Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow - Chapter 441

Chapter 441: The Second Trial
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CHAPTER 441

~Zara’s POV~

Immediately, we left the room and headed straight back to the throne room.

The grand doors creaked open, and the dimly lit hall stretched before me, torches flickering along the towering obsidian walls.

At the far end, Davion sat on his throne, a smirk tugging at his lips, his fingers tapping lazily against the armrest. His violet eyes gleamed with amusement as I approached.

Kaid walked beside me, his presence steady, but I could feel the tension in his stance. He didn’t trust Davion—not even for a second. And neither did I.

“Are you ready for your next trial?” Davion’s voice echoed through the hall, smooth and taunting.

I squared my shoulders. “I’m ready.”

His smirk deepened. “Good.”

With a flick of his wrist, three figures stepped forward from the shadows behind his throne. My breath hitched as they emerged into the torchlight, their presence overwhelming.

Varian. Davion’s right hand. A tall, lean man with piercing silver eyes and an unsettling calmness. His power radiated from him in waves, restrained but undeniable.

Beside him, a hulking figure with deep blue scales along his arms and neck—Stormbringer, the Storm Dragon, whose very presence crackled with latent lightning.

And the last… a creature of night itself. Shadows clung to his form, his eyes glowing violet—Nyx, the Phantom Dragon, as they announced him. His power was eerie, suffocating, like a nightmare given form.

Davion leaned forward, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Choose your opponent.”

I hesitated, my gaze sweeping over them. Stormbringer’s sheer power was terrifying, and Nyx’s unpredictable nature made my stomach twist. But Varian… He was tall, lean—he looked fast, not overwhelmingly strong. Maybe I could use that to my advantage.

I pointed at him. “Varian.”

A chuckle rumbled from Davion’s chest. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Varian gave a slow nod, stepping forward. “Shall we take this to the arena?”

Kaid shot me a look, concern flashing in his eyes, but I nodded. This was my trial. And I wasn’t backing down.

“We shall.”

The arena was a massive stone coliseum, its floor covered in sand that carried the scent of blood and burnt flesh. The stands were filled with warriors and dragons alike, their eyes locked onto the battlefield.

I stepped forward, my heart pounding but my face unreadable. Before me, weapons lay scattered—swords, spears, daggers. But I noticed Varian made no move toward them.

I took a deep breath and turned away from the weapons.

Davion raised a brow. “You don’t want a weapon?”

“I don’t need one,” I said firmly. “The quicker I finish these trials, the quicker I get back to Snow and give him the scale. So yeah, I’m ready.”

Davion grinned. “Very well. May the test begin.”

Varian stepped back, giving me space. I tensed, readying myself for his first move. But then a golden light exploded from his body.

The light intensified, so blinding that I had to shield my eyes. A surge of energy crackled through the air, and then a monstrous shadow loomed over me.

I lowered my arm. My breath caught in my throat. A dragon.

A massive, fucking gleaming golden and black-scaled dragon stood before me, his wings stretching wide, casting an enormous shadow over the battlefield. His silver eyes, the same as Varian’s, locked onto mine.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath.

Davion chuckled from the stands. “Sorry, love. You have to fight Varian in his dragon form.”

I barely had time to react before Varian’s dragon roared, the sound shaking the entire arena.

Then he charged.

Damn it! I was tempted to glare at Davion for not telling me the twist in the game.

First of, I guess I made a mistake judging and picking Varian but to punish me with fighting them in their dragon form?

Yikes!

I leapt to the side just as his massive clawed foot slammed into the ground where I had stood, sending sand flying. My heart pounded as I rolled, barely dodging the tail that whipped toward me like a steel whip.

I had no time to think. No time to breathe.

Varian struck again, his enormous claws swiping at me. I twisted, barely avoiding them, but the force of the wind from his strike sent me skidding backward.

I couldn’t win this fight with brute strength. I had to outthink him.

Fire erupted from his mouth, a massive wave of heat rushing toward me. I sprinted, my feet barely touching the ground as I dove behind a broken pillar, the flames licking at my heels.

I needed a way to end this. Fast as time was ticking.

Surprisingly, the mirror test I thought didn’t take time, surprisingly took about two hours of my time. And I was already frustrated.

Varian circled me, his massive form casting a shadow over where I crouched. His nostrils flared, sensing my every move.

The air burned. The heat from Varian’s last fire blast still seared my skin, my breaths coming fast and heavy. My mind raced.

I couldn’t keep dodging forever. The moment I slipped up, he’d tear me apart.

Varian moved again. His massive wings kicked up a whirlwind of sand as he lunged forward, jaws snapping at the space I had occupied just a second ago.

I flipped backward, barely avoiding his fangs. The ground trembled as his claws raked across it, deep trenches forming in the arena floor.

I needed to get in close. I needed to strike.

A snarl ripped from my throat as I sprinted toward him, calling upon my own power. My wolf stirred inside me, but I thought it wouldn’t be wise to shift fully in this trial, so I had to rely on what I could access.

My claws elongated, sharp as daggers. If I could just get to his neck, maybe—I leapt, aiming for the side of his massive body, ready to carve into him.

But the moment my claws scraped against his gleaming golden scales, I felt it. It was solid and unbreakable.

A shock of pain shot through my hands, stopping me cold. My claws barely scratched the surface, and a horrifying realisation sank in—this wouldn’t work.

Shit.

I hesitated for a second too long.

Varian’s tail whipped toward me, and I barely managed to throw my arms up before it slammed into me like a battering ram.

Pain exploded across my ribs as I was sent flying. My body hit the ground hard, rolling several times before I finally skidded to a stop.

A groan escaped my lips. Every bone in my body screamed.

I forced myself to stand, shaking the dizziness from my head.

Varian wasn’t waiting.

His wings spread wide, and then he lunged again, his massive bulk moving faster than I thought possible. His talons slashed toward me.

I ducked, rolling beneath his attack.

Think, Zara. Think.

His body was armor. Every inch of him was a fortress. But no armor was perfect. Every dragon had a weakness.

Varian turned, his breath hissing through his fangs. His silver eyes gleamed as he inhaled, fire flickering at the back of his throat.

He was going to burn me alive.

I had to move and I had to do it fast.

The second he exhaled, I pushed off the ground with all the strength I had, launching myself sideways as a torrent of red hot flames exploded where I had just been. The arena sizzled, the sand turning to glass under the sheer heat.

I barely had time to register it before Varian spun, his tail crashing toward me again.

I dropped, flattening myself to the ground as it whipped over me, slicing through the air with terrifying force.

It was too strong. Too fast.

But there was one thing I had that Varian didn’t.

Instinct.

A dragon was powerful, but a wolf fought with more than just brute strength.

I needed to use that.

I steadied my breath.

Varian circled me again, watching. Calculating. He wasn’t just a beast. He was intelligent. He knew I was waiting for an opening.

Good. Let him think I was searching for one.

I lifted my chin, squaring my shoulders. “Come on, then,” I taunted, my voice steady despite the fire burning through my body. “What’s the matter, dragon? Afraid you might actually lose?”

Varian snarled. I had actually teased his dragon and the beast took the bait. His massive form tensed. Then he charged.

But I didn’t move.

Kaid’s voice rang out from the stands sharp with alarm. “Zara! Move!”

I had to admit, I was tempted to move, tempted to fight, to shift into my wolf form and let Astra take over.

But I didn’t. I stood my ground.

I shut my eyes, my breath slowing as I focused.

The trial. The words of the challenge echoed in my mind. A dragon bows to no one. Show your worth, or perish.

“Show my worth,” I mouthed.

Not overpower him—not to defeat him. Just show my worth. Proving I was worthy. It was about proving myself to the dragon.

I exhaled and closed my eyes.