My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 75

Nina

Enzo’s father admitted to hiring the girl named Veronica to stalk me. He said it as though I was in the way, as though my very presence was making the situation worse.

Maybe he was right.

Maybe my presence in Enzo’s life was nothing but a burden, a hindrance.

These thoughts swirled around in my head as I walked out of the house and headed toward the ocean, silent tears streaming down my cheeks. I knew that I loved Enzo, but… was I in the way of something greater? Was this looming war between the werewolf factions so important that my presence in his life would only make it worse?

I stopped at the edge of the cliff and leaned on the fence, letting my tears drip onto the ground as I gazed down at the ocean below. The wind was blowing fiercely and making the waves crash even harder against the rocks.

“Don’t listen to him,” Enzo’s voice suddenly said from behind me. I didn’t look up as he came to stand by my side. His warm hand touched my back, giving me some comfort, but also making me feel even worse; what if I would no longer be able to feel his touch?

“Am I in the way?” I whispered, my voice barely audible above the sound of the wind and the ocean.

Enzo tensed up and grabbed me by both shoulders, turning me so that I was facing him. His eyes glowed red as he stared into mine.

“Of course not,” he said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “My dad’s just an asshole. He’s only looking out for himself.”

“But… The Crescents…” I began. Enzo stopped me and pulled me closer into a hug.

“None of that matters,” he whispered. “It’s just stupid politics. We can run, you know. We can run right now and never look back. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. Just say the word.”

I sniffed and pulled away, looking up at Enzo with my brows knit together. “You mean just… Run away together?”

He nodded. “Yes. Just you and me. We can leave this whole world behind. We can make a new identity for ourselves.”

I paused for several moments. The idea of running away together, starting a new life somewhere else and leaving all of this mess behind, was tempting. Images of Enzo and I running off to some foreign land and living like nomads, exploring the world with only each other, floated through my mind.

It was a beautiful image, but it wasn’t realistic.

“No.”

Enzo furrowed his brow. “Why not?” he whispered. “This place has done nothing for us.”

I shook my head. “You’re wrong,” I replied. “This place is our home. We have roots here, friends, family. I promised to myself that I would complete medical school.”

“You can transfer to a new school, then,” Enzo said, his voice sounding a little desperate now. “Somewhere far away.”

“But I can’t!” I said, pushing him away and taking a step back. “I promised my brother that I would take care of him, and I plan to follow through on that promise.”

Enzo shot me a puzzled look. “Your brother? You never told me you had a brother,” he said.

I sighed. “I do have a brother. Taylor. He’s… sick. And our adoptive mother never cared to get him the right medical attention, so I made a vow that I would do everything I could to take care of him myself. So, no. I can’t leave. I won’t leave my brother behind. Everyone else has left us; we only have each other.”