Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 274

Aurora’s P.O.V

I took a deep breath, glancing at Caroline as the silence stretched between us. The weight of the conversation hung in the air, thick and unyielding, and I knew that if I didn’t say something now, the tension would only worsen.

“You could’ve delivered the news a little more smoothly, Caroline,” I finally said, my voice softer than I intended. I wasn’t trying to undermine her, but the way she had spoken, so blunt and unapologetic, had left Mia looking like she had just been sucker-punched. And truthfully, she had. 

Caroline, however, didn’t waver. If anything, her eyes hardened as she crossed her arms over her chest, her frustration palpable. “I’ve had enough, Aurora,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ve had enough of Mia always blaming other people instead of seeing what’s right in front of her. This isn’t about me being harsh. This is about her refusing to wake up.” Her voice didn’t carry anger—it carried exhaustion, the kind that builds up after watching someone make the same mistake over and over again. 

Mia finally looked up, her eyes rimmed red but filled with defiance. She looked small, vulnerable, like she was standing in the middle of a storm with no idea how to shield herself. Caroline turned to her, her expression unreadable, but her words came out cutting, precise. “Did Shane ever tell you that you were his girlfriend? Did he ever say that he saw you as anything more?” 

Mia flinched, her lips parting like she wanted to say something, but for a moment, nothing came. Then, as if summoning all the proof she had, she lifted her chin and said, “We’ve been together since we were fifteen. We had our firsts together.” Her voice cracked, and she blinked rapidly, as if trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill. She looked at me then, silently pleading, but what could I say? The truth was already there, staring her in the face. 

My heart ached for her, but I couldn’t let that stop me from saying what she needed to hear. I reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. “Mia,” I said, keeping my voice as steady as possible, “someone who has been with you for over three years and never once made your relationship public… he doesn’t deserve to be in your life. You don’t deserve to waste any more time on him.” 

Mia’s lower lip trembled, and I could see the war going on inside her. She wanted to hold on, to believe that what they had meant something, but deep down, I knew she understood. Caroline had just ripped the bandage off, but the wound had been there all along. She swallowed hard, her fingers tightening around mine for a brief second before she pulled away, hugging herself instead. 

For the first time, she didn’t argue. She just sat there, quiet, staring at nothing in particular. And that silence? That silence was louder than any words she could have said.

But then, I took a deep breath, watching Mia's expression shift from frustration to sheer confusion as she glared at Caroline. The room felt charged with an unspoken tension, a weight that pressed against my chest as I prepared for the inevitable fallout. Mia had always been fiercely stubborn, and I knew she wasn’t going to let this go without a fight. 

"But can you say the same about Caleb? He treated Aurora like shit before he found out that she was his mate!" Mia shot at Caroline, her voice edged with challenge. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest, and she looked between us, waiting for one of us to slip up and give her the answer she wanted to hear. 

Caroline didn’t even flinch. Instead, she sighed, tilting her head slightly as if she pitied Mia for not seeing what was right in front of her. "The difference, Mia," she said evenly, "is that Caleb is Aurora’s mate. Shane isn’t yours." 

Mia’s face hardened, her brows furrowing as she let out a scoff. "And how the hell can you be so sure? I haven’t even turned eighteen yet," she argued, her voice rising slightly, almost desperate. I could feel the storm brewing within her—her frustration, her fear, her refusal to accept what Caroline was saying. 

I exhaled slowly, knowing that this moment was coming whether I wanted it to or not. "Mia," I started, my voice softer than I expected. I hesitated, watching as she turned to me, eyes searching for some sort of reassurance, some hope that she wasn’t about to hear what I knew she was dreading. "Shane is already eighteen," I continued, watching her eyes widen. "And he’s found his mate." 

Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. She blinked at me, as if trying to process what I had just said, but the weight of the truth was settling in far too quickly. "What…?" she finally breathed out, shaking her head. "No. That’s—that’s not possible." 

I swallowed, hating the way she looked at me—like I had just ripped the ground from beneath her feet. "It’s true, Mia," I told her gently. "And… his mate is a man." 

Silence. A deep, suffocating silence that seemed to stretch for eternity. Mia just stared at me, her eyes darting back and forth as if waiting for me to say that it was all a joke, a cruel misunderstanding. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. 

Caroline was the first to break the silence. "That’s probably why he stopped contacting you two months ago," she said, her tone laced with sympathy. "He found his mate, Mia. And he didn’t know how to tell you." 

Mia took a step back as if physically recoiling from the words. She shook her head rapidly, gripping her arms tightly as her breathing became uneven. "No," she muttered, her voice shaky. "No, that doesn't make sense. He wouldn’t just—he wouldn’t just cut me off like that. We were—" Her voice cracked, and she sucked in a sharp breath. "We were supposed to—" She stopped, her throat working as she struggled to finish the sentence. 

I stepped closer, reaching out instinctively, but she flinched away. "Mia," I whispered, feeling my heart clench at the sight of her so utterly broken. "I know this is hard, but you have to understand… Shane didn’t do this to hurt you. He was probably scared, confused. He didn’t know how to tell you the truth." 

Her shoulders trembled, and for the first time, I saw tears welling up in her eyes. "I just… I don’t get it," she murmured. "Why didn’t he tell me? Why did he just—just disappear?" 

Caroline sighed. "Because he didn’t want to break your heart," she answered, and for once, Mia didn’t argue. She just stood there, silent, defeated, as the truth settled in.