Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow

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CHAPTER 10

~Zara's POV~

The car was silent on the way home. Although I had expected Snow to question me about Ivan, to my surprise, he never uttered a word concerning it. 

Snow focused on the road. Ever since we left the Ivory Moon's pack house his expression had been calm, but I could sense the tension in his grip on the wheel. 

"S…" My phone buzzed suddenly, breaking the silence. I glanced down at the screen to see a message from Clarissa.

Meet me at Century Wolves Club. Now. We need to talk. It's important.

My first thought was to either delete or ignore her message but then I recalled something—this was a conversation that needed to happen. It was high time I confronted that sinister bitch for all the death plans she had against me in my past life. 

One would have suspected that I had my past lives experience to go with and help me in this life. Too bad. I already altered the course of this life when I married Snow

In the past, the only time I saw Clarissa after our wedding was when she came to my house bearing gifts of congratulations from my parents. 

That night, Ivan hadn't slept in our bed and when I went in search of him, I found him in the living room doing nothing. Much later, I discovered he had slept with her too that night.

I sighed and glanced at the text once more. My stomach twisted with irritation and a bit of curiosity. What could she possibly want? 

I looked over at Snow. "Can you drop me off somewhere?"

His eyes flicked to me since we began the drive. I couldn't tell if it was suspicion or something else. "Where?"

"I need to handle something," I said simply, not divulging our meeting point.

He hesitated for a moment but then nodded. Snow waited till he got close to a good parking spot before stopping the car. 

"You don't need me to drive you to your destination?" His tone was casual but his sharp eyes watched me closely.

I shook my head. "No, I'll be fine. I don't want to bother you."

I knew he wanted to say something but he kept quiet and nodded. Still, his gaze didn't waver. "Okay. Return quickly, or I'll send my guards after you."

I could have just smiled and left it at that, but instead, I couldn't help myself. "Why?" I shot back with a playful edge to my voice. "Is my husband missing me already?"

His eyes narrowed slightly, locking onto mine. I soon came to regret my words when Snow leaned towards me, his face just inches from mine. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me. 

My breath hitched, caught off guard by the sudden proximity. I could feel his breath on my skin, the intensity of his gaze making my pulse race.

But he stopped just short, his lips hovering near mine. His voice dropped low. "Don't test my patience, Zara. Be home at 9 p.m., sharp."

His words warned me, but his tone dared me to push back. My heart raced with defiance and thrill. I swallowed, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks, but I refused to look away.

"Or what?" I was unable to help myself.

His lips curled into a slight smile. "Or you'll find out exactly how much I'll miss you."

He pulled back slowly, his gaze still locked on mine and for a split second, I felt a thrill run down my spine. With a final smirk, he leaned back in his seat.

"9 p.m., Zara," he repeated.

I bit back a smile, opened the car door, and stepped out, feeling the rush of cool air against my heated skin. As I stepped out, I watched him drive away before quickly hailing a cab. I had no intention of dragging him into whatever drama Clarissa was cooking up.

The cab took me to the club and I texted her. She directed me to a quiet, deserted street where she was waiting, leaning against her car. Her arms were crossed, and she looked as smug as ever. 

I stepped out, approaching her with slow steps.

"What do you want, Clarissa?"

She sneered, stepping away from her car to meet me, perhaps too scared of what I could do to her car like I did her lover's. 

I smirked just thinking about it. Clarissa must have gotten the wrong idea on things as her word choice seemed to show how low her mental faculty was. 

"So, you can't afford a car after your parents disowned you and you married a wretch." 

My brows lifted. Did she say something?

Clairssa continued, mistaking my usual calm for foolishness. "Or did you sell your car just to pay your bills now?" 

Her laughter was shrill like her entire being. 

I exhaled slowly and took a good step forward, bridging the distance between us. "Sya that again," I dared her.

"Oh, you're not just useless, you're now deaf?" she scoffed feeling on top of the world. 

If anything, the idiot should have seen that my outfit spoke of millions of dollars. Yet her thinking was that shallow. 

Seems she was more blind than I thought.

"So basically you called me out to waste my time. I see your concept of importance is as low as your very being." 

I half turned, ready to walk away when her voice made me halt.

"No. I wanted to see the look on your face when I tell you that even if you crawl back on your knees, Ivan would never take you back. You can go die with your lowly husband."

I felt a flash of anger but kept my expression cool. "Lowly, you say? You're one to talk, Clarissa. Maybe you should focus on your own pathetic life instead of mine."

Her eyes blazed and she lunged, hand raised to strike me. Instinct kicked in, I spun and slapped her hard across the face before she could land a blow. 

I wished I had done that quite a lot in the past. She stumbled back, stunned, clutching her cheek. The disbelief in her eyes was something thrilling. 

I was usually the quiet one, accepting whatever was dished at me because I sort peace and let myself get bullied by someone beneath my status.

"You little—" she hissed, but before she could finish, I landed another slap to shut her mouth. 

I saw a tear escape from her eye and scoffed. "Any girl who can take my man simply meant he was never mine to begin with."

My words seemed to have ignited her and she straightened her back. But my action next, she never expected it.

I clapped, smiling, "Congratulations, bitch! You can have my thrash for all I care. After all, that's what whores like yourself are only capable of keeping…used property."

My insult angered her. She lunged once more but before any of us could act, a deep familiar voice cut through.

"Who is going to come back begging?" Snow's voice was calm but sharp as he walked toward us. "Zara or you?"

Clarissa's head whipped around, her eyes widening in shock. She hadn't expected to see him. "Al-Alpha Snow?" she stammered, scrambling to recover. 

Good, she knew him. This made it easier.

"I-I was just… teaching my stupid sister a lesson. Trying to help her not be so stubborn and foolish…"

Snow arched an eyebrow, a slight smirk on his lips. He walked closer, closing the distance between us and to Clarissa's horror, wrapped his arm possessively around my waist. "And who are you calling her lowly husband?" he asked, his tone deceptively light.

Clarissa blinked, confusion clouding her face. "Wait… what? Y-You're… her husband?"

Snow's smile widened, but his eyes turned cold. "That's right. And who are you to lecture my wife?" His eyes flashed red as his wolf surged forward, threatening to emerge.

The air around us grew heavy as Snow's alpha aura poured out, pressing down like a crushing weight. Clarissa's face went pale, her wolf whimpering in submission under its force. Her knees buckled and she dropped to the ground, eyes wide with terror.

"Please, Alpha Snow." Her voice trembled. "I… I didn't know…"

The pressure intensified, and I could feel the power radiating from Snow, thick and intoxicatingly potent, like an invisible force pushing down on everything around us. 

His wolf's growl was deep and rumbling, vibrating in my chest, but Astrid stood firm within me, an alpha wolf, refusing to bow.

Snow stepped closer, his grip on my waist tightening protectively. "You didn't know?" he mocked. "And yet you thought you had the right to attack my wife, to insult her?"

Clarissa's breath came in short gasps, her head bowed low, unable to withstand the sheer power emanating from Snow. "I'm sorry," she pleaded. "I didn't mean to… I swear…"

Snow's aura flared even stronger, his eyes glowing a fierce red. "Know your place!" he growled and Clarissa fell forward, her forehead to the ground, "and stay away from my wife."

Lifting her head a little, Clarissa nodded frantically, still on her knees, her body trembling. "Y-Yes, Alpha."

With a final, dismissive glance, Snow turned his back to her and guided me away, his arm still around my waist. At his defence, I felt a surge of pride and something else—something warmer.

As we walked away, I heard Clarissa's shaky breaths and her wolf whimpering in defeat. Snow's power had been overwhelming, leaving no room for doubt about who held the authority here. Only Astrid and I could stand steady under the pressure, and I felt a strange satisfaction in that.

Snow's fingers tightened around my waist as he murmured, "Are you alright?"

I glanced up at him, meeting his intense gaze. "More than alright," I replied with a smirk. "Thanks to my lowly husband."

He chuckled, the tension easing from his shoulders. "You have a way with words, Zara."

"Guess that's why you married me," I teased.

His smile widened, and he leaned down, whispering close to my ear. "Among other reasons."

I felt a blush rise to my cheeks, but I refused to comment further, letting him win.