All Chapters of The Ice Alpha’s Mate: Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

RYDERThe date of Aria’s departure is approaching—it’s tomorrow. And honestly? I thought I’d be more relieved. I’m not looking forward to being away from her no matter how right the decision is. But there’s no turning back now. I’ve already spoken to Zach, so everything’s good to go. He’ll be watching over her there and making sure that she has all the support she needs. I’ve thought a lot about putting someone else, maybe even a Nocturn, but Aria didn’t protest, so I’ll stick to my original idea. Yesterday, Wilson called me into the packhouse to tell me that they received reports of an approaching army and that they’d reach Ironclaw’s borders in two days. At least Aria will be on the way to Moon Rose when it happens. As for Ray, he hasn’t been spotted at all. I’m sure he’s somewhere deep in the forest, hiding and biding his time. We’ve arranged everything so that Aria will be hidden when she leaves, so nobody will see her. We can’t risk her being attacked on the road. I stop b

ARIAThe car parks in front of a huge sign that reads Moon Rose Farm. I focus on controlling my breathing, then open the door and step out. My feet sink into the mud underfoot but I barely pay attention to it. I walk a little further, still looking around. Even the air here smells different. The one difference between Ironclaw and Moon Rose is that they don’t have a forest like we do. Their land consists mainly of farmland, and it’s always sunny here, it seems. The skies are clear and the wind is cool, but not enough that I need a sweater. Zach moves to stand next to me and comments, “It’s one hell of a place, if you’ll permit me to say this, Luna.”“You already did.”The driver gets out of the car next and asks us to follow him. We walk all the way toward a stretch of land surrounded by tall fruit trees. In the distance, I can see a huge manor that can only be the packhouse. Zach asks the driver almost rudely, “Why didn’t you park the car closer?”“I thought we could use the wal

ARIA"It started with smiles and all the politeness in the world," Luca begins. "When we first arrived, Alpha Dorson was still here. He's the one who showed us around and made us comfortable. Mom always said that there was something off about him. She didn't like him one bit."I interrupt to ask, "How is she?"I remember how badly things got when word spread that I was a Nocturn, but I don't blame her one bit. Nobody wanted to get in trouble. Hell, my own uncle died because of it. "Not so good," he claims. After saying this, he lowers his eyes for a few beats and I watch him. I can't help but feel guilty, even though nobody could have guessed that things would get as bad as he's describing. "All the work is getting to her. It started with them passing comments about how Moon Rose members were sacrificing a lot to make us comfortable, and of course, a lot of us decided to volunteer and do whatever we could to help out. They were supporting us with everything, after all. "But slowly,

ARIAThree days come and go, and though it hasn't been all that long, it's like the days are starting to blend together. I spend most of my time in my room, but whenever I have the chance, I head outside to see if the old man approaches me again. I haven’t seen him since the day he wrote ‘Wilson’ in the dirt. I’ve sent a few letters to Ryder and I’m awaiting his response. I just really want to know how he’s doing. The distance is really putting a strain on our bond. I feel the occasional throb here and there, and I wish I had a way of reaching out to him, but the phones only work within the pack, and I’ll have to rely on messengers who will undoubtedly read all our exchanges. I haven’t seen much of Zach in the last few days and whenever we come across each other, he seems…off. I felt it yesterday, and when he stopped by the room in the morning to find out if I needed something, I felt the same thing. With each passing day, I’ve been feeling more and more paranoid. It’s either that

ARIAI exchange a look with Yarina and tell her, "Hide, quickly!""Where?""Under the bed!"I head toward the door while she starts crawling under the bed. Yarina, or rather, the woman posing as her keeps knocking on the door and calling my name. I open the door only once the real Yarina is out of sight and the impersonator smiles at me. "Took you long enough. Is everything alright, Luna Aria?"I can't smile back at her even though, at this point, my life practically depends on it. "Everything's perfectly fine. What do you want?"She lets out a chuckle. "Well, you don't have to be defensive. I just wanted to call you down for lunch.""Someone already brought lunch, but thank you."Alarm widens her eyes. "Who? I didn't send anyone up here with your food."She eyes the tray over my shoulder and panic washes over me. Dammit, I didn't know that the real Yarina hadn't been sent up here. Then again, why would she? If they're trying so hard to hide her, why would they send her my way?"Who