《The Ice Alpha’s Mate》全部章節：第 81 章 - 第 90 章

ARIACassandra and I are seated in the diner Uncle Barty and I always come to, with bowls of ice cream in front of us.She dragged me here because she thought I'd need a sweet treat. She was right; I do feel a little bit better about things now that I've gotten everything out of my chest. At first, it felt like the world was ending, but now, I feel like I can actually make it through this.It'll be okay. Everything will be okay."How's that? Better?"It's like she can read my mind. I find that uncanny about her sometimes. "Yeah. Much better."Cassandra nods. "You know, I see a lot of myself in you, Aria. I was a passionate girl like you, too. I don't want you to feel bad for having hope and giving this relationship your all. I know it might seem like you did something terrible, but love is always worth it. Of course, you had no way of knowing that he lied to you. That's not your fault either.""I should've known better.""True, but this is a lesson you'll take for the rest of your lif

ARIACassandra reappears before Ray can say anything else and smiles at us both.He introduces himself to her and asks her if we're sisters."No," she laughs, giving me a look I can't read. "We're not sisters, no. I'm dating her uncle.""Oh, I see." His eyes return to my face. "Well, it was really nice meeting you, Aria. I hope we can see each other again. Sometime. You know, out in the world."I offer one last smile, and then Cassandra and I watch him walk back toward his table. He's sitting alone."Who is he?""I don't know," I answer truthfully. "He just walked up to me and introduced himself. Told me he was here for the tournament.""Barty mentioned that.""Yeah. I guess that's about it."Cassandra smiles mischievously and squeezes my upper arm. "A confidence booster, then? I saw you talking to him from a distance, but I was afraid of interrupting, so I decided to leave you two alone for a while.""You really didn't have to do that.""Why not?" she asks before winking. "It's alway

ARIAThe sound of knocking on my window makes me sit upright in bed.This feeling grows deep inside of me, and it's a mix of fear, anxiety, and the absolute certainty that I know who's on the other side of the glass.I'm terrified of getting up and pushing my curtain to the side. The knocking becomes more insistent and it becomes harder for me to breathe.What the hell is he doing here? How could he come here after everything he did? I should ignore him completely. Does he really think he has such a great influence on me that I'll open the door for him like I did last time?I couldn't open the door even if I wanted to because Ray is sleeping in the living room, and he'd evidently see Ryder.But the knocking starts grating on my nerves. I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't switched my phone off, he'd be calling me nonstop. He's getting louder by the minute, and I'm afraid that if I keep ignoring him, he'll make so much noise that my uncle will wake up, and then I'll be forced to confront t

ARIAI can hear the crowd cheering from outside the medical room, and I take it as my cue to leave.The sight of Ryder truly messes with me. I don't know how I managed to stitch him up when he was sitting right in front of me, after everything that happened. Inside, I was shaking so badly, yet my hand didn't falter once.I'm back to those old days when I used to be haunted by the thought of seeing him. If I'd known better, I would've never left that stage.I pack my kit quickly, hoping and praying that he won't come back here to convince me that he isn't a filthy liar.But this time, my hands are shaking badly.So, when I step out of the room and race through the long, narrow hallway that leads to the exit, my body starts shaking, too, and my grip on the medical kit as well as my bag loosens.I barely make it to the parking lot before it slips from my hands and the lid of the kit flies to the other side of the parking lot. Everything is scattered on the ground.Groaning, I get on my k

ARIAI'm flustered.I can't even think straight after the interaction I had with Ryder just now. I keep walking, praying to the goddess that he won't come after me.For a moment there, I almost convinced myself that he wasn't lying when he mentioned that the whole thing I'd witnessed was a setup. There was just so much sincerity in his words that I couldn't help but feel like he was telling the truth.But of course, I returned to my senses. I can't fall for his tricks again.How many times should I get hurt because of him?I'll be walking home today because Uncle Barty will be busy for the entirety of the day. It's an opportunity for me to clear my head, that's for sure. Lately, Ryder has become so unpredictable. It's pure hell, not knowing what to expect from him.A rejection would solve all this, but he won't let me go. Why? Why should he keep tormenting me?"Aria."The voice startles me. I look over my shoulder and see Ray sticking his head out of the window of his car. His smile i