Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow novel Chapter 263

Chapter 263: Umbra Clavis

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Chapter 263

~Xavier/Golden God’s POV~

When Snow had called me back then concerning his wife’s kidnapping, I wasn’t thrilled about leaving the house. But after the rescue mission, I stayed back to investigate to see if any clue was left behind.

I knew they were after Zara and Snow but I wanted to know more. Where was their lair? Knowing Snow, he’d never let a threat like Melvin go scot-free. But lucky me. I found a drive.

The drive was small, nondescript, just another piece of innocuous tech that could hold something world-shattering. I slid it into the port on my custom-built computer system, the soft whir of the machine syncing perfectly with the hum of the multiple screens in front of me.

With a flick of my wrist, I waved through the floating display, opening a new workspace to analyze the drive’s contents.

A message blinked onto the screen. "Encrypted. Access Denied."

I let out a sharp breath, muttering, "Fucking bastards."

The encryption was advanced—no surprise there. But they hadn’t met me. I cracked my knuckles and leaned forward, fingers dancing over the holographic keyboard.

Algorithms scrolled across the screens, one by one breaking down the layers of encryption. Each failure pushed a growl from my throat, but giving up wasn’t in my vocabulary.

After two gruelling hours of relentless hacking and several bypass manoeuvres, the final encryption key gave way with a satisfying ping.

"Got you," I murmured, leaning back as the decrypted data flooded the screen.

A set of coordinates appeared first, along with a date and time. I cross-referenced the coordinates with a global positioning system and pinpointed a remote location—deep within the Siberian wilderness.

My gut tightened.

Whatever they were planning wasn’t going to be simple.

But that wasn’t all.

I navigated further into the decrypted files, my fingers flying over the keyboard as I backtracked the source. Layer after layer, I delved into Melvin’s server.

Every firewall I came across was a testament to his paranoia. It didn’t matter though, I was better.

When I finally broke through, I saw them: names, messages, aliases. And then, buried within a string of coded phrases, a name jumped out at me.

"Umbra Clavis."

I froze. Latin. It rang a bell, but I wasn’t entirely sure. Quickly pulling up a translation program, I entered the phrase and what I saw burnt on the screen like a curse.

Shadow Clave.

"What the hell?" I muttered, my heart pounding as the name echoed in my mind.

Shadow Clave wasn’t just a name. It was a symbol—a whisper among the criminal underworld, a shadowy entity that even the most dangerous packs feared. And here it was, linked to Melvin.

I slammed my fist against the desk, my thoughts racing. If Shadow Clave was involved, this wasn’t just about Zara and Snow anymore. This was something bigger—much bigger.

Grabbing my phone, I dialled Snow.

"You’ve got to see this. Shadow Clave is in play. Call me ASAP."

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~Zara’s POV~

The man continued, completely undeterred, "By union, I mean marital, of course. Is it true? Are you to marry Kaid?"

My breath hitched briefly at his assuming question. Before I could formulate a response, Snow stepped closer.

"No," Snow said smoothly, his voice coming off dangerously low. "Because she’s already married—to me."

The man’s face drained of colour as he stumbled over his words, bowing quickly. "My apologies, Alpha Snow. I meant no offence." He scurried off, leaving me blinking in surprise at Snow’s boldness.

"Was that really necessary?" I whispered, my voice wavering between amusement and exasperation.

Snow’s lips quirked into a faint smile as he leaned closer, his breath brushing against my ear. "Absolutely."

I rolled my eyes, but my heart warmed at his possessive nature. Before I could reply, the faint clearing of a throat behind us drew our attention.

We turned to find a man standing there, holding a champagne glass, his smile as polished as the golden accents on his coat. His aura was deep and commanding, but there was something sharp and unnerving in his eyes.

"Alpha Snow and Lady Zara," the man began, his tone smooth, "that’s just the couple I’d love to see."

Beside me, Snow stiffened. His aura shifted almost imperceptibly, but I felt it—an edge of protectiveness, of warning. His hand settled on the small of my back firmly.

"And you are?" Snow enquired while sizing him up.

The man inclined his head slightly, his smile widening. "Imperial. Lord Sterling Imperial of the Eastern Colonies."

There was a pause at the mention of his title.

"Ah," Snow chuckled lightly. "To what do we owe the pleasure, Lord Sterling?"