Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow - Chapter 377

Chapter 377: Running From the Bond
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CHAPTER 377

~Zara’s POV~

I stood at the entrance of the mansion, my eyes darting between Ryland, Tempest, and the girl standing frozen in front of him.

What the hell was going on?

Just yesterday, I had to deal with Ella’s mate bond drama, and now Ryland was standing there, looking like he had just been struck by lightning, his entire focus locked onto the girl in front of him.

I had seen that look before.

The way his body vibrated with barely contained energy. The way his wolf was clawing to take over.

Oh.

Oh, shit.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered under my breath.

Ella, who was standing beside me, shifted uneasily. “Zara… I think…”

I didn’t need her to finish the sentence. I already knew what she was about to say.

Ryland had just found his mate.

Tempest stood motionless, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. I saw the way she bit the inside of her cheek, trying to keep her emotions at bay. My heart clenched for her.

I knew her story.

I knew about Koda.

And now, she was standing here, reliving that same moment—but this time, it was Ryland, the man who loved her, the man she had spent the last two days wrapped up in.

“This is fucked up,” Ares muttered beside the girl, rubbing his temples.

Yeah, no kidding.

I crossed my arms and exhaled sharply. “Alright, someone explain. What’s going on?”

Silence.

Ryland’s mate, the girl with silver-highlighted brunette hair and stunning blue eyes, opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Ares pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, “Shit,” under his breath before glancing at me. “Zara, meet my beta’s sister, Crystal.”

I blinked. Once. Twice.

Then I turned my gaze back to the girl—Crystal, Ares beta’s sister. The universe really had a twisted sense of humour.

Ryland’s mate was the beta’s sister. Heaven knew I needed a drink.

A long, heavy silence stretched between everyone. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, and no one seemed to know what to say.

Finally, I sighed. “Alright, this is obviously a lot. For all of you. So, let’s take this inside and talk like sane people before someone explodes.”

Crystal still hadn’t moved, her wide eyes fixed on Ryland like she was trying to process a math equation that didn’t make sense.

Ryland, on the other hand, looked like a man ready to claim.

His wolf was barely contained, and if I didn’t do something fast, we’d have a whole new problem on our hands.

“Inside,” I repeated firmly, using my Luna voice.

Tempest was the first to move, inhaling sharply before stepping back toward the house. I could see the stiffness in her movements, the way she refused to meet Ryland’s gaze.

Ella quickly followed, shooting me a knowing look before disappearing inside.

Ares hesitated, but when he saw the way Crystal’s hands trembled slightly, he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Come on,” he said softly.

She barely reacted, but after a moment, she nodded.

Ryland, however, didn’t move.

His entire body was still locked in place, his eyes glued to Crystal. His wolf was fighting him hard, and for a second, I was worried he’d just grab her and run off to claim her right here in the front yard.

“Ryland,” I called.

Nothing.

“Ryland, move your ass before I call Snow,” I threatened.

That did it. His jaw clenched, but he finally forced himself to step back. With stiff movements, he turned and followed us inside.

As soon as we entered the mansion, I led everyone to the sitting room. The tension in the air was suffocating, and I could feel the weight of Tempest’s emotions pressing against me.

She was barely holding it together.

The moment she sat down, she crossed her arms over her chest, staring at the floor like it might offer some kind of escape.

Crystal, on the other hand, still looked shell-shocked.

I sat down beside Ella while Ares remained standing near the fireplace, watching everything unfold with wary eyes.

Ryland, of course, had positioned himself between Crystal and Tempest but he was closer to Crystal as he could without physically touching her.

I sighed. “Alright. Let’s start with the obvious. Ryland, you found your mate.”

His jaw flexed, his eyes burning with intensity. “Yes.”

The tension in the room was unbearable.

Ryland’s wolf was clawing beneath the surface, desperate to pull her close, to claim her, to make her his. But I could see the hesitation in his eyes.

He was torn.

I knew why.

Tempest.

His love for her wasn’t something that could just disappear because fate had thrown a mate bond into the equation.

And Crystal?

She could feel it too.

She was still in shock, her wide blue eyes searching his as if trying to make sense of what was happening. The mate bond was undeniable—she felt it, just as he did. But there was something else there too. A hesitation. A fear of the unknown.

“This… this is too much,” Crystal whispered, shaking her head. “It’s just…”

Ares, who had been standing protectively beside her, frowned. “Crystal—”

She inhaled sharply and took a small step back, not rejecting the bond but distancing herself from the overwhelming emotions that came with it.

Ryland’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. His wolf growled low in his throat, but he didn’t move forward. He was fighting it.

Fighting her.

Crystal’s gaze flickered between Ryland and Tempest, and understanding dawned in her eyes. Her lips parted slightly, like she was about to say something, but she hesitated.

Finally, she exhaled shakily. “I… I can’t do this right now.”

Ryland flinched.

His wolf didn’t like hearing that, but Crystal wasn’t pushing him away. She wasn’t rejecting him—just the weight of everything pressing down on her.

She turned to Ares, her hands trembling slightly. “Take me away from here.”

Ares hesitated, glancing at Ryland, as if waiting for him to protest.

Ryland said nothing.

Crystal’s shoulders sagged slightly, as if she had expected him to fight for her—to claim her immediately.

But he didn’t.

Because he wasn’t ready.

Because Tempest.

Crystal swallowed and looked away. “Please, Ares.”

Ares clenched his jaw but nodded. “Alright. Let’s go.”