Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 290

Caleb’s P.O.V

“I’m going to say this as your brother and not as the future Alpha,” I said, folding my arms and leaning back against the nearest tree, my eyes locked onto Jade who now stood slouched, his shoulders sagging under the weight of our investigation.

The fading light him cast a soft glow over his hair, highlighting the way he kept running his fingers through it, like he was trying to soothe the mess in his mind. “You’re nineteen now, Jade. You’re not some clueless pup fumbling around trying to figure out who you are. You know damn well what the mating bond is. If you don’t feel it with Maggie, then you have no right—none whatsoever—to give her false hope.”

Jade sighed, that kind of long, weary exhale that made it sound like the weight of the entire pack was on his shoulders instead of just his teenage confusion. He glanced at me, jaw clenched and eyes flickering with a hint of irritation and something softer—regret, maybe. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you or Caroline,” he muttered, voice low but sharp around the edges. “Because I knew you two would overreact the second I opened my mouth.”

I pushed off the tree, pacing once, twice, then planting myself across from him. “Overreact? Jade, Maggie’s looks like she is in love with you. You think I don’t see it? You think Caroline doesn’t see the way she lights up when you walk in the room or how she gets quiet and awkward every time someone mentions mates?” I took a breath, forcing myself not to raise my voice. “This isn’t just about some harmless teenage fling. You’re toying with her heart.”

He looked away, guilt flickering across his face before he masked it with defiance. “I like her, Caleb. I have a soft spot for her, okay? She’s sweet, she’s funny, and she gets me in a way most people don’t. But I know she’s not my mate. I’ve always known. It’s not… there. Not the way

it’s supposed to be. But I don’t know when I’ll find my mate—hell, I might not find her for years. And in the meantime, what’s so wrong about sharing some moments with someone who makes me feel… seen?”

My chest tightened at his words, and I hated that part of me understood what he meant. That ache of uncertainty, of wondering if the person meant for you was out there or if fate had forgotten you entirely—it was a cruel kind of loneliness. But I couldn’t let him use that ache as an excuse.

“Because those moments aren’t just yours,” I said, softer this time, taking another step so I was standing right in front of him. “They’re hers too. And she doesn’t know they’re fleeting. You do. You walk into this with the full awareness that it’s temporary for you—but for her? She’s already looking at you like you hung the damn moon. You say it’s harmless dating, but there’s nothing harmless about playing with someone’s heart, Jade.”

His shoulders slumped, and for a moment, he looked younger than he was—less like the tall, quiet kid who never caused trouble, and more like the boy who used to trail after me and Caroline, always curious, always wanting to prove himself.

“So what do you want me to do?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper. “Break her heart now just to avoid breaking it later? What if I never find my mate, Caleb? Am I supposed to just wait forever? Be alone until the Moon Goddess decides I’ve earned love?”

“I’m not saying you have to be alone,” I said gently, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m saying you have to be honest. With her. With yourself. Because this thing you’re doing—it’s only going to hurt more the longer it drags on. Do you want companionship? Fine. But not at the expense of someone else’s future. You think Maggie’s going to be okay waking up one day and realizing she wasted her heart on someone who never planned on keeping it? Because the instant you feel the bond for someone…you’ll forget that Maggie ever existed.”

Jade didn’t respond right away. He just stared down at the table, at the invisible spiral he was tracing with his finger on the wood grain. I saw the war going on in his head, the push and pull between desire and duty, between the comfort of the now and the fear of the unknown. And for a while, I let the silence stretch. Sometimes people need space to figure out how to breathe under the weight of their own choices.

Finally, he looked up at me, and his eyes—stormy and uncertain—met mine. “I never meant to hurt her,” he said, voice rough. “I thought I was doing the right thing. Being there for her. Making her happy. It’s really all harmless flirting, Caleb. Just some harmless fun.”

I let out an incredulous laugh, loud and sharp, unable to stop myself even if I tried. “Harmless?” I repeated, the word bitter on my tongue. “You actually think this is harmless?” I turned to him, brows raised, my voice laced with disbelief.

“Are you even seeing what’s happening right now? Look at Mia—look at her! She’s shattered. Completely wrecked.” I gestured toward the packhouse, as a reminder of the drama currently unfolding in the pack all because of this same miscommunication.

“Shane found his mate, and now Mia's just... nothing. Just someone he used to love. And you call that harmless?”

I stepped forward, feeling the weight of it all pressing down on my chest, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.

“You know what hurts the most?” I asked, quieter now, my voice catching.

“It’s not just the rejection. It’s the fact that she gave everything to him. Every damn thing. Her love, her trust, her future. And the second his mate came into the picture, it was like Mia never mattered. Like she was some... placeholder until the ‘real thing’ came along.”

He nodded, slowly, like the words were still sinking in. I knew this wouldn’t be the last conversation we’d have about it. But maybe, just maybe, it was the one that would make him think twice before calling something harmless when it came wrapped in someone else’s heart.

My jaw tensed as I looked at him again. “And you want me to stand here and pretend this isn’t going to happen again? That Maggie won’t go through the same hell when you find your mate?” My voice cracked, because it wasn’t just anger anymore—it was fear. Fear for Maggie. Fear for what she’d become after.

“She’s already head over heels, man. She looks at you like you’re her whole damn world. And if you don’t think that’ll break her when he leaves, then you’re lying to yourself.”

I shook my head, swallowing down the bitterness. “I don’t care how strong you think they are, or how much love they think they have. It won’t matter. Because the second fate throws a mate into the picture, everything changes. Love doesn’t stand a chance against it. And Maggie... she won’t survive that. Not the way Mia’s barely surviving it now.”