Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 249

Aurora’s P.O.V

I followed Caleb as he led me to the farthest edge of the property, the wind whispering through the trees, carrying a scent of damp earth and something bitter, something I couldn’t quite name. The weight in my chest grew heavier with each step, my heart already knowing the truth my mind refused to accept. And then, I saw it. A large wooden box, carefully polished, the wood glistening under the late afternoon sun. My breath caught in my throat, my fingers curling into fists at my sides.

“What is this?” I asked, though my voice was barely more than a whisper. I already knew the answer. I could feel it in my bones.

Caleb hesitated, his hands flexing at his sides, a clear sign that he was treading carefully. “Alpha Jackson sent this,” he said, his voice quieter than usual. “After the house was destroyed, we tried to recover what we could. We couldn’t get all of them, but… this one was still intact enough to be put together.”

A shiver ran down my spine, my stomach twisting violently. I swallowed hard, the taste of bile rising in my throat. I didn’t need him to say it. I knew what lay inside that box. The last tangible remains of my mother.

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. The world around me blurred at the edges, the trees fading, the ground tilting slightly. It had been years since I lost her, years of grieving, of pretending I had already made peace with it. But then Lucas had to go and make a mockery of her death, dress her up as his puppet and keep it in my room.

After the house was destroyed, I had hoped that my mother’s remains had been too. But seeing this—knowing that this was all that was left of the woman who had once held me, loved me, fought for me—was a different kind of agony.

“What do you want to do?” Caleb asked softly, pulling me back from the edge of my spiraling thoughts. He was watching me carefully, as if ready to catch me if I fell apart. “We can make a small cemetery here, at the edge of the property… or we could have it cremated.”

I inhaled sharply, my chest tightening painfully. My mother never had a final resting place. Her death had been cruel, merciless, leaving nothing but broken memories and an empty space where she should have been. Now, here she was, in a box—waiting for me to decide what to do with her.

Tears burned the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not yet. “She—” My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat, forcing strength into it. “She never got to rest. She deserves that, at least.”

Caleb nodded, giving me time, giving me space to find the words I needed. “A cemetery, then?”

I looked at the land stretching before me, untouched and peaceful. The idea of keeping her here, of having a place to come to, to speak to her, to feel close to her—it made sense. But at the same time, I knew that wasn’t what she would have wanted. She never wanted to be tied down. She always said she’d rather be part of the wind, the fire, the sky—something endless. Something free.

“No,” I murmured, shaking my head. “She wouldn’t want to be buried again…not after what happened. She—she should be set free.”

Caleb studied me for a moment, then nodded again. “Cremation, then.”

The finality of it sent another sharp ache through my chest, but I straightened my shoulders, taking a deep breath. This was the last thing I could do for her. The last choice I could make on her behalf. And I would do it right.

“Cremation,” I repeated, my voice steadier this time. “She deserves to be free.”

Even in death, she was not given peace. Her body, once full of warmth, of life, of love, was now nothing more than a grotesque display for that sick bastard’s amusement. My fists clenched at my sides, my nails digging into my palms as rage bubbled beneath my skin. How dare he? How dare he rob her of her dignity even in death? It wasn’t enough that he had violated her in life, that he had broken her, reduced her to nothing but a shell of the woman she once was. No, he had to drag her beyond the grave, turn her into some twisted trophy to remind me, to remind the world, that he still held power. 

I swallowed the lump in my throat, my vision blurring with unshed tears. "Mom," I whispered, pressing my trembling hand against the wooden box.

"I’m so sorry." The words felt pathetic, inadequate. What could I possibly say that would undo the years of suffering she endured? Nothing. There was nothing I could do to change the past, but I could ensure that Lucas wouldn’t have this last victory.

"I’m going to cremate her," I told Caleb finally, my voice raw, fueled by my pain, by my love for the woman who had given me life. "And scatter her ashes into the wind, into the ocean, where no evil will ever be able to reach her again. She’ll finally be free." 

Caleb nodded. “Your wish will be carried out. And then, your mother’s spirit will forever be free from any earthly binds.”

I felt tears sting my eyes, but I knew this was for the best. This was my final goodbye for my mother, my last attempt to give her peace that had eluded her in life and even in death.

And I hoped that after I had scattered her remains into the ocean, she will finally be free of everything that had ever held her back.