Mated to Her Alpha Instructor (Eileen and Regis) novel Chapter 243

Mated to Her Alpha Instructor

Chapter 243

Eileen

I woke to softness–clean linens, the scent of lavender, and underneath it all, the steady presence of someone watching over me. My body felt like it had been wrung out and left to dry, every muscle aching in protest as I tried to sit up.

“Easy.” Cora’s gentle hand pressed against my shoulder, easing me back down. “You’ve been asleep for nearly a full day. Your body needed the rest.”

A full day. I blinked, trying to orient myself. The last thing I remembered was Regis catching me as my legs gave out, his arms solid and

real around me as the world went dark. And before that…

The silver wolf. My wolf. Lumina.

“Is everyone…?” My voice came out hoarse, throat raw from screaming or crying or both.

“Everyone’s fine,” Cora assured me, her healer’s instincts kicking in as she poured water from a clay pitcher. “Owen’s recovering well- Mira’s been driving him mad with her fussing, but the poison’s completely neutralized. The warriors who were injured are all stable. And your mate…” She smiled faintly. “He’s been checking on you every hour, but I finally convinced him to get some sleep himself. He looked ready to collapse.”

Relief washed over me so intensely I nearly started crying again. They were okay. Everyone was okay. I’d been so afraid, lying in that ritual circle with Cornelius’s blade at my throat, that I’d lose them all before I ever got the chance to-

“Nina.” The name burst out of me, urgent and desperate. “Where’s Nina? Is she-”

‘She’s alive,‘ Cora said carefully, something complicated flickering in her expression. “But she’s… not well. Emotionally, I mean. What happened with her mother…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “You should see her. She asked for you, actually, as soon as she woke up.”

I pushed myself upright despite the protests from every muscle in my body, accepting the water Cora offered with shaking hands. “Take me to her. Please.”

Cora studied me for a moment, then nodded. “Let me help you dress first. And you need to eat something-*

The magic intensified, and suddenly the air above the handkerchief rippled like heat waves. An image formed–translucent, ghostly, but unmistakably real. A woman’s face, young and beautiful, with Nina’s dark hair and sharp features. Ianthe.

I watched, transfixed, as the memory played out like a living tapestry.

A forest clearing, sunlight dappling through leaves. A younger Ianthe knelt beside a stream, her ankle twisted at an awkward angle, tears streaming down her face. She was trying to heal it with magic, but the power kept sputtering, failing.

Footsteps approached–cautious, careful. A young man emerged from the trees, not yet worn down by ambition and cruelty. Cornelius, but different. Uncertain. Almost… kind.

‘You shouldn’t be here,‘ he said, but his voice lacked conviction. “This is pack territory.”

“I know,” Janthe gasped through tears. “I’m sorry. I was running, and I wasn’t paying attention, and-” She tried to stand and cried out in pain.

Cornelius hesitated, then knelt beside her. “Let me help.”