Mated to Her Alpha Instructor (Eileen and Regis) novel Chapter 165

Regis

Eileen emerged from the medical station after finishing her work, a small pack slung over her shoulder. She’d changed into a simpler dress, practical and warm, and her hair was tied back in a loose braid. When she saw me waiting beside my horse, her entire face lit up–a smile so genuine it sent a fierce surge of protectiveness through my chest.

I dismounted and took the pack from her, securing it to the saddle. “Ready?”

“Yes. She hesitated, then added softly, “I missed you.”

The words were simple, but they hit me harder than I’d expected. I cupped her face in one hand, tilting her chin up so I could see her eyes properly. ‘1

missed you too. Every damn hour.”

Her breath caught, and through the bond I felt the echo of her longing–the nights she’d spent thinking of me, the way she’d touched herself and felt me

respond across the distance. Heat flared low in my belly at the memory, but I pushed it down.

Not yet. Soon.

I helped her onto the horse, then swung up behind her, wrapping one arm around her waist to hold her steady. She leaned back into me with a soft sigh, and I buried my face briefly in her hair, breathing in the scent of lavender and warmth.

The cabin sat nestled among white birch trees, their pale trunks glowing in the slanted afternoon light. Smoke curled from the stone chimney–I’d paid the landlord extra to keep the fire going–and the windows reflected the forest like dark mirrors.

I dismounted first and lifted Eileen down, keeping my hands on her waist longer than strictly necessary. She didn’t pull away. Instead, she turned in a slow circle, taking in the clearing and the trees and the small, solid house that would be ours for the next few weeks.

“It’s beautiful,” she said softly. “When did you arrange all this?”

“For us,” I corrected, setting her pack down and closing the door behind us. “This is our space, Eileen. No observers, no council representatives. Just you and me.”

She trembled against me, her hands fisting in my shirt. “I thought about you every night,” she admitted, her voice muffled against my chest. I couldn’t stop.

‘I know.” I pulled back just enough to tilt her face up, brushing my thumb over her cheek. “I felt you that night, remember? When you touched yourself…”

Her cheeks flamed red and she tried to look away, but I caught her chin gently, forcing her to meet my eyes.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” I said, my voice dropping to a rough murmur. “Do you have any idea what it did to me? Feeling you like that, knowing you were thinking of me? I nearly abandoned the entire camp just to get to you.”

‘Regis… Her voice came out breathy and uncertain, but through the bond I felt the answering heat rising in her–desire, longing, need.

I leaned down and kissed her, slow and deep, pouring everything I couldn’t say into the press of my mouth against hers. She melted into me with a soft moan, her arms winding around my neck, and the bond between us flared hot and bright.