Mated to Her Alpha Instructor (Eileen and Regis) novel Chapter 210

Chapter 210

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“Is she unwell?” Adrian’s voice came from behind me, and I startled.

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Up close, the Alpha’s presence felt even more imposing, though his expression held only polite concern. Yet something about the careful neutrality of his tone felt wrong–too controlled, as if he were working hard to sound merely courteous.

“She’s fine, I said quickly. “Just exhausted from travel.”

He nodded slowly, but I caught the way his jaw tightened, the way his eyes tracked the doorway Nina had disappeared through. Then

Morgan touched his arm, drawing his attention back, and the moment passed.

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But it left me cold.

The gardens were beautiful, lit by dozens of glowing moonstones suspended in delicate iron frames. Mira exclaimed over every flower bed while Owen pointed out various features with obvious pride in his pack’s territory. Regis walked beside me, one hand resting at the small of my back, alert despite the peaceful setting.

But I couldn’t appreciate any of it. My mind kept circling back to Nina’s reaction at dinner, to the way Adrian’s eyes had found her across the room, to the tension that had hummed between them despite–or perhaps because of their complete lack of direct interaction.

What had happened between them?

“Your friend went back to her room?” Morgan appeared at my elbow, her expression thoughtful. “I hope she’s not feeling excluded. I’d hate for any guest to be uncomfortable here.”

“She’ll be fine once she rests,” I assured her, though I wasn’t certain of anything anymore,

Morgan studied me for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision. “You know what? I should check on her. Make sure she has everything she needs.” Her smile brightened. “I’m actually pretty good at putting people at ease–comes from dealing with nervous pack members all the time. Why don’t we both go? Girl talk might help her feel more welcome.”

I hesitated, torn between the impulse to protect Nina’s privacy and the genuine warmth in Morgan’s offer. And beneath it all, my own burning need to understand what was happening.

Before I could respond, she’d already linked her arm through mine.

“Come on. We can bring her some of that honey cake from dinner–nobody can resist Cook’s honey cake.”

I glanced back at Regis, who’d been listening from a few paces away. He met my eyes, concern evident in his expression, and gave me a small nod. Permission, or perhaps acknowledgment that we both sensed something was wrong.

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Chapter 210

“Don’t push if she wants to be alone,” he said quietly.

I nodded, then let Morgan guide me back toward the main building, my heart beating faster with each step.

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The hallway leading to the guest quarters felt longer than I remembered, my footsteps echoing off stone walls. Morgan chatted easily about tomorrow’s ceremony preparations, but I barely heard her. My mind was too full of questions I couldn’t answer.

Why had Nina reacted so strongly to Adrian? Why had the Alpha watched her throughout dinner with that carefully blank expression? And why did I have the unsettling feeling that they were both lying when they claimed not to know each other?

We stopped outside Nina’s door. Morgan raised her hand to knock, still wearing that warm,

open smile.

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“Hello, Nina?” she called. “It’s Morgan. I brought some dessert, and Eileen’s here too. May we come in?”

Silence.

I pressed closer to the door, listening for any sign of movement inside. My pulse quickened with an anxiety I couldn’t quite name.

Something was very wrong.

I knocked again, her cheerfulness dimming slightly. “Nina? Are you alright?”

Still nothing.

I reached for the door handle, my hand trembling slightly, and wondered what we’d find on the other side.