Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 268

Aurora’s P.O.V

I let out a slow breath, feeling my chest ache, not just for him but for the versions of us that had suffered alone, in silence, trying to survive in different ways. “We didn’t come from the same circumstances,” I told him, my voice quiet but firm. “Yes, abuse was a common factor, but there was more at play than just that.” I hesitated, feeling the weight of my own memories clawing at the edges of my mind. “You had ways to vent, Shane. You could explode, lash out, fight back in ways I never could. But me?” I forced out a shaky breath. “I didn’t have that luxury. I had to hold it in. If I broke, if I let myself feel everything all at once, I wouldn’t have survived it.” 

He stared at me, something raw flickering behind his eyes. “But that’s not fair,” he muttered. “You deserved to be angry too.” 

A small, bitter smile ghosted my lips. “I was angry. I still am,” I admitted. “But I had to learn to carry it differently. I had to swallow it down, make sure it didn’t spill over because if it did... I don’t think I would have been able to stop.” 

Shane exhaled, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck, looking exhausted by the weight of everything unspoken between us. “I used to think you were weak because you never fought back,” he murmured. “But I was wrong. You were just surviving in the only way you knew how.” 

I nodded, my throat thick with emotion. “And so were you.” 

For a moment, there was silence, nothing but the sound of our breathing and the echoes of everything we never said. And then, almost hesitantly, Shane whispered, “I don’t want to be like this anymore.” 

I reached out, my fingers brushing against his trembling hand. “Then don’t be,” I told him softly. “It’s not too late, Shane.” 

And for the first time, he looked at me like he actually believed that. 

He crosses his arms over his chest on a sigh, his usual guarded stance. I know him well enough now to see past it. There’s hesitation in his stance, a war waging behind his eyes. Finally, he speaks. “How do you do it?” His voice is rough, laced with frustration. “How do you stay this positive, Aurora? After everything?”

I blink at him, taken aback. “What choice do I have?” My voice is quieter than I expect, but steady. “I could spend my life being angry, being bitter. I could let everything that happened to me consume me. But what’s the point? All that does is give them more power. And I refuse to give them that.”

Shane scoffs, shaking his head. “It’s not that simple.”

“No, it’s not.” I take a step closer, making sure he sees me, really sees me. “I never said it was easy. But I found something here that I never had before. A family. Not by blood, not by obligation, but by choice. People who care about me, who stand by me. And I won’t throw that away just because of the past.”

He looks away, jaw tightening. I can tell he’s thinking about his own family. About how they don’t see him the way he wants them to. About how he’s spent so long chasing after their approval, only to end up disappointed, over and over again. I sigh, shaking my head.

“Shane,” I say, softer now. “I know it hurts. I know it’s not fair. But your friends? The ones who’ve stood by you, even when your family wouldn’t? They matter. You need to appreciate them. Hold on to them. Because if you’re not careful, you’ll push them away, and then you’ll be just as alone as you think you are.”

His lips press into a thin line, his eyes dark and stormy. He doesn’t say anything for a long moment, just stares at the ground like it holds all the answers he’s searching for. And maybe, just maybe, he hears me. Maybe, for once, he lets himself believe it.

I nod, satisfied, and turn on my heel, walking away before he can say anything else. Some things don’t need to be debated. Some things just need to be said, and left to sink in. He’ll figure it out, eventually. At least, I hope he will.

And as I head back, I find Caleb still standing in that same position, his shoulders tense. But as soon as he sees me, he relaxes and in an instant, he is right next to me, pulling me into his arms.

I relax into his hold, letting my mind and body expand and my heart steady. I knew Shane might be here to stay a while, but for now, it no longer had the same affect on me that I had once thought it might.

And I realized that I had moved forward in ways that I hadn't yet expected.