Page 76 of Bite Me Alpha Cole

Cole just stares at me, his mouth open, his throat clicking as he racks his brain, trying to remember what I’m talking about. Then he suddenly snaps his jaw shut, sitting up straight. “We were eight?”

“Yes!”

“Playing by the fountain in the palace courtyard?”

I nod and swing my arm forward, smacking him on the shoulder. “You do remember!”

“I rememberJudepushing you over – by accident!”

“It was you!”

“Nadia,” Cole says, clenching a fist between us. “If you’ve been hating me for over a decade for something mydamnbrother did…I – I – “

“You what?”

He exhales slowly, glaring a little and settling back in his chair. “All right, Amir. We’re getting to the bottom of this even if I have to go steal your dad’s satellite phone and call Jude right now. Let’s compare facts.”

I set my shoulders and lean back in my chair, ready to do just that.

I pant, pumping my arms as I chase after Iris across the cobblestones – but she’ssofast –

“Come on, Nadia!” she calls.

“I’m coming!” I shout, the words strangled by my lack of breath. Still, I put my head down and push harder,wantingto be with my friend,wantingto show her that I can keep up.

The kids are being nice to me today – I’m playing inallof the games, and later there’s going to be ice cream. The Queenpromised – and Irishas been reallyfun. We spent all morning playing in her closet where she has ahugetrunk of dress-up clothes – and she letmebe the princess while she was the maid, and she brought her pet goldfish over to be the Knight and I married him.

I mean, I didn’t want the goldfish to be the Knight. I wanted Cole to do it. But he was busy with stupid Jude. Iris says next time, when Jude’s not around, Cole will come play. I hope so.

I love Iris. She’s my best friend.

“Let’s play wolves!” Jude shouts, his voice so loud behind me that my feet falter in surprise. But then I find my balance and keep going, chasing Iris around the fountain. “Shift, Cole! I’ll chase first!”

“We can’t play wolves.” My feet slow as I hear Cole’s words – I didn’t know Cole was here. I grin. “Nadia’s here – she can’t shift.”

My smile falls from my mouth, and I slow to a walk, because why would they think that? We can still play – I can just pretend to be a wolf. I’mgreatat pretending.

“Nadia can be a sheep!” Jude calls out, laughing. “Baa! Baa! Wolveseatsheep!”

Cole laughs too, and I start to turn –

But something hits my shoulder,hard, and I shout as I pitch forward, awkwardly twisting in the air and headingrightfor the ground. I slam downagainst the cobbles with a thud and a horrible crack as footsteps run past me. I scream, the pain instant and livid – especially in my arm –

Tears run down my cheeks as I try to tug my arm out from beneath me – but ithurts–

I roll over, looking down at the big stone I landed on. Then I roll onto my back as the pain rockets through me, getting worse and worse. I wail, clutching my arm to my chest.

“It’s okay! It’s okay!”

I shake my head from side to side, frantic and afraid at how much it hurts. “It’s not!”

“It’s okay, Nadia!”

Still crying, I open my eyes and see Cole kneeling next to me. “You’re all right!” he says, his face pale, his eyes moving over me. “It’s okay – you have to stop crying!”

But somehow this just makes it worse.

A shadow falls over both of us. “Cole comeon!”

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