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Chapter 358
~Zara’s POV~
Snow was at my side in an instant, his hands cupping my face as he searched my eyes. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"
"Tired," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. My gaze shifted to my mother, who stood a few steps back, her expression unreadable.
"You shouldn’t be up," Snow said firmly, his fingers brushing my hair away from my face. "You need to rest."
"I’m fine," I insisted, though my body protested with every movent.
"No, you’re not," Snow snapped, his anger flaring again as he turned toward my mother. "Look at her! You pushed her too far!"
"She’s stronger than you think," my mother shot back, her tone defensive. "She’s capable of more than this, and you coddling her isn’t going to help."
"Coddling her?" Snow’s laugh was sharp and humorless. "Teaching her how to control her powers isn’t coddling—it’s common sense! You’re throwing her into a fight without preparing her for the consequences!"
"Enough," I croaked, my voice cutting through the tension.
Both of them turned to , their faces a mix of worry and frustration.
"I appreciate both of you," I said slowly, my voice steadier now. "But yelling at each other isn’t helping." I took a deep breath, wincing slightly as the ache in my ribs flared. "Mother, Snow’s right. That... that blast could’ve gone horribly wrong."
My mother’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t argue.
"And Snow," I continued, turning to him. "She’s right too. I needed that push. I needed to feel what I’m capable of."
His jaw tightened, but he didn’t interrupt.
"I don’t have control yet," I admitted, eting their gazes. "But I’ll get there. I’ll learn to control it."
Snow sighed, his hand sliding down to grip mine. "Zara, I just... I can’t lose you."
"You won’t," I said softly, squeezing his hand. "I promise."
"She’s strong, Snow," my mother said gently. "Stronger than even she realises. And I’ll make sure she learns to control her power. You have my word."
Snow glanced at her, his expression wary but resigned. "No more pushing her to the brink," he pointed out after so ti.
"Agreed," my mother replied with a nod.
I leaned back against the pillows, exhaustion pulling at again. "Can we... save the rest of this for later? I think I need to sleep for a year."
Snow chuckled softly, brushing his lips against my forehead. "Rest, love. I’m not going anywhere."
As I drifted back to sleep, I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of hope. Despite the chaos, despite the danger ahead, I wasn’t alone in this fight. And that made all the difference.
By the ti I woke up, it was already 8 in the evening. As much as we could stay, Snow said he’d feel better if I was sowhere safe, where he could protect .
I bid my goodbyes for now and left with him. When I asked about Zade, I was inford he hadn’t been told yet. Which was a good thing, else he would have gone ballistic like Snow.
Snow had been searching for when he returned and found out I was at my mother’s. At the sa ti, he sensed sothing wrong via the matebond and ca rushing here.
Holding my hand, he led out of the packhouse and straight to his car.
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~Snow’s POV~
The drive back to our mansion was quiet, tension heavy in the air. Zara sat beside , her head resting against the window.
I could tell she was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, but sothing in wouldn’t let the anger simring inside fade.
I couldn’t believe her. Going to her mother without telling about her dream—her vision—and willingly putting herself in danger. How could she be so reckless?
We arrived an hour plus later and as soon as we stepped inside the mansion, Zara turned toward , likely expecting to join her in the living room, but I didn’t stop. I walked straight to my study, shutting the door behind harder than I ant to.
I paced the room, running a hand through my hair. Glacier stirred restlessly in the back of my mind, growling softly. He wasn’t angry at Zara—no, he was worried. But I couldn’t get past how she’d kept sothing so important from .
The door to the study creaked open, and I glanced up to see Zara slipping inside. She closed the door gently, her tired eyes fixed on .
"Snow," she said softly, stepping closer. "Why are you avoiding ?"
"I’m not avoiding you," I snapped, though the edge in my voice betrayed the truth.
She arched a brow, crossing her arms. "Then why did you storm off the second we got ho? What’s going on?"
I exhaled sharply, running a hand down my face. "You had a dream, Zara. A vision or whatever it was, nightmare."
"It wasn’t a nightmare. It was real. I was, my spirit was projected out of my body," she cut in, explaining.
"Even worse. You never said anything to about it."
Her eyes widened slightly, and she opened her mouth to respond, but I cut her off.
"Instead," I continued, my voice rising, "you went to your mother. You put yourself in danger without telling a damn thing. For what? To get yourself killed?"
Her face softened, guilt flashing in her eyes. "Snow, I wasn’t trying to shut you out. I just—"
"You just what?" I interrupted, my frustration spilling out. "You thought I couldn’t handle it? You thought it wasn’t important enough to tell ?"
"It wasn’t like that," she said, her voice steady but laced with emotion. "I needed answers, Snow. I needed to know what’s happening to , and my mother had those answers."
"You could’ve told !" I snapped, slamming my hand against the desk. "Do you have any idea how terrified I was when I saw you in that state? You could’ve died, Zara. Your powers could’ve killed you, and for what? To prove sothing to yourself? To ?"
Her shoulders sagged, and for a mont, she looked completely defeated. "Snow, I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I just... I didn’t know how to explain it. Everything’s happening so fast, and I felt like I needed to handle it on my own."
"You don’t have to handle it alone," I said, my voice softening despite my anger. "That’s the whole point, Zara. You don’t have to go through this without . We’re a team. Or are we not?"
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