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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.
