My Hockey Alpha
#Chapter 139: Dangerous Mission

Nina

I dropped the folding chair in my hand and sprinted over to Enzo while the rogue continued to struggle under him. Enzo looked at me, then seemed to nod as he held the rogue down tightly. I took a deep breath and crouched down.

The rogue wriggled beneath Enzo’s weight, but it was no use. This rogue was a bit smaller than the rest, and Enzo was much stronger, especially since he had the advantage over it. I finally let out the air that was trapped in my lungs as the rogue turned its head, its eyes almost pleading as though the person it once was was still trapped inside, begging me to help. To think that the Crescents knowingly were turning students against their will made me sick, but at least I could help a little bit. I felt as though I regained a bit of my strength since the first rogue I'd turned back into her human form, and I was certain I could turn this one back. I reached out and touched the center of its forehead, right between its eyes.

There was a long, pregnant pause. I began to wonder if it was working at all, and began to feel my spirits sink -- but then, the rogue finally shifted back into his human form. It was a boy; a freshman, maybe, judging from the fact that he looked a little younger than I was. He looked around frantically, confusion drawn across his round face, then screamed when he saw Enzo pinning him down. Enzo immediately removed his weight from the boy's body and I grabbed the boy by the shoulders before he tried to scramble away.

“It's alright,” I said earnestly and calmly. “Everything will be okay. Go join the rest of the group.”

I pointed over to the group, which had grown in size now that the students from underneath the bleachers had joined. The boy nodded and ran over to them; a girl from the group ran out to meet him and threw her arms around him, sobbing.

Then, as Enzo shifted back, I stood and looked over at the one rogue who we couldn't save. I wished that I could go back and find a way to keep such a horrible thing from happening, but as the screams and sounds of growls continued outside, I knew that it was bound to happen. I didn't know how many of our classmates had turned, and I wondered if Lori and Jessica were okay.

While Enzo directed the group to the locker rooms where it was safer, I pulled out my phone and quickly dialed Lori's number. My heart raced as I waited for her to pick up...

But she didn't. I tried Jessica's number next, and it went straight to voicemail. A curse escaped my lips along with a choked sob, and suddenly, I felt the comfort of warm arms wrapping around me. Enzo's scent filled my senses as I looked up to see him gazing down at me with an apologetic look on his face.

“We'll find them,” he said gently. “Don’t worry.”

Suddenly, however, the door rattled again. I felt another yelp catch in my throat as Enzo and I stumbled backwards, but we quickly realized that it wasn't a rogue on the other side of the door; it was someone banging on the door and screaming for help. A boy.

"Help!" his muffled voice screamed through the door. “Please let me in!"

Enzo and I quickly shot each other a glance before running over to the door in unison. We moved some of the barricade out of the way as quickly as we could and opened the door just enough for the boy to squeeze through. Right behind him was a rogue; somehow, I managed to slam the door shut just before the rogue barreled into it, nearly knocking it off its hinges. Right now, I was glad to be inside the hockey arena, where the doors were heavy and made of metal.

"Oh my god... Stand back!” Enzo shouted from behind me as I moved the barricade back. I whipped around to see that the boy was sobbing and holding his side. Blood was soaking through his shirt, and as I approached, I could see that his eyes were beginning to glow.

"He's been bitten,” Enzo said, grabbing me and putting me behind himself. “We have to restrain him before it's too late.”

I nodded, frantically searching the surrounding area for something -- anything -- that we could use to restrain him as snarls began to replace his sobs. Finally, I spotted the supply closet. “Over there!” I said, pointing. “Let's get him in there.” Enzo nodded -- then, just as the boy's bones began to contort as he started to shift, we rushed at him and grabbed him by either arm, dragging him kicking and struggling over to the supply closet. With a final grunt, Enzo shoved the boy inside, then we slammed the doors shut just before the boy shifted.

“Fuck... Sorry, dude,” Enzo said, sticking a hockey stick through the door handles.

“We need to find Tiffany,” I said, panting from the struggle. “People could be injured.”

Enzo nodded and turned to look at the back entrance of the arena. “She's supposed to be in town right now, though,” he said quietly. “Assuming she’s still human, or even alive, for that matter.”

I shook my head, thinking back to what she had told us about her history with the Peacekeepers. I was certain that she would have known what to do. For all I knew, she was on her way back now -- but I couldn't be sure.

"You stay with the students and protect them,” I said, bending down to tighten the laces on my shoes. “I'm gonna go and find her.”

"On foot? Are you crazy?" Enzo growled. “You can't go!”

When I looked up, I saw that his face was frantic, and his eyes were wide and full of worry. I felt a tear come to my eye as I realized that this could potentially be a suicide mission, but we needed Tiffany, and maybe I could find some of the others along the way. There was no chance that I could possibly protect the group if the rogues got into the arena again, but Enzo could certainly protect them.

“I have to do this,” I said, standing. “Trust me. You know how fast I am. And my wolf... I can't shift, but I think she can at least give me some extra speed.”

Enzo was silent for several moments. As the rogue on the inside of the supply closet growled and scratched against the door, Enzo and I only saw each other. His eyes were sad and scared, and all I wanted was to kiss him.

So I did. I reached up and threw my arms around him, not caring about the consequences of our kiss. As our lips locked together, all I cared about was being close to him. All I cared about was the feeling of his lips on mine and the feeling of his arms slowly wrapping around me and holding me tight. If this was going to be the last time we kissed, whether it was because of one of us dying or simply because of the arranged marriage, I didn't care. And it seemed that Enzo felt the same way. When we finally pulled apart, we lingered close to one another for a long few moments, our foreheads pressed together and our breath mixing between us. I could feel Enzo’s hands stroking my back; I wanted to stay, but I knew that we needed help. Finally, I stepped away. Enzo nodded solemnly and led me over to the back door -- when we cracked it open, we saw that there didn't seem to be any rogues nearby.

Enzo nodded again, then stepped away from the door and pulled me in for one last, deep, passionate kiss. When our lips parted again, he opened the door for me, and I felt my heart leap. “Run as fast as you can, and come back here safely, Nina Harper.”

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