My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 382

After watching my mother stalk away with her hands curled up into fists at her sides, I couldn’t help but place my hand over my belly. Her words kept echoing in the back of my mind, and it stung.

“If you can’t even be responsible with your nineteen-year-old brother, how can you be responsible with a… with a. Baby?”

Her words cut deep, but part of me wondered if they were true.

“Don’t fret about it,” my wolf, who was normally quiet, said. Her voice echoed in my mind, a sensation that had once felt foreign but now felt no different than breathing. Some paragraphs are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on Jobnib.com. Visit Jobnib.com to read the complete chapters for free.”She’s just upset and scared. It’s not your fault.”

“But I should have known better,” I muttered with a sigh. “Tyler is still sick at the end of the day. I shouldn’t be so reckless with him.”

“But it doesn’t mean you can’t be a good mother.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

My wolf’s voice fell silent after I spoke, but I could still sense her presence. She was trying to be strong for me, but I think she wasn’t always so sure herself.

I sighed. I needed to think.

I wandered deep into the woods, my steps slow and contemplative, until I reached a familiar clearing. It was a place that held both solace and sorrow for me — a simple grave marked by a weathered headstone, nestled under the ancient trees.

Selena’s grave.

I knelt down in the soft grass beside it, my fingers gently brushing aside the wildflowers that had grown there, and I took a deep breath.

“Hey, Selena,” I said softly, as if she could hear me from wherever she was. “It’s been a while since we talked.”

My twin sister had passed so tragically and so suddenly during the battle. Sometimes, if I closed my eyes, I could still see the light leaving her. I wished I had more time to get to know her, to really understand the girl who I shared so much with.

It wasn’t fair that we never got to know each other.

It wasn’t fair what the Luna had done to her mind.

And it especially wasn’t fair that the spell had only worn off for a flicker of a moment before she was taken from us.

But still, whenever I could, I tried to come here.

When I visited on occasion during the winter, it had been covered with snow and the trees had been barren. Now, with summer here, the air smelled like fresh soil and the trees blotted out the sun, dappling the soft grass with dots of light that swayed in the breeze.

“Selena, I’m…” My voice trailed off. I didn’t know what to say.

Lately, life had felt like a never-ending merry-go-round, spinning faster and faster, and I was struggling to find my footing. I always tried to appear put-together, to be the responsible one who had everything under control. Hell, I even tried to convince myself that I had everything going just the way I had planned.

But beneath that facade, I was often terrified, confused, and uncertain. Like right now; because even with this amulet around my neck, I still didn’t know exactly what would come next.

“I’m pregnant, Selena,” I confessed to the quiet woods, my voice trembling with a mix of emotions. ” I’m going to be a mother, and sometimes, I don’t know if I’m ready for it. I want to be, but I feel like I’m being pulled in two different directions.” I stared at the grave, my eyes welling up with tears.

“What if I stay here, Selena?” I continued, my voice barely more than a whisper. “What if I don’t ever go back to Mountainview? What if we all drift apart like in those movies, where they promise to stay in touch after college but never do?”

My friends— my pack— meant the world to me. But here, in the werewolf realm, our pack wasn’t taken as seriously as we thought it would be, as I had just learned. Humans in this world weren’t treated the same, and I couldn’t ignore the stark differences.

And truthfully, I didn’t know how to reconcile those differences. How to balance family and friendship, the blood of the covenant and the water of the womb.

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I confessed my inner turmoil to my sister, even though I had no idea if she could hear me, if there was even an afterlife or if it was nothing but a meaningless void.

“I want to reconnect with my werewolf roots,” I muttered with a wry chuckle. “I want to know more about who I am, who my child will be… but I don’t want to lose who I am in Mountainview, either. I don’t want to lose the people I love. Sometimes, it

My voice trailed off, and I shook my head, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat.

“Sometimes I feel like I don’t have a realm to call home. Like I’m caught between the two.”

As I spoke, a strange sensation swept over me, a wave of dizziness and nausea. I pinched the bridge of my nose, taken aback by the sudden feeling.

The sensation passed just a few moments later, but it left me feeling strangely disoriented. “Morning sicknes. I gues, muttered to myself, rubbing my gets worse.”

Getting back on my feet, I turned to leave when something caught my eye. There, right on top of Selena’s grave, sat a small feather.

It was a delicate thing, with hues that shifted from deep black to iridescent blues and greens as I carefully picked it up and tilted it in the dappled sunlight.

“Huh,” I whispered, furrowing my brow. “I didn’t see that before.”

I held the feather, its texture smooth beneath my fingertips, I felt an inexplicable connection to it. It was as if Selena had left it there for me— a gift from beyond, a sign.

Or maybe it was just a feather and nothing more.

Either way, it was beautiful, and it gave me an idea.

“I’ll offer this to the Moon Goddess tomorrow night,” I whispered to the feather, slipping it carefully into my pocket. Maybe it would be enough to bless my pregnancy and guide me through the uncertain path ahead.

Returning to the house, I found Tyler in the backyard, gazing at the setting sun. He turned to me, a somber expression on his face.

“Where’s mom?” I asked as I approached.

Tyler sighed. “She went straight up to her room,” he said, following me inside. “She’s pretty pissed.”

“I know,” I muttered. “I could tell.” .

At that moment, just as I was kicking off my shoes by the door, my father’s familiar presence made its way into the room. I expected a scolding, but none came.

“Do you really think I’ll be a bad mom?” I suddenly asked, my voice trembling. The words poured out like an avalanche, and even I was surprised when they came out.

My mother pulled away slightly and looked into my eyes, her gaze softening. “Oh, honey,” she said, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. “No, I don’t really think that. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m so sorry.”

I sighed, sinking down onto the edge of the bed. “But I think it’s true,” I muttered. “I… I don’t feel ready for this.”

“Nina…” My mother sat down beside me and draped her arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. I laid my head down on her shoulder and let the tears spill out.

“I just feel so lost sometimes,” I whispered. “I feel like I’m never in control, even when I really want to be. And I feel crazy, and reckless, and-”

“Nina, it’s the pregnancy hormones,” my mother interrupted with a soft smile. “You’re not crazy, and it’s normal to feel lost and out of control. God knows I felt that way when I was pregnant with Tyler.”

I sniffled, looking up at her. “You did?”

She nodded. “Oh, yes. I was a nightmare when I was pregnant withhim. One moment I was crying, the next I was angry, and the next I was eating a whole pint of ice cream and a jar of pickles.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle through my teas. “I hope I don’t have those cravings.” I paused, cringing at the thought of pickles and ice cream. “But… I’ve definitely been feeling a little out of sorts recently,” I confessed, placing a hand over my belly. “It does feel like my emotions are all over the place.”

My mother nodded, brushing another stray strand of tear-soaked hair away from my face. “Just remember, sweetie, it’s okay to feel this way,” she said gently. “And it’s okay to ask for help when you need it. We’re here for you.”

“Thanks, mom,” I whispered, wiping my tears away with the back of my hand. “I’Il try to remember.”

There was a silence between us. I sat up, looking away as I wiped away my tears. It was still strange to cry in front of my mother.

“You know…” My mother suddenly broke the silence and stood, crossing over to her vanity. I watched as she grabbed a soft hairbrush and walked back over to me, where she sat cross-legged behind me on the bed and began to run the brush through my hair. ” When you were little, you used to always want your hair brushed when you were upset.”

I closed my eyes and leaned into her touch, reveling in the familiar sensation. “I remember,” I said softly. “It always made me feel better.”

My mother chuckled as she continued to brush. We sat like that for a while, just lost in our own little world. And in those moments, I started to feel better.

“I know our relationship hasn’t been the best,” she finally said, ”

but I’m glad you’re still a part of my life, Nina. And I hope you know that despite everything, you’re still my daughter. Maybe not by blood, but that doesn’t change anything.”

I nodded, feeling more tears begin to prick at the backs of my eyes. ” I know,” I murmured. “And you’ll always be my mom.”

“Just so long as I brush your hair when you’re upset, right?” she teased, wrapping her arms around me and resting her chin on my shoulder.

I laughed as I patted her hand, leaning my head against her.

“Yeah,” I said softly. “Just so long as you brush my hair when I’m upset.”