Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow novel Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Mate

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Chapter 75

~Tempest’s POV~

Koda’s brows furrowed as his body went tense, and I saw it hit him. Realisation dawned, slowly at first, and then all at once. His wolf had been on edge since he’d stepped into our territory. He just hadn’t understood why until now.

And the words rolled out of our lips in a whisper before either of us could stop it.

Mate.

"Tempest..." His voice was low, hesitant as if saying my name for the first time held a different kind of weight.

His wolf growled, and I knew he could feel the bond snapping into place—the undeniable connection that fate had woven between us.

But the look in his eyes wasn’t the relief of a man finding his mate. It was a shock. Disbelief. And worse—rejection.

’No. Don’t you dare reject me. Not like this. Not when you’ve been chasing after my sister for so long.’

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, my jaw clenched as I tried to keep my composure. This was going to hurt, but I wasn’t going to let him see how deeply. Not now.

Koda took a step back, his face twisting into something I didn’t recognize—anger? Denial? "This... this can’t be happening."

His words stung more than I wanted to admit.

I squared my shoulders, lifting my chin defiantly. "It’s happening," I said, my voice low, bitter. "Whether you like it or not."

I saw the flicker of guilt in his eyes, but before he could respond, Aira stepped forward. She wiped her tears, standing tall despite the heartbreak I knew she felt. She turned to me first, her gaze soft but filled with pain.

"Tempest, I can’t... I won’t do this to you."

I blink, confused by her words. I didn’t think she heard or saw us. "Do what?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

Aira shook her head. "I’ve seen that look before. I felt that change in aura before. I know that feeling. I have been there before and yes... Tempest, Koda’s your mate. I won’t stand in the way of that. I can’t hurt you like this."

Her words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. She was letting him go—for me.

As sweet as that should have sounded, the realisation made my heart clench. Even after everything she’d been through, even after being hurt by her own mate, she was willing to step aside for my happiness.

"No," I said firmly. "You don’t have to—"

But Aira cut me off in her soft and resolute voice. "I won’t stand in the way of what’s meant to be. Not again."

Koda’s gaze darted between us. His expression was one of disbelief, but I could see the war raging inside him. He wanted Aira, but he was bound to me. Fate had thrown him into the middle of a mess neither of us asked for.

"I can’t," he muttered, shaking his head, his hands trembling. "I can’t do this. I don’t want—"

"Don’t want what?" I challenged, my voice sharper than I intended. "Me? Don’t want this bond?"

"Temp, don’t do this. Don’t ask for it either. Please. Think of what the rejection would do to us. It will weaken me. Please for my sake." _{freēwebnovel.com}

"Aira didn’t die from a rejection and neither shall we. J-just look at him, Autumn. You deserve better. You deserve a man who..."