My Hockey Alpha Chapter 73

Enzo

Just a few moments after I watched Nina walk away, I heard a familiar voice upstairs: my father. Shit, I thought to myself as I locked Ronan in the basement room once more and started to head upstairs after Nina. There was no doubt that my father had just unceremoniously met Nina, judging from the sounds of their voices mixing together.

When I emerged from the basement, Nina was standing in the living room. She glanced over at me with wide eyes before my father stepped into view.

“Ah, Enzo,” my father said, folding his arms. “Good to see you. I had thought for a moment that your friend here came alone.”

“I can explain,” I began, to which my father interrupted me with a raise of his hand and a shake of his head.

“No need,” he said. “I’ll deal with Ronan. I know his father.” There was a long, uncomfortable pause before he turned to address Nina, and it was now that I finally noticed the dark circles under his eyes.

“Join me for dinner tonight,” he said. “Both of you.”

…

That night, much to my dismay, Nina and I got dressed and headed downstairs for dinner with my father. He had prepared steak and mushrooms, which was surprising considering the fact that he hadn’t cooked a single thing since my mother died. He had always been the cook of the household when I was growing up, but almost as soon as my mother died, I didn’t see him for a single meal ever again. It was strange to come downstairs and see him setting the table.

“Take a seat,” he said over his shoulder. “Dinner will be ready in a moment.”

Nina glanced at me before slowly pulling out a chair and sitting down. I sat next to her, feeling protective of her in case my father decided to start berating her or belittling her, and squeezed her hand gently.

My father finished preparing dinner and set the plates down in front of us, then poured red wine into each of our glasses before sitting down. I watched hesitantly as he raised his glass for a silent toast before he began to cut his steak.

“Do you know the story of the Crescents and the Fullmoons?” he asked as he cut into his steak.

That old wives’ tale?” I asked.

My father scoffed and took a sip of his wine.

“It’s not just an old wives tale,” he said, crossing his legs and leaning back in his chair with a serious expression on his face. “It’s history. A hundred years ago, the Crescents and the Fullmoons -- the two factions of werewolves -- fought for the place of Alpha King. It was a bloody and brutal battle, but the Fullmoons eventually came out on top. The new Alpha King of the Fullmoons beheaded the Crescent chief, and the war ended.”

“Why are you telling us this?” I interrupted, beginning to feel a little irritated at my father’s beating around the bush.

My father looked up at me with an annoyed glare. “She’s aware of our… heritage, correct?” he said.

Nina, before I could say anything, finally spoke. “Yes,” she said quietly. “I know that you’re werewolves.”

“Good,” my father said with a slight smile. “It’s important that you’re aware, if you’re going to be involved with my son, romantically or not… Because the war that may wage soon will wage in your very home.”

I felt my eyes widen. “What do you mean?” I asked quietly. “You’re not saying…”

“All of the attacks on campus are omens of the Crescents’ return.”

I scoffed. “You’re just saying that to scare her.”

My father shook his head and began cutting into his steak again. “I’m afraid you’ve already foiled my attempt to scare this human girl away from you,” he said, gesturing with his fork while he chewed. “Veronica was a good assistant, you know.”

Anger began to bubble up inside of me as I abruptly pushed my chair back and stood.

“So that was you!” I said, slamming my hands on the table. “Why did you send her to stalk Nina like that?”

My father was silent for several long minutes, as though my outburst meant nothing to him. I felt Nina practically shaking behind me before she eventually stood and quietly walked out of the dining room. I cursed under my breath as I heard the front door open and close.

Finally, my father took a sip of his drink before speaking. "You shouldn't be obsessing over that human girl, Enzo. She's not one of us, and you know our kind doesn't mix with humans."

I resisted the urge to clench my fist, feeling my anger rising. “We’re not together. She’s just a friend.”

My father's expression turned to amusement. “Well, then I suppose that makes what I’m about to tell you just that much easier.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

"I've arranged a marriage for you, Enzo. The daughter of another company’s CEO. This marriage will not only help to solidify our position in the human world, but will also strengthen our numbers in the werewolf world; and with the Crescents slowly returning, we may need those numbers.”

I felt my blood run cold as my father spoke. “You wait until now to tell me this?” I said, my voice shaking.

“I know it’s a lot to take in, but you’ll understand when you’re older," my father replied. “You know, your mother and I had an arranged marriage.”

I could feel my anger boiling over at this point. "Don’t bring mom into this. And I don’t want to be a pawn in your sick games."

My father simply shrugged, his body language so nonchalant it made me sick. “I’m afraid you don’t have a choice in the matter, son,” he said quietly, taking another sip of his wine. “The deal has been made. Prepare yourself, because the wedding is set to be held on the eve of the new year; and make sure to distance yourself from the human girl. It’s not that I dislike her, but you know it can never happen, and regardless of what you say your relationship is… I was young once, too. Trust me when I say that humans aren’t worth it.”

Before I could answer, my father pushed his chair back and stood. I watched, my body trembling with anger, as he calmly began to clear the dishes away from the table. Neither Nina nor I had even touched our food or wine, but my father had already finished all of his food.

There were so many things I wanted to say, but nothing seemed to be able to come out. I felt betrayed by my own father… To him, my life was nothing but a playing card. Had my mother’s death stripped him of any empathy he had?

Without another word, I turned on my heel and stormed out the door to find Nina and take her home.