My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 462

Nina

“Wait! Wait, I’m coming with you!” 1

At the sound of the familiar voice, both my mother and I whipped our heads around toward the noise. A moment later, I saw a lanky male form and a head of tawny hair break through the woods.

“Tyler?” my mother and I said in unison as he ran toward us, a bag slung over his shoulder.

“Don’t leave without me,” he pleaded without preamble, coming to a breathless halt in front of us. “Please, I want to come with you.”

My mother and I looked at each other, each too shocked to speak at first. Finally, my mother stepped forward and shook her head.

“No. Absolutely not, Tyler,” she said, grabbing his arm to stop him from going. “This isn’t safe.”

“Mom, I’ll be fine.” Tyler ripped his arm away from her and stepped forward, leveling me with a stern gaze as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder. “Please, Nina. I can help you.”

My eyes were as wide as saucers. “Tyler, I…” I swallowed, glancing at our mother and then over at Luke, who was still standing by the swirling portal. “I think you should listen to Mom.”

Tyler scoffed and whirled around to face our mother. “I have to go with her,” he said. “I’m tired of always sitting around, hoping that everyone will be okay. I’ve been watching them train, and—”

“No.” Our mother’s voice was stern and low, almost a growl. “You’re not going, Tyler. You’re too sick.” “Sick?” Tyler scoffed again. “I haven’t been sick for months. And Nina is pregnant, yet you’re helping her escape!” “That’s… different,” my mother said, her eyes shifting momentarily over to me. “Nina is a werewolf. You’re not.” “Please, Nina, tell her!” Tyler whirled around to face me again, and at that moment, the moonlight overhead hit his face, outlining his strong jawline. Once again, I was reminded that my little brother was no longer a sick little kid; he was a young man.

Swallowing, I looked over at Luke for guidance, who merely shrugged. “We could use the extra help,” he said softly, hesitantly. “My scouts would keep an eye on him.”

Luke’s words sent a shiver down my spine. The thought of my little brother joining us on a potentially fatal mission made me almost sick.

And yet, when I turned to face him again, I saw nothing but determination in his eyes.

Meanwhile, behind him, our mother’s eyes were filled with tears. I watched as she grabbed his shoulder, whirling him around. “You really want this?” she asked.

Tyler nodded. “I can’t let Nina go like this. I want to be there, to protect her if…” His voice trailed off, but his words still struck home. Even as kids, back when he couldn’t even stand on his own, he had always said he’d be my protector someday.

It was rare that any of us saw Mariah, as she was often on her own, dealing with her own matters. In fact, the last I had seen her in person was right after the wedding. After that, it had been nothing but accounts from Luke’s lips, talking about various adventures and memories.

They seemed to hit it off, though; after all, they had been together for almost six months now, and showed no signs of breaking up.

She swept into the room with a stoic look on her face, her dark hair billowing around her. She walked up to me without a word and held a small vial out to me.

“Here,” she said. “It’s finished.”

I shot both her and Luke a quizzical look as I took the vial. “What is it?” I asked.

“It’s a tincture that Mariah and I—well, mostly Mariah-have been working on,” Luke explained.