Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow novel Chapter 489

Chapter 489: To Be Loved

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Chapter 489

~Ella’s POV~

I blinked.

Richard’s words rang in my ears, soft but heavy, like a stone dropped into still water.

"Will you travel back to the Lycan Kingdom with me?"

I hadn’t expected that. Not tonight or after everything. I just thought he’d want something more, something connected and related to our bond and relationship but this...

It was a much bigger, bolder step forward.

I stared at him, unsure if I’d heard him right—or if maybe my mind was just playing some cruel trick.

For a second, I didn’t know what to say. My heart beat faster, louder, and I could feel Vicky stirring beneath my skin, her energy surging toward him like a magnet finally free.

But I smiled slowly and softly.

Richard waited, his expression unreadable now. Behind his eyes, there was silent fear—not the fear of rejection, but the fear of hoping too much, of wanting too much.

"I—" I started, but the words caught in my throat.

He leaned forward a little, his thumb brushing over my hand. "Ella...?"

Still I didn’t speak.

He gave me a small, lopsided smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "I’m not trying to rush you. I just... I want you with me. And I want you to see what my world is like. Not the duties. Not the pressure. Just... the real parts. The parts I want to share with you."

I swallowed hard, emotions swelling in my chest like a tide I couldn’t hold back. His voice was so genuine, so full of longing and hope, and I realised in that moment...

I wanted that too.

I always wanted that with Kent because of how much I loved him but he turned out to be a jerk. And Ares, although he lied to me, was also genuine.

So far, Richard had done none of those. Instead, he had been gentle for a lycan and definitely not like his King and Alpha.

I chose to give him a chance. I wanted love and happiness. Zara was right; I deserved it.

I nodded slowly, then said it aloud so he wouldn’t miss it, "Yes."

Richard’s eyes widened just a fraction. And then—just like that—the tension in his shoulders dropped.

"You mean it?"

"I mean it," I whispered. "Yes, I’ll go with you."

Richard didn’t wait another second.

His arms wrapped around me tightly as he pulled me into his chest, and I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.

Richard smelled like cedarwood and wind—grounding, warm, familiar. I buried my face in his neck, and he kissed the side of my head gently.

And then his lips found mine again.

But this time it was slower, intimate, tender, layered with everything he didn’t say but I could feel.

My hands moved to the nape of his neck, curling into his hair, and his body pressed closer, warm and steady and real. His kiss deepened, and I let myself get lost in it for a moment.

He kissed me like a man who had been waiting to exhale. Like someone who thought he might never get this again. And I kissed him back with everything I didn’t know how to say.

When we finally broke apart, both breathless, I rested my forehead against his, smiling like a fool.

"I have to tell Zara," I murmured.

Richard leaned back just enough to look at me. "Of course. I can drop you at her place."

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~Snow’s POV~

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