Mated to Her Alpha Instructor (Eileen and Regis) novel Chapter 41

Chapter 41

In the dining room, a simple meal was laid out exactly as he’d described. Clear broth, delicate fish, steamed greens, rice porridge. My mouth watered.

“Sit. Please.”

1 sat, and he settled across from me with herbal tea, watching as I picked up my spoon. The first sip of broth was perfect–flavorful but gentle, settling warmly in my stomach.

I tried the fish, then vegetables, eating with real appetite for the first time in days. When I looked up, Regis was watching me with an expression that made my breath catch–tender and pleased.

“You were hungry,” he said softly.

I nodded. “I haven’t been eating well…”

“I know. That’s going to change now.” He reached across the table, stopping just short of my hand. “You’re not going to struggle anymore, Eileen. Not while I can prevent it.

The conviction in his voice, the way he was looking at me–it stirred something deep inside, a quiet ache that rose unexpectedly. Tears pricked my eyes, though whether from emotion or hormones or the overwhelming awareness between us, I couldn’t say. “I’m not used to this. Being cared for.”

“Then get used to it.” Steel beneath gentleness. “You and our child are my priority. Everything else comes second.“.

Our child. Each time he said it, my heart squeezed.

After I’d eaten more than I’d managed in days, he led me upstairs to the last door on the right.

“This is yours.”

The room was bigger than my dorm and my bedroom at home combined. Cream walls, soft blue curtains, a large comfortable bed dressed in crisp white linens. By the window stood a desk and a cushioned chair, and the wardrobe, its doors slightly ajar, revealed new dresses in loose, soft fabrics. There was even a private bathroom.

“I had some clothes prepared for when you start showing more. But if you don’t like them-”

Something unreadable flickered in his eyes before he gave a small nod and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

I just stood in the middle of my new room, heart pounding. I could still feel the ghost of his touch on my hand, could still smell him everywhere around me.

My body felt restless, aching with a need I didn’t fully understand but couldn’t deny.

I lay down, breathing in the faint cedar and mint scent clinging to the linens. It wrapped around me like an embrace, and I felt my body relax into it even as something deeper stirred. This was what it meant to be mated, I realized–this constant pull, this awareness, this need to be close.

My hand found my stomach, pressing gently against the barely–there swell.

“We have a home,” I whispered. “A real home. With someone who wants us.”

The words felt dangerous, like naming hope might shatter it. But lying there surrounded by warmth and safety, I let myself believe–just for tonight–that maybe everything was going to be okay.