Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 345

Aurora’s P.O.V

The air felt heavier the moment I stepped into the packhouse. The familiar scent of pinewood and the faint smell of sweat lingering in the halls didn’t bring the usual comfort—it just made my stomach twist even more. I didn’t even wait to settle in or greet anyone. My feet carried me straight to the training wing, where I knew he’d be. Caleb. The only one who could possibly make sense of this mess brewing inside me.

I heard the rhythmic pounding of fists against punching bags and the thud of feet slamming into the mats before I saw him. There he was, shirt soaked with sweat, muscles straining as he sparred with one of the younger wolves. His focus was razor-sharp, but the second his eyes caught mine—everything shifted. He froze mid-move, and I saw it. That flicker of alarm in his eyes.

“Aurora?” he called, immediately stepping back from the ring. He didn’t even bother grabbing his towel. “Guys, take five,” he told the rest, already jogging toward me.

I stood there, arms crossed, heart pounding in my chest like a war drum. I must’ve looked like a ghost. Caleb didn’t ask questions in front of everyone—he knew me too well for that.

“Come on,” he murmured, placing a gentle hand on my lower back as he led me out through the side door and up the stairs to the balcony. It was quiet here. Just the rustle of the trees and the soft evening breeze brushing against my skin.

The second we stepped outside, he turned to face me, brows furrowed, his eyes searching mine. “What’s going on? You look like you’ve seen something you weren’t supposed to.”

I took a breath. A long, uneven one. “Did you know,” I said, my voice barely steady, “that Maggie was seeing Jade?”

For a moment, there was just stunned silence. Then Caleb’s eyes widened, and he stepped back slightly like my words had physically hit him. “Wait—he’s still doing this?”

That. That one word shattered something inside me.

“Still?” I repeated, my voice rising just a notch as confusion and hurt began to mix. “What do you mean still, Caleb?”

He ran a hand down his face and turned away briefly, gripping the railing of the balcony like he needed it to ground himself. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath. “I wasn’t going to say anything because I thought—fuck, I thought it was a one-time thing.”

My heart dropped. “Caleb.”

He turned back to me, jaw tight. “A few weeks ago, Caroline and I saw them. Late at night. They were walking down by the old trail near the edge of the territory—just the two of them. Maggie had her hoodie pulled up, but Jade… Jade looked like he didn’t care who saw. They were holding hands.”

I blinked. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“I didn’t know what to say!” he burst out, pacing now. “Aurora, we confronted Jade. Caroline was pissed. She called him out right there. He swore it wasn’t anything serious. Said it was just a moment, that Maggie was going through something and he was just… being there for her.”

My lips trembled, but I held it together. Barely.

“You saw them holding hands,” I repeated. “And he said it was just a moment?”

Caleb looked at me, the guilt in his eyes so raw it made me ache. “I should’ve told you. I just… I didn’t want to start something if it wasn’t real. And Jade promised us that he’d end things with Maggie and be done with it. I didn’t think he’d keep seeing her.”

I folded my arms tightly across my chest. “Well, he did. I saw Maggie wearing his bracelet and when I confronted her, she admitted to seeing him in secret now, and told me to keep quiet. I don’t know what to do here, Caleb! They both know they’re not mates, but still…”

Caleb swore under his breath again, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, Aurora. I really am. I just—I didn’t want to hurt you with something that might’ve been nothing.”

“It wasn’t nothing,” I snapped, voice cracking. “It never was. And now…Jade and Maggie are adamant on going further! God, what’s gonna happen when Jade finally finds his mate? Maggie will be devastated!”

The wind carried the silence between us for a moment. Caleb looked at me like he wanted to fix it, like he could somehow undo the sting of betrayal radiating through every inch of me. But he couldn’t. Not this time.

“Aurora—” he started.

But I shook my head, looking away. “You should’ve told me. I thought we didn’t keep things from each other.”

His eyes softened, but his expression stayed pained. “You’re right. And I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Caleb, this isn't about making the same mistake again…” My voice was strained, worried. “This is about trying to stop a train wreck from happening and failing to do so.”

Have you ever had to confront someone about something they hid from you, even if they meant well? But in the end, the results would be devastating…so did the intensions really matter?

I shook my head, pacing the length of the balcony like a caged animal, my heart thundering and my chest tight. The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating, until I was stopped, finally cutting through it—my voice sharp, trembling with the kind of anger that only comes from caring too much.

“Jade really promised you that he would stop seeing Maggie?” I asked, my voice low, because I was having difficulty believing it. “Did he really say he would pull back?”

“He told me he would. Swore on his life, even. Said he understood that she wasn’t his mate and he didn’t want to hurt her. Said it was over.” He let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head. “I actually believed him.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have,” I snapped. “Because after just one damn week, he’s back with her. Maggie’s been going to his place. They’ve been seeing each other every night, Caleb. Every night.”

He finally met my eyes, his expression turning dark. “It’s not like I didn’t try to stop him, Aurora. I talked to him. More times than I can count. But Jade’s... he’s stubborn. He’s always been that way, you know that.”

“But how can you be so calm?” I demanded, stepping closer, my arms crossing in front of my chest defensively. “Maggie isn’t his mate, Caleb. She never was. You said so yourself, that Jade admitted to it. This isn’t going to end in anything but heartbreak—for both of them. How can you just... let it happen?”

“Because there’s nothing left to do!” He suddenly exploded, his voice echoing against the walls. “I’ve been there every step of the way, Aura. I listened, I reasoned, I even begged him to stay away from her. But he doesn’t want to listen anymore. He thinks he’s in love with her.”

“That’s not love,” I said, softer now, like a wounded whisper. “It’s desperation. It's the fear of being alone…the—the fact that even though he turned eighteen first, you and Caroline, hell even Shane, found their mates before him. You know that.”

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “I do. But knowing it doesn’t change a damn thing if he refuses to see it. I can’t keep dragging him out of the fire when he keeps walking right back in. He’s a grown man, Aurora. If he wants to burn, I can’t stop him.”

I felt my eyes glaze over, my voice barely holding steady. “So we just do nothing?”

He shook his head “What else can we do, Aurora? We sat him down. We tried to reason with him. Caroline begged him, Aurora. She practically broke down. And Jade… he just looked at us like we didn’t understand. Like we were the ones getting in the way of something bigger. I don’t know what kind of spell Maggie has over her, but it’s working.”