<h4>Chapter 398: Anger and Love</h4>


    <strong>*****************</strong>


    <strong>Chapter 398</strong>


    <strong>~Zara’s POV~</strong>


    I pulled into E’s driveway, exhaling deeply before stepping out of the car. It had been a long time since I had visited her, and after everything that had happened, I needed her now more than ever.


    Also, I needed to check on her health.


    I rang the doorbell, and within seconds, the door swung open. E stood there in a loose sweater and leggings, her hair pulled into a messy bun. Her eyes lit up with surprise before softening.


    "Zara," she whispered.


    "Hey."


    She didn’t hesitate. She grabbed my arm and pulled me inside, shutting the door behind me.


    "About time you showed up," she muttered, leading me toward the couch. "I was beginning to think you were avoiding me."


    I sighed as I sat down, running a hand through my hair. "Not avoiding. Just... dealing with things."


    E plopped onto the seat beside me, tucking her legs beneath her. "That’s exactly why you should’vee sooner. So, spill. What’s going on?"


    I hesitated, my fingers curling into myp. But there was no point in hiding anymore.


    But I needed to be sure she was okay. My eyes drifted to her legs, and E smiled, scratching the back of her head. "I’m better, thanks to you. Now, enough stalling, bae. What’s wrong?"


    "I still love him, E." The words came out softer than I intended, but they still carried the weight of my heartbreak. "Even after everything, after the lies, after Vani... I still love Snow."


    E’s expression softened, but she said nothing, letting me continue.


    "But I can’t keep holding on, waiting for him to prove himself," I added. "I need to let him lose me. If he truly loves me, he’ll fight for me. If not..." I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. "Then I need to move on."


    E reached over, squeezing my hand. "I get it, Zara. And I hate that you’re hurting."


    I gave a weak smile. "You and me both."


    E hesitated before biting her lip as if contemting something. "Zara, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you."


    I arched a brow. "What is it?"


    She exhaled slowly, rubbing her temple. "Ever since that day in your house... I’ve been trying to remember something. Every time I think back to it, I get these splitting headaches. But yesterday, I had a dream."


    I frowned. "A dream?"


    E nodded, her expression serious. "In the dream, I saw Vani’s eyes darken... and then her face shifted. Transformed. Into Vera’s."


    My heart skipped a beat. "Vera? As in... the same Vera that attacked you?"


    "Yes," E confirmed, looking unsettled. "I don’t know if it’s just my fear messing with my head or if my subconscious is trying to tell me something. But it felt so real, Zara."


    My fingers tightened into a fist. Something wasn’t right. I had always felt off about Vani, but this? This was something else entirely.


    E watched my reaction carefully. "You think it means something, don’t you?"


    I hesitated. "I don’t know. But I don’t believe in coincidences."


    E nodded slowly before shifting the topic. "So... are you really divorcing Snow?"


    I sighed, leaning back against the couch. "I have to. This is my test for him. I hope he wins, but if he doesn’t, life must go on, E." I gave a small, humourlessugh. "After all, he was my mistaken call boy."


    E smirked. "That story never gets old."


    I forced a chuckle, shaking my head. "No, it doesn’t."


    But as I sat there, my mind kept circling back to E’s words. Vani’s face shifting into Vera’s. A gut feeling settled deep inside me—one I couldn’t ignore.


    Something was wrong.


    And I was going to find out what.


    **************


    <strong>~Zara’s POV~</strong>


    A few days after I met with Kaid, I was invited to a high-profile event. The event was as extravagant as expected—shimmering chandeliers, gold-trimmed walls, and a sea of high-profile Lycans, Alphas, and business moguls. Everyone who was anyone was here.


    And standing beside Kaid, I made sure I looked the part.


    I wore a sleek ck gown that hugged my figure, the slit running high along my leg, revealing just enough to draw eyes. My hair cascaded down my back in soft waves, and my makeup was sharp—elegant, yet untouchable.


    I needed to look like a woman who had moved on.


    Kaid, of course, yed his role effortlessly. He looked effortlessly powerful in his dark suit, his presencemanding as always. He leaned in slightly, whispering something amusing in my ear, and I let out a softugh.


    I knew we were being watched. I felt the weight of the stares, the silent curiosity, the judgment. But there was only one gaze that burned the most.


    Snow.


    I had felt him the second he arrived. It was like my body was instinctively aware of his presence. But I refused to turn around.


    I refused to acknowledge him.


    "You know he’s watching," Kaid murmured, smirking as he swirled the champagne in his ss.


    "Let him," I replied smoothly.


    Kaid chuckled. "Oh, I like this side of you."


    I lifted a brow. "You like any side of me that irritates Snow."


    He grinned. "Guilty as charged."


    "Good." My mood changed drastically as I let my hands fall to my side. "Then shall we dance?"


    <strong>***************</strong>


    <strong>~Snow’s POV~</strong>


    I was going to kill him.


    The sight of Zara standing there,ughing with Kaid, looking like she belonged at his side—it was wing at my insides.


    cier was livid. My wolf had been on edge the second I saw her in that damn dress, standing too close to Kaid, smiling up at him like he was the only man in the room.


    Like I didn’t exist.


    My jaw tightened as I took a slow sip of my whiskey, forcing myself to stay rooted in ce. I was barely keeping myposure as I watched them from across the room.


    "I can hear your wolf growling from here," Zade’s voice cut through my thoughts.


    I turned to see him standing beside Aira, both of them watching me with knowing expressions.


    Aira arched a brow. "So, what exactly is your n, Snow? Just sit back and let Kaid im her?"


    It was no news to me that my family members would have heard of what was going on, especially Aira, thanks to Zade.


    Well, with Zara leaving the mansion, there wasn’t much excuse I could give, even if I wanted to.


    I exhaled sharply, my grip tightening around my ss. "No."


    Zade smirked. "Figured as much. cier is losing his shit."


    I shot him a re, but he wasn’t wrong.


    "Then do something," Aira pressed. "Before it’s toote."


    Zade crossed his arms. "Get her away from him. You fucked up but I don’t want Kaid as my new brother-inw either."


    I clenched my jaw, my decision already made.


    Kaid’s attention was momentarily stolen by another business associate who had approached him, and that was my opening.


    Without hesitation, I strode forward.


    Zara barely had time to react before I reached her, my hand wrapping around hers.


    She gasped softly as I pulled her away from Kaid’s side, leading her swiftly toward the nearest exit.


    "Snow—" she started, but I didn’t let her finish.


    The second we stepped outside, under the dim moonlight, I turned, cupped her face, and crushed my lips against hers.


    Zara stiffened in shock, but I deepened the kiss, pouring everything into it—my anger, my frustration, my love.


    And slowly, she melted.


    Her hands gripped my shirt as she responded, her body pressing against mine.


    She still wanted me.


    And I sure as hell wasn’t letting her go.


    This ??ontent is taken from fre??webnove(l).??????