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Chapter 446
~Zara’s POV~
I didn’t wait. I threw the car door open and ran inside.
The hallway was grand—white marble, gold fixtures, huge paintings—but none of that mattered. I sprinted up the stairs two at a ti.
"Siona!" I yelled.
"Up here!" she called from one of the rooms to the right. My feet barely touched the floor as I ran.
And there—on the large velvet bed—Snow lay, still as ice, his face pale, lips tinged blue, the signs of his soul slipping too far.
"No no no..." I stumbled forward, tears clouding my eyes. "Snow, please..."
Siona stood nearby, her eyes red but calm, a cloth in her hand. "He’s stable, barely. But the link... It’s fading. Did you... Could you get it?"
"I have it," I whispered. My hand trembling, I dug into my pocket and brought out the scale. Siona gasped. "That’s—"
"Yes." I held the golden scale over Snow’s chest, and in my other hand, the gem. "Tell what to do."
"Place the scale directly over his heart," Siona instructed, voice firm but gentle. "Then use the gem to focus your energy into it. The scale will do the rest—but only if your will is strong enough."
I hesitated, recalling what Davion has said about the gem.
"Are you sure? We already used the gem to teleport back here, and Davion—the Dragon Prince said we could only sue it once."
"I know, but you can use it for another purpose. It will help you focus your power. Do not fret. I will be here."
I nodded quickly and did as she said. Siona moved closer to and stretched forth her hands, with her palms facing towards Snow’s chest as a bright light shone from her hands.
"Focus on him and the scale and let your power flow through you."
The mont the scale touched Snow’s chest, it shimred, light glowing from the edges. I clenched the gem in my palm and shut my eyes.
"Please. Co back to . I’m sorry for everything. For the ti we lost. For the things I didn’t say. Please, Snow... I can’t lose you."
The room went still. Then the scale pulsed. Once. Twice. It glowed, blindingly bright.
At the sa ti, the clock struck 12 a.m. on the dot. My heart skipped a beat at the thought that I had not beat ti, yet I had lost Snow.
My fear had disrupted my concentration as I felt my power begin to fade.
"Zara, don’t stop!" Kaid called from behind . "Don’t give up. Keep going."
I shut my eyes so tightly and poured every thought, every mory, every feeling I had for Snow into the gem. My hands burned, my heart scread.
I wanted this to work no matter what. But even after another minute, nothing happened.
My eyes opened, and I glanced around to see the confused look on Siona’s face.
I knew that look. My gaze darted over to Snow.
His face and body were as pale as snow and that gave my heart a jolt. "No. No. No. Siona, please do sothing."
"I... It should work," she stuttered, and I shook my head.
"Did that Dragon Prince lie?" Kaid questioned as he took a step closer.
I refused to believe Davion would lie to and trick . Quickly, I shut my eyes once more. I knew the seal on my powers wasn’t gone, but in dire situations, I could channel and tap into that power source.
This was dire. I did it again. "Please, please, please co back to ," I chanted in whispers as I felt that familiar warm glow all over my hands.
A few seconds into what I was doing, Snow gasped loudly, and my eyes flew open.
His chest rose. His fingers twitched. And slowly... painfully slowly... his eyes opened. My heart skipped a beat. Several, in fact, as he looked around in confusion before focusing on .
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~Snow’s POV~
I opened my eyes to light.
Blinding. White. Soft at first, like morning fog, and then sharper, solid shapes forming. The ceiling above , the blurred outline of soone crying. The warmth of a hand in mine.
Zara?
My breath hitched as her scent rushed into . It was not just familiar but intoxicating. Wild jasmine, rain after lightning, and sothing fiercer beneath it... power. Her power.
My chest ached. My limbs felt heavy, like I’d been crushed under ti itself. I shifted slightly, and her fingers gripped mine tighter. That was when I knew—I wasn’t dreaming.
I was alive.
Barely.
The last thing I rembered was rushing into her apartnt when I sensed Vera’s presence. Without thinking, I dove in to protect her.
I blinked again, the fuzz in my vision clearing, and there they were—Zara kneeling beside , her eyes shining, cheeks wet.
Siona was standing just behind her, watching with quiet relief. Kaid, his arms crossed, a deep line between his brows.
I was back.
But why? How?
"Z-Zara?" My voice cracked like dry leaves underfoot. The words tasted like dust in my mouth. My throat burned.
Her face lit up with a flood of emotion—relief, fear, joy—and she laughed, cried, and pressed her forehead to my hand. "You’re okay," she said, voice shaking. "You’re back."
I searched her face, trying to understand. My mind still felt like it had been tossed through a hurricane.
What happened? Why was I here and not in Zara’s house?
Then I recalled the wound Vera’s attack had inflicted on . Darkness. Cold so deep it touched my soul. And after that... nothing.
For days. Goddess knows how long I was out for to trouble Zara like this.
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~Zara’s POV~
"Z-Zara?" His voice was hoarse, barely a whisper.
"Yes! Yes, I’m here!" I cried, falling to my knees beside him, clutching his hand. "I’m here, Snow. You’re okay."
Snow blinked, obviously confused, his eyes roaming the room again. "What... happened?"
"You died. Almost. But not anymore." I laughed through the tears. "You idiot."
Snow gave a faint smile. "Then how am I here? You... saved ?" His gaze flickered to Siona, and I followed his line of sight as she shook her head.
"I did not save you. Zara did. Zara and Kaid saved you. I rely preserved her energy in your body and..."
"I always will," I cut in, ignoring any other thing.
"Thank you," Snow appreciated, nodding at Kaid.
And in that mont, with the glow of the scale fading into nothing and disappearing completely and his heartbeat thumping steady under my hand—I knew, I had him back.
No more running. No more regrets. Just us and whatever ca next.
But when what ca next happened, not even the universe could have prepared for it.
One second I was kneeling beside Snow, overwheld with relief, and the next... it was like the world tilted.
A wave of energy, alive, rushed through —warm and sharp all at once. My heart skipped and then raced like it was trying to leap from my chest.
Astrid stirred violently inside , her presence rising like a tide crashing against a dam. My hands trembled, my breath caught in my throat.
And Snow... his scent—gods, his scent—suddenly wrapped around like wildfire and rain, comforting and dangerous. It soaked into every corner of my mind.
My soul recognised him, again, but deeper... more violently. This wasn’t like before.
No. This was different.
I blinked and looked around the room, disoriented. My vision pulsated like everything around was vibrating and shifting. My eyes landed on Snow.
He was already staring at .
His pupils were dilated, and his chest rose in short, sharp breaths. His brows furrowed, and his lips slightly parted, like he wanted to speak but didn’t know what words to use.
Confusion. Worry. Shock. And then—realisation.
He felt it too.
The pull—the bond. That invisible, unbreakable thread snapping into place between us.
But this—this was more. This wasn’t the soft tug I had known before, but it was a command etched in my bones. A roar of fate so loud it drowned everything else.
Astrid’s voice slamd into my mind.
"Mate."
I gasped, the sound ripped from my throat before I could stop it. My body moved on its own, my lips parting.
"Mate," I whispered—no, I declared—as if saying it out loud would ground .
Snow blinked rapidly, almost flinching. "Mate," he stated clearly as well and a small smile broke out on his lips. "Z-Zara..."
My heart thudded louder.
He sat up fully, eyes still locked on mine like the world had disappeared and there was only us now. I felt it in my blood, in my lungs, in my soul—the claim.
Astrid wasn’t just stirring anymore. She was wide awake.
"Zara," Snow said again, his voice deeper, rougher now. "What is this? Why does it feel like... like fire in my chest?"
"I don’t know," I breathed, but I did. Deep down, I did, and he did too. We were still confused by the possibility.
This ti we were bonded for real. The moon goddess had smiled on us.
Astrid howled in my head again, this ti her voice laced with triumph. "This is real this ti. He didn’t just choose you, Zara. The Moon goddess chose him for you."
"This doesn’t make sense. We already had a bond, Snow. We were—"
"We were chosen," he cut in, nodding, understanding slowly blooming across his face. "But this... This is fated. The fated mate bond."
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