My Hockey Alpha Chapter 74

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. I had already felt as though Veronica’s death was completely my fault, and what Enzo’s father said only solidified that. I had to get out and think, so I quietly pushed my chair back and walked away from the dinner table, leaving my food and wine untouched, before I heard Enzo or his father say anything else.

Maybe Enzo’s father was right.

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

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. Enzo and I were just friends, but it didn’t make it hurt any less to think that I was in the way of something greater. Was this looming war between the werewolf factions so important that my mere presence in his life would only make it worse?

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

“Hey,” Enzo’s voice suddenly said from behind me. I didn’t look up as he came to stand by my side. “You want me to take you home?”

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

“Of course not,” he said, his voice tense. “My dad’s just an asshole. He’s only looking out for himself.”

“But… The Crescents…” I began. Enzo stopped me.

“None of that matters,” he said. “It’s just stupid politics. The werewolf factions haven’t fought a real ‘war’ in decades; if anything, they’ll probably make some sort of stupid business deal and move on for another thirty years.”

I fell silent again and turned back toward the ocean, leaning on the fence once more. After a few moments, Enzo leaned on the fence next to me. Our hands brushed, and I felt my heart rate quicken before I quickly pulled away and stuck my hands in my pockets, standing.

“By the way,” Enzo said, “When Ronan mentioned his little sister, something seemed to change in you. Why?”

I looked down at the ground for a moment. “I have a little brother, Taylor. He’s the reason why I’m in medical school to begin with; he’s been chronically ill ever since I can remember, but my mom has never done much about it. Not that it’s entirely her fault, since the few times she has taken him to the doctor, the tests have always come back inconclusive. So I promised myself that I would be a better doctor someday, that I would work harder than anyone else, so I could figure out what’s wrong with him and help him get better.”

Enzo fell silent for a few moments before speaking. He looked up at me, his soft brown eyes illuminated in the setting sun. “That’s a very noble cause,” he said gently.

Neither of us said anything for a bit. I didn’t mind, though. It felt refreshing to just stand there, thinking instead of speaking.I watched as the sun lowered over the horizon, eventually casting the cliff in a dark bluish tinge.

“You know, I never had the chance to tell you this with the stalker and everything, but Ronan is the son of a CEO who’s in competition with your dad,” I said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Enzo chuckled. “See? Everything is business with these guys.”

“That still doesn’t explain the person who seemingly keeps hiring people to kidnap me, though.”

Enzo furrowed his brow, staring out at the ocean. Suddenly, he took in a sharp breath. “Nina, I have to tell you something,” he said.

I looked over at him expectantly.

“I think you’re a werewolf.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s ridiculous,” I said with a scoff. “Don’t tease me like that.”

Enzo shook his head with a serious look on his face. “I mean it. Your speed when running, your intelligence, the way your knee suddenly healed on its own, the telepathy, your ability to not only keep Ronan alive when he should’ve died but to also get him to tell the truth when no other methods worked… At the very least, you’re a hybrid. Maybe there’s something about your heritage that you don’t know, and maybe that’s why you’re being hunted.”

I stood up fully once more from where I leaned on the fence post, taking a step back and shaking my head vigorously. “No,” I said. “I can’t be.”

“Your parents adopted you, right?” Enzo asked, standing as well and turning to face me. “How did that come to be?”

I swallowed hard. “They… They said that I was left on their doorstep one night. That’s it.”

Enzo splayed out his hands as if to say “There you go”. His face was nothing but completely serious. I thought, then, about all of the strange occurrences lately… The healing, the speed and stamina despite not having exercised much in years, the animalistic feeling when I was with Enzo…

“If I’m a werewolf, then why can’t I shift?” I asked.

“Some people don’t get their wolves until they’re older,” he replied. “Or, if you’re a hybrid, you might not get one at all… But your abilities lead me to believe otherwise.”

I paused for several long moments, processing what Enzo had just said as I chewed the inside of my cheek nervously. Was I really a werewolf or a hybrid?

There was no way it was true. I simply didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t bring myself to believe that I was anything but human; I couldn’t turn my entire life upside down for another time.

…

Now that Enzo’s father had Ronan in his custody and the mystery of the stalker had been solved, Enzo took me home that night on the back of his motorcycle. He didn’t say much about what was said between him and his father after I walked out at dinner, but I had other things on my mind anyway.

As we pulled up to the campus and Enzo dropped me off at my dorm, it was already nearly midnight.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he said quietly as I got off of his motorcycle. My expression turned puzzled when he slipped something into my palm. “Here. My dad’s Beta found this photograph after doing a background search on you a while back when I first started wondering about your abilities. I think it might be useful if you want to know more about your heritage.”

I looked down at the photograph, which depicted someone holding a baby wrapped in a blanket with a strange pattern on it. Part of the photograph was burned so that the older person’s face was hidden, but somehow, as I looked at it, I knew that the baby was me…

And something deep inside of me recognized the pattern on that blanket.