Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 125

Caleb’s P.O.V

I looked at the group, the pieces finally clicking together in my mind. "Now it makes sense," I said. "The sour relationship between Aurora and her father, it all adds up now. Aurora wasn’t his biological child." I paused, letting the weight of those words hang in the air.

"That means her mother either had an affair before marriage or maybe even after. And I’m guessing that’s why her father always hated her. She was a constant reminder of her mother’s betrayal." Jade added.

I shook my head, feeling a sharp sting of realization. "No wonder he treated her like that. She was always right there, in front of him, a living, breathing consequence of something he could never forgive."

Caroline’s voice broke through my thoughts, sharp and steady. "The DNA test would give us final answers, but this would explain so much, wouldn’t it?" She added, her tone softening with understanding. "Aurora’s birthday, for one. It was never celebrated in that house. She’d always dread that time of year, and now, the test explains why."

I felt a heavy knot form in my chest as I thought about the years Aurora must’ve spent with that tension, never knowing why.

"It’s cruel, isn’t it?" I muttered under my breath. "To have a father who can’t even look at you without seeing something that isn’t your fault."

I turn to Jade, my thoughts racing, and suddenly ask, “What about Riley? Have we done any tests to confirm he’s really his son?”

Jade looks at me, his expression hardening slightly. “It seems highly likely that Riley is his real son, Caleb,” he says, his voice low and steady.

“No matter how much the guy hated Aurora, her father never really harmed Riley. They had a bond, you know? But still…” He pauses, lifting his hand as if weighing something. “I’ll inform the pack healer through the mind link. Better to be sure than to leave any room for doubt.”

I nod, a sense of unease settling in my stomach. My mind drifts back to the larger issue—Aurora. The truth about her birth has finally come out, and it's not something I’m sure how to handle. Caroline, standing by my side, must be thinking the same thing because I feel her hand on mine, a silent reassurance, but the fear in her eyes says it all.

“I don’t know how we’re going to break this to her, Caleb,” Caroline whispers, her voice tight. “How do we tell her that everything she knew, everything she believed about herself, was a lie?”

I swallow hard, the weight of the situation pressing down on me. “I don’t know,” I admit, my voice shaking. “I mean, do we even tell her? Should we keep it a secret for a while? Let her live in the world she’s known?”

Caroline shakes her head. “It’s not our secret to keep. She deserves to know the truth. But... it’s going to break her.”

I rub my face, feeling the exhaustion settle into my bones. “I hate this. I hate that it’s come to this. Everything’s changed now, and we don’t even know what the hell to do next.” I take a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of thoughts in my head. “I just—I don’t know how to protect her from this.”

Jade’s voice interrupts the silence. “You don’t have to protect her from the truth, Caleb. But you do need to be there when she hears it. Aurora is too fragile right now.”

I look at Jade, and for the first time in a long while, I feel like we’re all in this together. But even with his words, the fear remains. What’s going to happen when Aurora knows the truth about her own birth? Will she hate us? Or will she understand that we only wanted to protect her?

I glance at Caroline, her face pale and worried. “We have to be ready for whatever comes next,” I tell her, though I’m not sure I believe it myself. The uncertainty hangs in the air, thick and suffocating.

Damien had been leaning against the wall, listened quietly. He hadn’t said much up until now, but when he finally spoke, it was like everyone else had fallen silent, waiting for him to finish.

“Look,” he started, his voice steady but with a hint of something deeper, something almost personal.

“I know it’s not my place to interfere, but... if it were me, and I’d just found out that my father wasn’t really my father, I’d want to know the truth. Especially if the relationship had already been strained.” He paused, glancing at each of us, making sure we were all following. “It would give Aurora some kind of closure. At least then, she wouldn't have to wonder anymore why she was mistreated. If it were me, I’d want that kind of peace.”

There was a long pause. I could tell everyone was processing what he said, their thoughts wandering to Aurora and the hole in her life that might be filled with the truth. I wasn’t sure I agreed, but Damien was never one to mince words. He cleared his throat.

“But that’s just me. I also think... we need to find out who her real father is. We can’t just leave it hanging. No matter how hard it gets.”

Before I could speak, Jade cut in. His tone was sharp, almost impatient. “Hold on a second,” he said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“We’re also forgetting something important. We still need to figure out how her father got to the school in the first place—if he was already dead to begin with.” She gave a quick, incredulous glance around. “That part doesn’t make any sense, does it?”

He had a point. The whole thing felt off, and as much as I wanted to focus on giving Aurora the answers she needed, Jade was right. We had a much bigger puzzle on our hands than we realized.

But then, Damien came forward to stand next to Caroline, and it almost felt like he was part of the group, helping us figure out what the hell was going on. He looked up at me, his eyes sharp, a mixture of confusion and determination clouding his usual calm demeanor.

"Caleb," he spoke, "there’s something else I just don’t get. When Aurora stopped breathing, I got it. Her heart failed, and she... Well, she passed out. But Caroline... why did she experience the same thing? Why did she have trouble breathing too? It doesn’t make sense."

I leaned forward, feeling my brow furrow at his words. I had been thinking the same thing, but hearing him say it out loud made it all the more real.

"You’re saying that Caroline felt Aurora's... death? That’s... that’s not possible, right?" Jade looked around confused, but I nodded, confirming it.

Damien exhaled, running a hand through his dark hair. "I know. It’s insane. There’s no explanation for it. Caroline wasn’t anywhere near Aurora when it happened. They were on opposite sides of the stadium. But when I saw Caroline, she was pale, gasping for air like she was choking on something. It was like…whatever happened to Aurora was happening to her too."

I could feel a cold shiver crawl up my spine at the thought of it. I had seen Caroline in that state, and had witnessed the terror on her face as she fought for breath. But to think that she could somehow have shared in Aurora’s death—it was too much to even think about.

"So you think it’s some kind of connection between them? A bond? Maybe some kind of... spiritual link?" Damien shook his head, still lost in thought. “I’ve been going over it, trying to find a logical explanation, but nothing fits. And that... that makes me wonder—was it just Aurora’s life force that ended, or was there something more to it?" His voice was almost a whisper, like he was afraid of what that answer might mean.

I stayed silent for a long moment, processing his words, my mind spinning with questions I didn’t have answers to. But I knew one thing for sure—whatever was going on between Aurora and Caroline, it wasn’t normal. And I needed to figure out what the hell was happening before it got worse.

"Guys," I said finally, "we need to get to the bottom of this. Whatever it is, we’re going to figure it out."

Damien’s eyes met mine, determination settling into his features. "We have to. Because if something like this happens again… we may not be able to stop it."