My Hockey Alpha

Chapter 0650

Nina

Enzo and I stumbled out of the swirling vortex of colors into the quiet forest of

Mountainview. The moonlit sky and the familiar scent of pine trees should have been a relief, but it wasn't. Instead, my stomach roiled inside of me and my head spun, threatening to send the contents of my stomach sprawling across the forest floor.

I wavered where I stood, gripping my head. Stepping through portals while pregnant was no joke, and at that moment, I almost wondered if I had made a mistake by leaving the werewolf realm. But I couldn't stay, not after what I had learned. I wanted to go home.

Enzo, noticing my struggle, wrapped his strong arm around my waist and steadied me. "Easy there, my love," I heard his voice say gently through the storm of sickness. "I've got you."

I clung to him, my head spinning. I felt him guiding me somewhere, but I was too out of it to notice where he was taking me.

The transition from one realm to another hadn't made me this sick since my very first time doing it. I had to take deep breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth just to keep myself from vomiting right where I was.

After a few moments, the dizziness finally began to ebb away, and I opened my eyes to find myself sitting on a moss-covered rock that Enzo had moved me to. Enzo was kneeling beside me, his gaze filled with worry as he rubbed my back in circles.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked softly.

I nodded, my voice barely more than a whisper. "Yeah," I said. "I'll be okay."

Enzo's hand brushed a strand of hair away from my face, his touch gentle and reassuring. You had me worried there for a moment," he admitted.

I managed a weak smile. "Sorry. It's just because of the pregnancy. It'll pass soon."

And, just as I said, it did begin to pass. Within a couple of minutes, my vision was beginning to clear and I didn't feel quite as much like I was about to empty the contents of my stomach.

As I began to regain my composure, though, my thoughts began to drift back to the decision we had just made. Leaving the werewolf realm had been a difficult choice, but one I knew was necessary. I knew I had promised I would stay there for the duration of my pregnancy, but I just couldn't stay there any longer, not after everything that had happened tonight, not when my father had betrayed my trust and said the things he said.

Enzo watched me closely as I sat there. When my vision finally came back into focus, I could see that his eyes were filled with a whole host of emotions. I didn't know what exactly what said after I left the room earlier, but I knew it was likely not good..

"Do you think you made the right decision by coming home?" he asked, his voice soft.

I nodded without hesitation. "Yes," I replied. "I never wanted to live there for the entire pregnancy, anyway. And I'm tired of doing what my parents order me to do. I may be a princess now, but I'm still me. I'm still Nina, and I have to live my own life."

Enzo's fingers tightened around mine. "You know I'll support your decision," he said softly. I sighed, the weight of my father's actions still heavy on my heart. "What hurt the most about everything was finding out that my own father believes I'm so incapable of handling myself that he needs to send spies after me," I confessed, my voice filled with a mix of anger and hurt.

Enzo listened quietly, his arm still around me. Then, he spoke softly, his words measured. "I know. But... maybe your father wasn't completely wrong about some things."

I looked up at him, puzzled and wondering where this was going. "What do you mean?" Enzo let out a sigh, and suddenly I knew that whatever had occurred after I had stormed out earlier was no laughing matter. "Your father spoke to me in private," he began slowly, "and he ..He made me realize that I haven't been acting like the Alpha I claim to be."

"What do you mean?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"I need to be there for our pack, and for you," he said. "The decision to bring them to the party was naive and foolish, and it was never going to help us be taken seriously. And now, I'm not so sure if we'll even have that chance ever again after what just happened tonight."

Enzo's words struck me deeply, and I knew that he was right. My father's words tonight hadn't been completely misguided. But it didn't mean that I condoned the spying.

I sighed, leaning my head on Enzo's shoulder. We sat there for a few moments in silence, just listening to the sounds of the forest. The breeze rustled through the trees, and the sound of a distant owl hooting reached my ears.

"But you know what, Nina?" Enzo finally said after some time, turning to look at me again." I've been thinking."

"Go on," I said gently.

Enzo took a deep breath before continuing. "Our pack doesn't need to be taken seriously in the werewolf realm. Our duty lies here, in Mountainview, protecting the place we call home and the people we love. We can pave our own way, just as we always have."

His words made me smile ever so slightly, and I nodded in agreement. "You're right," I whispered. "This is where we belong."

For a few more moments, we sat there in silence again. Enzo seemed to be deep in thought, and so was I. There was still so much to think about, so much to consider. Maybe my mother had been right when she said that there was much we didn't understand, but maybe she was missing something, too. Because we weren't the same as the Peacekeepers. We were the New Peacekeepers.

Although it got me thinking...

"Maybe we should reconsider the name of our pack," I said with a soft laugh. "Something a little more... unique."

Enzo chuckled in response. "Maybe," he said, then paused, eyeing me up and down. I was still in my party dress, although I looked distinctly disheveled now after everything that had happened tonight. "But for tonight," he continued, "I think we've got more important things to

deal with."

"Like getting home so I can get out of this damned dress?" I asked with a chuckle.

Enzo's grip on me tightened, and he nodded, meeting my gaze with a smile. "Yes," he said. " But first, let's go and find our friends. Our pack. I think we need to have a... chat."

I nodded, and with his help, I got to my feet. The nausea and dizziness had mostly faded, and aside from a profound exhaustion, I was ready. Together, we began to walk through the familiar forest, the moonlight filtering through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Soon, the location of the secret hatch that led to the tunnels, our headquarters, began to come into view. It was the place where our friends were likely waiting. The place where our pack worked hard to keep everyone safe, the place where we didn't need the validation of

being taken 'seriously' by others.

And the place that we called home.