Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 157

Caleb’s P.O.V

I had no idea what else to do, so I led Aurora back to my room instead of hers. It felt safer this way, like keeping her close would keep her out of harm's reach, at least for the moment. "Here," I said, handing her a towel.

"You should dry your hair off." I tried to keep my voice steady, though everything felt off, like I was walking a razor-thin line. Aurora took the towel from me without a word and started dabbing at her damp hair.

"You can head to the bathroom while I find you something to change into," I added, feeling like I had to keep busy, to keep my mind off the fact that I had her in my room. I turned to leave, but just as I opened the door to head out, I heard her voice.

"Caleb?"

I paused, glancing over my shoulder at her. Her eyes locked with mine, the vulnerability in them almost too much to bear.

"Yeah?" I asked, trying to sound calm.

"I... I need you," she said, her voice low, but desperate, and it hit me like a punch to the gut. "Please... help me forget about everything."

I froze. The air between us thickened, and for a moment, I didn't know what to say. Part of me wanted to rush to her, to tell her everything would be fine, but I knew it wouldn't be that easy. I wanted to keep her safe, but I didn't know how to help her forget—let alone if I even should.

“Y-You should go wash up…I’ll get you a change of clothes.” I told her quickly, averting her eyes, her frame. The wet clothes clung to her form, leaving almost nothing to the imagination, and I felt heat rush through my veins.

I turned back to grab the clothes I had picked out for her, trying to clear my head, but when I opened the bathroom door to hand them to her, I stopped dead in my tracks. Aurora was already in the process of stripping, her back to me, not realizing I was there.

She had stripped out of her top, and even though her back was turned, it was hard to miss the shape of her back…her thin waist, and the way the bottoms clung to her shapely behind…

My breath caught in my throat.

I quickly spun around, my heart pounding in my chest, ready to leave. I shouldn’t have seen that, shouldn’t have let it get to me. But then I heard her voice again, softer this time, almost pleading.

"Caleb, don't go. Please... I need you."

I hesitated, standing frozen at the door. The weight of her words hung in the air, and for a second, I felt like I was losing control of everything. She was broken, and somehow, she needed me.

"I can't—" I started, my voice rough, but she interrupted me.

"Please," she whispered again, her tone urgent, desperate, like she was drowning and needed me to be her lifeline.

"Just stay. I can’t deal with all of this on my own."

Sighing heavily, I ran my hand through my hair, trying to keep control of myself. I wanted this, I really did, but I couldn’t let it happen yet. Not like this. Not with her this vulnerable. Aurora deserves more than a rushed moment, otherwise…it would feel like I was taking advantage of her during a time of weakness.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to turn away for just a second. When I faced her again, I could barely look at her, but I knew what I needed to do. Slowly, I reach for the bathrobe hanging on the chair next to me and drape it over her shoulders, trying to cover the tension that thickened between us.

"You’re not of age yet, Aurora," I said, my voice coming out hoarse. "I want to do this properly. I want you…want us, to be together because we love each other and want to take the next step together…not because it’s just about forgetting the rest of the world."

Aurora’s eyes search mine, a flicker of something daring lighting up behind her gaze. She stepped forward, taking a breath, and the smile that formed on her lips was as determined as ever.

"We’re only a few months apart, Caleb," she said, her voice soft but firm, "and my birthday’s just around the corner. We won’t technically be doing anything wrong."

Her words hit me harder than I expect, and the urge to kiss her, to take her right then and there, almost overpowering me. But I resisted. I pressed my hand to her cheek gently, my thumb brushing over her skin as I held her face in my hands, trying to steady my breath. She looked at me, so full of trust, of yearning, and I couldn’t deny the ache that spread through my chest. But this isn’t just about now. It’s about what came after.

I leaned in, pressing my lips against hers, but I don’t let it last. I pulled back just as quickly, my forehead resting against hers as I tried to keep my voice steady.

"When we actually have sex, it won’t be because you want to forget everything else. It will be because we love each other, because we can’t hold back our feelings anymore." My heart raced as I tried to push the words past my lips, but I knew it was the truth. I needed her to understand that, to feel it. I need her to know that the time just wasn’t right.

“No…Caleb, please…don’t do this…don’t leave me.”

I pulled away from Aurora, breathless and already regretting what I was about to do. She had been begging, practically pleading with me to let her in, to let her feel something else for once—anything other than fear. I had been trying to keep my distance, to stop this before it went too far. But the desperation in her eyes, the way her hands trembled as they reached for me, made it impossible to stay strong. 

"I can't," I muttered, my voice cracking slightly. "I can't do this, not like this. Not now, not when—"

"You don't understand, Caleb," she interrupted, her voice a fragile whisper of raw emotion. "The insecurity, the fear, it's suffocating. I need this. I need to feel alive again. Just... just for tonight."

I hesitated, looking at her—really looking at her. There was something broken in her eyes, something that made my chest tighten with guilt. She was so fragile right now, so lost. And for reasons I couldn't explain, I felt the overwhelming need to protect her, to help her forget—if only for a little while.

"Aurora..." I started, but she stepped forward, closing the distance between us, her hands trembling as they gently cupped my face.

"Please, Caleb. Just tonight. I need to feel something... anything, other than this…fear, this…uncertainty," she whispered, her voice breaking as if she was on the edge of shattering.

My resolve crumbled. I had promised myself I wouldn't cross that line, but I couldn't refuse her—not like this. I leaned in, pressing my forehead to hers, trying to steady my breathing. "I won't... I won't have sex with you. But I'll help you forget. Just for today, I’ll give you that. No more, no less."

Her eyes searched mine for a moment, as if weighing my words, before her lips parted, a soft exhale escaping them. She nodded, and before I could second-guess myself, I kissed her. It was soft at first, hesitant even, but then her lips moved against mine, a desperation lacing the kiss, and everything I had been holding back melted away. I kissed her deeper, my hands threading through her hair, pulling her closer, feeling her body press into mine like she was trying to lose herself in me. 

We both got lost in the heat of it—the moment, the kiss, the way she needed something to keep her grounded in a world that seemed to be falling apart around us. And I, I was the one who would help her forget, if only for tonight.