Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow - Chapter 505

Chapter 505: CCTV Footage & Letter

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CHAPTER 505

~Snow’s POV~

“She was in bed with me last night,” I said, more to myself than to them. “She was sleeping. Peaceful. I woke up… and she was gone.”

Aira’s expression shifted instantly. “You checked her study? Her balcony? The garden?”

“Everywhere,” I said. “Top to bottom. I’ve searched every room—our wing, her wing, the training field, even the garage. I can’t sense her. Not through the bond. Not even a trace.”

Tempest’s eyes narrowed. “What about Astrid? Can you feel her through the wolf?”

I shook my head slowly. “Nothing. It’s like… she’s been cut off.”

Zade stiffened beside me. “Or hidden.”

“Why would she hide from you?” Aira asked, voice a little too tight.

“I don’t know,” I muttered. “But I don’t think she did. This feels wrong. Too quiet. Too clean.”

A hush settled around us, heavy and cold.

“Alright,” Tempest said, stepping forward, her tone all business now. “We spread out. Check every room again. Double-check the security feeds. Aira, call Scott and the guards. Make sure no one left the estate during the night.”

“I’ll scan the perimeter,” Zade said, already turning toward the door.

But I stayed rooted.

My chest felt like it was closing in.

Zara was gone.

And this time… I couldn’t feel her.

“We need to check the security footage,” Aira said suddenly, snapping her fingers. “The cameras. The estate’s full of them. If she left—if anything happened—we’ll see it.”

That was all it took.

We all turned in unison and hurried toward the west wing, where the security control room was tucked behind reinforced walls. My steps were fast and frantic—too loud on the polished floors. The quiet of the early morning was gone now, replaced by this gnawing chaos in my chest that wouldn’t let me breathe.

Zade was already pressing codes into the keypad before we reached the door. It beeped once, then unlocked with a soft hiss.

The room lit up as the screens came to life—twelve panels blinking with timestamped feeds from around the estate.

“Start with the upstairs hallway,” Tempest said, moving beside Zade. “Midpoint between 3 and 5 a.m.”

I stepped forward, my eyes scanning every inch of those screens, waiting to see her. Praying she’d just gone for a walk and come back in.

Then one of the cameras caught movement.

“There,” Aira said, pointing.

My breath stilled.

Zara.

She stepped out of our bedroom, barefoot, dressed in nothing but her nightwear—short satin shorts, a loose tank, and her long black robe tied haphazardly around her.

She looked… tired. Like she hadn’t slept, her eyes were blank, her face unreadable.

“She’s alone,” Tempest whispered, eyes narrowing.

The footage showed her walking quietly down the hall, descending the staircase.

“Switch to the ground floor hallway,” I said, my voice tight.

Zade did, flipping to the camera at the base of the stairs.

Zara passed through the kitchen next.

Another staff member, Mila, one of the newer maids, stood at the sink, drinking water.

The woman straightened the moment she saw Zara and bowed.

Zara simply lifted a hand in a wave and kept walking. No words. No smile. No hesitation.

“Where the hell is she going?” I whispered.

Then the camera angle changed again.

She reached the back patio, pushed through the glass door, and disappeared into the garden path, her robe fluttering behind her.

Zade zoomed in.

A car. A black SUV sat just beyond the hedges—headlights off, engine running. The driver stepped out, opened the back door, and she slid in without even looking back.

The SUV pulled away, vanishing into the night.

Silence fell in the room. Thick. Crippling.

My fists clenched slowly, the disbelief tearing at my insides like claws.

“She left,” Aira said softly. “She just… left.”

“No,” I growled.

Tempest turned toward me. “Snow—”

“No,” I said again, louder this time. My voice echoed off the walls.

Zade turned to the door when we heard quick footsteps approaching. A maid rushed in, her cheeks flushed with panic.

“Alpha! I—I just saw this at the front door,” she said, holding a folded envelope. “It—it wasn’t there before. I swear!”

I snatched it from her hands.

My name was written in her handwriting. Zara’s.

My fingers trembled slightly as I opened it. The paper was soft. Folded neatly. Too neatly.

My eyes scanned it, and everything inside me shattered.

Snow,

I don’t know how else to do this, and I’m sorry for leaving this way.

But everything is overwhelming.

Loving you has always been easy. But living this life… being Luna, being expected to bear your child, to carry a future I’m not sure I can handle—

I thought I could do it. I wanted to do it. For you.

But when they mentioned a baby last night, and everyone looked at me like it was already decided… something in me broke.

I remembered Vera. I remembered what happened to her. And I remembered that you didn’t stop it.

I know I’m not her. But I can’t shake the fear that if I stay, I’ll become her.

Please don’t come looking for me. I need time. I need space. I need to be alone.

I love you. But I need to love myself enough to step away.

Forgive me.

Zara.

I stared at the letter.

The words burned.

My fingers tightened around the paper until it crinkled under my grip.

“No… no, this isn’t right. This isn’t her.”

I threw the letter to the floor with a roar that shook the room. “Damn it!”

Tempest rushed over, picking it up quickly before I could rip it.

Aira knelt beside her, both of them reading in stunned silence.

“I don’t believe this,” I said, pacing now. My chest was rising too fast, and my breath was coming short. “This isn’t like her. This isn’t—”

“She wrote it,” Zade said cautiously. “You saw the footage, Snow.”

“She left,” Aira added gently. “In her robe. On her own two feet.”

I turned on them. “After a night like that? We made love like our souls were fusing—like we were one. She kissed me like she’d never let go. And now she’s gone?”