My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 507

Nina

I sat at the kitchen table, absentmindedly tracing the grains in the wood grain with my fingertip as my mind raced. The sun was high in the sky, a warm summer day that should have been spent lounging by the poolside and enjoying ice cream with my friends, if I had only been given the luxury of enjoying a normal life.

But there was nothing normal about my life anymore.

First, my father was still missing. No word had come from him or any of the envoys who had been sent in search of him. He was off somewhere, chasing a dragon, and very well may have been dead.

And that wasn’t even the beginning of it.

Ever since Ronan had led us to that warehouse in the forest, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were still missing something some crucial piece of the puzzle that would finally shed light on whatever this mysterious Schreiber family was up to.

After all, if they were coming to take me or my child away, we needed to be prepared-more prepared than we had been with Mila. But the ‘family’, if that was even what it was, was elusive.

The image of that drugged, fearful wolf being dragged into the warehouse was seared into my brain. What fresh horrors awaited it inside those walls? And why would the Schreibers want a baby like mine? The thought made my skin crawl.

Suddenly, the sound of swirling, crackling energy filled the air. I leapt up from my chair so quickly that I caused it to knock over onto the floor, but paid it no mind as I turned to see a portal opening in my living room.

A moment later, a familiar figure emerged from the shimmering vortex.

“Mom?” I whispered.

Relief washed over her features as she caught sight of me, and in an instant, she was crossing the room and enveloping me in a tight embrace.

“Thank the goddess you’re alright,” she whispered, her breath tickling my hair as she spoke. “Tyler told me everything.”

I hugged her tightly, letting myself relax into her. “I’m so glad to see you,” I said. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to speak with you myself, but-”

“It’s alright.” She pulled away, holding me by both shoulders. There were unshed tears in her eyes, but something about the dark circles under them made me wonder how often she had been crying lately. It wasn’t often that my mother cried, and I knew that it had to be serious.

“Dad,” I said softly. “Is he…”

My voice trailed off, but I didn’t need to finish; we both knew what I was going to ask. My mother’s lips pressed into a thin line then, and she reached out to take my hand, leading me over to the kitchen table. We sat down, her grip on my fingers tightening ever so slightly.

“He still hasn’t returned,” she said softly.

A lump formed in my throat as the weight of her words sank in. Of course I had already prepared myself for the likelihood that he might not return. That even regardless of whether he was dead or alive, we might never know for certain.

“Have you heard anything at all?” I asked, my voice shaking ever so slightly.

My mother shook her head, her expression pained. “Not a word. We’ve sent four of our best envoys out in every direction, but so far… nothing. It’s as if he and that dragon simply vanished without a trace.”

A heavy silence hung in the air, suffocating and oppressive. It made no sense; how could an entire dragon have simply vanished into thin air?

I said nothing for a few moments, just gritting my teeth and considering our options. No, I refused to believe that he was truly gone. He had to be out there, somewhere; we just hadn’t found him yet.

“Nina…” My mother appeared at my side, her hand gently touching my arm. “You know that’s not true.”

“But it is!” I insisted, whirling around to face her with tears in my eyes. “I’d never make a good queen! I’d never-” “Do you think that your father felt any different when he took the throne?”

I fell silent at that. Truthfully, I didn’t know; and maybe I’d never have the chance to find out. My mother, noticing my hesitation, took my arm and turned me to face her.

“Nina, if your father had refused to take the throne because of his stubbornness or because of his naivety, he never would have taken the throne,” she said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “But sometimes, you have to do things that you’re not ready for.”

“Sometimes, it feels like I’ll never be ready.”

“I know, honey.” My mother pulled me into a tight hug, her arms enveloping me so tightly that I could hardly breathe; and yet, in a way, it was comforting. “I know.”

For a long time, neither of us spoke. I wasn’t sure exactly when it happened, but at some point, I noticed that my cheeks were wet with tears; and when we finally pulled apart, so were my mother’s.

“I don’t want to give up hope about his return,” I whispered.

My mother nodded, her jaw set hard beneath her skin. “Neither do I. And we won’t.” She paused then, her gaze sweeping down to my belly one last time. For another moment, she was silent, opening and closing her mouth as though she wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words. Finally, she spoke.

“But soon, we may need to face reality.”