The Ice Alpha’s Mate (Aria and Ryder) novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22

RYDER

“Ryder!”

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I turn around and see Zach heading toward me, a massive grin on his face. He’s been in this excited mood all fucking day and honestly, it’s starting to get on my nerves.

I’m not in the mood today. I woke up with thoughts of Aria Murdock on my mind and it’s starting to really piss me off. For some reason. I keep remembering the other night. If she were anyone else, I would’ve gotten the hint a long time ago.

But with her, everything’s different.

Why am I so hooked? She’s just another girl. An arrogant, stuck-p girl at that.

I’m genuinely wasting my time thinking about something that won’t benefit me at all. I’ve got all kinds of girls I could distract myself with and I wouldn’t feel this way.

Anyone I want, I can get. It’s not cockiness-it’s a certainty. A fac I’ve got daughters of the most influential males in our pack lined up to marry me, the future Alpha of the Ironclaw Pack. I could have anyone I wanted.

So why her?

I’ve got an important game coming up and I can’t be distracted, not like this. But when I’m in the ring, practicing, all I’m doing is looking around for her. It’s fucked up.

I don’t know what happened. I can’t even point out when the change happened. When I started seeing her as an intern who’d butcher me to a girl I’m having fucking wet dreams about

Zach reaches me and taps my shoulder in a way that really infuriates me. I ignore it, though, because I know that if I have to say something about it, it won’t come out right. “Nadia’s arguing with that Omega. Coach’s daughter or whatever.”

“What?” I ask, all my thoughts quieting down as my mind forces me to pay attention to what he just said. “What’re you talking about?”

“Yeah, she, Sandy, and Amanda are there, putting her in her place. You’ve got to see it-it’s priceless.”

I push past him and head in the direction he came from. Zach’s hot on my heels, still raging about it. I don’t understand what he thinks is so funny.

I see a group of people standing around her, and my footsteps slow as I take in her face. She looks mad-she’s looking around at everyone with fierceness in her eyes, but there’s something about her that’s…defeated. I feel it deep inside of me and I have no idea why.

“Madness,” Zach comments beside me.

I start toward her but she turns on her heel and storms away. I watch her walk away angrily. It’s like every step she takes is charged. People all around her are laughing. Something in me tenses like my wolf’s preparing for a fight.

I’m not sure where she’s headed, but I’ve got to find out what happened. What the hell has Nadia been up to? Can’t that girl catch a hint?

I can’t go because I’m suddenly flooded by the other members of the team. They’re asking what happened, and Zach who’s standing right next to me says, “I don’t know. Maybe Ryder knows.”

All their eyes turn to me. “What happened?”

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10:20 Wed, Feb 18 DB.

Chapter 22

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Anger settles over me. “Why the fuck am I supposed to know what Nadia has against that Omega? What makes you think I’d know?”

I don’t

Matt Cromer raises his hands and says, “It’s just a question, Ryder. I don’t know anything. I thought you’d know.”

“Yeah.” Zach claims. “Maybe Nadia’s jealous that you gave the Omega a ride to the bonfire.”

I turn my head and fix him with a look. The way he looks at me unapologetic and frankly, it grates on my nerves. I know what he’s doing.

If it’s a challenge he wants, it’s a challenge he’ll get.

“No offense,” he adds afterward, smirking.

I walk away from the group without saying anything. Finn asks behind me, “What about the meeting with Coach? You’re gonna miss it?”

I don’t answer him. I know the meeting is important, but I have to get away from them right fucking now. Plus, I have to find Aria.

I’m unsettled. I’ve got to find out what Nadia told her.

“Don’t do anything you might regret, Ryder!” I hear Zach yell behind me.

I clench my jaw, ignoring him for now, and follow her footsteps. Judging by the direction she headed, there’s only one place. she can be and that’s the library. As I walk, I catch a whiff of her scent in the wind and my wolf stirs. I don’t understand this at all and I don’t try to.

It’s just a natural reaction I keep having to the girl who can’t stand the sight of me.

I follow her scent all the way to the entrance, where I sign in while looking around for her. The library is pretty empty at this time, so there aren’t many people around. I sign my name right under hers, then casually walk inside, looking for her.

Bad idea, the voice in my mind says.

I ignore it completely. Like I always do where she’s concerned.

I find her standing between two bookshelves, staring down at a book in her hand. She’s tense-I can tell right away.

Before making my presence known, I hesitate. Dammit. I should turn back and not care at all. My teammates are already noticing that something’s strange. I can’t afford to have a scandal with an Omega I’m starting to get a little too attached to.

I don’t have a chance to change my mind because she turns around and fixes her eyes on me. We make eye contact and she appears equally as flustered as me. It’s like we both know we’re not supposed to be here.

Yet, here we are.

“What’re you doing here?” she asks coldly-another sign that I should never have followed her here.

“I want to know what happened.”

Her eyes search mine and I see anger in them. Her fists are balled and it’s like she’s preparing to fight me. Something happened. This anger of hers…it isn’t normal.

She never reacted this way to me before.

What happened?

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