Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow - Chapter 207

Chapter 207: Who Are You?

Chapter 207: Who Are You?

*************** CHAPTER 207 ~Zara’s POV~ The hum of the engine filled the silence of the car as I gripped the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles white from the pressure.  The city lights faded in the rearview mirror, replaced by the dim glow of the moon casting shadows on the empty highway.

My heart pounded in sync with the rhythmic thrum of the tyres against the road, but it wasn’t fear coursing through me-it was determination.

For the first time since my rebirth, I realized there was a reason I had been brought back.

This wasn’t just chance or blind fate.

Someone had a hand in this, and I needed to know why.

As the forest loomed closer, I slowed the car and pulled over onto the gravel shoulder.

The headlights illuminated the edge of the dense woods, the trees standing tall and foreboding like silent sentinels guarding secrets long buried.

I stepped out, the cool night air brushing against my skin as I shut the door behind me.

Leaves crunched underfoot as I walked toward the path etched into my memory, the soft rustle of the wind in the trees my only companion.

The farther I went, the darker it grew.

The canopy of leaves above blocked out the moonlight, and the once-familiar route took on an eerie quality.

My breaths came quicker, my pulse racing as I reached the clearing.

There it was.

The moss-covered boulder stood tall amidst the twisted roots of ancient trees.

The air here felt heavy, thick with the weight of the past.

I stood frozen, staring at the spot where my lifeless body had been discarded like trash in my past life.

The memory of Ivan and Clarissa’s betrayal seared through my mind, vividly and raw.

My fists clenched at my sides as I relived the humiliation and anger, but beneath that, there was something else-a strange pull, like an invisible thread tying me to this place.

“Why did you bring me here?” I whispered into the darkness, my voice trembling.

“What do you want from me?” The wind answered with a soft whisper, rustling the leaves, but it was no comfort.

Then, I felt it-a presence.

Astrid stirred within me.

She could feel the uncomfortable and eerie silence that sent goosebumps all over my skin.  Who was there?

My heart stopped as a cold sensation crept up my spine, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.

I spun around, my eyes darting through the shadows, searching for whoever-or whatever-was behind me.

At first, I saw nothing.

But then, a faint shimmer caught my eye.

A figure emerged from the darkness, cloaked in shadows that seemed to ripple like liquid.

My breath hitched as the figure stepped closer, the outline of a tall frame coming into focus.

“Zara,” a deep voice called, smooth and resonant, with an edge that sent a chill through me.

I stepped back instinctively, my heart pounding.

“Who are you?” I demanded, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice.

The figure stopped just at the edge of the clearing, the shadows peeling away to reveal a woman with piercing eyes that seemed to glow faintly in the moonlight.  I recognised her immediately.

She was the same woman who had brought me back.  Relief washed through me for a moment and then I was having my guard up.

Her presence was commanding, her features sharp but there was an otherworldly air about her-something unnatural.

“You’re braver than I expected,” she said, his lips curving into a faint smile.

“Most wouldn’t come here willingly.” “Answer me,” I said, forcing strength into my tone.

“Who are you?

Why are you here?” She tilted her head slightly as if amused by my defiance.

“The question should be, who are you, Zara, or shall I say, Zia Gold, and why are you here?” I blinked, confusion flickering in my mind.

She had a point about what I should ask.

And I took it.  “Who are you?

Why did you bring me back?

Why did you give me a second chase and what’s my role in this life you have given me?” “I’ve been watching,” she continued, taking a step closer nd ignoring my questions.

“Ever since your rebirth, I’ve been waiting for this moment.” “Waiting for what?” I asked, my voice sharp.

“For you to understand,” she said simply.

“You think this was all a coincidence?

That you returned on your own?” She chuckled, a low, chilling sound that made even Astrid wary.

“What are you saying?” I demanded, though part of me already knew.

“I’m saying,” she began, her voice dropping, “that you were brought back for a reason.

And that reason is far bigger than you realize.” My chest tightened the weight of her words settling over me.

“Why now?” The priestess tilted her head to the side.

“Why wait until now to reach out to me?

What if I did not remember?” A soft chuckle tore through her lips as she began pacing slowly.  “You think I only waited until now to seek you out?

No, my dear.

Right from your rebirth, when you forged a new path, the one that set you on the right path to achieving the reason for your rebirth, I reached out to you but you, of course, ignored me.” The woman’s smile faded, her expression turning serious.

Zara shook her head.

“No.

It cannot be.

I have never heard or seen you until now.” “Yes, you have.

You just haven’t been focused enough to peak into your dreams and visions.

Your mind and heart have been too clouded, so I waited for the right time.” “Why now?

How are you sure it is the right time?” “Seeing as you have met all the missing pieces, I must say, it is the perfect time, Zia.” “What.” “You wondered how I had reached out to you before, right?” I nodded, following her every move until she came to stand before me with a hand at her back.  “All the messages I sent to you for us to meet, where I mentioned that I knew who you were?

That was me.”