My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 127

Nina

“Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll go with you.”

My mom let out a relieved sigh. Without a word, she rushed over to me and pulled me into a tight hug. I felt myself tense under her touch for a moment before I relaxed and wrapped my arms around her. For a long time, we held each other, crying, and eventually I heard the sound of my brother quietly walking down the stairs.

When I turned around, he was standing in the doorway with his suitcase in one hand and mine in the other.

“You knew all along?” I asked as we waited for my mom to finish packing up some sentimental items and valuables around the house to bring with us.

He nodded, then paused and furrowed his brow. “Yes. Well, sort of. I found out a couple of years ago when mom had a witch come and try to break the curse. I thought she was crazy for a long time, though. Now, I realize that she was telling the truth.”

I nodded, staring at the floor with wide eyes as a million things raced through my mind. “I’ve learned a lot these past few months,” I said. “If you had asked me at the beginning of the semester if I thought werewolves were real, I would’ve laughed in your face and called you a maniac. Now…”

My voice trailed off as I looked up to see my mother standing by the door. Her face was twisted into a look of sadness, and as she gripped her suitcase in her hand, her knuckles were white. “Come on,” she said, opening the door. “We have to go quickly.”

I nodded solemnly and took my suitcase from Taylor. Then, we said goodbye to our childhood home and left.

…

As our mother drove us to the airport, the reality of the situation hadn’t fully hit me yet and I had a million questions. Thankfully, my mom was finally honest and open about everything, and I was able to get some answers.

“So… You knew Richard in college?” I asked. “And Tiffany, and all of the others? Even… Edward?”

My mother smiled a bit at the mention of Tiffany’s name, but her smile quickly faded as I mentioned Richard and Edward.

“Yes,” she said quietly, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she drove. “The Peacekeepers. How did you know about our club?”

“Tiffany told me,” I replied. “She misses you, by the way.”

“I miss her, too,” my mom said with a soft sigh. “But it’s been too long. I’m afraid I’m not the same person I was in college.”

I was silent for a moment, looking out the window as the occasional streetlight cast the inside of the car in an amber glow. With each flash of light, mine and my brother’s intertwined hands were illuminated. “I think she’d still like you,” I said.

My mother didn’t answer.

Finally, we pulled out onto the highway.

“Mom,” Taylor said, “what are you gonna do with the house? Will we come back?”

“I’ll have to sell it,” she replied. “We won’t be coming back. I’m sorry.”

My eyes widened. “You told me it would only be temporary--”

“I only said that so you would come with us, honey,” my mom choked out through her clenched throat. “I’m sorry. But I had to do what was best for my children. Richard will stop at nothing to get us out of the picture, especially now that the Crescents are making a return. He still thinks I’m a traitor, and he thinks that I planted you there on that campus as a spy.”

“That’s ridiculous,” I said. “He can’t really be that unreasonable.”

Once again, my mother didn’t answer. For the rest of the drive, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was making a grave mistake by leaving with them -- permanently. But then again, what could I do? If Enzo’s father really was as ruthless as he seemed, then I didn’t want to put my brother and my mom at risk anymore. Was I really about to say goodbye to everything and everyone I had come to know and love over the past four years? My friends, my job, my career, the campus, Tiffany, Enzo… The thought of not even having Lori and Jessica in my life was heartbreaking in and of itself. As we sped along the dark highway, I watched the silver guard rail fly past us, and the entire time I couldn’t stop myself from crying silently.

Eventually, the airport came into view. My mom pulled into the long-term parking lot and got out of the car. We had left so quickly that she was still in her pajamas; not that it mattered, since the airport seemed mostly empty.

“Are you coming?” Taylor asked as he got out. I snapped out of my thoughts and nodded soberly before climbing out. My hands shook as I closed the car door and retrieved my suitcase from the trunk, and every step we took toward the airport felt heavy and painful.

As we passed through the doors to the airport, all I could think about was Enzo. Already, I missed him more than anything. It felt as though I was leaving an entire half of my own body behind. Did he feel the same? Where had he gone when he climbed out of the window? As I stood behind my mother and listened to her arguing with the receptionist while she tried to exchange our old plane tickets for newer, faster ones, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing periodically over my shoulder at the front doors. It was as though I kept hoping that Enzo would be standing there with his arms outstretched, but he never was.

Finally, the receptionist relented and let my mother exchange our tickets. She gave us the new tickets and pointed us toward security, where we went through the motions of removing our shoes and electronics while the security guard, a tired-looking middle aged man, waved us through the metal detector.