My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 183

Nina

“Don’t worry,” Luke said from across the table as he squeezed my hand gently. “We’ll find Enzo. I promise.”

Luke’s kind words were a comfort, but even so, I had no way of getting to Enzo. “I don’t know anyone who can open a portal,” I said, “and before you offer, I’m not gonna let you lose your disguise again just so you can do it for me. I know how happy it makes you to not have to hide yourself and to be able to show expressions, so I won’t let you do it.”

Luke frowned and shook his head. “I could care less about looking like a human,” he insisted. “Finding Enzo is more important. If everything you said about that Selena girl is true, then Enzo could be in serious danger. How many days has it been now?”

“Two,” I replied.

“Enzo would have come back by now if it was a simple matter of getting his dad and coming back. His dad’s an Alpha; he can open portals on his own. They would have been here by now.”

My friend’s words, although well-meaning, hit me like a ton of bricks and instantly made me feel as though I would cry again at any moment. “You really think so?” I whimpered. “You think Enzo is in trouble?”

Luke shook his head again. “I can’t be entirely sure. But we can find out. I promise; we’ll be in and out in no time, we’ll find Enzo and his dad, and we’ll come back.”

I sighed, thinking about this possibility. It was risky, but if my dreams about Enzo were true… If Selena really was controlling him and somehow making him forget about me… Then I needed to find him. Maybe, if I walked right up to the Alpha King and showed him to his face that I was his lost daughter, then I could stop anything truly horrible from happening to Enzo. I just wished that I still had my wolf here to help guide me. I couldn’t even follow Enzo’s scent.

“Alright,” I finally said with a sigh. “Let’s do it.”

“Good.” Luke stood with a confident smile on his face. “First thing in the morning, at sunrise. Meet me out in the woods behind the hockey arena. Wear something dark with a hood, and shoes you can run in if you need to. Oh, and bring some supplies, just in case we need to travel a bit.”

I nodded. This was very sudden, and it was a lot to take in, but if it would help me bring Enzo home safely, then I would do whatever it would take.

“Can I bring Lori and Jessica?” I asked then.

Luke paused, biting his lip, then shook his head once more. “I think it’s best if we keep it to a minimum,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

I sighed as I watched Luke leave; he seemed so full of vigor, as though he was almost too confident that this would work despite the fact that so many things could go wrong. But maybe, I thought to myself as I finished cleaning up the kitchen, it wouldn’t hurt to have such a positive outlook of my own.

…

That night, I explained everything to Lori and Jessica when I got home; we did promise, after all, that we would no longer lie or hide anything from each other, and I wanted them to know what was happening in case things didn’t turn out as planned.

“You’re doing what?” Lori asked, her voice practically a growl. “Are you insane?”

I sighed, staring down at the floor. My bag was already packed and sat by the door, waiting for me so I could just get dressed and leave first thing in the morning.

“Nina, it’s only been two days,” Jessica said, a bit more gently than Lori. “He’ll be okay. I think you’re jumping the gun a bit here.”

I shook my head and finally met my friends’ gazes. “No,” I insisted. “Something is wrong. I… I can sense it, somehow. I keep having these dreams that feel like omens. I have to look for him.”

“At least let us come with you, then,” Lori said with a frown as she folded her arms across her chest.

“I can’t let you guys go,” I replied. “Luke and I need to be fast, and we need to get in and out without being seen. We can’t have too many people with us, and besides… If something happens, I need you two here so you can tell the Fullmoons what’s going on.”