Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 139

Aurora’s P.O.V

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I watched Riley furrow his brows in concentration as he scribbled away on the worksheet in front of him. The room was quiet except for the sound of his pencil scratching against the paper and the occasional frustrated sigh he let out. I chuckled softly and nudged his shoulder.

"You’ve got this, Riley. Just focus. The answer’s simpler than you think." He glanced at me, his lips pulling into a half-smile, and nodded. It felt nice, moments like these, just the two of us, where I could guide him and feel like I was making a difference in his life. Riley had always looked up to me, and I wanted to be the person he could rely on, no matter what.

But then, out of nowhere, a sharp, piercing pain shot through my chest. It wasn’t subtle or gradual—it hit me like a bolt of lightning, making me gasp. My hand instinctively went to my chest, and for a second, I thought my heart had stopped. Riley looked up, his face immediately clouded with concern.

“Sis? What’s wrong?” His voice pulled me out of the fog, but I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I stood up and moved toward the window, my movements jerky and unsure. The feeling was fading, but the unease it left behind lingered.

Pulling the curtains aside, I peered out into the late afternoon light. Everything seemed normal at first, the familiar view of the woods stretching out beyond the packhouse. But then, in the distance, a thin column of smoke rose into the sky. It wasn’t natural—definitely not a campfire or anything harmless. My stomach twisted as questions flooded my mind. What was happening? Why had I felt that pain? And, more importantly, why did the direction of the smoke feel familiar?

“Big sis?” Riley’s voice brought me back to the room, his tone more insistent now. I turned to look at him, forcing a smile onto my face even though my thoughts were racing. “It’s nothing,” I said, my voice as light as I could manage.

“I just thought I heard something outside. Probably my imagination.” He didn’t look entirely convinced, but I didn’t give him a chance to press further. I walked back to the bed, sitting down beside him, and ruffled his hair in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Come on, let’s get back to this. I think you were just about to figure out question four.”

He hesitated but eventually nodded, his focus shifting back to the worksheet. I tried to do the same, acting like everything was normal, but my mind kept wandering back to that smoke and the strange pain in my chest. Something wasn’t right. I just didn’t know what.

It was right when Maya, Caleb’s mom, arrived with a plate of freshly cut fruit. Her timing couldn’t have been better. Riley and I had been buried in books for what felt like hours, our focus wavering, and the sight of her with that kind smile and a much-needed break was a relief. She set the plate down between us and motioned for us to pause.

“You two need to take a break,” she said, her tone warm yet firm. Riley and I exchanged quick grins, welcoming the interruption.

“Come, sit with us,” I said, gesturing to bed. She obliged, sitting down gracefully and looking at me with that motherly concern that made me feel both seen and slightly guilty.

“Aurora,” she began, leaning forward slightly, “have you thought about going back to school?” Her voice was careful, as if she didn’t want to push too hard. “The midterms are coming up, and I’d hate for you to lose another year.” Her words hung in the air, and I couldn’t ignore the truth behind them. I hesitated, fiddling with the edge of my notebook, but finally met her gaze.

“I’ve been thinking about it actually,” I admitted softly. “Maybe going back wouldn’t be so bad after all.” The admission felt lighter than I’d expected, like a weight I hadn’t realized I was carrying had shifted just a little.

Maya’s face lit up, her approval almost palpable. “That’s wonderful to hear,” she said enthusiastically. “If you decide to, I can help you find a good tutor. Caroline and Caleb could help you study too—they’d be more than happy to.” Her confidence in me was comforting, almost infectious, and I found myself nodding along.

“See? You’ve got an entire team ready to back you up.” She said, and I couldn’t help but smile at their support, feeling, for the first time in a while, that maybe this wasn’t such an impossible idea after all.

"Fine, Maya. I’ll do it. I want to be a better person." I said, crossing my arms and leaning back against the bedframe. The words left my mouth before I had time to second-guess them, but somehow, they felt right. Maya blinked at me, clearly thrown off by my sudden change of heart. Her lips parted as if she were about to question me, but I caught her glance at Riley, who was sitting quietly in the corner, pretending not to listen but failing miserably. I tilted my head slightly in his direction, and Maya’s eyes softened as understanding dawned on her.

"Riley," she called gently, turning her attention to him. "Why don’t you go check where Caroline is? She’s been gone a while."

He looked up, his expression unreadable for a moment before he gave a quick nod and left the room without protest. I watched him go, waiting until the sound of his footsteps faded before I turned back to Maya.

"It’s him," I said simply, running a hand through my hair. "Riley has no one left but me, Maya. It’s just the two of us now, and I can’t keep pretending like that doesn’t matter. I need to step up." My voice wavered slightly, but I pushed through, refusing to let the weight of the truth drown me.

"I don’t want to be the high-school-drop-out sister he’s ashamed of, the one people will ridicule him for when they find out, when he’s older. I want to be someone he can look up to, someone he can brag about. When he talks about me, I want him to feel proud—not like he has to make excuses for me."

Maya didn’t interrupt, didn’t try to offer any of her usual reassurances. She just listened, her steady gaze letting me know she understood. It wasn’t an easy thing to admit out loud, but saying it made it feel more real, more urgent. Riley deserved better, and I was done letting him down.

I watched Maya closely, the way her eyes softened as she took in the weight of my silence. She didn’t need me to say it aloud; she just knew. It was in the slump of my shoulders, the way my fingers trembled slightly as they fidgeted with the hem of my sleeve. Maya reached out, her hand resting lightly on mine, grounding me in a way that I didn’t know I needed.

“Aurora,” she said softly, her voice carrying a kind of understanding that felt like a balm against my frayed nerves.

“You don’t have to do this alone. I’ll be with you, all the way, through everything. But for now, there’s something important you have to do, and I know it’s not going to be easy.”

Her words landed heavily, and my throat tightened in understanding.

I didn’t want to face it, didn’t want to break the fragile bubble Riley was living in, where his world hadn’t yet come crashing down. But Maya’s steady presence gave me the courage to breathe through the ache. She was right. I had to tell Riley about our father. He deserved to hear it from me before the funeral made it real in a way that words never could.

I nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I know,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

“I just... I don’t even know how to say it. How do you tell someone that their father is gone, just like that? How do I take away that last piece of innocence he has left?”

Maya squeezed my hand, her grip firm yet comforting. “You’ll find the words, Aurora. You always do. And whatever happens, I’ll be right here, okay?”

Her reassurance steadied me, and even though my heart felt like it was breaking all over again, I knew I had to do it. For Riley. For the both of us.