My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 407

Nina

My heart slammed against my ribs as the bone-chilling howls sounded again outside the darkened house. The wolves had us surrounded. Beside me, Daphne shook with fear. She turned to me, her eyes wide and her red hair wildly framing her face.

“What should we do?” she whispered, looking around frantically.

I swallowed, bolting over to the window, and that was when I saw them: the dozen or so dark shapes moving toward the house in sync, coming from all directions. ” Shit,” I whispered, whirling around.

Just then, a loud click echoed from downstairs-the front door unlocking. God, I never should have kept a spare key outside. How could I be so stupid?

“They’re inside,” I whispered harshly. I turned to Daphne then. “Daphne, you have to fly down to the Peacekeeper headquarters. Tell them I need their help.”

Her eyes widened even further, if that was even possible.

“But I can’t leave you,” she whispered. “Nina, I can’t-”

“Just go.” I quickly crossed the room once more and flung the window open again, gesturing to it wildly. “Fly as fast as you can.”

Daphne paused, but only for a moment before she nodded and shifted back into her bird form, fluttering desperately toward the open window. I watched her vanish into the night, then took a deep, shuddering breath before I crept silently toward the hallway closet, my pulse racing.

Heavy boots stomped around on the floor below. Quickly and silently, I cracked the closet door open and slipped inside, just out of sight. I tried to steady my breathing, straining to hear the muffled voices over the jackhammering of my heart.

“Check everywhere,” a male voice barked. “Find the girl!”

My heart sank. So they were looking for me. This was no ordinary burglary. But why? What did they want with me?

Were they the Crescents, coming back for revenge? It had, to be; I couldn’t think of anyone else who would want me dead.

The footsteps came closer then, pounding up the stairs. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying that somehow, they wouldn’t check the closet first.

I listened silently as they stomped ominously down the hallway before they finally faded away into the guest bedroom. I leaned against the wall inside the closet, a sob catching in my throat before I stopped myself.

No. I needed to focus; I couldn’t hide here forever, because they’d certainly check this closet. I needed to try for my car keys while I still had the chance. Maybe, just maybe, I could slip past the intruders and speed away in the truck before they spotted me.

Holding my breath, I eased open the closet door and scanned the dark hallway. Empty. This was my chance.

I raced toward the stairs, my footsteps silent. Shadows passed by the stairwell below, but there was an open window of opportunity by the dining room door.

This was it; if I could just get down the stairs, I could race through the dining room, grab my keys off of the hook in the foyer and sprint out the door. It was crazy, but it might actually work.

But then, halfway down the stairs, something happened: a floorboard groaned loudly beneath my foot. I froze, wincing at the noise as it almost seemed to echo through the house.

Voices yelled from the living room, footsteps pounding toward me. I whirled around and fled back up the stairs, my heart in my throat.

Ducking into the bathroom, I scrambled into the tub, fumbling to latch the tiny window. There was a small flat roof outside-maybe I could shimmy down on the trellis.

But before I could get the window open, the knob rattled violently. Then, moments later, the door splintered open and a burly figure burst into the room.

“Found her!” he called out, quickly closing the distance between us. I screamed and tried to dart past him, but he was too big, and he blocked the way. He grabbed my wrist, flashing me a menacing grin. “You’re coming with me.”

Then, the world flew into chaos. Everything happened all at once, time slowing down and moving too quickly at the same time. I could barely even comprehend what was happening before it all came whirling around me.

A blinding aura enveloped me, bright white and painful to look at. I shrieked, shielding my eyes with my free hand.

The man yelled out, stumbling back in surprise.

Then, a familiar voice echoed ethereally through the light. “You will not touch her,” I Trowed my brow. I knew that voice.

“Selena?” I whispered.

But it was already gone. The light dimmed, revealing the man laying on the tile floor in front of me, unconscious,

Then, the next wave of chaos camel a thunderous crash echoed from downstairs, Furious howls and shouts filled the night air as Luke and the others launched into a battle with the hostile invaders.

Stepping over the unconscious man, I raced to the broken bathroom door and peered out. At the end of the hall, Matt’s huge black wolf form collided with a burly man, slamming him to the floor. The man cried out, struggling violently as Luke’s jaws snapped inches from his throat.

“Go,” Matt urged, using our pack’s Mindlink to warn me.”

Run.”

Matt didn’t need to tell me twice. I bolted down the hallway, past the fight, and began sprinting down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs, however, a wolf lunged at me. I screamed, raking my nails across its face out of instinet, The wolf bellowed in rage, and while it was momentarily caught off guard, I kept running through the fray,

Another man lunged for me, but this time, I wasn’t alone.

A red cardinal abruptly swooped in like a flash, slicing her sharp talons across the man’s neck, disappearing before he could get his bearings. He stumbled, grabbing himself where she had sliced him, peering wildly around.

“What the hell?” he barked.

In his distraction, I shoved hard. He toppled down the basement stairs, crashing to the floor below. “Thanks, Daphne!” I called out breathlessly.

Daphne circled my head twice before zooming into the living room where Luke had cornered two men against the fireplace, sparks of electricity crackling from his fingertips.

One of the men lashed out with a knife and made contact with Luke’s arm, but then his eyes widened when’ Luke didn’t even flinch, his flesh peeling back easily to reveal no blood, no sinew, just bare white bones beneath.

“Damn you,” Luke said with an annoyed huff. “My skin. I’ll have to fix that.”

I hurried past the scene, onto to immediately come across another one: Jessica, in her wolf form with her teeth bared, a menacing snarl reverberating through the room, had a man pinned to the wall with her glare. Lori, who was riding on Jessica’s back, was holding a shotgun.

“How do you think silver bullets taste, you fucker?” Lori crowed, her eyes narrowed as she cocked the gun menacingly and stared down the barrel at a face that I knew all too well.

I froze as I saw the man who was pinned up against the wall. His eyes met mine, his upper lip curling back to reveal a row of white teeth.

“Hello, Nina.”

“Ronan,” I gasped.

Nina

My hands shook as I watched Luke and Matt drag Ronan’s struggling body down the hall. Fresh blood matted the skin on his shoulder where Jessica’s fangs had pierced his flesh, but other than that, he was fine.

The other battered intruders had already been hauled outside to await their fate.

Matt secured Ronan in the downstairs office, his wrists + firmly tired behind his back. Ronan said nothing the whole time, his eyes just boring into me, menacing and cold.

Then, the door shut in my face, and I could hear Matt’s muffled voice for a few moments, followed by what sounded like a hard punch, and then another.

The whole time, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the closed door, my stomach churning. What was Ronan doing here?

“Hey.” Luke’s gentle voice at my side made me jump. I tried to slow my ragged breathing as he watched me with a concerned look on his face. “You doing alright?”

I ran a shaky hand through my hair. “Yeah. Just… shaken up, that’s all. I’ll be okay.”

Luke nodded, but his gaze remained full of questions. We both turned as raised voices echoed from the front yard.

Through the glass panes I could see Jessica and some of the others gesturing heatedly at the bound and bloodied men who were kneeling on the lawn.

“We need to move them all to the tunnels if we’re going to contain this mess,” Luke muttered.

I chewed my lip thoughtfully. “What about Ronan? We should keep him separate until Enzo gets here. He’ll get the truth out of that monster.”

At the very thought of Enzo, panic squeezed my chest.

There had still been no word from Enzo all day. I wished he was here, by my side. Maybe none of this would have ever happened.

Oh, who was I kidding? Of course it would have happened.

Luke considered me for a moment before he nodded. ” Okay,” he said. “We’ll bring everyone to the tunnels. Ronan will get his own private suite.”

laughed wryly at that notion, but then my face turned bitter. “I want to speak to him first, though,” I growled.

Luke shot me a wary look. “You’re sure?”

“Positive,” I nodded. “Give me a few minutes alone.”

“Nina一”

“I’ll be fine,” I growled. “I’ve got personal beef with Ronan.

I have the right to speak with him. Privately.”

Luke paused, but then his eyes softened with sympathy and he gave my shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze.” Sure. We’ll be right here. Just yell if you need us.”

One Luke had gathered Matt with his now-bloody fists and herded him outside with the others, I steeled my nerves for a moment, my hand clutching the doorknob.

Finally, I took a deep breath and stepped into the office, closing the door behind me.

Ronan stirred weakly from where he was curled up on the floor, his orange eyes burning with contempt as they found me. His upper lip curled back again, dried blood coating his teeth.

“Long time no see, Nina.”

crossed my arms over my chest as I glared down at his battered form. Matt had clearly done a number on him already. “Not long enough,” I growled. “What the hell are you doing back here, Ronan?”

He barked out a rasping laugh. “You think I’d forget what you two did to me last time?” he hissed. “You’re lucky I’ haven’t killed you already.”

I blinked, looking toward the source of the voice, and that was when I saw the familiar female figure walking toward me.

“Mila…”

She sauntered closer, her features slowly coming into focus as my vision finally cleared. Her lips were curled upwards into a satisfied smirk, and a chuckle rumbled in her throat.

With a growing sense of unease, memories of our conversation at the bar flooded back. The last thing ! could remember was her apologizing, and then she had hugged me. Tightly. After that, everything felt… fuzzy.

Furrowing my brow, I strained to remember more. Yes, l could remember it now; she had led me back to my room; her delicate hand intertwined with mine. She had whispered sweet nothings in my ear, laid me down on the bed.

God, I felt sick. I didn’t… do anything with her, did I? No, I couldn’t have. My clothes were all still intact, so that was good.

But why? Why was I here, now, like this?

Cursing, I yanked at the silver ropes again but they wouldn’t budge. The pure silver strands that were threaded throughout burned my skin, causing me to grunt in pain.

“What the hell is going on?” I demanded, locking eyes with her. Something malicious glinted there that I had seen before, and now I knew just how much of a fool I had been. “Let me go, Mila!”

She clicked her tongue softly, trailing a long nail almost fondly along the silver ropes. “Silver,” she purred. “Such a silly little thing, to make a big strong wolf like you turn so weak.”

My blood turned to ice even as anger simmered in my veins. She knew. This whole time, she had known what l was. I met her amused gaze steadily despite the dread that was creeping into my stomach.

“How?” was all I could croak out. In answer, she leaned in close to me, until I could detect notes of cinnamon spice underlying her floral perfume.

“I know a wolf when I smell one,” she purred. “And those • physical tests I gave you the last time you were here-they just confirmed my suspicions.”

I frowned, trying in vain to pull away from her. Her eyes suddenly changed, greens and golds shifting until burning crimson swallowed her irises, her pupils growing and stretching and thinning into narrow slits.

My breath caught in my throat. She was no wolf, but she certainly wasn’t human, either.

“What are you?” I whispered. Dread prickled down my spine at her wicked grin. What had I gotten myself into?

“All in due time,” she cooed.

She rose languidly, like a jungle cat stretching its limbs under rays of warm sunlight. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips and I suppressed a shudder at the sight of her. No, she wasn’t like a cat. She was like a snake.

“By the way, did you have a nice nap?” she asked, turning to face me again. She chuckled at my stunned expression. “Don’t look so betrayed, Enzo. You chose to trust me despite everything. You should be angry with your own naivety, not with me.”

A low growl rumbled in my throat. “You did something to me,” I growled, yanking uselessly on the ropes, ignoring the burning pain. She just chuckled in response.

“Maybe,” she said. “I couldn’t have you changing your mind or fighting back, not when I was so close to bringing you here.”

“But why?” I asked. “What do you want from me, Mila?” Something that almost looked like pity entered her crimson glare. “Oh, you poor, clueless boy,” she purred. “* You have no idea what you’ve stumbled into.” She leaned down again, her long fingernails trailing across my jaw.

“So noble,” she mocked softly. “So handsome, too.”

I ripped my head away, glaring at her steadily even as panic built up inside of me at her ominous words. “Let me go, Mila,” I hissed. “You’ll never hear from me again.”

Her musical laughter filled the room again. “You think that’s what I want?” she asked. “To never hear from you again? Quite the opposite, Enzo.” Visit Job n i b .co m to read the complete chapters for free. Mila turned then, raising her hands. A swirling portal opened up in front of us, filling the room with its bright light and shimmering vortex. Seeing this, a sense of dread crept down my spine. Every instinct in me screamed to fight, to get away from here, but I was powerless with this silver rope binding me.

My wolf was weak, fuzzy. Useless.

“Come along, dear Enzo.”

With that, Mila wrenched me forward by the silver ropes that were now wrapped tightly in her fist. The silver threads seared against my flesh, causing me to cry out in pain, but she didn’t relent. I had no choice to follow; it was either go with her into uncertainty, or struggle in death.

The image of Nina’s face flashed through my mind, reminding me that I had to do whatever it would take to see her again. I couldn’t die here.

Mila yanked me closer, and this time, I didn’t fight against the bonds. I fell to my knees in front of the swirling vortex, closing my eyes tightly so that I could hold onto that picture of Nina in my mind.

“Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life, my love,” Mila whispered in my ear.

With that ominous declaration, her foot met my back, hurtling me into the swirling abyss. My hoarse yell broke off into a horrified silence as the howling colors enveloped us.

After what felt like an eternal hurtle between worlds, solid stone slammed into my back, abruptly anchoring me back to reality again.

Cold dampness instantly soaked my shirt. Gasping for air, I rolled over and retched violently. Slowly, the room spun into focus around me.

Smooth obsidian walls framed a high domed ceiling.

There was no visible door or windows to the expansive circular chamber; there was only the swirling portal hovering nearby, slowly narrowing into nothingness.

And then, silence.

With my heart hammering in my chest, I peered upward, and that was when I saw it.

The audience.