Semua Bab A Nerd for the Hockey Alpha Captain : Bab 41 - Bab 50

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

The hospital room smelled like antiseptic and sunshine.I was awake. Kai was asleep, head on my bed, still holding my hand.My whole body hurt. Like I’d been hit by a truck. Twice.But the Gate was closed. Viktor was locked up. We were alive.That was enough.There was a soft knock. Marisol.She peeked in. "You up?""Barely," I said.Marisol came in with two cups of tea. And a plate of toast. "Figured you’d need this."She set it down. Looked at Kai. "He hasn’t left you.""He won’t," I said. "He’s stubborn.""Good," Marisol said. "Pack needs stubborn Alphas."She sat in the chair. "How are you really?"I thought about it. "Tired. Sore. But... okay. Better than okay."Marisol nodded. "The healers said the mark burned hot. You channeled a lot of Moon magic.""Is that bad?" I asked."No," Marisol said. "It means you’re strong. Stronger than we thought."She hesitated. "Vex is asking to see you."My stomach twisted. "Is she okay?""Physically? Yes. Mentally..." Marisol sighed. "She feels

"We run," Kai said.The word hung in the air.Marisol stared. "Where?""Somewhere Viktor can’t find us," Kai said. "Somewhere with no wards he knows.""That doesn’t exist," Torren said."Then we make one," Kai said.He looked at me. "Can you do it?"I understood. "A new ward. From scratch. With Moon magic.""Yes," I said. "But I need time.""You have 30 minutes," Kai said. "Then we leave."---Packing was chaos. Clothes. Food. Money. Weapons. No phones. Viktor could track those.Mason was loading the truck. "This is insane. We’re the Alpha family. We don’t run.""We do when the house isn’t safe," Kai said.Vex came in with a bag. "I’m coming."Kai stopped. "No.""Yes," Vex said. "I helped him once. I help stop him now."Kai looked at me.I nodded. "She’s pack."Kai exhaled. "Fine. But you follow orders."Vex nodded. "I will."---30 minutes later, we were in the basement.The old ritual room. Where I first marked Kai.I drew the circle. Bigger this time.Moonlight came through the s

The Jumbotron flicker lasted 2 seconds.But I saw it. Viktor. Smiling. No one else in the stands noticed. They were watching Kai.Kai scored. The crowd cheered. He looked up at me and winked.I couldn’t wink back. My hands were shaking.After practice, I pulled Kai aside. "Did you see the screen?""What screen?" he said, toweling off."The Jumbotron. Viktor was on it."Kai went still. "You sure?""Yes," I said. "And he texted me. Last night."I showed him. `Chapter 50. You’re not done yet. - V`Kai cursed. "We have to tell the council. Now."---The council room was full.Elders. Betas. Marisol. Vex. Even Coach was there.Kai told them everything. The motel. The fight. The Jumbotron.The room was silent.Then Elder Nia spoke. "He’s taunting us.""He’s taunting her," Kai said, nodding at me. "This is about Lila."All eyes turned to me."Why me?" I asked. "I’m not even—""You stopped the Gate," Elder Nia said. "You marked an Alpha. You beat Viktor in Red Pine. In his eyes, you’re th