Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow - Chapter 374

Chapter 374: Ares’s POV
***************

CHAPTER 374

~Ares’s POV~

I leaned back on the couch in my hotel room, a glass of whiskey in one hand, my phone in the other. The golden liquid swirled in my glass, but I barely took a sip. My mind was too occupied to enjoy it.

Ella.

After Zara left earlier that day, I had insisted on taking Ella back to Snow’s mansion. She was still healing, and she shouldn’t be anywhere near him.

But Richard refused. The bastard had looked me dead in the eyes and said, “She stays.”

Of course, Ella had tried to play the peacemaker, pleading with me to leave it alone. She told me she needed to talk to Richard, that she needed time to figure things out.

I had been reluctant as hell, but in the end, I let her have her way.

Now, I was here.

Alone. Thinking about her.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair before picking up my phone. I was about to dial Apollo when my phone lit up with an incoming call.

Aether.

I frowned, but before I could answer, my screen split into three—their usual way of ganging up on me. Apollo had joined the call.

“Look who finally remembers his family,” Apollo drawled lazily.

“We should charge him for disappearing on us,” Aether added. “An Alpha tax or something.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t start.”

“Oh, we will start,” Apollo said. “You left us to handle everything, remember? The least you can do is check in more often.”

“Yeah, yeah. How’s the pack?” I asked, leaning forward and rubbing my temples.

“Thriving, as usual,” Aether answered. “You should be proud of your beta too. Damon has things under control. No rogues, no witch interference. Just boring pack politics.”

I exhaled in relief. “Good.”

There was a brief silence before Apollo spoke again. “So… about her…”

I stiffened immediately. “Who?”

“Don’t play dumb, Ares,” Aether cut in. “Ella. You sighed earlier. You never sigh three times in a roll. That’s rare. So tell us, what’s wrong?”

I hesitated. The fact that they picked up on my mood so damn fast was annoying. And when the hell did I sigh thrice?

“I’m not in love,” I said flatly. “I just… really, really care about her.”

Apollo burst out laughing. “And what exactly is that if not love?”

I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated how?” Aether asked. “Don’t tell me she’s still mad about you lying to her. That wasn’t even that big of a deal.”

“There’s that,” I admitted, “and the fact that she just found her mate.”

Silence.

Dead. Fucking. Silence.

Then—”Shit.”

“Wait, what?” Apollo asked.

Aether whistled lowly. “That’s dangerous territory, brother. You do realise that, right?”

“I know,” I muttered, swirling the whiskey in my glass.

“Okay, wait,” Apollo cut in. “Why are we not addressing the elephant in the room? Who the hell is her mate?”

I hesitated for a second before answering. “The Lycan King’s beta.”

The silence this time was longer.

“A beta?” Aether finally asked, voice laced with disbelief.

“Yeah,” I muttered.

I could practically hear their thoughts through the phone.

“Well… damn,” Apollo muttered. “You’re fighting a Lycan for a mate bond. That’s—yeah, that’s a tough one.”

Aether hummed. “And the worst part is, it’s not even a fight you can just win with brute force.”

I leaned back against the couch, exhaling sharply. “Exactly. And aside from the fact that I don’t know what Ella really wants, fighting over her with a Lycan?” I let out a low chuckle. “That’s a different level of mess.”

“Agreed,” Apollo said. “So, what’s the plan? You gonna let her go?”

I hesitated again.

That was the real question, wasn’t it?

Could I just… let her go?

Before I could answer, Aether changed the subject. “Speaking of which, Crystal is coming with Damon to finalise some business deals for you.”

That made me sit up. “Crystal’s coming?”

“Yeah,” Apollo confirmed. “She said she wanted to discuss some new pack alliances with you in person.”

I barely had time to process that when a sudden knock on my hotel room door pulled my attention.

“Hold on,” I muttered, standing up.

“Who is it?” Aether teased. “Room service or trouble?”

“I’ll let you know in a second,” I replied, ending the call.

With a sigh, I made my way to the door and pulled it open.

My eyes flickered in mild surprise as I took in the person standing there. Not room service, not Damon either but Crystal.

Her bright blue eyes sparkled with amusement as she leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “Surprised to see me, Ares?”

I arched a brow. “You weren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow.”

Crystal smirked. “Change of plans. I thought I’d come early and save you from drowning in your own thoughts.”

I exhaled slowly, stepping aside. “You might be too late for that.”

She walked past me into the room, her eyes scanning the space before turning back to face me. “Let me guess. It’s about a girl?”

I clenched my jaw. “Crystal—”

She held up a hand. “Relax, I’m not here to lecture you.” Then she paused, tilting her head. “Unless you need it?”

I groaned. “Why does everyone want to talk about my love life?”

Crystal grinned, dropping onto the couch like she owned the place. “Because it’s the first time in forever that Ares Stormborn gives a damn about someone other than himself. That’s newsworthy, my dear Alpha. And you just said love life. You are in love, huh?”

I ran a hand down my face. “This is going to be a long night.”

Crystal smirked, grabbing my whiskey glass and taking a sip. “Damn right it is.”

I just shook my head, knowing I wasn’t getting out of this conversation anytime soon.

“So,” she sat on my bed. “Where do we start? Oh, I know!” Her face lit up. “What’s her name?”

“Ella.”

As soon as I said it, I clamped my lips shut and swallowed.

“Urgh! Crystal, hurry and go to your room.”