My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 492

Nina

The deafening roar of the crowd was replaced by agonized screams as chaos erupted around us. Bodies surged forward in a frenzied stampede, trampling over one another as they fled the arena in terror.

Overhead, the sound of a flurry of beating wings filled my ears. Mila had shifted into her dragon form and launched upwards after consuming several of her followers, causing a shower of rock and debris to begin raining down on us, but I didn’t dare to turn back and get a look at her.

No, I had to press forward.

Without even considering the consequences that shifting might have on my pregnancy, I quickly shifted. I crouched, letting the wide-eyed Tyler climb onto my back amidst the fray. And once he was securely clutching my hair, I sprang forward.

In my wolf form, I easily weaved through the panicked masses, dodging flailing limbs and debris raining down from above. A sea of frightened people surged around me, most of which were headed in the same direction: outside. Anywhere but here.

God, how could I have let this turn so sour? The plan had seemed so simple, so straightforward, and now…

I had been naive. Once again, my lack of planning and experience had brought disaster raining down on us.

Failure.

Somewhere behind us, Luke’s lightning crackled and sizzled, a beacon of hope amidst the madness. But it was all I could do to keep moving forward, my heart pounding in my ears as the world around me descended into pandemonium.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of muscling our way through the twisting and turning passageways, we burst out into the open air. The blinding sunlight stung my eyes after so long in the darkness of the impossible palace, but we had made it. And so had many of the others.

Sliding to a halt, I gently deposited Tyler on the ground, my body shifting and contorting as I took on my human form once again. Tyler took my arm, wide-eyed, as a sea of screaming and crying people surged out of the cave, right into the arms of our pack and Kai’s warriors.

Matt, spotting us, pushed his way through the throng and pulled us both aside.

“Where’s Luke?” he asked. “Enzo?”

I swallowed, shaking my head, unable to speak around the lump in my throat. Tyler answered for me.

“They’re coming, I’m sure of it,” he replied, then looked around. “Where are Aldric’s men?”

Matt’s face was ashen. “They’re late.”

Late. They should have been here by now, waiting outside the palace. We needed the extra hands to not only protect us against Mila, but also to help us gather the refugees before they ran rampant in the forest.

But before I could even process this, a deafening screech suddenly tore through the air.

I whipped my head skyward just in time to see Mila’s massive yellow and green dragon form burst through the top of the mountain. Her wings unfurled, casting an ominous shadow over the fleeing crowds as she took to the skies.

The sight of her sent a tremor of fear through me, but there was no time to process it. The next thing I knew, another surge of bodies slammed into me, knocking me off my feet. I tumbled to the ground, the wind expelled from my lungs as panicked feet trampled over me.

Gasping for air, I tried in vain to push myself up, only to be battered down again by the relentless tide of people. Spots danced across my vision as the world began to blur and spin around me.

Then, through the haze, a familiar face appeared above me. Enzo’s strong arms wrapped around my body, lifting me from the chaos and cradling me against his chest.

Finally, he leaned down and captured my lips in a searing kiss. It was fierce, desperate-a kiss that tasted of smoke and ashes and the bitter tang of farewell. And it was far too short.

When he pulled away, he set his jaw hard. “Stay alive,” was all he said. And then, with one last lingering look, he turned and plunged back into the chaos, disappearing into the smoke and flames.

The minutes that passed next were a blur. Adrenaline took over, and I no longer felt pain, or time passing, or the breath entering and exiting my lungs.

I think I gathered some refugees, although the relief of finding the people huddled in the fronds was lost amongst the chaos.

Animals, natural and shifters alike, bounded through the forest, shrieking and screeching in fear and agony.

The green canopy turned a blazing red and orange, and the air grew thick and heavy with smoke.

At some point, I scooped up a crying child in my arms and pushed myself faster, away from the inferno until another pair of arms took her from me, realizing that I wasn’t going to make it.

A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I stumbled, my knees buckling beneath me. The world tilted on its axis, the smoke and fire swirling together in a dizzying kaleidoscope of color and sound.

The last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me was a series of shimmering portals opening in the distance, letting loose a flood of armored figures onto the battlefield.

Then, everything went black.