Mated to Her Alpha Instructor (Eileen and Regis) novel Chapter 212

Chapter 212

VPN

59

“Hello again! I hope we’re not intruding, but I wanted to make sure you had everything you needed.”

Morgan stepped forward as she spoke, and the air shifted. That scent–cedar and rain, but muted now, layered under her honeysuckle

sweetness. They’d been together recently. Close.

Something in my chest clenched.

I bit down on the inside of my cheek, hard, and the pain snapped me back. This was a physical reaction. Nothing more. I could control

physical reactions.

“Thank you,” I said. My voice came out perfectly level. “That’s very kind.”

Morgan reached toward me–probably to touch my arm, to offer the same casual affection she’d shown everyone at dinner–and I stepped back smoothly, angling toward the dresser as if I’d been heading there anyway.

Her hand dropped. For just a second, something flickered in her expression–confusion, maybe hurt–before her smile returned. “Oh- sorry. I should’ve asked first.”

“It’s fine.” I kept my tone polite but neutral. “I’m just not feeling well. I think I need to rest.”

“Of course. Genuine concern creased her brow. “Is there anything we can get you? Medicine? Tea?”

“No. Just sleep.”

I needed them to leave. Needed Morgan’s scent–his scent–out of this room so I could think clearly. But she lingered in the doorway, still

trying.

“Tomorrow’s ceremony will be wonderful–I really hope you’ll feel up to attending! There’s going to be music and dancing afterward, very relaxed. I think you’d enjoy it.”

The ceremony. Where I’d stand in a crowd and watch Adrian Cross pledge himself to this woman while my body insisted he was supposed to be mine. Where I’d be surrounded by wolves celebrating a bond I’d spent years insisting I didn’t want, didn’t need, didn’t deserve.

Where everyone would be reminded that even in their world, I was the broken thing that didn’t fit.

“I’ll see how I feel,” I said.

Morgan finally seemed to register that something was off. Her smile turned uncertain. “Well… If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate. Sleep well, Nina.”

She left. But Eileen stayed, her dark eyes searching my face with that particular stubborn gentleness she’d developed over the past weeks.

1/3

12:27 Tue, Apr 14 N

Chapter 212

“Nina. Her voice dropped lower. “What’s wrong? Really?”

VPH

59

For just a second–one brief, traitorous second–I wanted to tell her. Wanted to explain that I’d finally started to believe maybe I could trust her, could let someone in, and then this happened. This cosmic joke that reminded me exactly why I shouldn’t.

But I couldn’t. Because telling her would mean admitting the mate bond existed, which would mean acknowledging my wolf–blood, which would mean accepting I was exactly what I’d always tried not to be.

“I’m tired,” I said. “That’s all.”

“You can tell me-”

“There’s nothing to tell.” I kept my voice flat, factual. Not harsh, just… empty. “I just need to be alone.”

Eileen studied me for a long moment. Then she nodded slowly. “I’m right next door. If you need me.”

I managed something close to a smile. “I know. Thank you.”

The door closed. The lock clicked.

I stood there in the silence, counting my heartbeats until they slowed to normal. Then I crossed to my bag and resumed packing with

calm efficiency.

This wasn’t complicated. I’d leave before dawn, slip away before the ceremony. Before my presence became a problem for anyone. I’d find some excuse–a message from the medical camp, a sudden illness, something Eileen would accept without pressing too hard.

I pulled out a piece of paper and wrote in neat, careful script:

Had to return to camp. Dr. Hawthorne needs help. -N

Short. Plausible. No details to pick apart.

I set it on the nightstand and continued packing. Clothes folded precisely. Medical kit checked and secured. Nothing forgotten, nothing

out of place.

The moon watched through the window. I didn’t look at it.

My hands had finally stopped shaking, Good. Control restored.

I sat on the bed and stared at my packed bag, at the note that would be my goodbye. Somewhere in the building, Adrian Cross was probably with Morgan, discussing tomorrow’s ceremony. Planning their future. As he should.

My body’s reaction to him didn’t change anything. It was just biology–neurons firing, hormones releasing, Instincts I’d inherited from people I’d never wanted to resemble. It didn’t mean I wanted him. Didn’t mean I belonged in his world.

$

2/3

12:27 Tue, Apr 14 N

Chapter 212

It just meant I’d been deluding myself about how much control I actually had.

You can’t escape what you are, I thought distantly. You never could.

Not anger. Not grief. Just… recognition. Cold and factual and final.

VPH

59

I’d tried. I’d really tried. But my body had followed its programming without asking permission, and now I knew: I couldn’t trust even

myself.

So I’d leave. Remove the problem. Let them have their ceremony and their happiness without the half–breed mistake hovering at the edges, reminding everyone that some bloodlines should never have mixed.

It was logical. Clean. The right choice for everyone.

I lay back on the bed, fully dressed, and stared at the ceiling until my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Four hours until dawn. I’d slip out before the household woke. By the time anyone noticed, I’d be miles away.

Back to the medical camp. Back to work. Back to the careful, controlled life I’d built where I didn’t have to think about what I was or wasn’t, because I stayed too busy to notice.

My chest still ached with that phantom pull toward him. But pain was manageable. I’d lived with worse.

I closed my eyes and waited for morning.