My Hockey Alpha

Nina

I woke up the next morning to the feeling of a pounding in my head from all of the alcohol, but more importantly, I woke to the sound of birds singing outside and the feeling of thick, warm arms wrapped around me. A smile spread across my lips as I rolled over and nuzzled into the muscular chest that lay beside me. I laid there for a while, listening to the sound of Enzo’s steady breathing as the memories of what happened the night before slowly flooded back into my mind.

The memories were still hazy from the alcohol, but I remembered dancing at the bar with Enzo. I remembered him kissing me as we danced, and then I remembered the feeling of his hand in mine as we snuck out of the bar together and walked back to my dorm. He tried to say goodnight to me at the door, but I pulled him inside and brought him up to my room, where we fell into a night of passion together for the first real time since the night that we first met and hooked up — only now, after all of the tension and the conflict, it felt even better to be with him.

Just then, Enzo shifted next to me and opened his eyes. I smiled up at him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Good morning,” I said softly.

He stared at me for a moment, seemingly processing the events of the previous night just as I did, but his reaction was much different from mine.

He suddenly removed his arms from around me and abruptly got up out of the bed.

I sat up, my eyes wide.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

have done that,” he muttered as he searched for his pants and then pulled them on. “That was a

thought that he was willing to make that mistake so we could be together.

you were okay with it,” I said, my eyes frantically searching his face. “I thought you wanted to sleep with me, because you

care about you, Nina,” he replied. As he stared down at me, there was a look of pain in his brown eyes that traveled far

I pleaded. “Can’t we just enjoy one night together? Can’t we just have one night of not thinking about

world came crashing down on me at that moment, and I didn’t even care as I felt tears begin

begged. “Just talk to me. I’ve been hearing my wolf and feeling her presence; I know she’ll emerge soon.

anything, but he didn’t say a word for the longest time. It felt like an eternity as I stood there, just

a whisper. “I promised I would go through with the arranged marriage and that I wouldn’t get involved with you, and in exchange,

come, but it caught in

didn’t you tell me?” I choked

the floor and shook his head. “I care about you more than anything, Nina,” he said. “I do want to be with you. But… This person he wants me to marry is extremely powerful and important, and I don’t have a choice. If I say no, and if I try

who fell silent. Of course he was right. Being together would only put our loved ones, and ourselves, at risk. But, at