Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow - Chapter 434

Chapter 434: The Dragon’s Lair
**************

CHAPTER 434

~Kaid’s POV~

I tossed Zara my pack before stepping forward and stripping out of my clothes. The cool water lapped at my ankles as I waded in, sinking into the river’s depths.

She was right—the water was unlike anything I had ever felt before. It wasn’t just cool—it pulsed with energy, tiny sparks of warmth igniting against my skin wherever the currents brushed past me.

I stayed in only as long as necessary, then stepped out, shaking the water from my hair. Zara had already pulled her boots back on, arms crossed as she watched the sky shift into twilight.

“Here.” I reached into my pack and pulled out a spare shirt, tossing it to her. “Yours is still damp, and let’s not forget, sweaty.”

Zara caught it, raising a brow. “You sure? Cause I did wash off the sweat from my tank top.”

I smirked. “I’d rather you not complain about being cold all night.”

She huffed but didn’t argue. Pulling the oversized shirt over her frame, she rolled the sleeves up before fastening her belt around her waist. It swallowed her smaller frame, but somehow, she still managed to look effortlessly fierce, especially when she tied her jacket around her waist.

“Better?” I asked.

She shrugged. “It’ll do.”

We didn’t waste any more time.

With night settling over the realm, we made our way toward the cliffs, following the path carved by ancient dragon talons.

The terrain grew rougher, the air tinged with the scent of embers and ozone. The closer we got, the more the magic in the air thickened, pressing against our skin like an unseen force.

After nearly an hour of climbing, we came upon three caves—each one yawning into the mountain’s side like the mouths of slumbering beasts. The air was noticeably warmer here, the ground lined with faint scorch marks.

Zara glanced at me. “Which one?”

I studied them carefully. Although each cave was identical in size, the energy seeping from it was different.

The first pulsed with an unsettling warmth, the kind that felt almost too inviting. The second was eerily quiet, with no sounds of wind or movement within its depths.

The third… felt empty.

Zara seemed to sense it too. “That one,” she said, nodding toward the last cave. “Something feels off.”

We stepped inside, torches in hand, the soft glow illuminating the rocky walls. Our footsteps echoed as we ventured deeper. The air grew colder while we walked silently.

Then, at the very end of the cave—nothing.

The chamber was empty. No dragon. No relics. No signs of life.

Just an abandoned space filled with cold air and shadows.

Zara frowned. “There’s nothing here.”

I clenched my jaw. “Then we’re missing something.”

Because there was no way we had come all this way… for nothing.

“Oh shit!” Zara sighed as she rubbed her palm over her face.

***************

~Zara’s POV~

I exhaled, scanning the empty chamber with narrowed eyes. The cavern stretched wide and dark before us, its jagged walls glistening faintly under the light of our torches.

But there was nothing—no relics, markings, or signs of the dragon we sought.

I turned to Kaid. “This doesn’t make sense. This realm is alive with magic, and yet this cave feels… dead.”

He ran a hand through his damp hair, his expression unreadable. “Maybe we’re missing something.”

I stepped forward, brushing my fingers along the cool stone. “There has to be a sign. A clue.”

We moved cautiously, searching for anything—a golden scale, a marking… My fingers traced the ridges of the wall, feeling for inconsistencies. And then when I was about to give up hope, my hand suddenly sank into the stone.

I gasped as the wall shifted beneath my palm, a deep grinding sound filling the cave. Before I could react, the ground beneath me gave way, and I tumbled forward into darkness.

“Zara!” Kaid’s voice was sharp with alarm.

A strong hand grabbed my wrist just as I slipped, but the momentum was too strong. Kaid was pulled in with me, and together, we slid down a narrow, twisting tunnel.

The slick walls carried us deeper, gravity making escape impossible. The air rushed past us in a whirlwind of dust and shadows.

Then we hit solid ground.

We landed hard, our bodies colliding against smooth stone. I let out a grunt, pushing myself up. Kaid groaned beside me, rubbing his shoulder.

“Well,” I muttered. “That was fun.”

Kaid shot me a look. “You and I have very different definitions of ‘fun.'”

I took a deep breath and looked around. The chamber we had fallen into vastly differed from the empty cave above.

Soft golden light flickered from enchanted lanterns mounted on the walls. The air smelled of old parchment, spiced incense, and something vaguely metallic—like dragon’s breath.

And the most unsettling part?

This place wasn’t abandoned.

There was furniture—an ornate wooden desk with parchment scattered across it, an intricately carved chair, a bed draped in deep emerald silk. A golden chalice rested on a side table, half-filled with dark liquid.

“Now this is something.”

Someone lived here. Not just anyone. Someone royal.

Kaid stood, his gaze wary as he took in the room. “This isn’t just some hidden cave,” he murmured. “It’s a dwelling.”

My fingers grazed over a thick velvet cloak draped over the chair. It smelled faintly of leather and smoke. “Whoever they are, they’ve been here recently.”

We exchanged a look. Then, cautiously, we stepped deeper into the chamber.

My eyes caught something at the far end—a raised platform with something shimmering at its center.

A golden oval cone. My breathing hitched. This was it. It must have been what Siona told us.

“There it is,” I whispered. I took a step forward, but before I could get any closer, Kaid’s hand shot out, grabbing my wrist.

His grip was firm, his voice low and tense. “It’s too good and too easy.”

The words had barely left his lips when a deep, earth-shaking roar filled the chamber.

The sound was so powerful that it sent a tremor through my bones. Kaid and I instinctively crouched, our hands flying to our weapons. He had gifted me two daggers. The cavern walls trembled, dust cascading from the ceiling.

Suddenly, there was movement above us—a rush of wind, a flurry of shifting shadows as figures descended from the open cavern above, their wings slicing through the air like blades.

One. Two. Three. Six in total.

They landed in a perfect formation around us, their presence swallowing the room like a storm.

I looked up while my heart pounded, the sound deafening my eardrum.

They were breathtaking.

Six towering men, each with strikingly different features. Broad-shouldered, powerful, exuding an air of nobility and danger.

Their wings were vast, each set a different, mesmerising colour—midnight blue, molten gold, stormy gray, emerald green, deep crimson, and the last, pure white.

Their horns curved elegantly, small but sharp, crowning their regal faces. And their eyes—gods—their eyes burned with power, each one a different jewel-like shade.

Dragons.

I barely had time to react before one of them, the one with deep violet eyes and golden horns, lifted his hand and made a swift, precise motion.

A flash of light erupted around us.

Colors burst—reds, blues, greens—rushing toward us in a blinding swirl of power. I felt my body grow heavy, my vision blurred, and my limbs refused to move.

The last thing I heard before the darkness claimed me was a deep, smooth voice speaking in a language I didn’t understand.