Aria
The moment Lucas steps closer, I smell it. The scent of another girl clings to him, and my stomach twists so hard it feels like I’m being stabbed. My wolf growls, and I clutch my stomach, trying to stop the pain.
“Aria, are you okay?” His voice is softer than usual, which only pisses me off more. He reaches for my arm, but I yank it away.
“Let go of me,” I snap, my voice shaking from a mix of pain and anger.
“What’s wrong?” He crouches to meet my eyes.
I finally look up, the pain easing, but the rage bubbling. “Why do you fucking care? You were too busy screwing someone else while I was in fucking pain.”
His brows furrow. “Wait… was it the mate bond?”
I glare. “Congratulations, Sherlock. Took you long enough.”
“Aria, I didn’t know-”
“And now you do,” I cut him off. “But guess what? I don’t give a shit.” My wolf, of course, is howling like a lunatic, but I ignore her.
“Aria,” he sighs like I’m being dramatic. “This is just a game, remember? No strings attached.”
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes and storm into the closet, slamming the door behind me. If I see his ugly face one more time tonight, I might fucking scream.
—
The next morning, Lucas is gone by the time I wake up. Good. I need space to figure out what the hell I’m feeling…or not feeling. After dressing, I meet Mia and Lily outside the suite. They’re all sunshine and rainbows, completely oblivious to my mental breakdown.
“You look great,” Lily says, giving me a bright smile.
“Totally fine,” I lie, forcing a smile.
Lily beams. “Good, because we’re going to the hockey rink. Time to drool over sweaty, shirtless guys!”
Mia rolls her eyes. “You’re so embarrassing, Lily.”
“Excuse me, but one of those sweaty guys could be my mate!”
“Or another alpha who’s a walking red flag,” Mia deadpans, side-eyeing me.
I snort. “She’s not wrong.”
We head to the rink, and the place is packed. Apparently, everyone here has nothing better to do than watch Lucas’s team practice.
And there he is…Lucas, standing with his teammates, looking like he just stepped off the cover of Sports Illustrated: Arrogant Alpha Edition. He’s laughing at something, all casual, and somehow manages to look annoyingly sexy in his training gear.
My chest tightens when I feel someone staring at me. I glance across the rink and lock eyes with Ethan. He’s glaring, his jaw clenched like he wants to storm over here.
Weeks ago, I’d have melted seeing him in his training gear. Back then, Ethan was the center of my world. Now? Ewww.
Lily nudges me. “He’s looking at you, Aria.”
When I glance back at Lucas, his eyes are locked on mine. For a second, it’s like time slows, and my stupid heart skips a beat. Then he looks away like nothing happened. Was he mad at me? He’s mad? Seriously? I’m the one who’s supposed to be pissed here!
“Damon’s winking at you, Mia,” Lily chirps, breaking the tension.
“Gross,” Mia mutters, fake gagging. “That guy is a walking cringe compilation.”
Damon, ever the clown, waves dramatically, earning laughs from the guys around him. Mia rolls her eyes so hard I’m surprised they don’t get stuck.
Lucas’s team starts training, and the girls around us lose their damn minds. They’re screaming his name, throwing themselves at the glass, acting like he’s some kind of freaking rockstar.
It’s no wonder he thinks he’s the Moon Goddess’ gift to women. Pathetic.
“I need a drink,” I mutter, standing abruptly.
Lily raises a brow. “Want company?”
“Nah, I’m good,” I force a smile. I need a moment to clear my head, and to stop the whirlwind of emotions threatening to ruin my day.
“Don’t get lost, princess,” Mia teases, but I’m already walking away, trying to ignore the fact that I can still feel Lucas’s eyes on me.
I spot Vanessa and her plastic posse as soon as I walk into the refreshment area. They’re in their obnoxious cheerleading outfits, acting like they own the place. But the first thing I notice? Vanessa’s hair. She’s dyed her signature Barbie blonde hair jet black. I raise my brows. Oh brother. Here we go.
Before I can even grab my soda, Vanessa struts over like she’s auditioning for Mean Girls 2. “Well, well, well. Look who it is. The gold-digging bitch herself.” Her fake-ass friends burst into laughter like she’s the funniest person alive. Spoiler alert- she’s not.
I take a slow gulp of my drink, not even bothering to look at her. “What do you want, Vanessa? I really don’t have your time.”
“Oh, I’m just curious,” she sneers, flipping her newly black hair like it’s a Victoria’s Secret ad. “What the hell are you doing hanging around Alpha Lucas?”
“And why do you care?” I ask, giving her a side-eye. “Don’t you have Ethan to keep you busy?”
Her face twitches for half a second before she plasters on that fake smile again. “You think just because you’re with Alpha Lucas now, you’re all that? If I wanted him, I could take him.”
I snort. “Girl, spare me the delusion. Don’t think I don’t know how you threw yourself at him, and he rejected you. Embarrassing, really.”
“Shut your mouth, Aria!” she hisses, her teeth grinding so hard I’m pretty sure she’s about to snap a molar. She steps closer like she’s trying to intimidate me.
“No, you shut up,” I return, stepping into her space. “You’re living in my past, Vanessa. You can keep Ethan. He’s trash…just like you.”
Her face twists into a mix of rage and disbelief. “You’re just mad because he chose me,” she spits, and her hyena friends laugh like she actually said something clever.
“Mad? Please,” I scoff. “Anyway, let me give you a little warning…keep your insecurities away from me. Oh, and Vanessa?” I pause, giving her a slow once-over. “Nice new hair color. Let me guess, Ethan told you he hated blondes? Tsk, tsk. Poor girl. After he’s done using you, he’s gonna toss you like yesterday’s trash.”
The way her face falls is perfect. I smirk and walk away, feeling pretty damn good about myself.
As soon as I meet up with Mia and Lily, Mia’s already glaring daggers at Vanessa. “What did that bitch say to you?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” I smirk, brushing it off. “But you know what? I don’t wanna be here anymore.”
“I knew it!” Lily says, folding her arms. “Something’s off between you and Alpha Lucas. Spill it.”
I don’t even hesitate. “That bastard fucked another girl last night while I was literally dying in pain.”
“What?” Both their jaws hit the floor.
“Yup. And I’m so pissed right now, I want my lick back.”
Mia grins like it’s Christmas morning. “What’s the plan?”
“I’m gonna fuck a guy,” I blurt out, watching their reactions.
“Aria, have you lost it?” Lily looks horrified.
“Nah, I’m with her on this,” Mia says, smirking. “Get your lick back, girl.”
“First stop? Salon,” I announce with a grin. “I’m going blonde again. Did you see Vanessa’s hair? Pathetic.”
Mia’s eyes light up. “Now that is the energy we need.”
As we head out, I catch Lucas watching me from across the rink, his face confused as hell. I shoot him a mischievous smirk. He has no idea what’s coming.