***************
Chapter 296
~Ella’s POV~
My heart stopped.
The voice was smooth, deep, and all too familiar. Blood drained from my face as I shot up from the couch, my grip tightening on the phone.
"Cal—Ares? I an, Alpha Ares," I stamred.
"Ah, so you do rember ," he said with a soft tone that hinted on his remorse and charm. "I wasn’t sure you’d even pick up."
"I almost didn’t," I snapped, trying to steady my racing heart. "Why are you calling ? And how the hell did you even get my number?"
There was a pause on his end before he replied, his voice softer now. "I wanted to apologize, Ella. For everything."
I scoffed, now pacing the room. "Apologize? For what exactly? For lying to ? For hiding who you really are? For making feel like an idiot?"
"Yes," he said simply, his honesty catching off guard.
"Okay, he just called an idiot."
I heard Ares sigh deeply.
"Ella, I did not call you that. I..."
"But you just agreed to it."
"No, I... Ella. I am apologising for tricking you. For all of that. I ssed up, and I don’t expect you to forgive right away, but I need you to know I’m sorry."
I let out a bitter laugh, running a hand through my hair. "Sorry doesn’t change the fact that you lied to , Ares. I thought—" I stopped myself, biting my lip. "It doesn’t matter what I thought. It’s over now."
"Ella," he said, his voice dipping into sothing that sounded almost... pleading. "I know I hurt you, and that’s the last thing I ever wanted to do. I was trying to protect you, in my own ssed-up way."
"Protect ?" I repeated, my voice dripping with disbelief. "From what? The truth?"
"Yes," he admitted, his honesty disarming again. "The truth about who I am. My reputation. I didn’t want you to see as... that guy."
"Well, guess what?" I shot back. "You beca that guy the mont you lied to ."
There was a long pause on the other end, and for a mont, I thought he’d hung up. But then he spoke again, his voice quieter.
"You’re right," he said. "I screwed up. But I’m trying to make it right. That’s why I’m calling."
"Okay," I said, crossing my arms. "You’ve apologised. Congratulations. Ciao."
"Ella, wait!" Ares choked out quickly.
"What now?"
"I want to see you," he said.
I barked out a laugh, the sound harsh even to my own ears. "You must be dreaming. You should be thankful I even answered your call. There’s no way I’m seeing you."
"I figured you’d say that," he said, a hint of amusent in his tone.
"What’s so funny?" I demanded.
"Nothing," he replied, though I could hear the smile in his voice. "Just... look outside your door, little angel."
"What?" I frowned, moving toward the door.
"Go on," he urged. "I promise it’s worth it."
"Not my cup of coffee, Greek God. Ciao."
"No...! Please. I sent you an apology gift. El, please co on."
I hesitated, every instinct screaming at not to trust him. But curiosity got the better of .
At least he apologised when he hurt , unlike Styles, right?
Sigh, let’s just see the gift, I ntally concluded.
With a sigh, I set the phone down and opened the door.
Standing there was a man holding a bouquet of flowers—roses, lilies, and sothing else I couldn’t na.
He wore a cap pulled low over his face, but when he lifted his head, my breath caught in my throat.
"Hello, little angel."
"Ca—Ares?" I whispered, my heart skipping a beat.
"Hey, Ella," he said, his lips curving into that infuriatingly confident smirk.
"Fuck," I muttered, taking an instinctive step back.
As I did, my heel caught on the edge of the doorfra, and I stumbled. Before I could hit the ground, Ares lunged forward, his strong arms catching effortlessly.
"Careful, little angel," he said in a teasing low voice. His hands were firm but gentle as he steadied while the other hand held the flowers.
I glared up at him, my cheeks burning. "Fuck! Let go of ."
He didn’t move, his gaze locking onto mine. His green eyes were intense, filled with sothing I couldn’t quite place—sothing that made my stomach flip.
"We could do that," he murmured, his smirk growing.
"Huh?"
"Fuck... If you want."
I stared at him, my chest heaving as I tried to process what the hell was happening.
"You’re sick, Ares. Now... Why are you here?" I finally demanded, pushing against his chest to create so space between us.
"I wanted to see you," he said simply, holding out the bouquet. "And to give you this."
I hesitated, eyeing the flowers suspiciously before reluctantly taking them. They slled heavenly, but I refused to let that soften .
"This doesn’t change anything," I stated firmly.
"I know," he agreed, his tone surprisingly genuine. "But it’s a start."
I stared at him, torn between slamming the door in his face and... sothing else. Sothing dangerous. A danger even I was scared of. His charm was sothing else entirely and my wolf wanted him too.
"Fine," I said finally. "You’ve delivered your flowers. Now leave." My wolf growled deeply when I did that, but I grabbed the last strand of sanity I had left before I pounced on his god-like self.
He tilted his head, studying . "Not until you agree to have dinner with ."
"Are you insane?" I asked, incredulous.
"Probably," he said with a grin. "But I’m not leaving until you say yes."
I sighed, glancing down at the flowers in my hand. This man was impossible.
"One dinner," I said, holding up a finger. "That’s all you’re getting."
His grin widened, his handsoness becoming sothing I couldn’t stop imagining in my head, especially his perfect body and for a mont, I forgot why I was supposed to be mad at him.
"Deal," he said.
And just like that, I knew I was in trouble. Again.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l
Reviews
All reviews (0)