Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Wild, Not Free

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Chapter 77

~Tempest’s POV~

The air felt thick around me as I struck the training dummy with blow after blow, each hit harder than the last. My fists ached, my muscles burnt, but it wasn’t enough. Nothing was enough to drown out the whirlwind of emotions tearing through me.

Koda.

The word echoed in my head like a bitter chant, and I snarled, landing a final vicious punch that sent the dummy crashing backwards.

My chest heaved with the effort, but my mind... my mind was still spinning.

I couldn’t believe it. Of all the wolves in this goddamn world, the Moon Goddess had decided to tie me to him—Aira’s almost lover, the one who had been pining after her for years.

It felt like a cruel joke, a twist of fate I didn’t want any part of.

The sound of footsteps made me pause, and I turned to see Snow approaching from the other side of the training ground.

His face was as unreadable as ever, but there was something in his eyes—concern, maybe? Pity? I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t care to find out.

"Tempest..." he called gently, taking a cautious step toward me, but I already sensed him. I didn’t stop, swinging at the dummy with another strike, harder this time. It was the only way I knew how to deal with the whirlwind inside.

"Tempest, enough," he said more firmly.

I spun around, fire blazing in my eyes. "What do you want, Snow?"

He raised his hands in surrender. "I’m just checking on you."

I spat the words, my voice sharp. "Well, I’m fine." I wasn’t, and I knew he saw right through it, but I turned back to the dummy anyway, lifting the sword with ragged breaths.

"You’re not fine," he pressed, stepping closer. "You’re angry, hurt—"

"And what do you know about it?" I snapped, spinning around to face him. "You think you know what it’s like? To stand there and watch your mate—your fated mate—pine after someone else? Your sister?"

Snow clenched his jaw, trying to hold steady. "Tempest—"

"No, Snow. Just stop." My hands trembled as I dropped the sword, stepping away from the dummy. "It’s not fair. He wants her, not me. And now I’m just here, standing like a fool while he figures out if he’ll reject me or keep chasing after Aira."

My voice cracked, and even though I’d fought to hold it back, the raw emotion slipped through. I hated feeling so exposed.

"I know it’s not fair," he said softly, stepping closer again. "But you don’t have to go through this alone."

But I didn’t believe him. "Alone?" I let out a bitter laugh, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "I’ve been alone my entire life, Snow. No one can fix this."

He didn’t have the words, and I saw that helplessness in his eyes—he couldn’t fix this. No one could.

"Just leave me alone." I walked away, shutting down, needing space.

I stormed off the training grounds, my body still buzzing, driven by a need to get far, far away from everything—the pack, Snow, Koda... everyone.