My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 179

Enzo

I knew I shouldn’t have hidden so close to Selena. She saw me instantly when she walked out of the witch’s hut, and her eyes fixed on me in the darkness like a hawk.

“Enzo?” she called out, frowning. “Is that you?”

There was no way that I could have gotten away at that point; even if I did get away, she would have only strengthened her security around my father — assuming he was still alive — and I would never be able to find him if I didn’t play into her little game. So, with a quiet sigh, I stood and came out from behind the bushes.

“Hello, Selena,” I said. “Didn’t think you’d see me again, huh?”

Selena’s eyes were wide, but a smile spread across her face in an almost childlike way. “You came back for me?” she asked, twirling a bit of hair around her finger. From behind her, the witch peered out of her hut at me with a confused expression on her face. I made sure to burn her face into my memory so I could find her later when I needed her to lift Nina’s curse.

“Of course I did,” I said. “I made a promise, didn’t I?”

“I… I thought you left to go be with her,” she replied, her voice low and almost bitter. “I was so mad at you.”

Of course I left Selena to be with Nina. I would never want to be with Selena; she was batshit crazy. But I couldn’t let her know that. I needed her to think that I was madly in love with her so that I could find my father and tell the Alpha King about Nina.

“Selena,” I lied, walking up to her and cupping her cheek with my hand, “I love you. Didn’t I tell you that already? I only left because I was worried about my friends.”

Selena shut her eyes for a moment and leaned her cheek into my hand with a sigh. “Oh, Enzo…” she said in a sing-song voice. “I’m so glad you came back. We can get married now… But my daddy…”

“What about him?” I asked, prying for more information.

“Well… He’s very mad at you. He thinks that you ran away from me because you didn’t want to get married to me.”

“Maybe I can talk to him, then,” I said, wrapping my arm around Selena’s waist and pulling her closer, resisting her scent. “Can you bring me to him?”

Selena nodded vehemently. “Of course I can bring you to him. He’ll be so happy! Come on — let’s go. But first…” She paused, biting her lower lip as she looked up at me. I knew what she wanted from me. She wanted proof that I “loved” her. Proof that I really came back for her and for no other reason.

I had no choice.

I kissed her.

Only for a moment. It was a brief, deep kiss. She tried to lean in further, but I pulled away and shook my head, silently reminding her about what I had said before the last time she tried to seduce me: that I was waiting for marriage.

After I kissed her, a slow smile spread across Selena’s lips. But there was something else behind it: something cunning. Somehow, I knew that I had to tread carefully around this Princess.

…

When we returned to the mansion, Selena, much to my surprise, marched confidently up to the front gates.

“P-Princess?” the surprised guard said. “Is that you? How did you get out here so late?”