My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 521

Nina

A couple of months had passed in a whirlwind since that first council meeting. True to my word, I had begun splitting my time between the werewolf realm and Mountainview, where I was finishing up my final year of medical school. It was a delicate balance, but one I was slowly getting the hang of.

My mother had taken on the role of acting queen and advisor whenever I was away in the human realm. I was grateful to have her steady presence guiding me through the steep learning curve, and she was good at the job.

I tried to return to the werewolf realm at least once a week, using the tincture that Mariah had given me to help me weather the portals. It was a relief to have that medicine—even with the pregnancy progressing, I never got sick anymore from using the portals. I felt as if I had my freedom back, or at least some of it.

As my belly swelled more and more with each week, though, I had to come to terms with the fact that I just wasn’t as … physically able as I was before. While Enzo and the others worked hard scouting out the mysterious Schreibers, I was often left behind, unable to participate. It had been difficult at first to come to terms with it, but I was getting better at it.

And it did help that I had Lori and Jessica by my side during those times. We lost ourselves in the early planning stages for their wedding, enjoying the summer heat by the poolside, and preparing for the fall semester.

As the fall semester at Mountainview approached, I felt the familiar weight of anxiety settling in my chest. Juggling my studies with my duties as Alpha Queen was already a challenge-adding the end of the second trimester of my pregnancy into the mix made my head spin just thinking about it.

I’d be giving birth before finals at school. I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to manage all of that.

Thankfully, I had the support of not just my mother, but Enzo and the rest of my pack. Speaking of which…

“Well, that was a fruitless update,” Enzo muttered under his breath as we walked out of the tunnel leading to our HQ.

I shot him a look, my hand resting on the swell of my belly. “You’re telling me. I could have sworn we would have made more progress on the Schreibers by now.”

He shook his head grimly. “They’re just too damn slippery. It’s like they know we’re watching their every move, and they just keep evading us every step of the way.”

“Which means they’re one step ahead of us at all times,” Matt piped up from behind us. He fell into step beside us as we made our way down the hall, his hands in his pockets.

I sighed, rubbing my temple with my free hand. “So we’re back to square one. Again.”

“Not quite,” Matt said, a hard glint in his eye. “We know the Schreibers have been using that old warehouse on the outskirts as one of their bases of operation. Maybe it’s about time we stop lurking in the shadows and finally see what the hell is going on inside.”

“You’re not suggesting a raid, are you?” I looked at him sharply. “Matt, that’s far too risky.”

The beta shrugged. “Might be our only option at this point if we want to smoke them out. They’ll have to retaliate eventually if we hit one of their little lairs.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Enzo cut me off. “He’s got a point, Nina. A carefully planned strike could scare them a bit, at the very least.”

“And for all we know, there’s valuable information in there that might evade us once again if we’re not quick about it,” Matt added.

My head swam as I considered their words. Part of me knew that a raid was necessary at this stage. But the other part, the part carrying a new life inside of me, recoiled at the thought of putting any one of us in danger.

Before I could voice my opinion, Enzo seemed to read my mind. He placed a hand on my arm gently. “We’ll handle it. No one will get hurt.”

I couldn’t help but snort. “We’ve been around the block one too many times to know that that’s bullshit. Danger follows our every step.”

Matt snorted. “Whatever you say, your highness.”

I shot him a playful glare, but didn’t protest the teasing nickname. I had come to accept-even welcome-the new title over the past months. Although it still felt a little strange, and unnecessary.

As the three of us parted ways for the day, Enzo pulled me into a tight hug, his arms encircling me protectively. ” Take it easy, okay? I don’t want any undue stress for you two.” He poked my belly gently.

I smiled against his chest, inhaling his comforting scent. “Yes, sir. We’ll be on our best behavior.”

His low chuckle rumbled against my cheek. “You’d better be.”

“And if I’m not?” I tilted my head back to shoot him a mischievous look, causing a low growl to rumble in his throat.

His hand met the small of my back, and he pulled my hips closer to his so that I could feel the heat that was already emanating from his groin.

“Even a queen must be punished sometimes.”

I couldn’t hide the husky smirk on my lips.