My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 503

Nina

The portal shimmered and swirled in front of us, waiting for us to enter. We had found our way to a nearby forest clearing, where the veil was thin enough for Luke and I to open the portal. Kai stood beside us, leaning on his walking stick, and cast me a somewhat somber look as I approached.

“Thank you,” he said, “for all you’ve done for us. You’ll be missed.”

I felt my cheeks tinge a slight shade of red at his kind words. “There’s no need to thank me. This was all my fault, anyway-”

Before I could finish, Kai held up a hand and narrowed his eyes. “It’s not your fault. You did your best.” “But-”

“Enough,” Kai cut me off again. “I won’t hear any more of it.”

There was a brief silence, during which Kai and I simply stared at each other. Then, suddenly, he broke out into a gravelly laugh and pulled me in for an unceremonious—and rather out of character—hug.

“We hope to see you soon, wolf girl,” he said softly. “You’re always welcome here.”

I couldn’t help but smile a bit as I pulled away. “I’ll try to visit. And Kai—my father—”

He nodded. “I’ve sent four of my bird shifters, one in each direction, to search for him. If we find anything, we’ll be sure to let you know.”

“Thank you.”

After saying our goodbyes, it was finally time. One by one, we all stepped through the shimmering portal, emerging on the other side in the familiar surroundings of the Enzo’s and my living room. The transition was jarring, the stark contrast between the two realms rendering me momentarily disoriented.

But as my senses adjusted, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. Home, at last. Untouched, safe, and still smelling faintly of my vanilla candles.

Once we were all through the portal, everyone dropped their bags and made their way over to the sofa and armchairs to relax-after all, we had just spent what felt like an eternity living in the forest. The comforts of home were a necessity.

Tyler, however, stayed planted where he stood. I turned to him, and felt my heart sink a little.

“You’re the man of the house with him gone, you know,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “So… don’t do anything stupid.”

Tyler let out a soft chuckle. “I’ll do my best,” he retorted, his lips quirking into a lopsided grin. “Although, you know, maybe I can use my new story about fighting a dragon to impress some werewolf girls while I’m at it.”

I couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter, shaking my head in exasperation. Leave it to Tyler to find a way to turn even the most dire of situations into an opportunity for flirtation.

“You’re an idiot,” I chuckled, giving him a playful punch on the arm. “But I’ll miss you, you big dork.”

Tyler’s grin widened, and he pulled me in for one last hug. “I’ll miss you, too,” he murmured into my hair.

With a final squeeze, he released me and turned towards the portal that would take him back to the werewolf realm. For a moment, he paused, turning one last time to look at me.