Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow novel Chapter 493

Chapter 493: Alpha Zeno

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Chapter 493

~Snow’s POV~

Alpha Zeno, the Western Alpha, stepped into the chamber without fanfare. No entourage. No polished display of rank.

He wore simple black trousers, a fitted charcoal jacket over a dark tee, and well-worn boots that spoke more of utility than fashion. There were no crests, sigils, or needs.

Zeno didn’t need to wear his authority—it followed him naturally. The kind of presence that turned heads without a word.

Clean-shaven, hazel green eyes, red hair that screamed, danger and built like he handled things himself instead of delegating them away.

The quiet type of Alpha who didn’t have to raise his voice or need gold and symbols to be respected.

His dark eyes swept over the gathering, then landed on me. He nodded once—cool, respectful, and as always, completely unreadable.

"Alpha Snow," he greeted, nodding once. "Draven."

"Zeno," I returned the nod, clasping his forearm when he reached me. His grip was firm, steady—like the man himself. "I wasn’t told you’d be here."

"Wasn’t planning to," he replied calmly. "But I heard you were calling the Western banners. And if you’re here in person, it means things are worse than the whispers."

"They are," Draven said flatly before I could.

Zeno turned to him, one brow raised. "And you brought the Northern prince. Now I’m very concerned."

"I came willingly," Draven said in an even voice. "And because I have as much to lose in this war as any Alpha here."

Alexander nodded from his seat at the head. "Then let’s begin."

Zeno didn’t sit. Not yet. He moved to the far left side of the circle, standing with arms crossed as I stepped forward into the center.

"I won’t waste your time," I said. "What I’m about to say stays in this room. And it doesn’t leave until I say so."

The room remained still. Watchful.

"There is a movement growing within the outer territories. A breach in the borders last moon wasn’t just a raid but an organized strike. Coordinated. Clean. No survivors."

Murmurs broke out immediately.

Zeno’s expression didn’t change, but his jaw set slightly. "We were told that was rogue activity."

"You were told what we hoped it was," I said. "But it wasn’t just rogue activity. The attackers knew the terrain. They knew the patrol routes. And they left behind no scent trail. Not even for a Lycan."

Alexander leaned forward. "You’re saying they weren’t wolves."

"I’m saying," I replied, "they weren’t just wolves."

Draven stepped up beside me now, his presence felt more than heard. "They used something forbidden. Something that doesn’t belong in this world anymore."

Zeno narrowed his eyes. "Dark blood magic?"

Draven nodded once.

That silence hit harder than anything.

Even Alexander looked stunned. "That’s not possible. The last bloodmages were killed in the First Purge."

"They survived," I said grimly. "Or their knowledge did. And now someone’s putting it to use. The dark witches are in league with the rogues. Thorned Crescent, Shadow Clave... some Alphas are corruptly adding them."

Zeno’s gaze sharpened. "What do you need from us?"

I looked him dead in the eye. "I need your warriors. Your seers. And your full allegiance when we move."

"And when will that be?"

"When the time’s right, hopefully in a month’s time. I wish for us to have the element of surprise. And when I’ve confirmed the other Alpha territories are still loyal."

Zeno studied me for a long moment, then finally sat, resting his forearms on his knees.

"You’ll have my pack’s strength," he said. "No question."

Draven let out a low breath. "At least one Alpha still understands urgency."

Zeno gave him a faint smirk. "I don’t trust many, Alpha Draven. But I trust him."

He looked at me again. "Just tell me where to send my blades and warriors."

"Understood."

"What about Alpha Xavier?" Alexander chipped in, and I turned to face him.

"He is currently busy," Alpha Draven answered, "and can’t make it."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let us take this council meeting to him," Alpha Zeno chimed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Time is of the essence."

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~Author’s POV~

The orb cracked.

Hairline fractures spread like veins across the smooth, glowing surface, dimming the light from within. A low hum echoed in the quiet room before it died altogether.

Vera stood above it, chest rising and falling in shallow, irritated breaths.

She hadn’t meant to throw it—well, maybe she had. Just not so hard.

The orb hit the tiled floor of the sitting room, spun once, and then lay still at her feet like a useless relic. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

A week. Seven full days.

And still... nothing.

No visions. No whispers. No pull.

No Zara.

Vera paced the length of the room, fingers clenching and unclenching at her sides. Her new house—if she could even call it that—was tucked on the edge of the city, far from any of the major pack territories.

Kent had paid for it discreetly, furnished it well enough, and then disappeared like smoke, exactly how she liked her allies: present when needed, absent when she fumed.

Because of that goddamned necklace.

Vera’s wolf snarled low within her, restless and hungry. "We should be with him."

"Not yet," Vera snapped back. "Not like this."

Her wolf growled again, louder now. "He is our mate. Ours. You keep us hidden—"

"Because no one must know I’m alive," Vera whispered aloud. "Not the wolves. Not the witches outside the Clave. Not even him. Not yet."

Mother.

"We found a way to draw her in," her mother said, the words laced with something more than pride. It was certain. Power. "No kidnapping. No forced magic. She’ll come to us willingly—unaware, and unprotected."

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