Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow - Chapter 448

Chapter 448: Love You
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CHAPTER 448

~Snow’s POV~

The word ‘mate’ still rang in my ears like thunder in a canyon. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Zara.

She was mine, not by accident, not by circumstance, but she was fated for me.

Zara looked just as stunned—lips parted, eyes wide, heart racing beneath her ribs. I could feel it. Every beat echoed in me like it was mine.

Then Siona’s voice gently cut through the moment. “This… makes sense now.”

Zara and I both turned to her, blinking like we’d forgotten anyone else was in the room.

Siona stepped closer, her expression calm but awed. “Snow… you were dead. Truly. Your soul had already begun to drift. You were hanging by a hair’s breadth, I guess. But Zara… she…”

She gestured to Zara and smiled. “Zara and Kaid did their best to pull you back. That’s not just willpower. That’s divine intervention.”

My brows furrowed. “Divine…?”

She nodded. “The Moon Goddess doesn’t give second chances lightly. But when she does… It’s because she’s making something right. When you were brought back, Snow, your path was rewritten. And with it… your bond.”

I stared at her, breath catching. “You’re saying—”

“Yes,” Siona finished. “The mate bond between you and Zara wasn’t just rekindled. It was remade. Fated. Chosen by the Goddess herself. You were given to each other. Right here is your second chance.”

Zara’s lips parted slightly, eyes shimmering. Her hand tightened in mine, and my heart cracked open at the raw emotion in her gaze.

I wanted to say something—anything—but then I saw it.

Kaid.

He stood by the doorway, eyes lowered, jaw tight. He hadn’t said a word or much since I’d woken up, but now he shifted on his feet, just slightly. Like the weight of this moment didn’t belong to him.

I didn’t know what had happened while I was unconscious—how he’d helped, what he’d sacrificed—but I knew this much: he’d stood beside Zara when I hadn’t.

And I was grateful.

But also… uneasy.

Zara and Kaid had faced hell together to save me. And here I was, breathing, being gifted a bond I didn’t feel worthy of. And Kaid… he had feelings for Zara.

He had always stated she was meant to be his. She was indeed his betrothed and if he did make good on his claim now… I wasn’t blind.

He gave me a small smile, brief and tired, before turning on his heel and walking out of the room without a word.

I exhaled slowly, then looked at Siona, who was already moving toward me again.

She placed two fingers against my neck, checked my pulse, then her palm hovered over my chest. A soft glow spread under her hand, and she nodded.

“You’re stable. Still weak, but alive.” Her lips curled upward. “Miraculously.”

Then she turned to Zara and smiled. “I’ll give you two a moment.”

With that, she followed Kaid out and quietly shut the door behind her.

Zara didn’t move at first. Neither did I.

Then she leaned forward, wrapped her arms around me, and pulled me close. Her scent—gods, it surrounded me again. My heart kicked up.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she whispered, burying her face in my neck.

I barely had a second to respond before I pulled back slightly, looked into her eyes… and kissed her.

I couldn’t help it.

I didn’t want to help it.

Her lips froze against mine in surprise—but only for a breath. Then she melted into it, her hand slipping to my jaw, thumb brushing my cheek.

When we finally pulled apart, her eyes shone brighter than I’d ever seen them.

“I’m sorry,” Zara breathed.

But I shook my head. “No. I am.”

“I am sorry, Snow.” I tried stopping Zara from speaking but my adamant mate refused.

Zara shook her head. “No, I am. If I hadn’t left our home and stood my ground to fight for what was mine, to fight for you, then we wouldn’t have been in this situation. I… I thought you’d fight for me since absence made the heart grow fonder.”

“Zara. It did.”

“I took risks, Snow. Stupid risks, seeing how I threw you into her arms and paved the way for her to ruin my marriage. I loved you. I still love you even though you hurt me so much.”

“I was stupid,” I declared and Zara opened her mouth to protest, but I reached up and placed my finger gently on her lips.

“No, Zara. Let me say this.”

She stilled.

“I created this mess,” I whispered. “When I didn’t reject Vera on the spot… when I didn’t tell you everything. I was indecisive. Scared. I kept telling myself I didn’t want to hurt her, just like Aira was hurt, because I’d seen what rejection did to others. I told myself I was being kind. But the truth is—I was just being a coward.”

Her eyes watered again, but she didn’t look away.

“I let myself be blinded,” I said hoarsely. “Used. And in doing that, I hurt you deeply. I knew you were angry. I thought maybe… you needed space. But I should’ve fought harder. I shouldn’t have let you go.”

I took her hand and pressed it to my chest. “I love you. I never stopped. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness—not after what I put you through. But please, Zara… forgive me.”

Her lip trembled. She didn’t speak at first.

Then, finally, she leaned in close, her forehead resting against mine.

“If I could leave my home to fight for you,” she whispered, “for your life, Snow, then that is because I believed you were worth it. Even after all of it… I still love you. You hurt me, Snow. But you’re here now. And that… That matters.”

My eyes closed and a tear slipped down my cheek.

“I could cry right now,” I said softly, and she gave a wet laugh.

“I’d love to see that,” Zara chuckled.

We stayed there, in each other’s arms for a while, while breathing felt like something so strange yet gifted to me.

I held her like the world would crumble if I let go.

Zara’s breath was warm against my collarbone, her arms still wrapped tight around me, and for a moment, nothing else mattered. Not the mess I’d made. Not the pain. Just her.

The bond pulsed between us. It sang in my blood, whispering that this time, I wasn’t dreaming.

I had her.

But even now, guilt clung to me like a second skin.

“I kept replaying everything,” I murmured, fingers brushing her back. “What I said. What I didn’t say. You have no idea how much I hated myself for the silence.”

Zara pulled back slightly, enough for our eyes to meet.

“You should’ve fought,” she said softly as though she was scolding a baby. “I wanted you to fight for me. Instead, I felt abandoned.”

I nodded slowly. “I know. And you were right to feel that way. I wanted to give you space, but in doing so, I made you think I didn’t care. I did, Zara. Every single day. I just… didn’t know how to fix it.”

Her fingers trailed down my arm slowly. “You remember Jenna?” I nodded. “You fixd it too Snow. And you know what scared me the most?” she whispered.

I shook my head.

“That maybe… you loved her more,” she said, voice cracking slightly. “That I was just the second choice all along. The easier option.”

That pierced through me.

“No.” I sat up straighter, gently cupping her face in both hands so she was looking me deep in the eyes.

“Love, never. It was always you. Even when I was confused on what to do, even when I didn’t show it right—I never stopped loving you. You weren’t the easiest option. I never loved anyone else since I met you and I never will. You were the only one I ever truly wanted.”

She blinked hard, like trying to hold back tears.

“Then why didn’t you fight?” she asked again, quieter this time like a baby. If I knew Zara well, she wanted to be petted and assured.

“Because I was scared,” I admitted. “I was scared I’d already lost you that you wouldn’t look at me the same way again. That I’d ruined everything, especially when Kaid came around. I signed the divorce papers so I could set things right. Chase you again and make you rightfully mine..”

She exhaled slowly, leaning into my touch.

Zara sighed and then pinched me a little on the arm. “Do you know what made me come back?” she asked.

I shook my head again, silent.

“You. Always you. Even when I was furious. Even when I felt broken, when I held that scale and thought of everything we lost… I couldn’t let it end like that. I wasn’t going to lose you to anyone. Not fate. Not death. Not even your own fear.”

My heart clenched.

“I didn’t deserve that,” I whispered.

“But you got it,” she said, and this time, there was no anger in her voice. Only truth. “So don’t waste it.”

I let out a shaky breath, leaning in until our foreheads touched again.

“No more secrets,” I murmured.

“No more running,” she replied.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”