My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 393

Nina

Eventually, the hatch to the tumnels came into view. It was nestled in the woods, not far from where we had taken the portal in, covered loosely with leaves and pine needles. No one ever came out here, and if they did, they paid it no mind; to the naked eye, it was nothing more than a hatch leading to a maintenance bunker for the campus.

But to us, it meant so much more.

“T hate going in there,” I said softly, drawing in a deep breath as we approached

Enzo stopped in his tracks and sent me an apologetic look. He knew firsthand the horrors that we experienced down there, although I think he

was braver than me. He never complained about it like I did.

“You don’t have to,” he said. “I can take you home.”

But I shook my head. “No,” I said, “it’s okay. I need to start getting used to it.” Enzo nodded gently. “Remember, it’s different now,” he assured me. “It’s nothing at all like it was before.”

I nodded, realizing that he was right. Taking his hand, I followed him over to the hatch. He stooped down and inserted his key into the latch, and when it clicked open, he lifted it and gestured toward the ladder that would take us down.

“Ladies first.”

Taking another deep breath, I hiked up my skirt and began climbing down the ladder. It felt so much longer than it ever did before, like I was descending for an eternity. But finally my feet hit solid ground; Enzo followed closely behind and, taking my hand, led me further down the corridor.

My heart pounded in my chest as we continued to walk, but my wolf stirred her presence calming me. She was a reminder that I was stronger than J used to be; even if Edward reared his ugly head again, he couldn’t hurt me.

Not anymore.

But as we kept walking down the dimly lit corridor and slowly came closer and closer to the main area of the tunnels, my heart continued to race-but this time with anticipation instead of fear.

I needed to see our friends after what had happened. I wanted to share our decision with them. They were my home, and no matter what, I knew that they would always be in support of whatever we needed to do.

Finally, we made out way into the more well-lit area of the tunnels. Up ahead was our main room where we kept some furniture and other essentials for late nights spent down here, and I could already hear the voices of my friends as we approached. The sound of their voices alone dissipated my tension entirely.

Enzo and l exchanged relieved glances and picked up our pace.

When we burst into the room, Lori, Jessica, and Matt were there. They were still dressed in their party attire, and seemed to be explaining everything-quite animatedly, might I add-that had happened to Luke, who was sitting on the edge of a desk and eyeing them suspiciously.

But when Enzo and I stepped in, they halted their conversation and turned to face us, relief dawning on their faces.

“Oh, thank god,” Jessica said. “We were wondering if you were gonna be okay back there.”

I stepped forward, enveloping Lori and Jessica in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry what happened back there,” I murmured. “It’s all my fault.”

“It’s all our fault,” Enzo added. He cleared his throat as we all turned to face him, and rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke. “Guys, I’m sorry. I+15 BONUS

shouldn’t have brought you there. It was stupid, and naive, and -” Lori and Jessica exchanged a knowing glance before breaking into soft laughter. “Guys, it’s alright,” Lori said, her voice gentle. “No one got hurt, and that’s all that matters, right?”

Jessica nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we’re just glad to be back,” she said softly. “It was fun while it lasted, right?”

I chuckled, feeling a weight lifting off of my chest. “Yeah, I guess it was,” I said. “I just wish it could have ended on a good note.”

Lor ran her hand through her hair, a contemplative look on her face. “Can I be honest with you, though?” she asked.

I nodded. “Of course. We’re all ears.”

Lori glanced back and forth between all of us before she began speaking in a thoughtful tone of voice. “I’m not so sure if the werewolf realm is for me,” she said.

• “So in the future, I won’t be going back. Not until it’s safer for humans, at least-and who knows how long that’ll take. I hope you understand.*

“Of course, Lori,” I said without a moment of hesitation. “Actually…”

Turning towards Enzo, I took his hand, our fingers interlocking. He nodded almost imperceptibly before I started speaking. “Enzo and I have been talking.” I said. “We’ve realized that we’re not leaving. Not for the werewolf realm, at least. I don’t want to live somewhere where my own friends can’t be safe.*

The room fell silent for a moment, and our friends all exchanged glances before Luke finally spoke up.

*You’re sure?” he asked, his arms folded across his chest. “I mean, with the

” His volce tralled off, but his eyes, which landed on my belly, sald all that needed to be said.

I nodded, clutching the amulet In my hand. The witch’s help had beenmonument ous, but something else had happened tonight; I had chalked it up to the Moon Goddess accepting our offering, but I couldn’t be sure. Maybe it was nothing-but it didn’t feel like nothing

“I’m sure.” I said. “I want to be home. Where I belong.”

Much to my surprise, Lori and Jessica looked more relieved than concerned.

Jessica nodded as a slow smile spread across her face. “If you need anything, Nina, you know we’re here for you,” she said.

“Yeah,” Lori said with a smirk. “You’ve got us. Your Mountainview family.” However, as my eyes fell on Matt, I noticed a tense expression on his face.

He had remained silent throughout our conversation, and his demeanor seemed perturbed. He was leaning against the far wall, his arms folded across his chest, and his jaw set hard.

“What do you think, Matt?” I asked, turning to face him.

He cleared his throat, pushing himself away from the wall. “Yeah, um…

That’s great.” he said, crossing over to the door. “Glad to see you’re back. And safe.*

“But it’s not just that,” | admitted. “Matt, I… Mila, the team doctor for the hockey team I’m supposed to coach, she… She tried to drug me. And she kissed me. And when I rejected her, she threatened me.”

Matt’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked quietly.

I chuckled wryly, shaking my head. “My damn ego,” I replled bitterly. “Nina practically had to drag it out of me. I didn’t want to tell her, let alone you, for fear of being viewed as weak. As less of a man.”

“And that’s why you wanted to prove yourself as an Alpha.” Matt said after a beat of silence. “To prove that you’re a man. That you’re not weak.”

Another wry laugh escaped my lips as he spoke. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

The two of us sat in silence again for a while longer. We sat so quietly, in fact, that I could see a deer cross through the forest up ahead, completely unperturbed by our presence. I felt my wolf stir, yearning to give chase, but I reined him in. Right now, the quiet and the stillness was what we both needed.

It was what we all needed.

Matt was quiet for a moment longer, and then he licked his lips and spoke.” Listen, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, Enzo,” he said quietly, “But know that I’m here for you, always. Company, support, whatever you need.”

I looked at Matt, offering him a small, grateful smile. “You’re a good friend, Matt,” I said sincerely. I felt as though I didn’t deserve him right now after what l had done; after the danger I had put us all in tonight, all for my own ego.

But Matt, his usual jovial nature slowly returning, just turned and clapped me on the back. “Same goes for you, man,” he replied, giving me an encouraging nod. If you are not reading this novel on J obnib.com, some sentences are incomplete. “And just so you know, so long as you promise to talk to me first instead of jumping into these schemes from now on, we’re all good.

No hard feelings.”

His words almost made me laugh. It felt like the bare minimum that any man who called himself a friend, a coach, and an Alpha should promise, and yet l had failed. And now here we were, making those promises as though we were working from square one.

“You know what?” I said. “I’ll do you one better.”

“Hm?” Matt asked, furrowing his brow.

I took a deep breath, then held out my hand, shooting Matt a stern look. ” Let’s make a pact.” I said. “To be the best we can be, not just for ourselves, but for each other and our pack. Deal?”

For a few moments, Matt’s eyes flickered back and forth between my gaze and my hand, but I remained unwavering. Finally, he smirked and shook my hand firmly. “Deal,” he said.

I nodded, smiling back at him. When we pulled apart, we returned to our companionable silence, sitting alongside one another on the fallen log.

The forest seemed to return in kind, and the moon came out from behind a cloud, illuminating the scene in front of us with a pale blue glow that made the plants and the trees look even more alive. Up ahead, the deer still grazed in a clearing, and it was then that I saw it, the deer wasn’t alone.

There were others. Several others.

It made me realize, then, that there was beauty and strength in numbers.

Maybe I had forgotten that lately, but I wouldn’t anymore After all, an Alpha would be nothing without his pack.