Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow novel Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Aira’s Turmoil

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Chapter 78

~Aira’s POV~

The wind felt colder today, harsher somehow, biting at my skin as I stood near the window, staring out at the vast expanse of the woods—the same woods where Tempest had stormed off not long ago.

I could still feel her frustration and pain in the air. My heart clenched, knowing that I was partly to blame for what she was going through.

It always came back to Koda.

I turned away from the window, my chest tightening at the mere thought of him. He had loved me once—or at least, he thought he had.

And for years, his devotion had been a source of strength for me, a lifeline I clung to when everything else in my life felt like it was slipping away with my mate. But now that lifeline had become a chain, binding me to something I couldn’t fix.

I had to let him go.

My fingers absently traced the scars on my wrist from past problems I had with my mate—physical reminders of the pain I’d endured, but nothing compared to the emotional scars.

Koda, my son Storm, and the rejection from my mate—it all weighed on me, heavier than any battle I’d fought. And now, knowing that Koda had been fated to Tempest, it was too much.

I bit down hard on my lip, forcing myself to keep it together.

’Don’t cry, Aira. Not now.’ I repeated the mantra over and over in my head, hoping it would work this time.

But nothing had been working lately.

Storm slept in the room down the hall. He was the only thing holding me together—the one pure, untouchable light in my life.

But how long could I keep going like this? How long could I protect him from the truth? That his father didn’t want him, that I was struggling to hold on to any semblance of strength I had left?

I should have ensured Koda knew I wouldn’t love him and pushed him away ut instead I kept him close until I was to escape.

That had been the day I was caught by my mate and beaten up. Luckily, I escaped with Autumn’s help and collapsed in an unknown zone.

That was how those Snow put in charge of finding me, saw me, and took me to the hospital.

For a long time, I had hidden from my family because I was too ashamed of myself and I was angry—angry at the fact that my ties to them made my mate reject me.

But the truth was, I was angry at how low my self-esteem was.

Koda must have been worried sick when he couldn’t find him. Even though I knew we couldn’t work, I could have rang the bell in his head and let him go before it came to this.

But now, Tempest was tangled up in this mess, and I knew she’d never forgive me for standing in the way of her mate bond, even if I hadn’t meant for it to happen.

It wasn’t my fault, but that didn’t change how guilty I felt.

Koda’s words earlier echoed in my mind—the raw emotion in his voice when he said he loved me. But what did love mean when fate had decided otherwise?

The door to my room creaked open softly, and I turned to see Snow standing in the doorway. His expression was unreadable, as usual, but there was something in his eyes—concern, maybe, or frustration.