned to address the group briefly, my voice carrying across the field. “Tomorrow morning, we begin in earnest. Basic conditioning at dawn, followed by tactical formations. You’ll rotate through patrol simulations and night watch duties. This is not the Academy–out here, mistakes have consequences. I expect discipline, focus, and respect for the chain of command. Understood?”

A chorus of “Yes, Alpha echoed back.

I dismissed them with a nod and turned back to James. “I need to meet with Commander Garrick tonight. You have command until I return.”

“Understood, sir.”

Garrick–the border garrison commander–was a Gamma with a reputation for efficiency and a face that looked like it had been carved from stone. He arrived precisely on time, his heavy boots thudding against the wooden floor as he stepped into the command post. He offered a salute. “Alpha Vane.”