Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow - Chapter 465

Chapter 465: Second Day of Training
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CHAPTER 465

~Zara’s POV~

The training field behind the east wing of the estate was quiet when I arrived—just the soft rustle of wind brushing through the tall hedges and the dull thud of my boots on the compacted dirt.

The space was wide and open, ringed with wooden dummies, target posts, and a few scattered weapon stands.

Siona was already there, dressed in her usual midnight-black sparring gear that clung to her like a second skin.

Her twin swords were sheathed across her back, and her long, white braid swung lightly behind her as she turned to face me.

“You’re late,” she said without looking at a clock. Her voice was calm, clipped, and precise as always.

I shrugged. “Blame Snow.”

Siona rolled her eyes and tossed a towel to the side. “Of course. Men are good for many things, but punctuality isn’t one of them when it comes to keeping their spouses early.”

I chuckled. “And an important meeting we had with Lord Sterling.”

Her eyes seemed to go wild briefly. “Interesting. Have the Lycans supported it?”

I shrugged and stepped closer. “They are a bit on the fence, but yes. I know they will support me.”

I stretched my arms and rolled my shoulders. “Alright, let’s do this.”

Without another word, she moved, fast and fluid. A blur of power. She reached into a wooden chest near the center of the field and tossed me a pair of short blades.

“Not powers today?” I asked, catching them mid-air.

“We’re sharpening more than your instincts today,” she said simply. “You need to move with a weapon like it’s an extension of your body.”

I wasn’t sure what to think of that. I knew I was good with the blades, but…

“The Crescent witches won’t fight fair,” her voice rang out, breaking me from my thoughts. “Neither will the Shadow Clave. If you’re caught without your claws, wolf or powers, these might be the only things between you and death, especially if you can find one nearby.”

Comforting.

I gripped the handles tightly, adjusting to their weight. “Let’s go.”

Siona didn’t hold back.

She lunged first, her blade flashing in the sunlight. I blocked, barely as the vibration of metal-on-metal ringing through my bones.

“Footwork,” she snapped. “Don’t just block. Move!”

I pivoted on my heel, ducking under her next swing and striking out with a counterattack. She spun smoothly, avoiding my blade by an inch.

Her boot came up and caught my side, landing an ice kick.

I grunted, stumbling back.

“Better,” she said, already advancing. “But you’re thinking too much.”

“Maybe that’s because I’m not some perfect murder doll with superhuman balance.”

“Excuses don’t win battles.”

She was right. I was thinking about a lot of things at the moment.

Number one and majorly the first was the new change I noticed with Snow.

First they were plain violet and then they became heterochromia—violet and blue.

What was happening?

Between that and my nightmares, I did not know what was to come next and how best to handle such a thing when it did came?

Was my husband changing to a dragon or was he become a doppelganger of Davion?

How deeply would the changes go?

And when they do, how will Snow react?

My thoughts were interrupted again when Siona came at me again, faster this time. I didn’t have time to overthink.

She basically did not move like her age but with the agility of a young warrior.

I shoved my concerns and thoughts to the back of my kind and matched her rhythm, our blades colliding in a flurry of sparks.

Right, block. Left, duck. Spin, low kick.

Siona sidestepped me with feline grace and knocked my wrist with the hilt of her sword.

My blade clattered to the ground.

“Again,” she commanded sharply.

I had been trained as the Alphas’ daughter I was when I lived with my adoptive parents but this… oh boy. I believe this was how someone like Zade could train me.

I retrieved the blade and stood. My arms burned and my legs ached. But I wasn’t giving up.

This time, I let instinct lead.

When she moved, I flowed with her—not reacting, but anticipating. My body remembered what my mind didn’t. The pain from my last training session.

During my time away from Snow, I had a training session with Kaid. It was just once but I learnt a great deal from him, especially his unique fighting style.

And right now, watching Siona fight, reminded me of him.

The things Kaid taught me about rhythm, prediction, angles of attack. This time, I got inside her guard and swiftly tackled her.

My blade stopped a breath away from her neck. Siona raised a brow, nodding slightly. “Better.”

I stepped back, panting. “You’re a menace.”

“And you’re finally listening to your body.”

I rolled my shoulders, sweat clinging to my back. “Can we take five?”

Siona smirked. “Two.”

I dropped onto the grass with a dramatic groan, wiping my brow with the back of my arm.

Siona crouched beside me, not even winded. “You’re learning fast. Faster than most.”

“I kind of have to. There’s a cult trying to kill me.”

She gave me a rare smirk. “Motivation looks good on you.”

I laughed and shook my head.

“Tomorrow,” she said, standing, “we train with fire.” She raised a brow. “Literally.”

“Great.”

“I’ll bring the matches,” I said with a laugh.

I watched as Siona walked off to retrieve her towel and sat back, staring up at the sky.

My muscles ached, but for once it wasn’t from running, fighting for my life, or surviving another nightmare. This pain was earned.

After the said two minutes, Siona walked back to meet me. It was time for training.

“Now, let us resume your powers training, young lady.”

“The combat magic next?”

“Yes.”

“Ready?”

I exhaled slowly and stood, brushing off bits of grass from my leggings as I turned to face Siona again.

Her towel was tossed over her shoulder now, and the slight smirk on her lips told me she was looking forward to this part more than the blades.

“Time for the fun part,” she said, walking toward the centre of the field.

I followed, feeling the weight of my exhaustion setting in—but I welcomed it. This was how I’d get stronger. This is how I would be ready.

Siona raised her palm, and in an instant, a circle of runes lit up beneath our feet, burned faintly into the dirt by power, not fire. The air around us shifted.

It was much thicker and denser. I could feel the pull of something ancient awaken.

“This is a basic combat ward,” she said. “It won’t block your powers, but it amplifies intent. Every spell you throw, every strike you cast—it’s going to carry more force. Think of it like fighting in a pressure cooker. You’ll get stronger or get wrecked.”

“Well, that’s comforting,” I muttered, stretching my fingers as I let the familiar heat rise beneath my skin.

“You’ve trained before,” she reminded me, circling around me slowly like a predator stalking prey. “But now, we push limits. I want to see what your magic does under pressure. Don’t think. React. Let’s begin.”

Without warning, she raised both hands, and the ground beneath my feet cracked.

I barely managed to leap out of the way as a jagged spike of rock erupted where I’d been standing. My heart thudded in my chest.

“Siona!”

“Don’t whine,” she said, already conjuring another.

I forced my feet to move, raising my hands and calling on the fire that lived deep inside me. The flame flickered at first, slowly and uncertain—until I pictured Kent’s fiancée blasting Ella across the field and the way my pulse had raced in rage when I’d heard.

I did not want to think of Snow, as I knew whatever was produced wouldn’t be funny and I might lose control. So I thought of the second painful thing.

The spark caught and my palm ignited.

I thrust it forward just as another spike shot at me. The flame burst from my fingers and clashed with the stone, sending it shattering into burning debris.

“Good,” Siona said, watching. “Again.”

She lashed her arm forward, and a whip of water curled out of thin air, lashing toward me. I ducked and tried to push forward with air, but the gust that came out was sloppy, unfocused.

Siona didn’t hesitate—she used it against me, wrapping the water around my ankle and yanking me off my feet.

I hit the ground hard, my lip kissing the grass and dust.

“Focus, Zara. You’ve used all four elements at some point, yes?”

“Not really,” I grunted, pushing up. “I have mostly used this light energy of some sort.”

“Okay. Imagine them at your fingertips. Focus your mind on your control, then channel it together. Not like spells—like instincts. Use what you need and when you need it. Stop hesitating.”

I clenched my jaw, this time letting the energy in me swell—not just fire, not just wind—but everything. It felt as though the energy was moving, pulsing within me.

It crackled through me, alive like an electric tension in my bones.

Siona raised her hand again, and a wall of fire rushed at me, spiralling fast. My first thought was to run or dodge, but before I did, my foot stopped moving on its own.