Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow - Chapter 367

Chapter 367: The Lycan’s Mate
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CHAPTER 367

~Ella’s POV~

Ares’s lips were inches from mine, but just as I was about to kiss him, he spoke, “I never took you for a PDA person.”

I furrowed my brows. “I mean, if you wanted to bed me, Ella,” he murmured, his voice teasing but dark, “you could’ve just asked instead of playing games like we did on our first time.”

Our first time… Immediately the memories came back and I felt my cheeks heat up again.

It was like I was seeing myself as a reckless teen, enjoying her life and fucking wild with the hottest, most handsome, annoying, and breathtaking young man I have ever met.

My smile widened as I closed my eyes, prepared to release my grip and kiss him, but suddenly, I sensed an irresistible pull.

The second Ares’s lips brushed against mine; something inside me snapped.

It wasn’t just the kiss—it was something else—a pull—a shift—a force so raw and undeniable that it tore through me like wildfire.

I gasped against his mouth, my entire body jolting as my wolf howled in my mind, erratic and restless.

It wasn’t like anything I’d ever felt before. It was everywhere and nowhere, scattered yet focused like an invisible thread had suddenly tightened around my soul.

Then came the scent.

An intoxicating, overwhelming presence that wasn’t Ares hit me all at once. It was different—new—deep, wild, and something that made every nerve in my body tingle with a need I couldn’t comprehend.

I needed to find it. My goal was to pursue it relentlessly. To link just as my wolf wanted.

She was clawing restlessly inside of me, fighting to come out and take control to search better than I would.

I tore my lips away from Ares without a second thought, my breaths shallow, my heartbeat erratic.

My hands pressed against his chest, trying to push him away as I turned my head, searching, searching for the source of that scent.

I couldn’t breathe in normal air. Any breath coming in was him, totally different but welcoming, calming yet disturbing.

“What the hell—” Ares’s voice was rough, confused. His hands clamped around my wrists, stopping me from moving. “Ella, what’s wrong with you?”

I didn’t speak to him and struggled against his hold, my entire body screaming at me to run.

“I—” My throat went dry. I didn’t know how to explain it. I just knew I had to go. To find whoever—or whatever—was pulling me like this.

But just as I tried to stand, a deafening, earth-shaking growl erupted through the park.

The sound made my blood run cold. It wasn’t just a growl. It was a claim, a warning and a command.

Ares and I both turned our heads at the same time, our bodies instinctively tensing. And then we saw him.

A tall, handsome, broad-shouldered man stood a few feet away, his dark eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine. His entire body radiated power—pure, dominant, and unmistakable.

His scent washed over me like a tidal wave, the same intoxicating one that had sent me spiralling only seconds ago.

And then he spoke in a low, rough, and possessive voice. One I’d never in my life ever forget. “Get the hell away from my mate.”

My what now?

Before my brain could register any of what he said and why he looked like he could kill Ares right now for touching me, I felt his wolf’s aura strongly cradling my mind as it reached for my wolf.

“Mate.”

The word left my lips before I could even think. My wolf howled in agreement, her essence syncing with mine as something inside me clicked into place.

Shock crashed through me as I tilted my head, trying to make sense of what I was seeing—what I was feeling.

The man stood a few feet away, his body radiating power, his presence overwhelming. His dark hair was tousled like he had just stepped out of battle, his sharp jaw clenched, and his eyes burnt intensely at me in a way that made my skin tingle.

I swallowed hard, my fingers twitching as I pointed at him. “You’re…”

His eyes didn’t waver as he took a step closer. “Your mate,” he finished for me.

“No. Yes. But no—I mean, you’re…” My breath hitched as his eyes flickered with an unmistakable golden glow.

He wasn’t just any werewolf.

“You’re a Lycan,” I whispered as my heart pounded loudly in my chest.

A low, dangerous growl rumbled from behind me. “A Beta,” Ares corrected, his tone dark with displeasure.

Richard barely spared Ares a glance. His entire focus was locked on me as if nothing else in the world existed.

I felt trapped under his gaze like he had stripped me bare with just a look. It wasn’t just the mate bond pulling me—it was his sheer dominance.

He exuded authority in a way that made my body instinctively respond, my pulse quickening as heat spread through me.

But my mind?

My mind was screaming.

This couldn’t be happening. This shouldn’t be happening. But before any of us could speak, his gaze averted from my eyes to where Ares’s hands were on me.

I swallowed hard, completely shaken to the core.

Just then, another figure emerged from the trees behind Richard, his steps calm but his presence no less imposing.

“Richard,” the man called out, his voice smooth yet commanding. “Calm down.”

Richard’s jaw flexed, but he didn’t move.

I blinked, snapping out of my daze as my eyes flickered toward the newcomer. “Richard, your king commands it. Stand the fuck down.”

My stomach dropped at the last sentence he said.

If my mate was a Lycan and a beta, then that meant this was…

The Lycan King… Kaid.

I whipped my head back to Richard, realization slamming into me like a freight train.

“Richie,” Kaid continued, his voice edged with warning. “Let your mate breathe before she passes out.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, only now realizing how shallow my breathing had become.

Shit.

I had a Lycan mate.

And not just any Lycan—he was Kaid’s Beta. His second-in-command.

Judging by the way he was still staring at me, possessive, determined, and completely unaffected by my obvious panic… This was just the beginning of something…

My eyes blurred, and the next thing I knew, I collapsed, but rather than feel Ares’s familiar arms holding me, that same scent overwhelmed me, cradling me.