Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow - Chapter 428

Chapter 428: The Forbidden Fog
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CHAPTER 428

~Zara’s POV~

I gasped awake.

The air around me felt thick, suffocating, like something was pressing down on my chest. My heart pounded so hard I thought it would burst through my ribs.

“Zara!”

Kaid’s voice was sharp with urgency. His hands gripped my shoulders, steadying me. My breath came in ragged pants as I blinked, struggling to pull myself out of the nightmare that had swallowed me whole.

“Wake up. It’s not real,” he said firmly, his eyes locked onto mine.

I swallowed hard, trying to ground myself, trying to separate reality from what I had just experienced.

It had felt so real—the mist, the voice calling my name, the presence shifting around me like shadows whispering through my bones.

Kaid studied me for a moment before reaching into his bag and pulling out my water bottle. “Drink.”

I took it without question, my fingers trembling as I tipped the cool water into my mouth. The liquid soothed my dry throat, but it did little to calm the unease still curling inside me.

Kaid sat back, watching me carefully. “What went wrong?” I hesitated and he sensed it immediately. “You had a nightmare,” he continued. “Care to share?”

I clenched the water bottle in my hands. My first instinct was to dismiss it, to pretend it had just been my mind playing tricks on me. But something about it felt too real. Too… important.

So, I told him.

Kaid listened in silence, his expression unreadable as I recounted the mist, the way my name had echoed through it, the presence I had felt moving toward me, and the warning in its voice.

When I finished, he exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “I guess it’s just your worry concerning the next trial we have to face.”

I nodded slowly. “I guess so… but it felt so real.”

Kaid arched a brow. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of pulling out and not crossing through the fog?”

I blinked, then scoffed, shaking my head. “Obviously not.”

He smirked. “Say it with your full chest.”

Despite everything, a small smile tugged at my lips. “I will cross the Forbidden Fog no matter what.”

Kaid grinned, then pushed himself to his feet before offering me a hand. “That’s what I thought. Now, come on. We’ve wasted enough time.”

I let him pull me up, brushing off the dirt from my clothes. My body still ached, but the determination in my chest burned hotter.

It was time for the next step.

~The Forbidden Fog~

It did not take us long to reach the entrance to the forbidden fog. The path leading into the fog was barely visible, and the swirling mist stretched endlessly into the horizon.

It wasn’t normal mist—it moved like it was alive, shifting in unnatural patterns, whispering as it curled around the jagged rocks.

“The Forbidden Fog. A place where lost souls wander, unable to cross into the next realm. They are drawn to the living, hungry for warmth, for life. You must not—under any circumstances—look them in the eyes. If you do, they will latch onto your soul.”

Siona’s warning echoed in my mind, making my skin prickle.

Kaid walked ahead of me, his posture tense and his head tilted slightly as if he was already sensing the danger around us.

I inhaled sharply. “We stay close. No matter what, we don’t separate.”

Kaid nodded. “Agreed.”

And then, we stepped inside, barely keeping our eyes fully open.

The moment we crossed into the mist, the temperature dropped. My breath came out in visible puffs, and a shiver ran down my spine. The silence was deafening, thick, pressing against my ears.

We moved carefully, each step measured, each breath shallow. We thought it would be easier than the Serpent Crane if we stuck together like this, but we were so wrong, nd then the world shifted.

The ground beneath my feet seemed to stretch, twist—one second Kaid was right beside me, and the next, he was gone.

I froze. “Kaid?”

There was no answer. I did not know if the fog had swallowed him but panic slammed into me, and I forced it down. I shut my eyes immediately, remembering Siona’s warning.

“You must not—under any circumstances—look them in the eyes.”

I clenched my fists. “Kaid!” I called sharply.

Still, there was nothing. Damn it.

I took a deep breath and moved forward, keeping my eyes shut, relying on my other senses. My hands brushed against the cold air, searching, feeling and then I heard it.

“Zara.”

A chill ran down my spine. It wasn’t Kaid. The voice was older, softer, filled with something ancient and knowing.

“Zara… child, you have finally come.”

My heart slammed into my ribs. A presence was near me. Close, far too close for my comfort. Hovering.

I forced my breathing to remain steady, but every nerve in my body screamed at me to run.

“Do not be afraid.”

The air around me thickened and shifted, and I felt warmth—gentle, familiar warmth—brush against my skin followed by a cold sensation all at once.

“You cannot see me, child, for if you do, you will be lost.”

My fingers twitched. “Who are you?” I whispered.

A pause was followed by a response that seemed to knock the breath out of me for a minute. “Your great-grandmother.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. Impossible. She was dead. Had been dead for decades.

I didn’t know if it was wise to speak to her or believe her words but something about what she said made me.

“You carry the blood of the first-born Sage Witch, Zara. The power that rests within you is older than you know. But it is not yet awakened.”

My throat was dry. “I don’t understand.”

“You will. In time.”

I clenched my fists. “How do I find Kaid?”

Silence.

“He is fighting his own battle.” A sick feeling curled in my stomach. “You must reach the end of the fog, Zara. If you do, you will awaken what sleeps within you.”

I hesitated. “And if I don’t?”

“Then you will remain in the fog, forever lost.”

A sharp gust of wind blew past me, and suddenly, the warmth vanished. “Please wait. Tell me, how do I stop the witches? How do I stop Shadow Clave from tearing our world?”

“Look within you and you shall find the answer.”

That was all I heard in my head, and suddenly I was alone again.

I swallowed hard, taking a step forward—blindly but carefully. “Kaid,” I whispered, moving deeper into the unknown, hoping, praying he doesn’t get lost like me.

“At the very least, Kaid is strong. He’ll make it,” I encouraged myself and kept walking.

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~Kaid’s POV~

The moment the mist swallowed me, I knew I was in trouble. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t hear Zara.

The fog was disorienting, twisting around me, messing with my senses.

I clenched my fists, focusing on my inner energy, reaching for the power buried deep in my core, reaching for my wolf.

When a deep voice called out to me. “Kaid.”

I stiffened. That voice. I knew that voice all too well. It was the same voice that replayed in my dream.

No, no, no.

“My son,” the voice whispered again, softer this time. “It has been so long.”

My body locked up. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real. I turned away, my breath unsteady. “You’re not real,” I growled. “You died.”

“And yet… here we are.”