Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 327

Aurora’s P.O.V

He froze for a beat. Just a beat. But that hesitation spoke volumes. His mouth opened and closed once, then again, and finally, with a resigned sigh, he mumbled, “It wasn’t like that. We all know witches can’t use magic before we turn eighteen.”

I crossed my arms, giving him a look that told him I wasn’t going to let that slide.

He sighed again, heavier this time, and looked at Maggie as if silently scolding her for bringing it up. Then, finally, he turned to me, his voice low, almost unwilling. “Okay, so…I used to scout around the house during Witching Hour, trying to find ways to escape. And that’s when I… stole a spell book. From Harmona’s room.”

My brows shot up. “You what?”

“She had a whole shelf of them,” he muttered, not meeting my eyes. “We were curious. Both Maggie and me. Maggie found one with simple spells. Mostly illusion stuff. Parlor tricks. And Harmona… she never noticed. Or maybe she did and just didn’t care. So I figured the spells weren’t important.”

“You figured?” I echoed, incredulous. “You figured that stealing from Harmona, Harmona, wasn’t a big deal?”

“She never questioned it,” he said quickly, defensively. “It’s not like we were trying to hurt anyone. We were just… messing around. Trying to find little comfort in that house that kept us prisoner for so long.”

“But you were already using magic,” I said slowly, the weight of that realization sinking in. “Before any formal training…before you even turned eighteen. Before you were even supposed to know what a spell book was. How—how is that even possible?”

Ashton looked at me then. Really looked at me. And behind his usual calm, behind the faint guilt flickering in his eyes, there was something else — something deeper, darker.

“I don’t know how it happened, Aurora, because, trust me, I didn’t even know that witches didn’t get their powers until they turn eighteen until very recently. I only ever wanted to protect Maggie and Avery and…Violet,” he said, barely above a whisper, glancing at Maggie again.

“And if a few stolen spells helped me keep her safe when no one else did… I don’t regret it.”

His words hung heavy in the air. And despite the drama, despite the betrayal of that small truth he’d hidden all along, a part of me understood. But that didn’t mean I was done asking questions.

Not even close.

My mind, however, was still stuck on what had happened that day in the forest—when the house had started to collapse and we thought we were done for. And then, just like that, Ashton had formed a shield by combining our powers and forming a circle. A damn shield. Out of nowhere. It had shimmered like liquid glass and held the weight of the flying debris, chunks of bricks and cement, like it was no more than a feather. At the time, I was too caught up in the chaos to ask how he did it. But now? Now I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“He’s gotten better,” Maggie said from beside me, her voice soft but charged with a spark of mischief. She was sitting cross-legged on the grass now, her eyes lit up like she was about to share a juicy secret. “I’m telling you, Aurora, Ashton’s learned some cool tricks when we were in that house. Not just the shield stuff—he can bend light, manipulate minor energy waves. I even saw him levitate a rock the size of a football. I tried to be like him, but it’s almost impossible.”

I raised an eyebrow, half-impressed, half-skeptical. “Levitate a rock, huh? And he didn’t explode or faint afterward?”

Maggie giggled. “Nope. Not even a nosebleed.”

That caught my attention more than anything else. Last time I tried something even remotely close to levitation, I ended up flat on my back for three hours with a migraine and shaking hands.

“I’m not saying we have to do anything crazy,” she continued, leaning in like she was sharing a conspiracy. “But maybe we could learn a few tricks, too. Harmless ones. You know… just in case something happens again. Ashton said he could teach us. He’s gotten good at breaking it down.”

I hesitated, chewing on the inside of my cheek. I wasn’t one to jump into trouble—okay, maybe that was a lie—but I had been trying to stay on the straight and narrow since Alice laid down her rules. “Alice would lose it if she found out. You know how she gets about practicing outside sanctioned sessions.”

Maggie rolled her eyes. “Only if she finds out. And she won’t. Not unless you tell her. Or unless Ashton blows something up, which he promised he wouldn’t.”

I gave her a long look. “And you believe that?”

She shrugged, giving me that annoying, infuriatingly confident grin of hers. “I believe in you. And I think you’re smart enough to walk away if it gets too messy.”

God, she was good. She always knew exactly what to say to get under my skin in the right way.

“And come on,” she added with a pout. “Don’t you wanna know how Ashton did that shield thing? I mean, it could save our lives again. Or someone else’s. And let’s be honest, Alice makes it way harder than it needs to be. So…aren’t you a little curious?”

I sighed, turning to face her fully. “I am curious,” I admitted. “But that’s not the same as being stupid.”

Maggie bounced to her feet. “Then don’t be stupid. Be careful. Learn something useful and then decide what to do with it.”

I hated how much sense she made. But she was right. The memory of that shield, the sheer raw power of it, had been haunting me like an unfinished sentence. If Ashton really had picked up some new skills, then maybe it was time we stopped sitting on the sidelines, waiting for disaster to strike. Maybe it was time we learned to protect ourselves without asking for permission.

“Okay,” I said finally, crossing my arms again but this time in resolve. “Let’s do it. We learn a few things, nothing dangerous, nothing over the top. And we don’t tell Alice.”

Maggie grinned so wide I thought her face might split in two. “Deal.”

And just like that, Ashton came to stand between us with that casual smirk of his, like he’d been listening the whole time.

“Told you she’d say yes,” Maggie said, flashing a wink in my direction, and Ashton chuckled softly in amusement.

I narrowed my eyes at him, already regretting this a little. “Don’t make me change my mind.”

He held up both hands in mock surrender. “Hey, I’m just a humble tutor here. Let’s see how fast you two can learn before Alice starts sniffing around. I’m too beat to teach just today, but maybe…we can take it slow and steady?”

Oh, this was going to be interesting. Maybe even fun.

Or a complete disaster.

Either way, I was in.