The Ice Alpha’s Mate (Aria and Ryder) novel Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Chapter 98

RYDER

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I’m on my way to my father’s place to let him know about Aria and end this once and for all.

I didn’t have a chance to see Aria because when I moved out of the rink, she was nowhere to be found. Fights broke out between our pack and Moonveil, signaling just how bad things are going to get because of what I did to Ray, but I don’t regret anything I’ve done.

If it’s a war they want, it’s a war they’ll get.

I’m not afraid. I’ve wasted too much of my time trying to avoid the inevitable.

I’ll claim Aria as my mate, and what I did tonight will serve as a reminder to other packs that if anyone dares to disrespect her, they’ll pay for the consequences.

My phone vibrates and I immediately reach for it. My heart swells with relief when I see Aria’s reply. She’s safe and she’s home with her uncle now, and she’ll talk to me soon.

I’ll call her back as soon as I’m done with this.

It can’t wait.

I park the car outside. The house is dark, meaning most of the employees have probably gone home. I walk inside, making as little noise as possible, and look around.

My father wouldn’t have fallen asleep this early. I don’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t this silence.

Where is he? Could it be that he hasn’t heard what happened yet

I find that hard to believe. I make my way up the stairs and head to his office. I find it empty, but the lights are all on.

Where the hell is he?

The next place I look is his bedroom. The door is slightly open and I peer through the crack. He’s awake, alright, and he’s not alone.

There’s a woman on top of him, riding him.

I push the door open and they both cry out. Lizzie stares at me wide-eyed as I walk further into the room.

“Ryder,” she whispers. “I-”

“Save it. I don’t need to hear your excuses. Frankly, Lizzie, you don’t owe me a single explanation. I never planned on marrying you anyway, so you’ve always been free to do what you want.” My gaze flickers to my father. “But you, Dad?”

He sits up, trying to catch his breath. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, Ryder, but this is out of order!”

“Out of order?” I echo. Lizzie climbs off his lap, comforter still wrapped around her body, and moves to step out of the room, sobbing. I let her pass, barely glancing at her. “You’re the one who was sleeping with the woman you were forcing me to marry. How long has this been going on?”

He scowls, not saying anything. I cut right to the chase. “I came here to let you know that I’ve found my mate and I’ve claimed her. In case you’re wondering who she is, it’s Aria Murdock.”

He tenses and throws his feet over the edge of the bed. Seeing him trying to catch his breath and all sweaty nauseates me, but I need to get this done and over with tonight.

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10:00 Mon, Mar 2

Chapter 98

I promised my mate I’d get it done, so I’ll see that through to the very end.

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“What?” he asks, squinting his eyes at me. “Do you have the slightest idea of what you’re saying? What you’re doing?”

“It’s done,” I declare, stepping toward him. “There’s nothing you or anyone in the world can do to stop me. Aria is mine now, and she’ll be my mate. I don’t care about the rules. I couldn’t give a fuck less about what anyone thinks.”

He nods slowly before running a hand down his face. I watch him turn his head to the side. He looks deep in thought.

I tell him the other thing I came here to discuss. “I’m not sure if you heard, since you weren’t at the match, but I hurt Ray Laws badly. I don’t know what will come from this, most likely awar, but it has happened and there’s no taking it back. He touched what was mine and I took his hand for it.”

“What did you do?” he asks quickly, eyes wide. “What have you done, Ryder?”

“What was necessary.”

He stands up, tilting his head. He’s holding the sheets to the lower half of his body to conceal his nudity. “What’re you saying to me? You sound like a madman right now!”

“Madman?” I scoff. “I’m not the one who was having an affair with my son’s fiancée. That’s what I’d call fucking crazy. And you know what’s funnier about all this, Dad? The fact that you would’ve let me marry her if I’d never claimed Aria. You wouldn’t have said a thing, would you? You two would’ve probably had an affair behind my back for yours, am I right? I’d be the pack’s cuckold. Is this the extent of your love for me?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” he spits. “I’ve always looked after you, boy! Always! My hope was to turn you into a great leader, but I don’t think you’re cut out for it at all. You’re weak, Ryder. Weak!”

“Maybe,” I agree. “If being a strong Alpha means enduring shit for the sake of everyone else, then I’m done playing by the

rules.”

Again, he scoffs and runs a hand down his face. “This isn’t possible. You’re not really saying this to me, Ryder!”

“I’m done,” I repeat. “Done. I’ll have her as my mate regardless of what anyone thinks, as I’ve said, and I’m prepared to see this through to the very end. If that means I’m out, then I’m out I’ll live as an exile with her.”

My father stares back at me in disbelief. And yeah, maybe this does sound a little crazy, but as I’ve said, there’s no turning back. Being separated from Aria isn’t an option.

“Fine,” he says quickly before I turn away. “Fine. No rash decisions need to be made right now. We can talk about it, alright? We’ll talk.”

I’m convinced that he’s only saying this because he doesn’t know the gravity of the situation. How could he know that our packs started fighting each other in the stadium already, and that I don’t know how that fight ended because I drove here to give him the news?

“We’ll talk,” he repeats before rubbing his face vigorously again.

My

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