My Hockey Alpha

Chapter 294: The Decision

Nina

“I’ve made my decision,” I said as I stood in front of my father.

We were in my father’s study, which was lit by a few small lamps and a fire in the fireplace. My father was seated in a tufted armchair by the fire and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, staring solemnly into the fire. There was a somber elegance about him; he was incredibly handsome and looked young for his age, but his dark brown, almost black eyes showed years of pain behind them. He had salt-and-pepper hair that was somewhat long and pulled back into a knot at the nape of his neck, but some shorter pieces fell forward into his eyes. He had a slight beard and mustache, but I could still see the lines around his mouth from age. Around his eyes, he had wrinkles as well, but his wrinkles didn’t make him look very old. I knew that he was over fifty years old, but he didn’t seem like it; it made me wonder if werewolves led longer lives than humans.

Around us, the walls of the study were lined from floor to ceiling with bookshelves. There were rolling ladders attached to the shelves that could be moved around to reach the high spots, since the ceilings were very high. But despite the high ceilings, it was a cozy room with soft chairs, plush rugs, and it was very warm.

“And what is your decision?” he asked, tearing his sad eyes away from the fire to look up at me, his only surviving daughter and the last member of his family.

I felt a bit sad about giving him the news. Of course I wanted to stay with him and get to know him, but I had a home in Mountainview and friends who would miss me. I knew that if I stayed here and never returned to Mountainview, I would never really feel at home here.

“I’m going to go back to Mountainview,” I said quietly as I fiddled nervously with my hands in my lap.

a little disappointed. I knew that he would

a weak smile at me. “Are you sure that’s what

do. But…

said gently. He reached over and patted my knee comfortingly, then stood and walked over to the fireplace. I watched as he crouched down and moved the logs around with the iron fire poker, causing the flames to jump up and create sparks. Even crouching, he looked like a large man. “If you want to stay in Mountainview, then I’ll support

dad’s words made me smile. At the same time, however, I felt a pang in my chest because Selena was going to be a

blurted out. “I can open portals. I’ll visit

if you don’t visit. I know how busy you are. You’re a young woman with a whole life ahead of you… You don’t need

I will,” I said quietly. I stood and walked over to the fire and placed my hand on my dad’s shoulder. “I want to get

looked into the fire together. Finally, he stood and towered over me. There was a gentle smile on his face as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “You act like

my mom made a tear come to my eye. I quickly turned around and

at my father with a lot of respect. “Mountainview is still dangerous,” he said. “The Crescents still have their

and stared down at the floor. “I’m sorry about Richard. He was

jaw before he finally spoke again. “Will you send help with us?” he asked. “With Nina’s antidote and your men, I don’t think that the Crescents will be a problem for

of that, son,” he said heartily. “You