Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 275

Caleb’s P.O.V

I watched as Shane sat there, elbows resting on his knees, fingers intertwined as he stared at the ground like it held all the answers he couldn’t find in himself. The room was quieter than usual, the absence of Mia and the other girls leaving behind a strange emptiness. He let out a long, exhausted sigh before shaking his head, jaw tightening. 

“I feel like an asshole,” he finally admitted, his voice hoarse, like the weight of his own words was suffocating him. “I should’ve told her sooner. All of it. But I didn’t. I just—” He exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his already messy hair. “I just kept dragging it out like a coward.” 

Jade, sitting across from him, arms folded, leaned forward slightly. There was no anger in his face, just something like disappointment mixed with curiosity. “Why, though?” he asked, tilting his head. “Why didn’t you ever make things official with her? Why keep giving her false hope? For all we know, you guys had been fucking long before you were sent off.” 

Shane flinched at that. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and for a second, it looked like he was debating whether or not to say the truth. But then, something shifted in his face, a resignation settling over his features. 

“Because… I always knew she wasn’t the one,” he said quietly, his voice almost getting lost in the space between us. His hands clenched into fists. “And—” He hesitated, glancing up at us before looking away again. “I think I might be… bisexual.” The words came out slow, careful, as if he was saying them out loud for the first time and trying to figure out how they fit in his mouth. 

I didn’t say anything. Neither did Jade. We just let him talk. 

“But back then,” Shane continued, his leg bouncing anxiously, “I wanted to keep my image, you know? I wanted to be cool. And Mia—she was the head cheerleader. Everyone thought we were perfect together. It was just easy to go along with it.” He let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head.

“But now? Now I realize how much I fucking hurt her. And I don’t even know where to start when it comes to apologizing.” 

Before I could say anything, Ashton, who had been leaning against the wall, arms crossed, finally pushed himself forward. “You start with your words,” he said simply, his voice firm, no room for negotiation. “And you actually mean them.” 

Shane looked up at him, eyes searching, like he wanted someone to tell him there was an easier way out of this. But Ashton didn’t budge. 

“You can’t take back the past,” Ashton continued. “But you can be honest now. And that’s the only thing that’s gonna count.” 

Shane exhaled, rubbing his temples like his head was starting to hurt. “Yeah,” he muttered.

“Yeah, you’re right.” But the guilt in his eyes didn’t fade, and I could tell that, even if he knew what he had to do, actually doing it was going to be the hardest part.

But Ashton wasn’t done. I sat there, arms crossed, listening as Ashton spoke with an almost exasperated sigh. “No woman wants to feel like she’s just a sex buddy, Shane. You keep treating Mia like she’s just… there, like a convenience, and that kind of thing could mess with her confidence forever.” His voice was calm but firm, the kind of tone that didn’t leave room for argument.

It was the truth, and we all knew it. Even Shane, who had been sitting with his head bowed slightly, running a hand through his hair like he was struggling to find an excuse, didn’t try to argue. 

I exhaled slowly, nodding as I turned to Shane. “He’s right, man. You and Mia need to have a real conversation. You can’t just sweep this under the rug and hope she forgets about it. If you actually care about her, you owe her a proper apology—one where you mean it, not just some half-assed ‘sorry’ so things go back to normal.” I leaned forward, making sure he actually looked at me. “She deserves that much.” 

Shane groaned, rubbing his face before finally nodding. “Yeah, I know… I messed up. I just—” He sighed. “I didn’t think it was that serious. But if it’s really affecting her that much, then yeah, I’ll talk to her.” His voice lacked its usual confidence, but at least he wasn’t brushing it off anymore. That was a start. 

Ashton checked his watch and then got up, stretching. “Good. Now, as much as I’d love to sit here and make sure you actually follow through, we’ve got classes starting soon.” He shot me a look, then glanced at Shane, like he was silently telling me to keep an eye on him.

“Maggie, Avery, let’s go.” He motioned for them to follow, and without another word, the three of them walked off, leaving Jade, Shane and me alone. 

For a moment, neither of us spoke. Shane was still staring at the table, and I was still processing everything Ashton had just said. But then, he lifted his head and looked at me with an expression I couldn’t quite place. “Hey… do you feel like there’s something off with them?”

I frowned, leaning back slightly. “What do you mean?” 

He hesitated before shaking his head. “I don’t know, man. Ashton, Maggie…not that kid Avery, but the older ones… Something about them just seems different. Like, I can’t put my finger on it, but don’t you think there is something just… weird? I don’t know man…maybe I’m overthinking it…but there’s definitely something eerie…” 

I hadn’t thought about it much before, but now that he mentioned it, something about them had felt a little off. Maybe it was nothing. Or maybe, it was something worth looking into.