My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 369

Nina

The phone dropped out of Lori’s hand with a clatter, and for a moment, I felt my heart drop.

As I looked at Lori, I began to fear the worst: that Jessica had died in the hospital. But when Lori uttered those words, I felt as if the world was tilting beneath my feet.

“It’s Jessica,” Lori said, her face slowly stretching into an incredulous, shocked smile. “She’s awake.” I couldn’t believe it. Just yesterday, the doctors had said that she had more internal bleeding. When I saw Jessica just a few hours ago in the middle of the night, she was practically on death’s doorstep.

And my impromptu Claiming ceremony, my haphazard and last – minute attempt to turn Jessica into one of us in a desperate plea to save her life, hadn’t worked. I could still feel her cold and limp hand in mine, could still see the bruises on her face and her poor body wrapped up in white casts.

It hadn’t worked. Right?

I blinked, unable to process the information. This couldn’t be some sort of joke, could it? Was I dreaming? “What… What do you mean, she’s awake?” I stammered, taking a shaky step forward.

Lori’s smile widened even more, and her joy was palpable, even from where I stood. “The doctor just called. Jessica had a major improvement during the night, and they’re not sure how!” she exclaimed.

I couldn’t contain my emotions any longer. Tears of joy streamed down my cheeks as I rushed forward and embraced Lori tightly, throwing my arms around her. “Oh, Lori, that’s incredible!” I exclaimed, my voice choked with happiness. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe she’s awake.”

“That is incredible,” Enzo said, sounding disbelieving himself.

In that moment, Lori leaned in closer, whispering in my ear. “Does he know?”

Slowly, I shook my head. And at that moment, there was an unspoken agreement between Lori and

I; that Enzo didn’t need to know. Not yet, at least.

Not until we could see Jessica in person and confirm it for ourselves.

Either way, though, the realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. I couldn’t believe it; if it was the case that Jessica had a sudden and miraculous recovery, then that meant that my Claiming ritual on Jessica may have actually worked, despite my doubts. I had believed it to be a futile attempt, but now, I couldn’t deny the hope fluttering in my chest.

But I needed confirmation. I couldn’t tell Enzo about my attempt to Claim Jessica until I was certain. So, I decided to keep it between myself and Lori for now.

As Lori and I pulled apart, she looked back and forth between Enzo and me. “I need to go to the hospital right now to see Jessica. Do you want to come, or are you in too much of a rush to leave?” she asked. “I understand if you need to go. And I know Jessica will, too.”

I turned to Enzo, my heart torn between the urgency of our journey and the need to see my friend. But I couldn’t go; not when I had thought that Jessica would have died only a few hours ago. ” Enzo, I need to see her,” I said, my voice almost pleading. “I can’t just leave without seeing her in person.”

Enzo hesitated for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. Then, he nodded, his eyes filled with understanding. “You know what? I’d like to see Jessica too,” he admitted, his voice gentle. “Let’s go.”

With that decision made, Enzo and I put off our journey to the werewolf realm for just a little while longer. There was a newfound sense of joy in our hearts as the three of us piled into the truck, and without a second thought, I whipped out of the driveway and began speeding down the winding roads.

When we arrived at the hospital, we made our way to Jessica’s room. The door was shut, and Lori hesitated, her hand on the doorknob.

“Go ahead,” I said gently, giving her a nod of my head. “You go first. You two should have some privacy.”

“Thank you,” Lori breathed before taking a deep breath and pushing into the room.

Through the cracked door, I could hear it; the excited voices of my two friends. It brought tears to my eyes, and I turned to Enzo. He offered me a gentle smile and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. We made our way over to the window, where we could just barely see Jessica and Lori through the slats in the blinds.

Inside the room, Jessica sat up in bed, talking and smiling. Lori was gripping Jessica’s face, turning her head this way and that like a mother checking her child for injuries.

Jessica was laughing and saying something, and then Lori’s shoulder’s sagged with relief. They leaned closed and began to kiss, and Enzo and I turned away to give them some privacy for their emotional reunion.

“Are you Jessica’s friends?” a voice suddenly called out, snapping us out of our reverie. Enzo and I looked up to see a doctor in a white coat approaching, his stethoscope draped around his neck.

I nodded. “We are,” I said, unable to contain my smile. “I can’t believe she’s awake. We’re all so relieved.”

“It’s truly a miracle,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Doctor, if you don’t mind, could you explain what happened?” Enzo asked, and I felt my stomach clench a bit because I knew what must have happened. My ceremony had worked. I hoped that Enzo wouldn’t be too worried about the pregnancy because of it.

“Well,” the doctor said, “she was on the verge of a downward spiral last night, but then it was as if something changed. Somehow, in the span of a few hours, her internal bleeding stopped. And… Gosh, I know this is crazy, but one of the broken bones in her foot almost completely healed. A small bone, but still. It’s unheard of.”

As the doctor spoke, Enzo shot me a knowing look.

I quickly glance away, biting my lower lip.

The doctor continued, his excitement growing. ” You know, your friend could very well be the subject of a fascinating medical report if she’d consent to the study. I don’t normally like to ask for things like this, but if you could see if you can convince her…”

“I’ll talk to her,” I quickly said, even though I knew that it could never happen. Jessica was a part of our world now, and she’d have to hide her identity. Even though I was glad to have her back, I did feel a little guilty for that.

With a nod and a polite smile, the doctor walked away. And that was when Enzo turned to face me, his eyes stern.

“Nina,” he began, his voice low and intense, “that recovery is nothing short of impossible for any regular human.”

I scratched my head, feigning ignorance. “Yeah, it’s strange,” I admitted, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. But Enzo wasn’t convinced, and he wasn’t the type to be easily deceived.

“Don’t lie to me, Nina,” he warned, his eyes locked onto mine. “I can sense that Jessica is no longer human. You turned her into a werewolf, didn’t you?”

Nina

“You turned her into a werewolf, didn’t you?” Enzo asked, his voice so low it was barely more than a whisper.

My eyes flickered from Enzo, to the floor, and then to the window through which I could see Lori and Jessica, still locked in a tight hug. Jessica was grinning, her face as bright and vibrant as ever.

Even though her hair was shaved, she still looked just as beautiful as always.

“I… Um…” I stammered, unsure of how to start.

“Don’t tell me there are consequences for that, too.”

Enzo shook his head, but still looked worried. “No.

But I wish that you had just told me. I had to call Luke just to find out where you were, and now this?” I swallowed hard. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner. But I was preoccupied. I thought my best friend was going to die.”

Enzo nodded, his eyes filled with understanding, but there was still a hint of pain in his gaze. “I know,” he said. “And I’m glad Jessica is alive. But it’s a matter of principle, Nina. You should have talked to me first. It’s not like this is the first time

-”

“The first time?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Need I remind you that I had to pry the information about Edward out of Luke? That you tried to keep it from me? Or maybe that you hid the pregnancy from me and were even considering having an abortion without my knowledge?”

As Enzo spoke, I felt my heart sink. He was right; I had done all of those things.

And truthfully, I didn’t know why. Maybe it was because of my own twisted sense of independence.

Maybe it was because I had spent so long dealing with things on my own that I didn’t know how to talk to others. Maybe it was the last vestige of those days I spent alone in Mountainview, a bullet wound in my thigh, feeling like I was the last woman on earth.

A tear slipped free from my eye, and I nodded, meeting Enzo’s gaze. “I know. I should have told you, but…”

Enzo shook his head. “Look, Nina, there are no buts. There are no excuses. Lately, it’s been feeling like… like…” His voice trailed off, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

I furrowed my brow in response. “It’s been feeling like what?” I asked.

He paused for a moment, then shrugged, looking both exhausted and defeated. “Like you think I can’t handle the truth,” he said quietly. “And that really fucking hurts, Nina.”

His words made my heart clench. I took a step forward, reaching for him, but he backpedaled and put space between us again.

“Enzo —”

“I’m sorry, Nina,” he said, shaking his head slightly. “I just need a minute. I’m gonna get a coffee from the cafeteria. You want anything?”

I shook my head, feeling a mixture of dread and regret blossoming in my chest. “No, thanks,” I said, my voice hardly more than a whisper.

He nodded. “Okay. I’ll be back in five. And Nina… I think after this, we really should hurry to the werewolf realm. Just to be safe.”

I paused for a moment, my gaze flickering to Jessica and Lori again, and then I nodded. “Okay. We can do that.”

Without another word, Enzo spun on his heel and stalked away, looking stiff and tired. I watched him go, not only worried but also confused, because this sort of reaction wasn’t like him.

And something about it made me wonder if he was being entirely truthful with me about recent events, either.