The Ice Alpha’s Mate (Aria and Ryder) novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42

ARIA

Some time before the last period of the game starts, I decide I can’t take it anymore.

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It’s too hot in the medical room, and nobody’s coming in for injury checks anyway. So, I decide to abandon my post and hurry to the restrooms. I feel so nauseous and my body’s hot all over.

My limbs are all starting to shake. I suspect that even if I had to stitch someone up, I wouldn’t be able to do it at this point.

What’s wrong with me? I’ve never been this sick before in my life!

Maybe I should’ve listened to my uncle. He knows best.

I have to hold onto the sink so I don’t sink to my knees in front of it, and I turn the cold water tap on. I splash my face with the cool water repeatedly, but it doesn’t make me feel better. I’m making a mess. Water is spilling everywhere.

My stomach is churning nonstop.

When the bathroom door opens, I don’t even notice it until this sweet, sickly scent invades my nose. For some reason, my senses have been sharper than usual, and every little scent makes me nauseous.

“Look who it is,” someone says behind me. A feminine voice. On I know so well by now. “The pathetic Omega. Aw, poor little wolf. Are you sick? You look so terrible.”

Nadia.

“Doesn’t she look terrible, girls?”

They murmur agreements. That’s when I realize that she’s not alone. Slowly and very carefully, I manage to turn around and I come face-to-face with all three of them. Nadia is standing in the middle, her blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail, wearing a pretty blue dress.

“You know,” she begins, tapping her chin, “I did some digging on you, Aria Murdock. Do you want to know what I found?”

I have to hold onto the edges of the sink behind me to stand upright. “I’m sure you’ll tell me anyway.”

Nadia narrows her eyes at me and fakes a smile. “You must think you’re so clever, huh? By the goddess! If I were an orphan like you? I’d never have an attitude. What’s there to be so feisty about? You don’t have parents.”

Her pathetic friends laugh at this. Usually, I’m good at ignoring ich jabs, but not today. I’m starting to feel very angry. Uncharacteristically so

Nadia stops sniggering and suddenly steps forward and slaps me. I don’t know if it’s because of my lethargic state but I definitely didn’t see it coming. I sink to the ground and they’re immediately upon me, making sure that I don’t get up.

Nadia’s nails sink into the flesh of my arms. “A poor, orphaned mega thinks she can stand up to me!? I’m the Beta’s daughter! I’m better than you’ll ever be!” She punches my face. Coddess, it hurts. “Your parents died in a car crash according to everyone else, but that’s not what happened at all!”

I manage to grab a hold of Nadia’s hair, but her friends pry my and off her and pin it to the ground along with the other

one.

Enraged, Nadia punches me again. This time, the blow lands on my left eye, and I immediately feel it start to swell. No matter how hard I try to kick my legs, I can’t reach them.

She continues, “Your parents never died in a crash! I went through the files in my father’s office. They were banished and

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Chapter 42

killed! Your parents were betrayers! Do you hear that, dirty slut

Tears fill my eyes. “Stop lying about them! Stop talking about them!”

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“Your mother was probably a dirty slut like you!” Nadia continue yelling. She’s fisting my hair now and my eyes are stinging from how hard she’s pulling. “And you? You’re going to suffer the same fate when I marry Ryder and become the Luna of this pack. I told you to stay away from him and you didn’t listen You want to taint his reputation with that filthy and impure blood your parents passed down to you!”

Tears are running down my checks now. Goddess, I’ve never felt this hatred before. Never in my life. I don’t know how I do it because everything becomes a blur in my mind, but I free my arm and slam my fist against Nadia’s cheek. She reels backward, and I get to my feet.

Whatever sickness that was plaguing me is now gone. I’ve never elt stronger than I do now.

When her friends try to climb on top of me to stop me, I throw myself backward and they hit the wall hard. Nadia stands up and tries to come at me-it’s clear that she’s gotten some basic training. I evade her attack and kick her knees in. She cries out and falls on the ground.

I fist her hair in my hand and punch her in the same eye she punched me. She cries and it’s a horrible, pathetic sound.

I want to bite her head off.

“You’re not going to get away with this!” she yells hysterically. Her nose is bleeding and I don’t know when that happened. “You stupid bitch! Do you think you can attack me!? I’m the Betas daughter!”

“Never open your mouth to talk about my parents again!” I rage

The door behind us slams open and we all turn to look. I make eye contact with Ryder, and the sight of him here has more effects on me than just one.

“Ryder?” Nadia says almost helplessly. “Help!”

I’m so distracted by the sudden changes happening inside of me that I stop paying attention to anything Nadia is saying. I stand up, eyes still locked on his.

My head spins once, and then it all becomes clear to me.

We close the distance between each other. His eyes never leave my face. Something is beating inside of me like a second heartbeat, needing to break free. This realization washes over me and everything comes to a pause, just like it did in the medical room when he almost kissed me.

Now, it all makes sense. Why I was sick. Why his proximity affected me. Why his scent attracted me so much,

It’s like I was blind to the truth this whole time.

But now I know.

And

Ryc

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