My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 293

Nina

“I’ve made my decision,” I said as I stood in front of my father.

We were in my father’s study, which was lit by a few small lamps and a fire in the fireplace. My father was seated in a tufted armchair by the fire and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, staring solemnly into the fire. There was a somber elegance about him; he was incredibly handsome and looked young for his age, but his dark brown, almost black eyes showed years of pain behind them. He had salt-and-pepper hair that was somewhat long and pulled back into a knot at the nape of his neck, but some shorter pieces fell forward into his eyes. He had a slight beard and mustache, but I could still see the lines around his mouth from age. Around his eyes, he had wrinkles as well, but his wrinkles didn’t make him look very old. I knew that he was over fifty years old, but he didn’t seem like it; it made me wonder if werewolves led longer lives than humans.

Around us, the walls of the study were lined from floor to ceiling with bookshelves. There were rolling ladders attached to the shelves that could be moved around to reach the high spots, since the ceilings were very high. But despite the high ceilings, it was a cozy room with soft chairs, plush rugs, and it was very warm.

“And what is your decision?” he asked, tearing his sad eyes away from the fire to look up at me, his only surviving daughter and the last member of his family.

I felt a bit sad about giving him the news. Of course I wanted to stay with him and get to know him, but I had a home in Mountainview and friends who would miss me. I knew that if I stayed here and never returned to Mountainview, I would never really feel at home here.

“I’m going to go back to Mountainview,” I said quietly as I fiddled nervously with my hands in my lap.

My father nodded grimly. He didn’t seem mad — just a little disappointed. I knew that he would be lonely here.

“Alright,” he said, managing a weak smile at me. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

I nodded. “Yes,” I replied. “I want to stay here with you. I really do. But… I have a life in Mountainview that I can’t leave behind. Enzo and I…”

“I understand,” my dad said gently. He reached over and patted my knee comfortingly, then stood and walked over to the fireplace. I watched as he crouched down and moved the logs around with the iron fire poker, causing the flames to jump up and create sparks. Even crouching, he looked like a large man. “If you want to stay in Mountainview, then I’ll support that,” he said. “I’d like to see you finish school there. I know you’re an excellent student, and I hope you know that I’m proud of you.”

My dad’s words made me smile. At the same time, however, I felt a pang in my chest because Selena was going to be a student there, too. She never got much of a chance.

“We’ll visit, of course,” I blurted out. “I can open portals. I’ll visit as much as I can.”

My dad chuckled. “It’s alright if you don’t visit. I know how busy you are. You’re a young woman with a whole life ahead of you… You don’t need to worry about your old man.”

“But I will,” I said quietly. I stood and walked over to the fire and placed my hand on my dad’s shoulder. “I want to get to know you.”