Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 187

Aurora’s P.O.V

I stared at Harmona in shock, the words she had just spoken still echoing in my mind. My heart raced, and I felt the air grow thick around me. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out at first. I swallowed hard, trying to force the words out. “What do you mean?” I managed to choke out, my voice trembling with disbelief. “What on earth are you talking about?”

Harmona didn’t seem fazed. She just smiled, that same cold smile she always wore, as if the world was a game to her. It made my stomach twist. Without saying a word, she picked up a plastic knife and handed it to me. "Here," she said, her tone overly sweet, "cut the cake."

I just stared at the knife, my mind spinning. The cake? After everything she just said? I shook my head, pushing it away. "I don’t want to," I replied, my voice barely more than a whisper.

But Harmona didn’t hesitate. She grabbed the knife from me with a practiced motion and cut a slice of the cake herself. She raised it to her lips, as if the entire moment was just another casual routine for her, and took a bite. "You should really appreciate it, you know," she said, her words dripping with fake sweetness. "Your father made this cake himself. It’s delicious."

I froze, my blood turning to ice. My father? The words hit me like a slap, harder than anything Harmona had just done. I felt my throat close up, my breath shallow. "My father is dead," I said, forcing the words out, the truth of it still heavy in my chest. "What are you talking about?"

For a second, Harmona didn’t say anything. She just stared at me, her smile never faltering, as if I had said nothing at all. But then her eyes hardened, and before I could even react, she slapped me—hard—across the face.

My head snapped to the side, the sting on my cheek making my entire face burn. "Never. Bring. That. Monster. Up. Again," she hissed through clenched teeth, her grip tightening on the plate in her hands. "He wasn’t your father, and you’ll never speak of him like that again. Your real father is here now, Aurora. He’s finally here, and you’re free of all those fake people. You’re with your true family now."

I staggered backward, my mind refusing to process the words she was saying. My breath caught in my throat, and all I could do was stare at her, wide-eyed, my heart pounding in my chest.

"What... What the hell are you talking about?" I whispered, the words barely leaving my lips. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be.

I felt my hands tremble as Harmony's cold, calculating gaze locked onto me. I tried to step back, the weight of her presence pressing on me like a vice. I could already feel the air in the room thickening, and my throat constricted as fear bubbled up inside me. I wanted to run, to escape, but the overwhelming tension in the air was suffocating.

"You’re not going anywhere, Aurora," Harmona said, her voice soft but dripping with menace. "It’s your eighteenth birthday, and we’re going to celebrate properly."

I flinched, her words causing a knot of dread to form in my stomach. I had barely registered the cake in front of me, but now it seemed like it was there for one purpose: to trap me further in this twisted celebration. My heart raced as she shoved the cake towards me, forcing a slice into my mouth. I tried to pull away, to protest, but she was stronger than me. Her grip was iron, and before I knew it, I was chewing the sweet frosting, my tears mingling with the cake's sugary taste.

"Come on, blow out the candles," Harmona urged after she was done force-feeding me a slice, her smile widening. "It’s tradition. Make a wish."

I didn’t want to do it. The thought of making a wish with her watching me made my insides churn, but I knew if I didn’t, the consequences would be far worse. My breath hitched, and I looked at the flickering candles. My mind raced with fear, but one thought kept repeating over and over: Caleb.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment and wished with all my heart, hoping that somehow, against all odds, I’d be reunited with him again. The thought of being free from Harmona, of escaping this nightmare, was all I could focus on. I forced the words out in my mind, willing them to reach the universe: Please bring me back to Caleb.

I exhaled shakily and blew out the candles. Harmona clapped, her cold eyes gleaming with satisfaction. But then, she leaned in closer, her voice low and sinister, like a whisper in my ear that sent shivers down my spine.

"That wish of yours is futile, Aurora," she said, each word a dagger in my chest. "Caleb and his pathetic pack will never find you. No one will save you."

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. My heart pounded harder, if that was even possible. "What… what do you mean?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. I took a step back, but there was no way out, no escape from the chilling reality she was making me face.

Her laugh was cold, devoid of any warmth. "You think they’re going to come for you? You think they’ll break through the walls I’ve built around you?" Harmona’s smile twisted into something darker. "It’s too late, Aurora. You belong to me now, to us."

I stumbled back, my heart sinking deeper with each word she spoke. The terror was consuming me, and I could feel the tears threatening to spill from my eyes. Caleb… I couldn’t even picture his face clearly anymore, and I had no idea where he was, if he was even looking for me. My hope felt like it was slipping away, drowned by the suffocating reality Harmona was forcing me into.

I stood there, frozen watching Harmona move toward the door. The cake, once a small symbol of celebration, now felt like a weight in her hands, a subtle reminder of the chaos that was unraveling in my life. My mind was a whirlwind of emotions, confusion, and disbelief. It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t.

Harmona paused just before the door, her back to me. She didn't even need to turn around for me to know she was enjoying my discomfort, my internal storm.

"He's coming," she said, her voice soft, but the weight of her words hit me like a punch in the gut. "He's been waiting... for eighteen years to meet you, Aurora."

The room seemed to spin. Eighteen years? My heart raced as my mind scrambled to piece things together. How could this be happening?

“What... what do you mean?” My voice felt small, fragile, as if saying the words would somehow make it all too real. “Who is he? Why now?”

Harmona turned to face me fully, her smile tight, almost pitying. “You’ll find out soon enough. He’s waited this long, a few more minutes won’t matter.”

I shook my head, trying to process it, but it felt like the ground beneath me was giving way. My hands were trembling, and my vision blurred.

Harmona’s eyes softened for a brief second, but then they hardened again. “Your real father had been looking for you all along, Aurora. He wasn’t able to find you until now, but now, he’s ready. Ready to make up for lost time.”

I could barely catch my breath. It was too much. Too fast. The words didn’t feel real. They couldn’t be. Eighteen years of my life, and now this man, this stranger, was going to walk into it like it was nothing. Like he had a right.

I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears. My chest was tight, and the weight of everything pressing down on me was unbearable. How was I supposed to react? What was I supposed to feel? I couldn’t even breathe properly.