Lahat ng Kabanata ng A Nerd for the Hockey Alpha Captain : Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 45

The photo didn’t make sense.The Crimson Gate. Standing in the middle of the woods behind Black Ridge. And down the center: a thin line of red light. Like a crack."That’s photoshopped," I said. My voice was shaking. "It has to be."Kai was already on his feet. Jacket on. Keys in hand. "We’re going.""It’s 2am," I said."Exactly," Kai said.---The drive was 20 minutes of hell.Silence. Except for Kai’s jaw ticking. And my phone buzzing.Mason: *You seeing this?* Nova: *Lila call me NOW* Marisol: *Is Kai with you?*I didn’t answer any of them.When we got to the treeline, the air was wrong. Cold. But not snow-cold. Gate-cold.And there it was.The Crimson Gate. 12 feet tall. Runes glowing faintly.And down the middle: a crack. Thin. Pulsing.Like a heartbeat."That’s impossible," I whispered. "We closed it. I watched you close it."Kai stepped forward. His mark burned. Mine answered."Don’t," I said. "Don’t touch it."Kai stopped. Hand inches from the stone. "It’s warm.""Of cou

The shard was warm.Too warm. Like it remembered being part of the Gate.Kai turned it over in his hand. The Morozov crest stared back at us. Two wolves, circling a moon. But the old version. The one before the pack split 30 years ago."Where did you see this before?" I asked. We were in the pack house kitchen. 4am. No one was sleeping.Kai’s thumb brushed the carving. "My dad’s study. He had books. Old records. Before he... before he left."Left. Kai never talked about his dad.Marisol came in. Hair tied back. No tears this time. Just Alpha face."Let me see it," she said.Kai handed it over.Marisol went still. "This is Viktor’s."The room went cold."Viktor?" I asked."My brother," Marisol said. "Kai’s uncle."Kai sat down hard. "Uncle V’s been missing for 10 years.""Presumed dead," Marisol said. "After he tried to open the first Gate."The pieces clicked. Too fast."He didn’t die," I said. "He’s on the other side.""And now he’s back," Mason said from the doorway. He looked wrec