My Hockey Alpha

 Chapter 127 Midnight at the Airport

Nina

“Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll go with you.”

My mom let out a relieved sigh. Without a word, she rushed over to me and pulled me into a tight hug. I felt myself tense under her touch for a moment before I relaxed and wrapped my arms around her. For a long time, we held each other, crying, and eventually I heard the sound of my brother quietly walking down the stairs.

When I turned around, he was standing in the doorway with his suitcase in one hand and mine in the other.

“You knew all along?” I asked as we waited for my mom to finish packing up some sentimental items and valuables around the house to bring with us.

He nodded, then paused and furrowed his brow. “Yes. Well, sort of. I found out a couple of years ago when mom had a witch come and try to break the curse. I thought she was crazy for a long time, though. Now, I realize that she was telling the truth.”

I nodded, staring at the floor with wide eyes as a million things raced through my mind. “I’ve learned a lot these past few months,” I said. “If you had asked me at the beginning of the semester if I thought werewolves were real, I would’ve laughed in your face and called you a maniac. Now…”

My voice trailed off as I looked up to see my mother standing by the door. Her face was twisted into a look of sadness, and as she gripped her suitcase in her hand, her knuckles were white. “Come on,” she said, opening the door. “We have to go quickly.”

I nodded solemnly and took my suitcase from Taylor. Then, we said goodbye to our childhood home and left.

…

As our mother drove us to the airport, the reality of the situation hadn’t fully hit me yet and I had a million questions. Thankfully, my mom was finally honest and open about everything, and I was able to get some answers.

“So… You knew Richard in college?” I asked. “And Tiffany, and all of the others? Even… Edward?”

My mother smiled a bit at the mention of Tiffany’s name, but her smile quickly faded as I mentioned Richard and Edward.

“Yes,” she said quietly, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she drove. “The Peacekeepers. How did you know about our club?”

“Tiffany told me,” I replied. “She misses you, by the way.”

“I miss her, too,” my mom said with a soft sigh. “But it’s been too long. I’m afraid I’m not the same person I was in college.”

I was silent for a moment, looking out the window as the occasional streetlight cast the inside of the car in an amber glow. With each flash of light, mine and my brother’s intertwined hands were illuminated. “I think she’d still like you,” I said.

My mother didn’t answer.

Finally, we pulled out onto the highway.

“Mom,” Taylor said, “what are you gonna do with the house? Will we come back?”

“I’ll have to sell it,” she replied. “We won’t be coming back. I’m sorry.”

My eyes widened. “You told me it would only be temporary–”

“I only said that so you would come with us, honey,” my mom choked out through her clenched throat. “I’m sorry. But I had to do what was best for my children. Richard will stop at nothing to get us out of the picture, especially now that the Crescents are making a return. He still thinks I’m a traitor, and he thinks that I planted you there on that campus as a spy.”

“That’s ridiculous,” I said. “He can’t really be that unreasonable.”

Once again, my mother didn’t answer. For the rest of the drive, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was making a grave mistake by leaving with them — permanently. But then again, what could I do? If Enzo’s father really was as ruthless as he seemed, then I didn’t want to put my brother and my mom at risk anymore. Was I really about to say goodbye to everything and everyone I had come to know and love over the past four years? My friends, my job, my career, the campus, Tiffany, Enzo… The thought of not even having Lori and Jessica in my life was heartbreaking in and of itself. As we sped along the dark highway, I watched the silver guard rail fly past us, and the entire time I couldn’t stop myself from crying silently.

Eventually, the airport came into view. My mom pulled into the long-term parking lot and got out of the car. We had left so quickly that she was still in her pajamas; not that it mattered, since the airport seemed mostly empty.

“Are you coming?” Taylor asked as he got out. I snapped out of my thoughts and nodded soberly before climbing out. My hands shook as I closed the car door and retrieved my suitcase from the trunk, and every step we took toward the airport felt heavy and painful.

As we passed through the doors to the airport, all I could think about was Enzo. Already, I missed him more than anything. It felt as though I was leaving an entire half of my own body behind. Did he feel the same? Where had he gone when he climbed out of the window? As I stood behind my mother and listened to her arguing with the receptionist while she tried to exchange our old plane tickets for newer, faster ones, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing periodically over my shoulder at the front doors. It was

as though I kept hoping that Enzo would be standing there with his arms outstretched, but he never was.

Finally, the receptionist relented and let my mother exchange our tickets. She gave us the new tickets and pointed us toward security, where we went through the motions of removing our shoes and electronics while the security guard, a tired-looking middle aged man, waved us through the metal detector.

Once we were through and on our way to our plane, which would apparently be leaving in twenty minutes, it all felt so solid now. I felt as though I was walking through a thick mud, and with every step, I sank a little deeper. I trailed behind Taylor and my mother as they walked briskly to the terminal, still looking over my shoulder with the feeble hope that Enzo would be running after me… But he wasn’t.

We arrived at the terminal. My mother handed our tickets to the attendant, who waved us through the gate with a stiff smile on her face.

Suddenly, I felt my heart leap.

A familiar scent floated to me across the air. It was faint at first, but it grew stronger with every millisecond.

It was Enzo’s scent. I was sure of it.

I stopped in my tracks and looked over my shoulder one last time.

“Nina?” my mother called. “What are you doing? Hurry up!”

I turned back to face her and took one more step, but the mud was too thick now. I couldn’t go with her. Enzo’s scent was like a lifeline pulling me to safety, pulling me home. I felt tears begin to stream down my cheeks and I shook my head rapidly, taking a step backwards.

“Mom… I can’t.”

“Ma’am, the plane will be leaving in five minutes,” the attendant said. “If you’re not going to get on, I have to ask you to come back out of the gate.”

My mother’s eyes were wide and frantic. She rushed toward me and grabbed me by my shoulders, her face pleading. “What are you doing, Nina?” she asked, her voice shaking just as much as her hands. “We have to go!”

I shook my head and took another step back, wrenching myself free of her grip. “I don’t want to, mom. Go without me. I promise I’ll make everything better, and you and Taylor can come home, but I need to stay. Please.”

My mother froze. Her eyes searched my face desperately. “You love him that much?”

I nodded.

Her eyes welled up with tears. “Go, then. But… here.” She grabbed her suitcase and pulled something out, shoving it in my hands as the attendant approached to remove me from the gate and usher them to the plane.

It was the baby blanket from the picture.

“It’s the only link to your past,” she said as the attendant began to pull me away. “I love you, honey.”

“I love you too, mom,” I called as the doors began to close. Behind her, I saw Taylor smile weakly and wave.

“See you later, sis,” he said through his tears.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Before I could answer, the doors closed. I felt tears streaming down my cheeks, but I knew I did the right thing… Because Enzo’s scent was invariably close now.

Without another look back, I grabbed my suitcase and ran.

I ran all the way through the airport, back through security, and burst out through the front doors. Just as I emerged, panting and looking around wildly, I saw him.

Enzo was running across the parking lot.

“Nina!” he called.

I let out a choked sob and dropped my suitcase. I ran to him and leaped into his arms almost weightlessly. He lifted me off the ground for a moment as he wrapped his strong arms around me, holding me tightly while I sobbed into his shirt.

“I thought I lost you for good,” he said. “I went back to the house and you weren’t there–”

I didn’t care. “Just kiss me,” I murmured, interrupting him.

And he did