My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 391

I smiled at her, trying to ease her worries. “It’s not your fault, Lori. Let’s just get you home where it’s safe for now.”

But then, just as we were discussing the plan, the bedroom door swung open once more, and my parents rushed in, their faces frantic with worry. My father wasted no time and immediately began to open a portal to send Lori, Matt, and Jessica back to the human realm. Within moments, the swirling purple and blue vortex was standing in the center of my bedroom, and my eyes were wide as I stared at it.

“You three need to go home,” my father ordered, his voice urgent. “Nina and Enzo, you’re staying here.”

They didn’t need any more convincing. It was clear judging from my father’s frantic expression that there was no room to argue and no time to waste. Lori hugged me tightly, tears in her eyes, before stepping through the portal with Matt and Jessica close behind.

As the portal closed behind them, my father turned his stern gaze towards Enzo and me. He looked disappointed and angry, and I felt my stomach drop a little bit just from looking at him.

“Dad, listen, I-” I began, but he just cut me off with a wave of his hand.

“No, you listen,” he said, his voice booming. “I gave you the benefit of the doubt. I wanted to make you happy, Nina, so I allowed your friends to visit. But you were careless. It’s as if you don’t even give a shit about the consequences your actions have here.”

My eyes widened as my father spoke. His voice was a low growl, and his face was red with anger. I had never seen him this furious.

“But dad,” I insisted, “we had our reasons for inviting them here. Our pack-”

My father scoffed, cutting me off again. “There is no pack,” he growled. “You’re just children. Children who don’t seem to understand the gravity of your actions. You think you’re heroes? You think you can change an entire realm just by holding hands and singing kumbaya?”

“Aldric,” my mother chimed in, taking a step forward, ” there’s no need to be so harsh.”

“Oh, but there is,” my father spit back at her, his eyes flashing with fury. “Nina, Enzo, you two need to learn.

Hells, I can’t even trust you back in Mountainview! I never know what sort of trouble you’ll get yourself into!”

“Dad, what are you saying?” I asked softly, my voice trembling.

My father’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve got eyes on you and your little friends at all times,” he said. “You thought you were just going to galavant around Mountainview, try to bring down evil all by yourselves? You’re just kids!”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I took a step back, exchanging a glance with Enzo. He looked just as hurt and betrayed as I felt.

“You’re… You’re spying on me?” | exclaimed, my voice filled with disbelief and hurt.

“Yes, I am,” my father confirmed. “I need to keep an eye on you, Nina, to make sure you don’t put yourself in danger and get yourself killed. You are my one and only heir, and you cannot be trusted to take care of yourself.”

His words cut deep, like a knife that was twisting in my gut. I needed to get out. I needed to think; I needed to process all of this. To think that my father had been spying on me all this time, that he had so little trust in me that he felt it necessary to watch everything I did, follow me everywhere I went?

Hot tears began to prick at the backs of my eyes.

Without another word, I picked up my skirt and rushed out of the room before the sobs started to come.

Enzo

Nina rushed out of the room in a whirlwind, leaving me, Aldric, and her mother standing there in her wake. I was furious, with my hands curled up into fists at my sides.

The fact that Aldric had sent spies to keep watch over us in Mountainview was one thing, but the way that he had spoken to Nina almost made me sick.

I couldn’t just stand idly by while he hurt my wife.

Without another word, I turned on my heel and began storming toward the door. I needed to follow Nina-l couldn’t leave her alone right now. But before I could reach the door. Aldric’s tall and imposing form stepped in the way, blocking me from leaving.

“Move,” I growled, shooting him an angry glare.

“Enzo, we need to speak privately,” he said, folding his large arms across his chest. He was somehow taller than me even though I was quite tall myself, and he was even bigger. It was honestly intimidating, but I was too angry at the moment to fear the Alpha King.

“Not now, Aldric,” I said, attempting to sidestep around him. “My wife needs me after what you just said to her.”

But Aldric’s gaze didn’t waver, and he was unyielding in his stance. “She’ll be fine,” he said. “You and I need to have a talk. Man to man.”

“So what are you saying?” I scoffed, throwing my hands up in the air. “You’re right; we shouldn’t have had to do any of that, but we did. Why, then, are we not deserving of your respect?”

“Because,” Aldric said in a low tone of voice, “you still have a horribly long way to go. There is much you don’t understand, Enzo. There is much that your father never taught you; or perhaps you simply didn’t listen.”

His words struck a chord, and I looked away, feeling a sense of embarrassment wash over me. Aldric was right, and it stung to admit it. I had been reckless, and my actions had put Nina and our friends in danger.

Aldric’s tone softened slightly, but his message remained firm. “As an Alpha, your priority should be the safety and well-being of your pack,” he continued. “Especially as the husband of the Alpha King’s daughter… and as Richard’s son.”

The mention of my father’s name felt like a knife in my throat. I swallowed the lump that began to grow, my gaze still averted. It was as if I could still see the light leaving my father’s eyes, as if I could still feel his frail body in my arms after what the Luna had done to him. The very mention of him sent me reeling.

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, Aldric continued.

“Your father, as I told you the other day, was

my closest and most trusted partner,” he said softly. “All he ever wanted was to see you succeed, Enzo. And if he knew about your recklessness, if he knew about your immature actions… He would be rolling in his grave.”

Those words cut deeper than all of the others. I wanted to tell Aldric that he was wrong, that he didn’t know my father, but I knew it wouldn’t be true. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on Jo bn ib.com. Visit J obn I b.c o m to read the complete chapters for free. Maybe he was right; maybe I had been reckless, and immature, and the exact opposite of an Alpha should be. All this time, I wanted to be taken seriously, and yet I had destroyed those chances.

“I’d like to find my wife now,” I murmured, finally lifting my gaze to meet his. “If you don’t mind… Sir.”

Aldric paused for a moment, and I could see a sense of hurt flash through his eyes. It was clear that the mention of my father hurt him, too, and there was so much more that he wanted to say.

But he didn’t. Instead, he simply stepped aside, giving me a nod.

“Get out of my sight,” he muttered, clearly still angry.

Without another word, I slipped out of the room, away from Aldric’s lingering gaze. His words continued to echo in my mind, like an arrow lodged in my chest.

And no matter how much it stung to admit it, I knew that his words had held nothing but the truth.