The Ice Alpha’s Mate (Aria and Ryder) novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16

ARIA

“Are you crazy!?” I burst out. “Why did you do that?”

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I can’t even control my surprise right now. Actually, there’s a lot of fear mixed in there, too. Tyler was about to open the door when he sped away, leaving him stranded in the parking lo

Ryder shrugs carelessly and I swear that he’s fighting off a smile. He doesn’t look at me when he answers, “I didn’t want him in my car. I didn’t offer him a ride.”

My mouth is agape. “And why is that? He’s your teammate.”

Ryder doesn’t answer me, and I start panicking. I realize that this is exactly how girls like me could get into trouble. I’m in a car with a guy whose intentions are unclear to me, and we’re supposedly headed to this place where I won’t have any friends.

I was counting on Tyler, but I don’t know if he’ll be able to show up.

“I thought you were friends,” I remark. “That you were all friends

“You thought wrong.”

“What?” I ask, surprised. “What’s wrong with Tyler?”

“What isn’t wrong with him?”

At this point, he’s just toying with me. I suppress a frustrated groan and try to think of how I’ll be able to get myself out of this situation. The plan was to go to the bonfire with Tyler, not Ryder. Heck, this doesn’t even make sense, and I don’t know for sure if he’ll be driving me there.

Why should I trust him?

“You can just drop me off here,” I say to him, pointing out the window.

At last, he looks at me, and his eyes are practically looking daggers at me. “Why would I do that?”

“I was invited by Tyler and I was going with him,” I grit out, trying to sound calm.

“What’s wrong with going with me?”

“Are you kidding?”

“No.”

At this point, I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. What I really want to do is scream. The worst part is that he sounds serious, but he surely can’t be. Surely.

I lose my temper. “Why do you even want me to go with you?”

Ryder cuts me a look, but doesn’t answer me, not right away. Then he asks, “I’m curious-are you reacting this way because you think I’m going to hurt you?”

“I don’t trust you,” I reply in a low voice. “You’re inconsistent. I don’t know what you want from me.”

It’s the most honest answer I can muster.

A small smile touches his lips, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Now that I’ve gotten the words out, all I have to wait for is his

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Chapter 16.

answer, but it doesn’t come, and we’re now speeding away from our pack.

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“For whatever it’s worth, I’m not going to hurt you, Aria,” Ryder says suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts. “You wanted to go to the bonfire, and I’m taking you. If Tyler wants, he can meet you there.”

I’ve always considered myself to be a careful person, but right now, I don’t trust my judgment, especially since it’s telling me to calm down. I believe him-but why?

“I’ve changed my mind,” I say tentatively. “I don’t want to go anymore.”

“I’m not turning back,” he replies without even looking at me.

My mouth is open. “You know, being the Alpha heir doesn’t exempt you from answering for your crime.”

“Crime?” he echoes, bewildered.

“Yes, crime. This is kidnapping.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“I’m not.”

Suddenly, he slams his hands against the steering wheel and my eyes widen as I stare at him. “Are we going to keep running around in circles like this? Really?”

“You don’t intimidate me,” I blurt out after a moment of silence.

“Glad to hear it,” he replies dryly before cutting me a look.

“Is that why you hate me so much?”

His eyes meet mine long enough for me to’worry because he’s not paying attention to the road. “Did I give you that impression? That I hate you?”

I don’t know what impression he gives me. The truth is that it doesn’t matter what he says-he could say whatever he wants. He could lie to me about his intentions.

It’s what I feel.

And right now? My thoughts and feelings aren’t reliable at all.

I stay silent and stare out the window of his car as he drives. Worst-case scenario, I call Uncle Barty even though he’s mad at me and tell him exactly where I am and with whom. There’s nothing I can do to get out of this car-I’ve tried the door handle and it’s locked, and the only plausible attempt would be to grab the steering wheel and make us both crash into a

tree.

Not the best option.

We arrive in no time, and I wonder where the time has gone. Immediately, I don’t know what to do with myself. I’ve arrived here with him. What next?

Ryder parks the car next to the others. Judging by the number of cars, there are quite a lot of people here. He and I sit in his car in silence for a few beats before I feel his eyes on me.

“We’re here,” he announces.

“Evidently.”

A chuckle escapes his lips. “Why do you have to be this way?”

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“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I argue before trying to open the door. It’s still locked. I turn my head to look at him and he gives me a satisfied little smile.

After a beat, I ask him, “Is your plan keeping me here all evening”

“What if it is?”

Horror washes over me. “That’s not funny.”

Ryder leans toward me and I inch away from him automatically He searches my eyes before asking, “Why are you so afraid of me?”

I angrily respond, “I’m not! I just don’t want to stay in the same dar as you for longer than necessary.”

Ryder laughs, but it’s a dry sound and devoid of humor. “Oh, that’s rich. Says the girl who just sat in my passenger’s seat for a couple of hours. Wasn’t that enough for you to realize I don’t bit?”

My eyes widen and I ignore his jab. “You practically forced me!”

“No, you came because you wanted to.”

“Because I thought Tyler would come with!”

His eyes flash. “Stop bringing him up.”

“Or what?”

nil

After a moment, he unlocks the door and I don’t hesitate. I step out and my feet sink into the sand, shoes and all. Thankfully, I’m wearing sneakers, but I still get sand in them. I start walking in the direction we came from, and I’m nearly passing his car when he materializes in front of me and slams me against the back of his car.

The feel of his hands on my arms does something strange to me and I can’t explain what it is. “What are you doing?”

“You’ve got a lot of cheek on you, you know that?” he utters angrily. “You don’t know how crazy you drive me, Aria! There’s always something with you!”

“Let me go!”

“Or what?” he echoes, using my words right back at me just to provoke me. His face inches closer to me and in a matter of seconds, the mood shifts, and I’m no longer sure of what’s going on.

His face is so close to mine that I can feel his breath fanning my face. It’s fresh. Minty. Why am I thinking about that? The lower his face gets, the faster my heart beats. At first, I have the certainty that he’ll kiss me-his lips are so close to mine and his eyes have a dark gleam to them that I’ve never seen before-but then his head drops to my neck and he inhales deeply.

I suck in a breath.

Is this really happening? He’s sniffing my neck!

“You smell amazing, you know that?” he murmurs in a low voice causing this foreign sensation to wash over me. I squeeze my thighs together and my cheeks turn red. I’m sure they’re red anyway. When his dark eyes return to my face, his pupils are dilated.

I shiver. I’m hot, then cold. It makes no sense at all. Goosebump cover my skin, and our eyes remain locked for a long time while the pulsing between my legs increases along with my heart rate.

But then someone calls his name. “Ryder?”

We break apart like we’ve been electrocuted, and as soon as he distances himself from me, I take the opportunity to escape.

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I’m angry. Shaken. I don’t want to be around him.

What was that?

What’s wrong with me?

I don’t look back, not even when I hear the giggles of the girl who called his name. With no destination in mind, I struggle to walk across the beach’s sand, my mind a mess.

Not even the sight of the ocean can calm me.

I want to go home and forget this mess ever happened.

Only…I have no idea how to do that.

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